Jon Moxley defeated Powerhouse Hobbs to retain the AEW World Championship in the main event of "AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage." Moxley was making the third defense of this reign against Hobbs, who earned his opportunity for the title with a win in the Casino Gauntlet Match earlier this month, in a rematch of their ill-fated IWGP World Heavyweight Championship bout in April last year (Hobbs sustained a legitimate injury during the bout, sidelining him until his return in November). Before the starting bell, The Death Riders gathered around the ring as Moxley struck his opponent from behind to get things going. The action spilled outside shortly thereafter, the pair brawling through the crowd until Hobbs gained the advantage on the floor, biting Moxley's ear repeatedly and drawing blood.
Hobbs maintained that advantage as the action was taken back inside the ring, only for Moxley to slide back into control with an armbar. Escaping the move, Hobbs found his feet outside the ring on the entrance ramp. But Wheeler Yuta emerged to land a Busaiku knee to Hobbs while the referee was distracted. Moxley sought to take advantage, but Hobbs fought away from him, only to fall down to the ropes where Marina Shafir stood. Shafir struck Hobbs with a briefcase, but he kicked out of Moxley's attempted pinfall before doing so once more after a Paradigm Shift. Ultimately, the referee called for a stoppage as Moxley choked him out. After the bout, The Death Riders entered the ring to help Moxley beat Hobbs down, stomping on his surgically repaired knee and snapping a steel chair over it. Cope and FTR emerged to clear the ring as Moxley retreated with the damage to Hobbs done.
