‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jan 25th 2023)

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

Match #1: Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara def. Action Andretti & Ricky Starks

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Andretti and Guevara began the match for their respective teams. They traded holds, countering one another until there was a standoff. Finally Sammy blasted Action with a thrust kick, having baited him in. Action used a springboard dropkick on Sammy but Sammy fired back with a corkscrew dropkick. Sammy chopped Andretti in the chest. Sammy flew over the top rope with a twist and landed on Action. Sammy went for a top rope hurracanrana but Andretti landed on his feet and followed up with a Spanish Fly for a near fall. Starks and Jericho tagged in. They exchanged chops in the center of the ring! Starks hit Jericho with a lariat. Starks countered the Code Breaker with a catapult on Jericho. Starks strutted his stuff on the top rope but Sammy jumped off the turnbuckle with a cutter! Jericho covered Starks for a two-count. Sammy jumped off the top rope but Ricky defended with an up-kick. Action tagged in and nailed Sammy with a big elbow strike. He followed up with a backbreaker/neck breaker combination. Action flew onto Jericho with a tope and then served one up to Sammy. As the ref was dealing with Jericho, Starks drilled Sammy with a DDT. Andretti and Sammy collided in the center of the ring with running crossbodies. Starks speared Jericho. Jericho grabbed Starks’ trunks and rolled him up for a near fall. Starks smashed Jericho with a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Action tagged in and cracked Jericho with a kick off the second rope! Jericho countered a split legged moonsault by raising his knees into Action’s ribcage. Sammy tagged in, was looking for the GTH, but Action escaped. Action ran to the ropes but Jericho thumbed Action in the eye. Action used a reverse hurracanrana and then a hanging neck breaker on Sammy for a two-count! Outside the ring, Starks rocked Jericho with the Roshambo. Garcia cracked Action with the baseball bat, unbeknownst to ref Aubrey Edwards. Sammy finished off Action with the GTH and then pinned him!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: TNT Championship Match – Darby Allin def. Buddy Matthews

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Buddy Matthews was wearing face paint. Julia Hart distracted Darby, creating an opening for Matthews to attack. Darby blocked a kick from Buddy and then tried for a tope, but Buddy intercepted Darby. Matthews bounced Darby off the barricades. Matthews attempted a running powerbomb but Darby countered it, sending Buddy crashing into the barricade. Buddy Matthews pulled the ring skirt out from beneath Darby’s legs. Buddy drove his knees into Darby with a meteora for a near fall! Darby went over the top with a stunner on Matthews. Darby followed up with a Coffin Drop to Matthews on the floor. The arena lights went dark! The lights went back on and Malakai Black and Brody King were standing in front of the ring. Ortiz cracked Malakai with a bat and then brawled to the back with him! Sting blasted Brody King! Darby spiked Buddy with a reverse hurracanrana. Darby connected with a crossbody but Buddy rolled through. Darby followed up with a crucifix bomb for a near fall on Buddy! Buddy connected with combination strikes on Darby. Buddy had Darby’s Code Red scouted. Buddy buckle bombed Darby and then curb stomped Darby for a near fall! Darby rallied back with the Code Red on Matthews for a two-count! Darby was looking for the coffin drop but Matthews defended, knocking Darby down onto the turnbuckles. Matthews climbed up, looking for a superplex, but Darby countered with a Scorpion Death Drop off the ropes for a near fall! Darby nailed Matthews with the Coffin Drop and then pinned Matthews for the victory!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry & HOOK def. Ethan Page & Matt Hardy

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ethan Page was taken down with a hurracanrana by Jungle Boy. Hardy and HOOK tagged in for their respective teams. Page shoved HOOK and then ran out of the ring. HOOK followed him out, looking for a T-bone suplex. Page went for the Ego’s Edge but HOOK escaped and then Jack Perry hit Page with a tope. Hardy and Page double suplexed Jungle Boy. Jungle Boy tagged out to HOOK and HOOK swung for the fences with a lariat on Ethan Page! HOOK turned Page inside out with the el Camino and then the T-bone suplex. Matt Hardy made a blind tag and planted Jungle Boy with the Side Effect. Hardy was going to attempt the Twist of Fate but Ethan Page demanded to be tagged in. Page tried for his own Twist of Fate but Jack Perry escaped and applied the Snare Trap to Ethan Page! HOOK swept out Hardy’s legs and then Ethan Page tapped out!

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #4: Bryan Danielson def. Brian Cage

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Cage and Danielson locked up. Danielson kicked the inside of Cage’s leg. Brian Cage backed Danielson into the corner and chopped at Danielson’s chest. Bryan turned Cage around and walloped Cage with round kicks. Danielson trapped Cage with the LeBell Lock! Cage reached the ropes with his foot, forcing the rope break. Danielson connected with a sliding dropkick and then a tope! Danielson jumped off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody onto Cage on the arena floor. Back in the ring, Cage sent Danielson soaring with a German suplex! Cage put Danielson in a bear hug but Bryan headbutted his way out! Cage cracked Bryan with a running forearm. Cage followed up with a shoulder breaker. Cage suplexed Danielson into the ring. Cage followed up with a German suplex for a near fall. Danielson fired up and superplexed Cage. Danielson grabbed Cage’s leg and put him in an ankle lock. Cage popped up and blasted Bryan with a thrust kick. Danielson managed to roll up Cage for the pin. Cage was angered and went for his bounty, nailing Bryan after the match!

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #5: Ruby Soho def. Toni Storm

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Ruby and Toni traded forearms. Toni dropped Ruby with a high boot. Ruby backed up Toni into the corner with combination elbows. Storm thumbed Ruby in the eyes and then sent her crashing to the floor with the hip attack. Toni rammed Ruby’s head into the steel ring post, and then she whipped Ruby into the barricade. Back in the ring, Ruby gained momentum, planting Toni with a suplex. She followed up with a back heel trip to Toni. Ruby was looking for the Destination Unknown when Toni grabbed Ruby’s tights for a near fall. Ruby dropped Toni with a knee to the nose. The ref backed Ruby away from Toni. But Toni was just playing possum, luring Ruby in and then rocking Ruby with the hip attack for a near fall! Dr. Britt Baker’s music hit and she walked onto the ramp! Toni was distracted by Baker. Ruby recovered, nailed Toni with Destination Unknown and then pinned Toni Storm!

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #6: Mark Briscoe def. Jay Lethal

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

This match was requested by both men to celebrate the life and legacy of the late, great Jay Briscoe on his 39th birthday. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman joined Excalibur at the broadcast booth for the main event. Mark bodyslammed Jay Lethal. Jay was quick to get back on his feet. Mark pushed Lethal back into the turnbuckles but Lethal turned it around and chopped Mark. Mark and Lethal traded chops in the center of the ring! Mark connected with a kick to Lethal. Jay landed a dropkick to Mark Briscoe. Mark nailed Jay Lethal with the rat-a-tat-tat neck breaker made famous by his brother Jay Briscoe. Mark delivered some of his kung fu off the top rope. Mark splashed Jay Lethal in the corner and landed an uppercut and then the iconoclasm on Lethal for a near fall. Mark butterflied Lethal’s arms for the JayDriller but Lethal fought out of it. Lethal countered with the Lethal Combination for a two-count. Jay Lethal hoisted up Mark and dropped him down. Lethal followed up with the Lethal Injection! Mark Briscoe rolled out of the ring to create some distance from Jay Lethal. Jay put Mark on the time keeper’s table. Mark escaped and nailed Lethal with a dropkick through the ropes. Mark Briscoe followed up with a blockbuster on Jay Lethal. Mary Briscoe propped up Lethal on the table. Mark jumped off the top turnbuckle and dropped an elbow onto Jay Lethal through the table. Mark attempted the JayDriller again but Lethal escaped. Lethal attempted the Lethal Injection but Mark countered with two lariats! Mark spiked Lethal with the JayDriller and then pinned Lethal!

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

This was a great show that built to a great main event that paid superb tribute to Jay Briscoe. So good was the main event and so emotional, that I – honestly – put aside any of the feelings I have about Jay Lethal and just enjoyed the match. I really enjoyed the opening match, and the shenanigans and the cheating to win was literally the only way this one could go if this feud wasn’t going to end this week. The JungleHOOK / Page & Hardy match was great too and I’m hopeful this feud will continue or a few more weeks too – maybe culminating at Revolution? With a Hardy turn against Page and Stokely Hathaway? One can but hope. All in all this was a great episode of Dynamite that did a great job of paying tribute to Jay Briscoe. Which is all you could ask for right?