‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Mar 27th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Quebec. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Will Ospreay def. Katsuyori Shibata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Will shot in for a single leg but Shibata defended and mounted Will. Shibata grounded Will on the mat and went for a cross arm breaker, but Will got to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Ospreay and Shibata chain wrestled, British style. Shibata went for the PK, but Will dodged it. Shibata cracked Will with forearms, but Will charged at Shibata with a dropkick, taking Shibata off his feet. Will battered Shibata with forearms and then dropkicked Shibata in the corner, taking pages out of Shibata’s playbook. Ospreay jumped over the top rope and connected with a crossbody press to Shibata on the floor. As Ospreay was getting back into the ring, Shibata caught Ospreay flush in the face with a running front kick! Shibata suplexed Will on the arena floor and then blasted Will with a brutal round kick to Will’s back. Shibata applied a figure four leg lock on Ospreay, but Ospreay was able to counter it and escaped. They got to their feet and Will chopped Shibata. Shibata answered with a suplex. Shibata whipped Will into the barricade. Will springboarded off the barricade and connected with a forearm shot to Shibata. Will followed up with another springboard forearm into the ring. Shibata nailed Will with a forearm and Will crumbled into a heap on the mat. Shibata jabbed and chopped Will, breaking him down in the corner. Shibata rocked Will with his trademark running dropkick in the corner. Ospreay connected with a thrust kick. Shibata anticipated Will’s next move and countered with an STF. Will reached to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the submission. Ospreay intercepted Shibata’s PK. They traded forearm strikes in the center of the ring. Ospreay had a surge of adrenaline and smashed Shibata in the back of the head with a jumping high round kick. Shibata locked Will in a sleeper and then suplexed Will. Shibata put the sleeper back on, but Ospreay fought out of it and stomped Shibata on the back of the head! Will smashed Shibata with the Os-Cutter but Shibata kicked out at the one-count! Will hit a back drop suplex and then wiped out Shibata with a back elbow uppercut. Will walloped Shibata with a Tiger Driver and then finished Shibata off with the Hidden Blade, pinning Shibata!
My Score: 5 out of 5
Match #2: The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Private Party wiped out the Bucks with stereo tope suicidas. Matthew whipped Zay over the barricade. Private Party fired back with the Silly String off the barricade onto Matthew. Nicholas planted Quen with a Falcon Arrow off the barricade! The Bucks were trying to win by count out. Zay helped Mark Quen back into the ring, breaking the ref’s count. Nicholas suplexed Quen onto Matthew’s knees. Brother Zay got the hot tag, scored with a thrust kick to Matthew and then did a moonsault onto Nicholas who was on the arena floor. Nicholas nailed Quen with a German Suplex. Nicholas planted Quen with a suplex on the edge of the ring. Private Party rallied back with the Gin & Juice on Nicholas. Private Party hit the More Bang for Your Buck on Matthew, but Nicholas jumped in to break up the pin attempt! Nicholas grabbed the ring bell and brought it into the ring, but the ref pulled it out of Nicholas’ hands. As the ref was distracted, Nicholas kicked Zay with a low blow! Quen took one of the title belts off the podium and cracked Matthew in the head with it. Zay went to pin Matthew, but Nicholas grabbed Matthew’s leg and put Matthew’s foot on the rope to break the pin. Quen attempted a 630 splash on Matthew, but Matthew dodged it. Nicholas tagged in and they blasted Quen with the EVP Trigger and pinned him!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Willow Nightingale def. Kris Statlander, Skye Blue & Anna Jay
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Skye Blue caught Kris out of the gate with a thrust kick. Anna caught Willow with a kick to the chin. Willow splashed Anna in the corner and followed up with a lariat. Skye Blue planted Willow with a DDT. Statlander body slammed Blue and rocked her with a sliding lariat. Statlander went for a body slam on Anna, but Anna escaped. Statlander knocked Anna down with a shoulder tackle. Skye Blue tripped up Kris from outside the ring, but Willow was there to pounce Skye. Willow was right in front of Mercedes when she pounced Skye. Mercedes and Willow locked eyes. Mercedes smirked at Willow, neither backing down. Back in the ring, Kris fought off Skye Blue and Anna Jay. Anna Jay superplexed Kris and covered her but Willow hit Anna with a senton to break up the pin. Skye blasted Willow with the Code Blue, but Statlander broke it up. Kris cracked Blue with a back breaker. Willow walloped Anna Jay with a shotgun dropkick. Skye shoved Kris into Willow. Willow countered a dragon suplex attempt by Skye on the apron by drilling Skye with a Death Valley Driver on the apron! Willow power bombed Anna Jay and pinned Anna Jay!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Best Friends (Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta) def. The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Orange decked Taven! Bennett took Trent off his feet with a lariat. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope and took out Taven. Bennet jumped out of the ring and wiped out Trent. Orange took to the skies and jumped off the top turnbuckle, his hands in his pockets, and crashed onto Taven and Bennett. Trent drove Bennett down with a double knee strike. Taven rocked Trent with a thrust kick. Bennett spiked Trent with a piledriver on the apron. Orange Cassidy grabbed a tag and hit Bennett with a cross body press. Orange served one up for Taven! Orange blasted Bennett with the Stun Dog Millionaire! Taven came in and pulped Orange with a running knee strike! Taven and Bennett hit the Proton Pack, with Bennett covering Orange for a near fall! Trent spiked Taven with a DDT! And Orange followed up with a DDT on Taven! Trent nailed Taven with a running knee strike! Strong jumped on the ring apron but Chuck Taylor pulled him back down! Roddy wiped out Taylor with his right hand! Roddy jumped into the ring to get away from Orange, dropped his title in the process, and jumped out. Orange chased after Roddy and connected with an elbow suicida. The ref was removing the International Title from the ring when Taven and Bennett had Trent set up for their finisher. As the ref was distracted, Chuck knocked Taven off the turnbuckles. Trent rolled up Bennett with a jackknife pin and scored the victory!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Swerve Strickland def. Konosuke Takeshita
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Swerve rolled up Takeshita for a near fall. Swerve was looking for the short arm scissors, but Takeshita got to the ropes. Takeshita connected with the Takeshita-line. Swerve blasted Takeshita with a diving European uppercut to the back of Takeshita’s neck. Swerve rocked Takeshita with a neck breaker over the middle rope. Swerve followed up with a backbreaker, but Takeshita fired back with a brain buster on Swerve. Swerve nailed Takeshita with a German Suplex, but Takeshita got right to his feet and knocked Swerve’s block off with a devastating forearm! Swerve launched into a hurracanrana over the top rope and onto Takeshita on the floor. Swerve followed up with a big diving cross body, but Takeshita kicked out at the one-count. Takeshita smoked Swerve with a knockout shot! Takeshita nailed Swerve with a running knee strike. Takeshita flipped over the top rope and landed hard on Swerve. Takeshita hoisted up Swerve for a brain buster on the top turnbuckle, but Swerve fought out of it. Takeshita headbutted Swerve in the ribs. Swerve chopped out the legs out Takeshita with swift kicks. Swerve drilled Takeshita with a DDT off the turnbuckles! Swerve splashed Takeshita with a sky twister for a near fall! Takeshita fired back with a reverse hurracanrana and followed up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall on Swerve. Swerve clobbered Takeshita with a straight right hand! Takeshita stunned Swerve with a jumping knee strike! Swerve planted Takeshita on the crown of his head! Swerve squashed Takeshita with the Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve returned to the top, jumped at Takeshita, but Takeshita countered with a powerbomb! Swerve escaped a brain buster attempt, but Takeshita was prepared with a wheelbarrow suplex to Swerve. Takeshita flattened Swerve with a Power Drive Knee, but Swerve kicked out at the two-count! Takeshita was looking for an avalanche blue thunder, but Swerve knocked Takeshita down to the mat. Takeshita avoided the Swerve Stomp. Swerve countered a blue thunder bomb attempt, sending Takeshita into the corner turnbuckles. Swerve rocked Takeshita with the House Call kick! Swerve hit the Swerve Stomp, but Takeshita kicked out! Takeshita blasted Swerve with a jumping knee strike. Swerve countered a pop-up power bomb attempt with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve planted Takeshita with the Big Pressure and pinned Takeshita!
My Score: 5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
What’s more to say… This was a near-perfect episode of Dynamite. If the mid-show matches had been better this would have been a PPV-worthy show, In fact, the first and last match WERE pay-per-view worthy! After I said last week’s show felt a little off compared to the “Big Business” special episode but this blew BOTH of those shows out of the water. I know everyone was hyped for the opening match but by god if Takeshita and Swerve didn’t give Ospreay and Shibata a run for their money. Personally, I love the fact Takeshita has got to this level in AEW, I feared that teaming with Callis would be detrimental but no, he has been elevated to THIS level. Superb stuff.
