28th Oct2022

‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Oct 26th 2022)

by Phil Wheat

Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Chartway Center in Norfolk, Virginia. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!

Match #1: Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta def. Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Jericho flipped off Claudio and Claudio answered with European Uppercuts! Garcia ran in and Claudio stopped him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Yuta tagged in and he and Claudio clocked Garcia with a double boot to the face. Garcia headbutted Yuta, a tactic he used to slow down Yuta’s offense. Hager and Menard pulled Jericho and Garcia out of the ring, trying to give their teammates a breather. But Claudio and Yuta wasted no time to bring the fight back to Jericho and Garcia to keep the momentum on track. Hager distracted Claudio, which allowed enough time for Jericho to sneak up with a dropkick off the turnbuckles to Claudio. Yuta tagged, hoisted up Jericho and planted him for a near fall. Jericho got spiked after Claudio helped Yuta complete a DDT. Jericho countered Claudio with a Code Breaker for a near fall but Yuta broke up the pin attempt! Jericho grabbed his baseball bat but Claudio powerbombed him, which caused Jericho to drop the bat. Claudio used the big swing on Jericho—with Garcia on his back! Claudio wiped out Hager with a senton! Claudio planted Jericho with the Neutralizer and then pinned Jericho!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) def. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Austin and Colton Gunn were sitting front row, mocking FTR. AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed came out and sat on the stage, scouting the match. Keith Lee wiped out both members of the opposition! Cash tried to get a tag but Keith shoved him back into the turnbuckles. Swerve tagged in but Cash was able to reach Dax for the tag. Dax chopped away at Swerve. Keith Lee got into the fray but Dax chopped at him too. Harwood hit a high German Suplex on Swerve. Cash and Dax hit tandem offense on Swerve as Keith Lee was recovering outside the ring. Cash caught Swerve underneath the chin with an uppercut. Swerve made the tag to Keith Lee and they double teamed Cash with an assisted powerbomb for a near fall. Swerve was looking for the stomp but Dax countered with a slingshot powerbomb! Keith Lee pounced Dax and then headbutted Cash for a near fall. Cash superplexed Keith Lee and then Dax splashed him off the top ropes for a near fall. FTR smashed Keith Lee with the Big Rig but Swerve pulled Dax out of the ring by the feet. Swerve hit Dax with a low blow while the ref had his attention turned. The Gunns held back Cash while Keith Lee finished off Dax Harwood and pinned Dax!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: Bryan Danielson def. Sammy Guevara

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Sammy went right after Bryan Danielson. Sammy hit a springboard cutter for a near fall on Bryan. Sammy tried for a dropkick but Danielson countered and then put Sammy in the Romero Special. Danielson drove his knee into Sammy’s back. He followed up with uppercuts to Sammy. Danielson blasted Sammy with kicks and then knocked him down with a European uppercut. Danielson grounded and pounded Sammy with palm strikes. Sammy rolled to the outside. Danielson jumped off the apron but Sammy countered with a rising knee strike. Back in the ring, Sammy walloped Bryan with round kicks, but they only fired up Danielson. Danielson turned Sammy inside out with an elbow strike! Danielson backdropped Sammy to the outside of the ring and then went airborne with a tope suicida! Danielson blasted Sammy with a shotgun dropkick. Sammy came back with a standing Spanish Fly! Sammy climbed to the top turnbuckle but Danielson shoved him. Danielson tried for a suplex off the turnbuckles but Sammy landed on his feet. Bryan countered a standing moonsault from Sammy with the LeBell lock. Sammy reached the ropes with his feet, forcing the break. Danielson climbed to the top rope but Sammy jumped up there and sent Bryan crashing with the Spanish Fly! Sammy bit down on Bryan’s forehead. Sammy tried for the GTH but Bryan blocked it and countered with a reverse hurracanrana! Bryan charged at Sammy with the running knee strike. Bryan grabbed Sammy’s wrists and then stomped him. Bryan applied the triangle to Sammy and the ref stopped the match.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #4: Jamie Hayter def. Riho

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Hayter shoulder tackled Riho, running her right over. Riho bridged up but Baker grabbed Riho’s boot. Riho low-bridged Jamie and then jumped off the top turnbuckle, coming down with a crossbody press to Jamie on the floor. Back in the ring, Hayter hit a snap suplex on Riho. Hayter hit Riho with elbows but Riho used a Northern Lights Suplex. Hayter smashed Riho with a brainbuster for a near fall. Baker grabbed Riho’s boot as Rebel had the ref’s attention. Hayter popped up Riho but Riho countered with a Code Red for a two-count. Hayter cracked Riho with a backbreaker. Riho answered with a dragon suplex for a near fall. Hayter booted Riho with a big kick and then blasted Riho with the rip cord lariat to pin her.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: AEW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley def. Penta El Zero Miedo

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Mox and Penta El Zero Miedo traded chops and then forearms in the center of the ring. Moxley’s Death Rider was blocked by Penta. Moxley tried for the King Kong Lariat but Penta ducked it. Penta rocked Mox with a thrust kick! Penta flipped over the top rope and landed on Moxley on the arena floor. Penta charged at Mox but Mox countered with a release overhead suplex into the turnbuckles. Penta fired back with the sling blade on Moxley for a near fall. Moxley hit a cutter on Penta and then a stuffed piledriver for a near fall. Moxley dropped the hammer and anvil elbows on Penta El Zero Miedo. Moxley got caught by Penta who sat back, trying to tear Moxley’s shoulder out of the socket. Moxley DDT’ed Penta on the edge of the steel ring steps! Moxley cracked Penta with the King Kong Lariat for a two-count. Penta rallied back with diving foot stomps and then the Fear Factor on Moxley for a near fall! Penta jumped off the ropes with a springboard but Moxley was there with the Paradigm Shift and then the Death Rider DDT. Two were enough for Moxley to pin Penta!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

A well-paced, super-solid episode of Dynamite this week – one with some surprises up its sleeve too. Who expected BCC to get the win over JAS in the opening match? Not me! Sammy Guevara put in his best performance in ages against Bryan Danielson, who was his usual brilliant wrestling self. Meanwhile the women, Jamie Hayter and Riho, put together a great match and one I’d like to see repeated somewhere down the line. Despite the ridiculous interference from the Gunns, the FTR/Swerve in our GLory match was another example of just how good FTR can make EVERYONE look! That leaves the main event, a match that you knew wasn’t going to disappoint. It didn’t but it was a little more of a fight than a wrestling match… and as such I would’ve loved to see the kind of brutality Penta showed in Mexico the other week! Otherwise a solid main event and a crowd-pleasing end to the night.

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