‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Mar 29th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Jack Perry def. Matt Hardy
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jack Perry reversed a wristlock from Hardy, but Hardy came back with a shoulder tackle. Jungle Boy dropkicked Matt Hardy, taking Hardy off his feet. Hardy rolled out of the ring. Jack Perry went for a tope suicida but Hardy countered with a side effect. Ethan Page whipped Jack Perry into the steel ring steps. Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin were seen watching separate monitors backstage, scouting Jungle Boy. Hardy and Perry traded strikes on the ring apron. It broke down into a hockey fight but then Hardy scored with a side effect on the apron. They brawled back into the ring, but Jungle Boy’s lower back was clearly hurting. Ethan Page distracted Jungle Boy and Hardy took advantage of the situation, superplexing Jungle Boy for a near fall. Ethan Page jumped up on the apron again, but this time the FTW Champion Hook had seen enough and came down to the ring. Hook and Page began to brawl, both guys swinging for the fences. As Hardy was distracted outside the ring, Jack Perry rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida. Jungle Boy rocked Hardy with a flatliner and then an elbow to the back of the head to score the pin!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta) def. Dalton Castle & The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The BCC ambushed Dalton Castle and the Boys as they were making their entrance. It was a complete mauling. Claudio took care of business in the ring and pinned one of the Boys while Mox and Yuta annihilated Castle and one of the Boys outside the ring!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: IWGP United States Heavyweight Title Match – Kenny Omega def. Jeff Cobb
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Omega took down Cobb with a hurracanrana. Omega jumped over the top rope with a terminator dive onto Cobb. Back in the ring, Cobb spiked Omega with a running brainbuster. Omega was clutching his ribs, which were injured during his match lats week. Cobb used his overwhelming core strength to pivot and suplex Omega. Cobb attempted another suplex but Omega landed on his feet. Omega nailed Cobb with a knee strike for a two-count. Cobb got to his feet and dropkicked Omega. Kenny Omega rocked Cobb with two snap dragon suplexes. After a third snap dragon, Cobb swung for the fences with a lariat to Omega. Cobb headbutted Omega and then wiped him out with a delayed vertical suplex off the ropes! Cobb smashed Kenny with a standing moonsault press for a near fall. Cobb cracked Kenny with a V-Trigger of his own! Cobb was looking for a Tour of the Islands but Omega countered with a V-Trigger to the back of Cobb’s head! Omega finished off Cobb with the One-Winged Angel and pinned him!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: AEW International Title Match – Orange Cassidy def. The Butcher
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Butcher and the Blade attacked Orange Cassidy before the match. The ref ejected Blade from the ringside area. As the referee was doing this, Butcher continued to pummel Orange Cassidy. Butcher chopped away at Orange, but Cassidy countered by bouncing Butcher’s head off the turnbuckles. Butcher hoisted up Orange and then dropped him hard on the turnbuckles. They brawled outside the ring, with Butcher swinging Cassidy into the steel guardrail. Back in the ring Orange connected with the Stun Dog Millionaire and then a DDT for a near fall on Butcher. As the ref was distracted, the Blade ran down to the ring and cracked Orange in the back with a crowbar! The Best Friends came down to help their friend Orange! Trent hit Butcher in the back with the crowbar. After the Beach Break, Orange pinned Butcher.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Ruby Soho def. Willow Nightingale
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Ruby slapped Willow in the face. Willow countered the No-Future and then dropped Ruby with a side slam. Willow used her power advantage and body slammed Ruby Soho. Willow smashed Ruby in the corner with forearms. As the ref was distracted, Saraya battered Willow with knee strikes. Ruby Soho used a snap suplex on Willow for a near fall. Willow hoisted up Ruby and dumped her with a Death Valley Driver. After an assist from Toni Storm, Ruby rocked Willow with two No-Future kicks. Willow countered the Destination Unknown with a mighty pounce! Willow was looking for the Doctor Bomb but Toni Storm interfered, unbeknownst to the ref. Ruby used the ropes illegally for leverage and pinned Willow Nightingale.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Adam Cole def. Daniel Garcia
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cole took down Garcia with a side headlock, showing no signs of ring rust. Garcia fired back with a piledriver! Cole rolled out of the ring to the arena floor. Cole tried to build a comeback with a flurry of offense. Cole leveled the playing field quickly with a neck breaker on Garcia. Daniel Garcia tossed Cole on his neck with a German suplex. Cole fired back with a thrust kick for a two-count. Garcia ducked a knee strike and then countered with elbows that targeted Cole’s neck. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Garcia rolled through. Garcia stuffed Cole with a trapped arm piledriver. Somehow Cole found the strength to hit the Panama Sunrise and then he lowered the boom with the running knee! Adam Cole pinned Daniel Garcia!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
So we’re now up to THREE back-to-back fantastic episodes of Dynamite, something we haven’t had in a loooong time! Of course, nothing on this card was going to match up to last week’s Vikingo/Omega match but goddamn if Cobb and Omega didn’t give it their all to try to beat it! Jack Perry had a decent match to open the show but the post-match promo versus MJF is where he really delivered this week. Orange Cassidy had one hell of a match against The Butcher, with an interesting use of a weapon to help Cassidy win, and he wasn’t upset by it – something I don’t think we’ve seen from OC before? Willow Nightingale had her best match in AEW so far against Ruby Soho, literally looking like she could’ve beat Ruby Soho if not for interference from the rest of The Outcasts. Then we had the main event… the crowd-pleasing in-ring return of Adam Cole who had a great match against Daniel Garcia (who I didn’t envy having Cole’s first match back after Cole’s well-publicised concussion issues). The only downside to this week’s show? Poor Dalton Castle and the Boys getting squashed by BCC. The match didn’t really get started before it was over.
