‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Feb 15th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Orange Cassidy, The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & Daddy Ass def. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jay Lethal and Anthony Bowens began for their respective teams. Bowens used a snap mare into a roll up on Lethal for a near fall. Caster tagged in and he and Bowens used tandem offense on Lethal. Double J tagged in but Caster took him down with arm drags and then a dropkick. Satnam Singh tagged in and Orange Cassidy wanted a piece of him. Sonjay came in instead and then Daddy Ass tagged in. Sonjay quickly tagged out to Jarrett. The newly crowned AEW Tag Team Champs The Gunns walked onto the ramp. Daddy Ass was distracted by his sons on the ramp and Jarrett took advantage of the opportunity with a forearm to Daddy Ass. Jarrett stomped a Memphis mudhole into Daddy Ass. Satnam Singh tagged in and shoulder blocked Daddy Ass. Singh chucked Orange Cassidy like a bag of trash. Caster planted Jay Lethal while Sonjay ran directly into the Orange Punch from Cassidy. Caster had Sonjay set up for the Scissor-Me-Timbers but Jarrett knocked down Daddy Ass. Orange Cassidy blasted Jeff Jarrett off the ring apron. Bowens dropped the leg with the Scissor-Me-Timbers on Sonjay Dutt and pinned him!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Texas Tornado Tag Match – The Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) def. La Faccion Ingobernable (Preston Vance & Rush)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli were ambushed by La Faccion Ingobernable as the Blackpool Combat Club were making their entrance. They brawled back to the ring. Moxley kicked Vance until Rush entered the ring and blindsided Mox! La Faccion Ingobernable took the boots to Moxley. Vance nailed Mox with a spinebuster and Rush followed up with a dropkick. Claudio, the difference maker, jumped in with a springboard European uppercut to Vance. Claudio smashed Vance into a steel chair with a running bulldog. Mox and Claudio whipped Vance into two chairs that were set up in the turnbuckles. Rush came back into the ring and tried to fight off the BCC. Rush was quickly knocked to the arena floor where Mox rammed him with a tope suicida. Vance speared Mox off the apron onto Rush and Claudio who were on the arena floor. Vance and Rush buried Claudio under a table and some chairs outside the ring. Claudio was trapped after being drilled by the steel chairs, so Mox was left to fend for himself. Vance cracked Moxley with a steel chain. Claudio emerged from underneath the timekeeper’s table! Claudio wrapped the chain around his fist and blasted Vance with a big right hand! Vance was busted open! Claudio spun Vance around the ring with the Giant Swing! Rush was there with a dropkick to break up the pin attempt by Claudio. Moxley rocked Rush with a cutter! Claudio took Rush off his feet with a European uppercut. Jose the Assistant cracked Claudio with a steel chair. Wheeler Yuta ran down and battered Jose up the ramp with forearms. Claudio speared Rush but Vance broke up the pin at the last possible moment. Rush chopped at Claudio while Claudio returned fire with European uppercuts. Vance used the chain on Vance and made him submit with an armbar.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Mark Briscoe def. Josh Woods
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Josh Woods grappled Mark Briscoe to the mat. Mark shoulder blocked Woods to the mat. Ari Daivari and Tony Nese hammered at Briscoe until the Lucha Bros.—Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo—ran down to even up the odds. Woods nailed Mark with a corkscrew suplex off the apron to the arena floor! Mark rallied back with his redneck kung fu. Briscoe planted Woods with a powerbomb off the ropes! Mark called for the Jay Driller but Woods countered by ducking underneath and rolling through with the Pure Chaos for a near fall! Woods cracked Mark with a knee strike! Mark hit a Death Valley Driver and then followed up with the Froggy Bow, scoring the pin on Josh Woods!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry def. Brian Cage
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cage clobbered Perry with a high boot. Jungle Boy rallied back with a dropkick. Jack Perry jumped off the second rope with a twisting cross body but Cage caught him. Brian Cage powerbombed Jack into the turnbuckles! Cage was looking to suplex Jack out of the ring but Jack countered with a diving splash for a near fall! Jack Perry planted Cage with a Death Valley Driver! Jack nailed Cage with the crucifix bomb and then cracked him in the back of the head with a running strike for the pin!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: “Hangman” Adam Page def. Kip Sabian
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sabian rocked Page with a cannonball in the corner. Kip spring boarded off the ropes but Adam Page caught him and hurled him with a fallaway slam. Kip Sabian punted Page from the apron and followed up with a springboard moonsault to Page on the arena floor. Hangman Page whipped Kip into the guardrail. Page planted Kip with a pop up powerbomb for a near fall. Page followed up with the Dead Eye in the center of the ring and pinned Kip Sabian!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Ruby Soho def. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. & Toni Storm
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Saraya attacked a fan in the front row who was holding a Britt Baker sign! Ruby came down to stop the attack from continuing. Baker leveled Toni with a thrust kick. Ruby took Toni off her feet with a shoulder tackle. Ruby planted Toni with a suplex. Baker rocked Ruby with a stiff forearm. Baker used a neck breaker DDT combo on Toni for a near fall. Toni Storm fired back with a dropkick and then a thrust kick. Britt and Toni traded elbow strikes. Britt smashed Storm with the ripcord lariat and then a neck breaker for a near fall! Toni locked on a Texas Cloverleaf on Ruby. In the meantime Baker put the Lockjaw on Ruby but Saraya ran in to kick Ruby. Saraya put spray paint on Toni and then Toni ran into Baker with the hip attack but Ruby managed to score the pin!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Christian Cage returned to AEW, pepper-spraying Jungle Boy before hitting him with the Kill Switch on the ramp
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This was a pretty average episode of Dynamite, with only the Texas Tornado match managing to raise the bar for the night. The women’s main event was good but I’m not a fan of the whole spray-paint thing (mainly because it feels like a rip off of Impact Wrestling) and the stupid idea that everyone wants Ruby Soho to be on their side – she’s “the runaway”, a lone wolf type if you will, so that she’s going to choose sides feels TOTALLY out of character. There were plenty of promos this week too – MJF’s was dull and far too long, the JAS thing was as stupid as Jericho thought it was. The only bright spot in this week’s promos/vignettes was Evil Uno coming out to the ring to confront Jon Moxley, all suited and booted and going toe to toe with Mox and NOT backing down. The best Uno and Dark Order have looked since they’ve been a trio (and a shadow of their former selves).
