‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Nov 27th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. We’ve got Excalibur, Nigel McGuiness, and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Continental Classic Blue League Match – Shelton Benjamin def. Mark Briscoe
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Briscoe chopped at Shelton. Briscoe booted Benjamin out of the ring and followed up with a dropkick through the ropes to the arena floor. Benjamin hurled Briscoe with a belly to belly suplex. Shelton whipped Briscoe into the steel steps. Shelton threw Mark off the top turnbuckle with another belly to belly suplex! Shelton clobbered Mark with forearms but Mark shrugged them off and taunted Shelton! Mark rallied back with redneck Kungfu. Mark landed the froggy bow right on target. Shelton rolled out of the ring. Briscoe dropped a cactus elbow off the apron. Mark climbed back up to the top turnbuckle. Mark jumped but Benjamin raised his boots. Shelton punished Briscoe with repeated suplexes. Shelton hit Mark with a thrust kick for a near fall. Shelton nailed Briscoe with an exploder into a powerslam and collected his first three points after pinning Mark Briscoe!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: ROH World Championship Match – Chris Jericho def. Tomohiro Ishii
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jericho and Ishii traded chops in the center of the ring. Ishii nailed the champion with a German Suplex. Jericho returned fire with a lariat. Ishii served up a running lariat of his own. Jericho spiked Ishii with a DDT on the ring apron. Ishii got back in the ring and both men exchanged strikes, lefts and rights back and forth. Jericho was busted open, bleeding from the mouth. Chris Jericho superplexed the challenger but Ishii popped up to his feet. Ishii cracked Jericho with a lariat to the side of the head as Jericho attempted the Judas Effect. Both men collapsed. Jericho connected with a lionsault for a near fall. Jericho smashed Ishii with the Judas Effect and the Code Breaker, but Ishii got right back up to his feet. Ishii countered the Walls and then speared Jericho for a near fall! Ishii cracked Jericho with a Code Breaker and rocked the champion with a lariat, but Jericho kicked out at the two-count. Ishii charged at Jericho, but Jericho countered with a perfectly timed Jericho Effect, followed by a second Judas Effect to score the pin and retain the title!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Continental Classic Gold League Match – Claudio Castagnoli def. Ricochet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio rocked Ricochet with a scoop slam. Ricochet rallied back with a step-up hurracanrana. Claudio whipped Ricochet into the barricade and followed up with a European uppercut. Ricochet came back with a tope suicida. Ricochet went for a springboard, but Claudio grounded him by lunging at the ropes. Claudio caught Ricochet out of midair and wiped him out with a back breaker and then a big boot for a near fall. Ricochet flipped over the top rope and crashed onto Claudio, and then landed on his feet! Ricochet took down Claudio with a flying forearm, followed by a moonsault off the middle rope. Claudio ran and stomped on Ricochet. Claudio applied a sharpshooter in the center of the ring. Claudio transitioned into a cross face, but Ricochet rolled up Claudio for a two-count. Claudio removed the padding from the barricade and then planted Ricochet across it. Claudio ran over Ricochet with a lariat and pinned Ricochet!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Wrestle Dynasty 2025 International Women’s Cup Qualifier Semifinal Match – Jamie Hayter def. Queen Aminata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Queen Aminata used a hip toss. Hayter cracked the Queen with an elbow strike. Hayter and Aminata traded thudding chops. Hayter suplexed Aminata into the turnbuckles. Queen Aminata retaliated with a snap suplex. Aminata wiped out Jamie with a charging boot to the face. Aminata used her power to plant Hayter face first into the mat. Hayter hit a back breaker. Hayter drilled Queen Aminata with the Hayter Ade and picked up the pinfall victory!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Continental Classic Gold League Match – Brody King def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Brody shoved Darby after a collar and elbow lockup. Darby shoved Brody. Brody splashed Darby with two consecutive sentons for a near fall. Brody splashed Darby in the corner, imposing his will on Darby. Brody chopped Darby, knocking Darby to the arena floor. Brody tied up Darby in the tree of woe and hit him with a running cannonball for a near fall. Darby chomped on Brody’s forehead and then clobbered him with an avalanche code red. Darby blasted Brody with a tope, followed by a Coffin Drop to the floor! Darby nailed Brody with another Coffin Drop on the arena floor from the top turnbuckle! Darby went for a Coffin Splash, but Brody caught him. Brody drilled Darby with the Gonzo Bomb and pinned Darby!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.75/5
The Continental Classic is back! As I’ve said in my reviews of the tournament (and ANY wrestling tournament) before, I feel like tournaments in wrestling give us something different. Yes, the matches might be random but than that’s EXACTLY what makes them great. Give us odd match-ups, with guys that don’t normally work together, or are in different positions on the roster – it gives us stuff that’s new and interesting. Just like the opener… Who would’ve ever thought we’d see Shelton Benjamin wrestle one of the Briscoe brothers? Anyone? Anyone? It’s almost like a low-key version of a dream match. But you couldn’t even dream that one up TBH. A fantastic week for AEW, with a Dynamite whose only downfall was the ROH title match. Why? Because I think wrestling fans are tired of Chris Jericho. Look, I get it. He’s a name that Tony Khan wants in the ROH scene because he’s trying so hard to get a TV deal for the brand and Jericho has that name recognition with execs. But for fans, his shtick is getting tiring now man…
