‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jan 28th 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from Austin, Texas! 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: Kenny Omega def. Rocky Romero
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
AEW Dynamite opened with Kenny Omega’s music, and the action kicked off immediately as Rocky Romero jumped him at the bell. Omega quickly took control, rocking Romero with a jumping back elbow, dumping him to the floor, and following with a plancha before soaking in the crowd reaction. Back in the ring, Omega stayed firmly in control, forcing Romero to bail outside to avoid an early V-Trigger. Romero used a referee distraction to land a cheap shot and briefly turned the tide with a spinning reverse DDT for a nearfall. After avoiding a sliced bread and shrugging off Romero’s corner offense, Omega answered a showboating celebration with a brutal V-Trigger to the back of the head. A snap dragon suplex and a second V-Trigger followed, before Omega sealed the win with the One-Winged Angel for the pinfall.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match – Jon Moxley def. Ace Austin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moxley dropped Austin with a boot at the bell and immediately went on the attack, battering him with chops and corner punches. Austin briefly countered with a crucifix pin and held his own in a strike exchange before using his athleticism to regain momentum, armdragging Moxley and sending him to the floor with a clothesline before kicking him in the jaw from the apron. Austin kept the pressure on, targeting Moxley’s injured leg, but Moxley fought back by muscling Austin into the corner and setting up a superplex. Austin countered with a clothesline and mounted a flurry of offense, including a knee and Russian leg sweep combo, a leg drop, and rapid-fire corner clotheslines. A missed springboard allowed Moxley to cut him down with a lariat, and the two traded pin attempts before another strike battle saw Austin land a spin kick and a crushing stomp for a nearfall. With the crowd dueling behind both men, the pace slowed until Moxley drove Austin into the corner and charged, only to crash chest-first into the turnbuckle. Austin followed with a gamengiri but couldn’t capitalize, and when he went for The Fold, Moxley countered with a cutter before finishing the match with the Death Rider for the pinfall victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: TNT Championship – Mark Briscoe def. El Clon
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The early exchanges saw El Clon rock Briscoe with a sharp back elbow and showboat through a pin attempt, but Briscoe answered with Redneck Kung-Fu and took control on the outside. A chair was briefly introduced before El Clon snatched it away, only to eat another chop. El Clon’s evasive acrobatics frustrated Briscoe until a lariat finally cut him down, setting up a scissor kick through the ropes and a cannonball off the apron. El Clon swung the momentum by trapping Briscoe’s head in the ring skirt and landing a drive-by boot, then stayed on him with crisp corner kicks and a spectacular rope-walk moonsault for a nearfall. Briscoe avoided disaster on the top rope and knocked El Clon to the floor before diving through the ropes, but El Clon fired back with kicks, including a brutal rope-assisted strike, and the two men wiped each other out with simultaneous clotheslines. Trading strikes back on their feet only fueled Briscoe, who connected with a head-and-neck suplex, corner clothesline, fisherman’s bomb, and a Froggy Bow that El Clon narrowly survived. El Clon shocked everyone by landing on his feet from a Jay Driller attempt, then countered with a spin kick, Pele kick, and a moonsault to the floor, followed by a double-foot stomp in the ring. When El Clon went for the Portal Bomb, Briscoe slipped out the back and stole the win with a sudden roll-up.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: AEW Women’s World Championship – Kris Statlander def. Thekla
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Thekla opened with a fake show of respect, pulling her hand away to strike Statlander before bailing to the floor. Statlander answered aggressively, dropping Thekla with a delayed vertical suplex on the outside and slingshotting her into the steps. A moment of celebration cost the champion, however, as Thekla blasted her back to the floor and stomped her from the apron to seize control at ringside. Back in the ring, Thekla targeted Statlander with a face-raking submission and a tarantula, but Statlander powered out and fired back with a boot and a spinning fisherman’s buster for a nearfall. Thekla responded with apron and top-rope offense, including a spider suplex and a crossbody to the floor, before nearly finishing things with a spear. Thekla continued to frustrate Statlander with an armbreaker and a vicious stomp, but the champion survived. When Thekla went for another spear, Statlander countered with a kick and later turned a missed charge into a swinging gutwrench powerbomb. Statlander sealed the win moments later with Staturday Night Fever to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: AEW World Tag Team Championship – FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. The Don Callis Family (Mark Davis & Jake Doyle)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Doyle opened strong against Wheeler, flooring him with repeated body blocks before tagging in Davis, who joined him in overpowering Wheeler with a double shoulder tackle. FTR regrouped when Wheeler brought Davis into the corner for Harwood to tag in, but Davis fought back, chopping and slamming Harwood before Wheeler’s attempted dive backfired and sent him crashing into his own partner. Momentum swung back and forth as Davis continued to overpower Harwood, while Wheeler countered Doyle with a powerslam, only to be run over moments later. Davis and Doyle stacked FTR in the corner for running splashes, but a top-rope exchange turned the tide when Wheeler set up Harwood for an avalanche belly-to-back suplex on Davis, followed by a diving splash for a dramatic nearfall. Davis later locked Harwood in a sleeper, but the arrival of the Death Riders caused a distraction. As the referee dealt with FTR, Jon Moxley blasted Davis with the AEW Continental Championship. A staggered Davis fell victim to the Shatter Machine, allowing FTR to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Andrade El Ídolo def. Swerve Strickland
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Swerve and Andrade opened with intense jawing and slick reversals before Swerve dumped Andrade to the floor with a hurricanrana. Andrade avoided a reverse moonsault and fired back by sending Swerve into the steps, pausing to pose for the crowd — and even steal a fan selfie — before refocusing on the match. Andrade controlled the pace with sharp strikes and high-risk offense, cutting off Swerve’s springboard and landing a twisting dive to the floor, followed by a moonsault for a nearfall. Swerve answered with a brutal Death Valley Driver on the apron and narrowly avoided disaster on the guardrail before both men beat the count back inside. A wild closing stretch saw Andrade land boots, back elbows, an avalanche poisonrana, running knees, and a straight-jacket DDT — yet Swerve refused to stay down. Swerve rallied with a surprise House Call and a pair of nearfalls, but when he went for Big Pressure, Andrade grabbed the referee to land a low blow. Andrade capitalized with The DM to steal the main event victory.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Tommaso Ciampa made his AEW debut after the TNT title match
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s Dynamite delivered a consistently strong in-ring show, anchored by a genuinely excellent main event. Kenny Omega set a solid tone in the opener, Moxley vs. Ace Austin overdelivered for an eliminator, and Mark Briscoe vs. El Clon was a chaotic, inventive TNT Title bout that stood out for all the right reasons. Kris Statlander and Thekla continued AEW’s recent run of hard-hitting women’s title matches, while FTR’s tag title defence was good, if slightly undercut by outside interference and storyline shenanigans. The real highlight, though, was Andrade vs. Swerve — a gripping, dramatic main event packed with creativity, near-falls, and a controversial finish that will clearly fuel what comes next. Add in the surprise AEW debut of Tommaso Ciampa, and this felt like a Dynamite that balanced wrestling quality with meaningful progression.
