‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jan 21st 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from Orlando, Florida! Also, as usual, we’ll be abbreviating AEW’s huge match recaps where we can to save your eyes and your time! With that, let’s get into the review…
Match #1: Samoa Joe def. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
On commentary, Taz dismissed JetSpeed and Page’s AEW World Trios Title win as a fluke. Samoa Joe immediately bailed to the floor to avoid an early rush from Speedball Bailey, then returned to dominate in the corner. Bailey fired back with kicks, a dropkick, and an Asai moonsault to the outside, but interference from HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata swung the momentum back to Joe, who regained full control in the ring. Joe punished Bailey with chops and corner offense until Speedball rallied with rapid kicks, a missile dropkick, and a shooting star press that nearly scored the upset. Bailey continued to press, but repeated distractions allowed Shibata to assault him on the apron and floor, setting Joe up to target the leg with kneebars. Bailey fought through the damage with spin kicks, a shooting star kneedrop, and several near-falls. However, one final distraction from HOOK gave Shibata the opening to hold Bailey in place, allowing Joe to recover and plant him with a Muscle Buster to secure the pinfall victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta & Daniel Garcia) def. Don Callis Family (Hechicero, Lance Archer * Rocky Romero)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Don Callis joined commentary as the Death Riders entered through the crowd and the street fight erupted immediately. With Archer, Romero, and Hechicero armed, the brawl spilled into the aisle, with all six men pairing off across the arena. Garcia even forced Hechicero to tap on the floor, though the submission didn’t count. Momentum swung when Archer chokeslammed Yuta through the timekeeper’s table, turning the tide in brutal fashion. Moxley endured repeated three-on-one attacks until Garcia and Yuta fought back with weapons of their own. Marina Shafir neutralised Archer long enough for Moxley to land a cutter, but Archer answered by putting Moxley through a table. The chaos escalated as submissions were traded, double-team DDTs landed, and Archer chokeslammed Moxley into a board covered in barbed wire and glass, only for Yuta and Garcia to break up the pin. The fight spilled up the ramp, where PAC and Claudio Castagnoli intervened, taking Archer out with a violent crutch shot and an explosive throw into an electrical box. Back in the ring, Garcia drilled Romero with a piledriver and locked in the Dragon Tamer, with Moxley adding a stomp to seal the finish. Romero couldn’t continue, and the Death Riders were declared the winners.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. Alec Price & Jordan Oliver
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
As Price and Oliver made their entrance, Big Stoke interrupted commentary to send a message to FTR’s upcoming AEW World Tag Team Title challengers, Mark Davis and Jake Doyle of the Don Callis Family, while also plugging helpbigstoke.com, much to Tony Schiavone’s disapproval.Wheeler opened against Oliver, controlling early before Oliver stole a near-fall and sparked a flurry that saw Price and Oliver dive onto FTR on the floor. Price continued the momentum with a flying dive over the top, and the challengers followed with tandem top-rope offense for another near-fall. FTR quickly turned the tide, isolating Price in their corner and wearing him down. Price escaped by flipping out of trouble and tagging Oliver, who combined with Price to drop Wheeler and score a string of close two-counts on Harwood. That only fired Harwood up, as he answered with stiff lariats and corner chops. A chaotic finish saw Price cut off Power and Glory with a hurricanrana, while Oliver countered a superplex for another near-fall. However, as Price tried to capitalise, he walked straight into a Shatter Machine, allowing FTR to secure the victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Kenny Omega def. Josh Alexander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kenny Omega received a huge reaction but was ambushed on the ramp by Josh Alexander before the bell. Don Callis joined in, allowing Alexander to dominate early with concrete shots and a brutal apron drop, until Omega fired back with a moonsault from the guardrail and a dive to the floor to finally start the match. Once underway, Omega struck quickly with a bulldog and hurricanrana, but Alexander regained control with power offense, including an Argentine powerbomb and a punishing super gutbuster for a near-fall. Omega rallied by driving Alexander into the exposed concrete with a snap dragon suplex and followed with a diving attack and neckbreaker, only for Alexander to shut down the V-Trigger with an enzuigiri. The fight spilled outside again, with Omega smashing Alexander into the announce table and chasing Callis into the crowd. Alexander targeted Omega’s leg with an ankle lock and apron attacks, but his arrogance cost him. Omega caught him on the apron with a V-Trigger, followed with a powerbomb and another knee strike, then sealed the win with a One-Winged Angel.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford def. Timeless Love Bombs (“Timeless” Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Storm and Shirakawa charged the ring to start a wild opening brawl. The Timeless Love Bombs isolated Bayne early with double-team offense until Bayne turned the tide, dumping Storm with a fallaway slam and hurling Shirakawa to the floor before wiping out all three opponents with a massive dive. Shirakawa then endured an extended stretch of punishment, narrowly avoiding disaster with a missile dropkick before the hot tag to Storm. Storm stormed in with heavy offense on Ford, including a hip attack, before reuniting with Shirakawa for stereo hip attacks that sent Bayne and Ford to the floor. Storm followed by launching Shirakawa off the top with a crossbody onto both opponents. The finish came in a flurry, with near-falls broken up on both sides. Storm dropped Bayne with a DDT before Ford stunned Storm, opening the door for Bayne and Ford to connect with a Doomsday Device on Shirakawa for the pinfall victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Swerve Strickland def. “The Jet” Kevin Knight
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Knight impressed early by repeatedly outshining Swerve with high-impact aerial offense, including a crossbody to the floor and a frog splash in the ring, even mocking Swerve’s dance to draw his ire. Swerve answered by chopping Knight off the top and taking control with backbreakers and sustained offense, as MJF looked on from his box. Knight battled back with suplexes and leaping strikes, narrowly missing victory after Swerve avoided a splash and kicked out of a near-fall. The action spilled to the apron and guardrail, where Swerve delivered a brutal Death Valley Driver and stump piledriver, then dared Knight to beat the count before flooring him with a 450 splash. Knight refused to stay down, firing back with a springboard hurricanrana, coast-to-coast, a UFO Splash, and even his own House Call for another close call. In the end, Swerve caught Knight out of midair with a House Call, followed by a Vertebreaker and Big Pressure to secure the pinfall victory in the main event.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s Dynamite was a strong, momentum-driven show that balanced in-ring quality with storyline progression. Samoa Joe vs Speedball Bailey set an energetic tone, even with interference-heavy shenanigans, while the Death Riders’ street fight delivered the expected chaos without overstaying its welcome. FTR reminded everyone why they’re the gold standard in tag wrestling, Kenny Omega vs Josh Alexander brought big-match intensity, and the women’s tag bout was fast, physical, and decisively put Bayne and Ford over. The main event stole the show, with Swerve Strickland and Kevin Knight delivering a thrilling, star-making performance that felt genuinely main-event worthy. Not everything reinvented the wheel, but the pacing was sharp, the crowd was hot, and the highs hit hard.
