‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (March 23rd 2022)
It’s Thursday, so you know what that means… It’s time for our review of this week’s AEW: Dynamite, which emanates from HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas.
Match #1: CM Punk def. FTR’s Dax Harwood
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
They locked up and Dax took Punk down with a pair of head scissors. Right back to their feet and Dax applied a side headlock and hammered Punk with a hard shoulder tackle. Punk rallied back with two arm drags. The Gunn Club were ringside, observing the action. Dax hit Punk with great force with a snap suplex and followed up with a leg drop. Dax nailed Punk with a back breaker. Harwood drove Punk to the mat again, and once again, Punk was favoring his lower back. CM Punk took advantage of the Gunn Club inadvertently distracting Harwood from the ringside area, with Punk’s chops connecting with impact. Punk and Harwood traded forearms and elbows, but Punk got the better of it with a beautiful leg lariat for a near fall on Dax. Punk climbed to the top turnbuckle but Dax met him up there. Dax was looking to bring Punk back into the ring the hard way, but Punk countered and shoved Dax to the mat. Punk was looking for a top rope elbow drop but Dax wasted no time and shoved Punk, crotching Punk on the top rope. Dax superplexed Punk into the ring and followed up with a diving head butt for a near fall on. Punk blocked a suplex attempt by Dax and then Punk suplexed Dax over the top rope and down onto the mat. Cash Wheeler ran out to check on his partner and Dax’s brutal fall over the top. Punk got his footing on the top rope and hit Dax with a diving cross body. Punk transitioned to the Anaconda Vice but Dax escaped. They cradled one another for back-and-forth near falls. Punk attempted the rising knee strike in the corner but Dax countered with a slingshot powerbomb for a near fall. Punk finally got that rising knee strike and went for the GTS but Dax countered with a sharpshooter. Punk rolled over and transitioned to a deep Anaconda Vice, forcing Dax to tap out!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: 8 Man Tornado Tag – Sting, Darby Allin, and The Hardys def. The Butcher, The Blade, & Private Party
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
No disqualification, anything goes for this Tornado Tag match! Darby also rocketed outside the ring onto the opposition. Both teams were brawling outside the ring and into the crowd! Jeff Hardy jumped at the Blade, sending both men over the barricade. Sting hit a Stinger Splash on Kassidy! Andrade snuck up behind Darby and whipped him with his belt. The Butcher picked up Darby and hurled him down a flight of stairs! Matt Hardy was about to hit the Side Effect on Kassidy but Marq Quen came up from behind with a low blow. Private Party sent Matt Hardy crashing off the side of the stage through a table below. Jeff Hardy set up a ladder in the concourse. Darby and Sting held down the Butcher and the Blade on tables. Hardy climbed up and over the ladder, stood on a small beam, and smashed down into the Butcher and the Blade with a swanton through a table, easily 15 feet below! Kassidy connected with a steel chair to Sting in the ring but Sting got fired up. Sting used Stinger splashes on Private Party! They tried for Private Party but Sting snatched Kassidy out of midair and used the Scorpion Death Drop while Matt Hardy hit the Side Effect on Quen and they pinned Private Party!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson def. Varsity Blonds
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
William Regal joined the commentary team for this match. Both teams slugged it out to start the match. Julia Hart had her back turned to the ring and was sitting by the ring post. Mox kicked and chopped away at Pillman, but Pillman rallied back with a high-flyin’ dropkick. Griff tagged in but Mox caught Griff’s boot and then suplexed Griff. Mox tagged in Danielson and Danielson teed off with stiff kicks. Mox blasted Pillman with a king kong lariat while Danielson German suplexed Pillman! Moxley got a boot in the mush from Garrison while Pillman connected with a dropkick to Mox for a near fall. Moxley nailed Garrison with the Paradigm Shift and tapped out Garrison with a rear naked choke! William Regal walked to the ring to congratulate his team.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Adam Cole def. Jay Lethal
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cole backed Lethal into the corner and began kicking him. Jay Lethal fired back with chops to Cole’s chest. Jay Lethal scored with more shots to Cole. Lethal dropkicked Adam Cole right in the face. Lethal tried a dropkick off the turnbuckles but Cole dodged it. Cole went to flex but Lethal connected with a dropkick and then three tope suicidas to Cole! ReDRagon—Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, walked out onto the ramp to get a closer look at the match and their friend Adam Cole. Lethal was determined and applied the figure four lock on Cole. Jay thought he had the win but Cole reached the ropes. Cole managed to distract the ref while Bobby Fish jumped onto the ring apron. Adam Cole was looking to lower the boom but Lethal came back with the cutter. Lethal was trying for the Lethal Injection but Cole countered with a superkick. Adam Cole blasted Lethal with the Panama Sunrise for a near fall! Lethal attempted the Lethal Injection but ref Paul Turner was distracted by ReDRagon! Adam Cole connected with the low blow and then Cole lowered the boom. Cole finally pinned Lethal.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Leyla Hirsch def. Red Velvet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kris Statlander was barred from ringside during this match. Leyla kicked Red Velvet from behind as Red Velvet was entering the ring. They brawled outside the ring with Red Velvet ramming Leyla into the steel barricade. Red Velvet went to do it again but Leyla reversed it and sent Velvet into the barricade this time! Back in the ring, Red Velvet delivered body shots to Leyla Hirsch. She followed up with a standing moonsault press onto Leyla. Leyla slammed Red Velvet to the mat hard with a gut wrench suplex, and then a second gut wrench suplex for a near fall. Red Velvet went for a springboard but Leyla countered with a German suplex. Red Velvet brought down Leyla with an Iconoclasm. She hit a corkscrew kick to Leyla but Leyla rolled out of bounds. Leyla rolled out of the ring and pulled a turnbuckle iron from her trunks and cracked Red Velvet with it, unbeknownst to ref Bryce Remsburg. Leyla scored the win and after the match, Kris Statlander charged in and went right after Leyla! Kris cleaned house of “Legit” Leyla Hirsch.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia def. Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
John Silver shoulder tackled Chris Jericho. Silver followed up with a deep arm drag. Reynolds tagged in and they used a stereo dropkick on Jericho! Silver and Reynolds use a tope suicida brainbuster combination to plant Jericho on the arena floor! Ref Aubrey Edwards ejected Pres10 and “5” because she thought they attacked Jericho outside the ring, but it was actually Jericho who kicked the ring steps. Jericho regained momentum in the ring but then went for a lionsault and Reynolds dodged it! Silver tagged in and charged at Jericho. Silver wiped out the entire Jericho Appreciation Society outside the ring! In the ring, Jericho smashed Silver with the Code Breaker! Garcia tagged in and Reynolds and Silver used incredible tandem offense on Garcia! Garcia grabbed ref Aubrey Edwards to distract her while Jericho hit Reynolds with the baseball bat. Garcia applied a scorpion death lock onto Reynolds and made him submit!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
What can I say, this episode opened strong and kept up that momentum. Yes, some of the matches weren’t that great but the banging promos more than made up for that. Nice to see Leyla Hirsch get the win she deserved, even with that cheating. But let’s talk about that final match… Goddamn, John Silver was a f**king machine. The man showed why he – out of all of Dark Order – needs, may DESERVES, a decent singles push. Truly. How the hell do AEW build on this week’s episode is the real question?!
