‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Apr 29th 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from Fairfax, Virginia – let’s dive right in! As usual, we’ll be abbreviating AEW’s huge match recaps where we can to save your eyes and your time…
Match #1: TNT Championship – Kevin Knight def. MJF
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
MJF came out aggressive, quickly taking control by dumping Knight to the floor and powerbombing him across the barricade before continuing the assault back in the ring for a near-fall. Knight rallied with a springboard crossbody, but MJF cut him off with a cutter as the two traded counters and near-falls. Knight found openings with a DDT and a series of dives to the outside, repeatedly throwing MJF back in—only for MJF to bail each time—leading to more high-risk offence from Knight. Back inside, the pace stayed high, with counters, cradles and close two-counts, including MJF hitting a cutter on a mid-air DDT attempt. The turning point came when Knight’s knee gave out after a missed UFO Splash, allowing MJF to target the leg with submissions and strikes, even hitting a Panama Sunrise for another near-fall. Knight fought through the pain, eventually landing a UFO Splash, but couldn’t capitalise immediately. In the closing stretch, MJF went for the Dynamite Diamond Ring, only for Knight to counter with a low blow of his own. A quick small package followed, giving Knight the win to retain the TNT Championship after a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor) def. Emily Jaye & Jordan Blade
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jamie Hayter was cleared for action for the first time since Dynasty, when she lost to AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla. Hayter immediately laid a forearm across the face of Blade and then knocked Jaye off the apron with the same shot. Hayter worked Blade into the corner and then took turns tagging in and out with Windsor to chop Blade. They were about to hit a double chop, so Jaye ran in and got dropped by the Birds for her troubles. They chopped Blade down to the mat. Hayter hit a snap suplex on Blade, while Windsor took down Jaye on the floor. Hayter called for Windsor, who came in for the double headbutt on Blade. They sandwiched Blade in the center of the ring with lariats and finished Blade with Two Birds, One Stone to get the dominant pinfall victory!
My Score: SQUASH out of 5
Match #3: AEW International Championship – Kazuchika Okada def. Ace Austin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Okada started in control, backing Austin into the corner before cheap-shotting him, but Austin quickly shifted momentum with a drop toehold, dropkick and a Death Valley Driver for an early near-fall. Austin kept the pressure on with strikes and athletic counters, even pulling off a one-handed handstand escape on the apron, frustrating Okada. The champion responded by taking things to the outside, planting Austin with a DDT on the floor before slowing the pace back in the ring with a neckbreaker and his trademark top-rope elbow. Austin refused to stay down, firing back with a Fosbury Flop, springboard offence and a series of kicks and leg drops, pushing Okada to multiple near-falls. The two traded counters from there, with Austin blocking a Rainmaker attempt and nearly stealing it with a backslide, while Okada answered with a perfectly timed dropkick and a tombstone piledriver for another close call. In the end, Okada’s experience proved decisive. After shutting down Austin’s final burst, he connected with the Rainmaker to score the pinfall and retain the AEW International Championship.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: Christian Cage & Adam Copeland def. RPG Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
With FTR and Stoke at ringside—and unable to be touched—this one had tension from the start. Cage kicked things off with Romero, but RPG Vice quickly isolated him, taking advantage of the chaos outside where FTR distracted and even interfered behind the referee’s back. A wild brawl broke out at ringside when The Conglomeration arrived, taking FTR and Stoke out of the equation, but back in the ring, Cage was left to endure a sustained beatdown. RPG Vice kept Cage grounded with knees, submissions and double-team offence, repeatedly cutting him off from tagging Cope. A tornado DDT finally gave Cage the opening to make the hot tag, and Cope came in firing with a flurry of offence, including a big spear on Beretta for a near-fall. The closing stretch broke down into chaos, with all four men getting involved. After counters and interference attempts on both sides, Cope popped Beretta into the air, allowing Cage to connect with a spear to secure the win in a hard-fought tag match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship – Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) def. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shida came out aggressive, but Kross and Bayne quickly took control with power offence and double-teams, isolating her early. Bayne dominated with throws and a fallaway slam, while miscommunication briefly crept in when Shida accidentally took out Statlander during a tag sequence. From there, Divine Dominion kept the pressure on, grounding Statlander with heavy strikes and tandem offence. Statlander eventually fired back with a double hurricanrana and a burst of momentum, allowing her to tag Shida, who came in hot with strikes and dives to the outside. The pace picked up as both teams traded control, with near-falls coming thick and fast—Statlander landing a 450 splash on both opponents, and Shida hitting a meteora and Falcon Arrow that still couldn’t finish Kross. In the end, teamwork made the difference. As the action broke down, Kross and Bayne regrouped, catching Statlander with a brutal double-team before hitting Divine Intervention on Shida. Kross secured the pinfall, successfully retaining the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships after a hard-hitting, back-and-forth contest.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: RUSH def. Steven Fuerte
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Fuerte offered RUSH a handshake, so RUSH cleaned his clock as the bell rang. RUSH punished Fuerte on the outside near the barricade and threw him back into the ring. RUSH stomped all over Fuerte in the corner and fired up the crowd, who responded with “RUSH” chants! RUSH didn’t mess around and finished Fuerte with Bull’s Horns for the quick pinfall win.
My Score: SQUASH out of 5
Match #7: AEW World Championship – Darby Allin def. Brody King
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The main event started with respect, but quickly turned brutal as King overpowered Allin early with a German suplex and cannonball, looking to end things fast. Allin responded with speed and risk, landing an Avalanche Code Red and a series of dives, but repeatedly paid the price against King’s size and power—often bouncing off him or getting planted hard on the floor and apron. The fight spilled outside, where King dished out punishment with table spots and heavy strikes, even breaking a table with Allin’s body. Still, Allin kept coming, countering with a Code Red on the announce desk and a series of reckless dives that shifted momentum back his way. Back in the ring, King continued to dominate with lariats and near-falls, but Allin refused to stay down. The closing stretch escalated further, with Allin powerbombing King onto exposed concrete before hitting multiple Coffin Drops—first on the floor, then in the ring. That proved enough, as Allin finally put King away to retain the AEW World Championship in a wild, punishment-heavy main event.
My Score: 5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Overall, this week’s Dynamite was a tale of two shows. On one hand, you had genuinely excellent in-ring action—both title matches involving Kevin Knight and Kazuchika Okada delivered at a high level, while the main event between Darby Allin and Brody King was an absolute war that easily justified its top billing. That alone gives the episode a strong backbone. On the other hand, the card was padded with one too many squash matches and a fairly forgettable women’s tag title bout that never quite hit the level it should have given the talent involved. The tag match with Christian Cage and Adam Copeland sat firmly in the middle – solid, but nothing you’ll remember next week. So while the highs were very high, the inconsistency drags the overall show down from greatness. A good episode, just not a complete one.
