‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Dec 7th 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the H-E-B Center in Austin, Texas. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale – Winner: Ricky Starks
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The winner will face the AEW World Champion MJF at a later date for control of the Dynamite Diamond ring. Dustin Rhodes eliminated Kip Sabian after a Canadian Destroyer! Butcher and Dustin duked it out on the ring apron until Butcher blasted Dustin with a lariat to eliminate Rhodes. Starks eliminated the Butcher after ramming him with a shoulder. Jack Perry took out Lee Moriarty with a hurracanrana over the top rope. Jungle Boy was trying to hold onto the rope when W. Morrissey clubbed him down and then choke slammed Jungle Boy on the ring apron. Ethan Page tossed Shawn Dean over the top rope. The remaining three wrestlers were Matt Hardy, Ethan Page, and Ricky Starks. Hardy and Page double teamed Starks. Hardy was looking for the Twist of Fate but Starks shoved Hardy over the top rope. Starks launched off the ropes with a DDT to Ethan Page! Starks got rocked by a roundhouse kick from Page. Ethan Page tried for a powerslam but Ricky Starks held on and Page was dumped over the top rope, getting eliminated.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: TNT Championship Match – Samoa Joe def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sting and Wardlow were banned from ringside as part of the match stipulations. Darby took the fight right to Samoa Joe, trying to topple him, relying on his speed. Darby attempted the tope suicida but Joe stepped out of the way and Darby crashed and burned onto the arena floor. Samoa Joe grabbed Darby and began swinging him against the steel guardrail. Samoa Joe removed the padding from the concrete floor and then threw Darby right onto his hip on the cold floor. Darby charged at Samoa Joe but Samoa Joe countered with a scoop slam onto the concrete floor! Samoa Joe sent Darby head-first into the steel ring post. Darby managed to crawl back into the ring, breaking the count just in time. Samoa Joe kicked Darby in the face, and then across the chest. Joe nailed Darby with the Manhattan Drop and then a senton for a near fall! Darby sent Joe knees first into the metal steps. Darby blasted Samoa Joe with a Coffin Drop! Darby landed a stunner in the ring and then the Code Red for a near fall on Samoa Joe! Samoa Joe planted Darby with an STO out of the corner. Samoa Joe was looking for an avalanche muscle buster but Darby bit Joe. Darby tried for the Coffin Drop but Samoa Joe countered, catching Darby between his legs and then choking Darby out with a rear naked choke.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #3: Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta def. Daniel Garcia & Jake Hager
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Yuta chopped at Hager, but Hager knocked Yuta to the mat with a shoulder tackle. Claudio tagged in and he and Yuta hit a double boot on Garcia. Claudio took control of Jake Hager with a headlock. Claudio used a hip throw on Hager. He tagged out to Yuta and Yuta nailed Hager with a double sledge off the top turnbuckle. Yuta rocketed out of the ring with a tope to Hager and Garcia outside the ring. Sammy Guevara distracted the ref while Garcia shoved Yuta. Hager splashed Yuta with the Hager Bomb for a near fall. Moxley was pacing outside, watching the backs of Yuta and Claudio. Yuta superplexed Garcia off the top rope! Claudio delivered uppercuts to Hager! Claudio sent Hager down hard with a hurracanrana. Claudio was looking for the Giant Swing on Hager but Garcia jumped on Claudio’s back. Claudio shrugged Garcia off and then Yuta splashed Garcia. Instead Claudio hurled Hager around the ring with the Giant Swing. Sammy grabbed Claudio’s legs from outside the ring but Moxley was there to hit Sammy with a stiff strike! Back in the ring, Claudio sent Hager into Garcia and then landed an uppercut on Hager for the pin!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Jade Cargill & The Baddies (Red Velvet & Leila Grey) def. Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne, & Skye Blue
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Skye Blue and Red Velvet traded cradles and pinfall attempts. Red Velvet brought Blue down by the hair. Grey tagged in and nailed Blue with a running knee strike. Skye Blue clocked Grey with a kick to the head. Blue rocked Red Velvet with a thrust kick! Blue went for a dropkick but Red Velvet pulled the ring skirt off the apron, trapping Blue, and then clubbing Blue with forearms. Skye Blue and Red Velvet connected with thrust kicks on one another. Jade tagged herself in, and Kiera Hogan blasted Jade into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Jade grabbed Hogan and chokeslammed her! Rayne tagged in and rocked Jade with a kick behind the head. Cargill landed Jaded on Rayne and then pinned Madison Rayne!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match – The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) def. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Dax and Bowens locked up. Dax shoved Bowens into the corner and Cash tagged in. Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh were shown watching on the monitor backstage. Caster used a deep arm drag on Dax. Bowens tagged in and worked over Dax’s arm. Dax reversed the momentum of the match and chopped away at Bowens. Bowens and Dax exchanged chops. All four men brawled in the ring. Caster scoop slammed Dax Harwood. Bowens dropped down with the Scissor Me Timbers. The Acclaimed had FTR in double sharpshooters. Dax made it to the ropes for the break. FTR catapulted Caster, who had his head under the ring. Caster’s head colliding with the ring apron. Bowens nailed Dax with a thrust kick and then a running knee strike to Dax’s jaw for a near fall. Bowens cracked Dax with a neck breaker for a near fall. The Acclaimed used a cutter combination on Dax for a near fall. FTR smashed Caster with the Big Rig! Bowens broke up the pin attempt just in time! Bowens connected with the Arrival on Cash! Bowens attempted the Mic drop but Cash moved out of the way! Cash blasted Caster with three lariats! Cash powerbombed Caster but Caster rolled through, countering with a roll-up. Caster pinned Cash with the counter!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Wow. What a show this week. Not just because we got TWO four-star matches on the card but also because of the awesome storytelling we got in this episode. The post-match promo between Ricky Starks and MJF was some of the best stuff I’ve seen and heard outside of Moxley’s fire promos – and interesting to see Starks not only ALREADY has a title match against MJF but now has a match for the Diamond Ring too! Samoa Joe and Darby Allin pulled off the kind of match you expected but LOVED at the same time, I just wish we could’ve seen Allin regain the title (it would be awesome to have AEW make champs of all their “homegrown” talent” for at least a short while). And whilst the Jade Cargill tag match wasn’t great, there was some interesting storytelling going on (told you this show has some great storytelling in it!); we had Kiera Hogan tag out so she didn’t lose the match and Red Velvet did all the work for Cargill’s team and did not look pleased about that.. dissension coming there maybe?! The main event was the cherry on top of the cake IMHO, with The Acclaimed and FTR delivering a proverbial banger of a match and one that almost, almost… lived up to their first match against Swerve in Our Glory (where they DIDN’T win). Plus we got the awesome post-match pop that FTR will face The Briscoes at Final Battle!