‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Feb 1st 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Jon Moxley def. “Hangman” Adam Page
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moxley jumped “Hangman” as Moxley was making his entrance. Moxley hurled Adam Page into the barricade. Moxley delivered a flying sledge as he jumped off the barricade onto Hangman. Adam Page turned the tables, delivering a big boot to Moxley as they brawled amongst the fans. Moxley applied the figure four on the floors and flipped off Adam Page. Moxley hit Page in the ribs with a steel chair. Page slung the chair at Moxley’s head. Page suplexed Moxley onto the chair on the arena floor. Page caught Moxley flush in the forehead. Moxley, dazed, began to bleed from the forehead. Page sent Moxley flying with a German Suplex. The blood began to pour into Moxley’s eye. Moxley and Page traded chops. Moxley tagged Page with forearms. Page caught a charging Moxley and countered with a fallaway slam. Moxley, swinging blindly, clubbed Page on the side of the head. Page picked up Moxley in a fireman’s carry and then threw him from the ring apron onto the ring post. Moxley brought Page down with a cutter. Both men got to their feet and began to chop away at one another. Moxley fired off kicks and then locked in a sleeper. Page escaped with a backdrop suplex. Moxley answered with a backdrop driver. Moxley suplexed Hangman off the turnbuckles. Moxley grabbed Page’s arms and began to stomp on Page’s head with the flat of his boot. Moxley put an arm lock on Page but Page forced the rope break when he managed to touch the bottom rope. Page attempted a moonsault off the turnbuckles to the outside but Mox dodged it and hit a lariat. Adam Page smashed Moxley through the timekeeper’s table with a pop-up powerbomb! Page clubbed Mox with a lariat and then hit the Dead Eye for a near fall on Moxley! Moxley dodged a boot from Page and then rocked Page with the King Kong Lariat! Page connected with a thrust kick. Page impaled Mox with a small package driver for a two-count on Jon Moxley! Hangman attempted the Buck Shot Lariat but Moxley blocked it. Hangman transitioned to the tombstone piledriver and then blasted Mox with the Buckshot Lariat for a near fall! Hangman locked in a bulldog choke on Moxley but Mox cradled Page and pinned him!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) def. Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bowens hit the Shiver Me Timbers. Bowens dropped Turbo with the Arrival! Bowens pinned Turbo after the Mic Drop!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Konosuke Takeshita def. Brian Cage
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Brian Cage powerbombed Takeshita against the steel ring post. Cage connected with a sliding dropkick on Takeshita for a near fall. Takeshita and Cage exchanged elbow strikes back and forth. Takeshita rocked Brian Cage with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two-count. Brian Cage suplexed Takeshita over the top rope and into the ring. Takeshita came back with a Liger Bomb, wearing down Cage. Brian Cage clocked Takeshita with a discus lariat. Takeshita planted Cage with a brainbuster for a near fall! Takeshita followed up with an avalanche brainbuster and then a running knee for the pin on Brian Cage!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Bryan Danielson def. Timothy Thatcher
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Thatcher was looking for the Fujiwara armbar but Danielson quickly got to the ring ropes. Thatcher backed Danielson into the corner and clobbered the Dragon with European Uppercuts. Thatcher drove his knee into Bryan’s injured shoulder. Bryan Danielson used a dragon screw leg whip to take Timothy Thatcher down to the mat. Thatcher broke the grip by grabbing Bryan’s fingers and then stomping on him. Bryan charged at Timothy with a running knee, but Thatcher absorbed the shot. Danielson headbutted Thatcher. Danielson delivered a dropkick to Thatcher off the top rope. Danielson landed on his shoulder and immediately began to clutch it. Thatcher came back at Danielson with European Uppercuts. Danielson walloped Thatcher with low and high round kicks. Bryan Danielson used the hammer and anvil elbow strikes on Thatcher. Danielson snuck in a rear naked choke but Thatcher rammed Danielson backwards and they collided into the referee. AEW World Champion MJF came to the ring with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF was chased to the back by Takeshita, who jumped out of the crowd! Thatcher locked on the Fujiwara arm bar but Danielson managed to reach the ropes. Thatcher hurled Danielson with a belly-to-belly suplex. Bryan flattened Thatcher with the running knee out of nowhere and pinned Thatcher!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: TBS Championship Match – Jade Cargill def. Red Velvet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Red Velvet charged at Jade at the start of the match. Jade connected with a back elbow to Red Velvet. They brawled outside the ring, with Velvet getting her aggression out on Jade. Jade bodyslammed Red Velvet and then dropped an elbow. Red Velvet had Jade reeling with the lung blower. Jade came back with a pump kick for a near fall on Red Velvet. Outside the ring Kiera Hogan sent Leila Grey into the steel ring steps! As the ref was distracted Red Velvet cracked Jade with a kick and covered her for the pin. The ref wasn’t there to count the pin as she was occupied with Kiera and Leila. Jade hoisted up Red Velvet and planted her hard with Jaded! Jade pinned Red Velvet and is now 50-0!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: TNT Championship No Holds Barred Match – Samoa Joe def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Darby was wearing a hoody covered in thumbtacks. Darby splashed Joe in the corner! Joe covered his hand with his towel and then delivered a clothesline to Darby. Samoa Joe pulled a table out from beneath the ring. As Joe was pulling up the table, Darby jumped out of the ring, sending the table into Joe’s forehead. Samoa Joe brawled with Darby through the crowd. Samoa Joe dragged Darby all the way up the arena steps. Samoa Joe brought Darby back to the ring. Samoa Joe kicked Darby in the ribs. Samoa Joe tried to fight back with open palm strikes. Joe sent Darby to the mat with an ST-Joe. Samoa Joe pulled a table out from beneath the ring and propped it up against the barricade. Joe returned to the ring but Darby came back, firing chops at Joe. Samoa Joe grabbed Darby and flung him over the top rope to the arena floor. Samoa Joe dropped Darby with a brainbuster! Samoa Joe grabbed a handful of chairs and set them up in the ring, back-to-back. Samoa Joe lifted up Darby and then dropped him spine first on the chairs. Samoa Joe attempted to powerbomb Darby but Darby blinded Joe with powder in the eyes! Darby nailed Joe with a stunner! Darby put the thumbtack covered hoodie back on and nailed Samoa Joe with the Coffin Drop for a near fall! Darby Allin grabbed a blade and cut the ring canvas, looking to expose the pine boards and the steel ring frame. Darby charged at Samoa Joe but Joe moved and Darby smashed through the table outside the ring. Samoa Joe wrapped the hoodie around Darby’s head! Darby went for Joe’s eyes with his thumbs, gouging away. Darby cracked Samoa Joe with the steel chair. Darby climbed to the top rope but Samoa Joe met him up there and dropped him with the muscle buster onto the exposed boards. Samoa Joe pinned Darby Allin and became the 2-time TNT Champion!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Well this was one hell of a show! Four superb matches made for a must-see show, the only thing that let this down was the Acclaimed “promo” – because this was certainly more promo than match; and the weak TBS Championship match. Speaking of which, I’m guessing Tony Khan is keeping the TBS belt on Jade Cargill until Kris Statlander comes back right? I’m thinking with the storyline they’ve built here that maybe Red Velvet should be the one to dethrone her but Statlander doing it would be more of a crowd-pleaser. My only other question is why was Darby’s run with the TNT title so short this time? Hey, I don’t mind Joe being the two-belt guy but Darby always felt right as TNT champ and always defended it well. Ultimately this was a GREAT, unmissable episode of Dynamite
