‘AEW: Dynamite: Beach Break 2022’ Review
Welcome to this review of AEW’s Dynamite Beach Break special which emanates from Cleveland, Ohio and the Wolstein Center. We’ve got a bunch of highly anticipated matches on this card and someone very nice, very evil making an appearance! Let’s get to it.
Match #1: TNT Title Unification Ladder Match – Interim Champion Sammy Guevara def. Champion Cody Rhodes
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cody snatched a side headlock on Sammy. After a shoulder tackle, Cody flexed. Sammy backflipped over Cody and connected with a corkscrew dropkick on Cody! Cody was looking for the Tiger Driver but Sammy countered and tried to hit the GTH but Cody escaped. Cody ducked a clothesline and used his momentum to push Sammy out of the ring. Cody walked up the ramp and grabbed a ladder. Cody propped up the ladder between the ring and the guardrail and as he was setting it up, Sammy pump kicked Cody. Cody and Sammy brawled on the arena floor, amongst the fans. Cody charged at Sammy and clotheslined him over the barricade. Sammy had an answer and jumped back over the barricade with a cutter on Cody! Sammy pushed a ladder into the ring but Cody cut him off. Sammy rammed a ladder into Cody’s face! Sammy climbed up the ladder but Cody pulled him down. Cody and Sammy’s heads collided. Scorpio Sky and Dan Lambert were watching from up in the arena. Cody and Sammy climbed to the top of the ladder and traded forearms. Cody walloped Sammy with a delayed vertical superplex from the top of the ladder! Cody dropped Sammy abdomen first across the hinges of the ladder! Cody pulled Sammy’s legs through the ladder rungs and then locked on the figure four. Cody erected the ladder again beneath the two hanging title belts. Sammy fired out of the corner with two lariats! Sammy tried for a springboard but Cody threw the ladder at Sammy’s head! Both men climbed ladders. Sammy jumped off his ladder and grabbed Cody with a cutter! Sammy trapped Cody under the ladder. Sammy began to climb the ladder towards the belts but Cody bench pressed the ladder off him, and Sammy was sent crashing down onto the ring ropes! Sammy and Cody climbed their ladders and this time, Cody nailed Sammy with a Cross Rhodes off the ladder! Cody climbed back up but somehow Sammy was right on Cody’s back! Both men were hanging from the belts and they couldn’t keep their grip! Both men fell hard down to the canvas. Fuego Del Sol ran out to try and plead with Cody. Cody spiked Fuego with a Tiger Driver! Sammy was there though and hit a tornillo on Cody. He followed up with a GTH on Cody on the arena floor. Sammy positioned Cody on top of the bridged ladder that was set up earlier between the barricade and the edge of the ring. Sammy set up a second ladder and climbed it—and then Sammy hit a senton from the top of the ladder, down onto Cody. Both men climbed up to the top of the ladder in the middle of the ring. They traded strikes with one another. Sammy rammed one of the belts into Cody’s head and then Sammy grabbed both belts to win!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Wardlow def. Elijah Dean and James Alexander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Wardlow quickly conducted the orchestra on Dean and Alexander! Wardlow sandwiched his opponents with powerbombs and then pinned them!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Chris Jericho, Santana & Ortiz def. 2point0 & Daniel Garcia
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Santana tagged himself in before Jericho was ready. Santana used a double leg takedown on Jeff Parker. Santana used the three amigos on Parker. Ortiz tagged in but then Matt Lee tagged in and hit Ortiz with a back elbow. Garcia tagged in and slugged it out with Ortiz. Garcia charged at Ortiz but Ortiz countered with a stiff clothesline. Santana and Ortiz hit combination dropkicks on Garcia. Jericho tagged himself in but Ortiz tagged Jericho and they began to argue. 2point0 and Garcia attacked Ortiz from behind as he and Jericho were having words. 2point0 worked over Ortiz with tandem offense. Parker was looking for a running bulldog but Ortiz countered with a back drop. Jericho wanted to be tagged in but Ortiz tagged Santana instead. Santana flattened Garcia with a fireman’s carry. Ortiz nailed 2point0 with a double cutter! Jericho hit the Judas Effect on Matt Lee. Santana impaled Jeff Parker with a piledriver and then pinned Parker. Jericho, disappointed by the lack of cooperation from his teammates Santana and Ortiz, walked off by himself.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: “Legit” Leyla Hirsch def. Red Velvet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Red Velvet charged Leyla and rained down shots on Leyla. Red Velvet followed up with a leg lariat. Leyla rolled out of the ring to put some distance between them. Leyla hurled Red Velvet into the barricade! Red Velvet used a stunner on Leyla! Red Velvet locked on an arm bar but Leyla hoisted her up and buckle bombed her! Leyla Hirsh used a dropkick in the corner on Red Velvet. Leyla concentrated her attacks on Red Velvet’s left shoulder. Red Velvet rallied back with a double knee strike to Leyla’s back. Velvet rolled out of a German Suplex and then speared Leyla Hirsch. Leyla countered the Final Slice with a powerbomb and then a running knee strike! Leyla locked on the Legit Lock but Red Velvet got her boot on the bottom rope. Red Velvet went for a roundhouse kick but Leyla ducked it, grabbed a hold of Red Velvet’s tights and then pinned her! “Legit” Leyla continued to attack Red Velvet after the bell until Kris Statlander ran down to help her friend Red Velvet!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Unsanctioned Lights Out Match – Orange Cassidy def. Adam Cole
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy traded right hand shots in the center of the ring, both men staggered. On the outside of the ring, Orange rattled Adam Cole with a shotgun dropkick! Cole whipped Orange Cassidy into the steel barricade and then dropped Orange spine-first across the rail! Cole tried to pull a steel chair from underneath the ring but Danhausen was holding it! Cole pump kicked Cassidy in the face! Cole tried for the Panama Sunrise but Orange countered by slammed Cole through the timekeeper’s table! Orange attempted the Orange Punch but Cole blocked it with the ring bell! Cole pulled plunder out from beneath the ring and chucked it into the ring. Adam Cole set up two steel chairs in the ring. Orange planted Cole through the chairs with a Michinoku Driver! Cole motioned to the ramp for help. Brandon Cutler came out but Wheeler Yuta blasted him. Bobby Fish wiped out Wheeler! Chuck Taylor came out but The Young Bucks superkicked him! Trent and Rocky Romero brawled with the Bucks. Orange walloped Adam Cole with the Beach Break! Adam Cole tried for a low blow on Orange but it didn’t bother Orange because he was wearing a steel cup to protect himself! Orange Cole punished Cole with a Panama Sunrise for a near fall! Orange wrapped his fist in a steel chain and was setting up for the Orange Punch but Adam Cole retreated! Orange followed Cole backstage but Cole smashed Orange through a table for a near fall. Cole blasted Orange with a superkick! Cole pulled down the kneepad and was about to lower the boom but Orange countered with a thrust kick! Orange was going for the Orange Punch but Cole wiped out Orange by blocking the punch with a lighting fixture! Cole climbed to the top of the truss! Orange snuck up behind Cole and hit a low blow on Cole! Orange hugged Cole and then pulled him off the truss and down through the stage below! They crashed through the stage and Orange landed on top and pinned Cole!
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
A super-solid, exciting episode of AEW: Dynamite, one that opened strong and finished strong. The CM Punk / MJF promo mid-show was good, as usual for these two, and even Wardlow’s squash match was fun! The appearance of Danhausen gave the final match and extra half-point, just becasue… well, Danhausen. I’m seen some say that the opening match was too much off a spot-fest, however I felt it had just the right amount of insanity to take it to the next level in terms of ladder matches in AEW. Definitely interested to see where Sammy goes now as far as competitors for the TNT Championship go. More like this please AEW!
