‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jun 14th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW World Championship Title Eliminator Match – MJF vs. Adam Cole (Time Limit Draw)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
They locked up and MJF knocked down Cole with a shoulder tackle. Cole went for a thrust kick, but MJF dodged it and went outside the ring to create some distance. Back in the ring, MJF stomped a mudhole in Cole. Adam Cole pulled down MJF and gave MJF a taste of his own medicine. MJF yanked Cole’s arm on an arm ringer snap. MJF smelled blood in the water and went to work on Cole’s arm. MJF applied a top wristlock. MJF drove Cole shoulder first into the canvas. MJF followed up with a pump handle slam with a half, good for a near fall on the challenger. Cole rocked MJF with a superkick! MJF was bleeding from the mouth. Adam Cole hit a backstabber for a two-count on the World champion. Cole was looking for the Panama Sunrise, but MJF had it scouted. MJF tried for the Heat Seeker, but Cole saw it coming and countered with a shoulder breaker. Cole hoisted up MJF and dropped him on his knee. In the process, Cole’s knee buckled. MJF was going to piledrive Cole on the apron, but Cole fought out of it. Cole was going for a Panama Sunrise on the apron, but MJF countered with a running apron tombstone! MJF rolled onto the arena floor, clutching his knee. MJF landed a rolling elbow strike. Cole fired back with superkicks. MJF clocked Cole with an explosive lariat out of desperation. MJF locked on the Salt of the Earth armbar. Cole rolled through and transitioned to an ankle lock. MJF escaped and captured both of Cole’s arms. Luckily, Cole reached the bottom rope with his boot, forcing the ref to break the hold. MJF connected with the Heat Seeker for a two-count! MJF cleared off the timekeeper’s table. MJF smashed Adam Cole with an elbow drop from off the top turnbuckle and down through the timekeeper’s table! Cole lunged forward and rolled back into the ring just in time. Cole lured MJF out to the apron and landed a superkick. Cole followed up with a straight jacket German Suplex on the apron! Cole had MJF in position for the Panama Sunrise, but MJF collapsed to the mat. MJF may have been playing possum as he double stomped Cole’s arm. Cole rolled up MJF, but MJF escaped and inadvertently collided with the referee. As the ref was down, MJF grabbed his world title and tossed it to Adam Cole. MJF wanted the ref to think Cole hit him with the belt, so Cole would get disqualified, but the ref didn’t get up. Cole seized the opportunity and cracked MJF in the head with the belt. Cole lowered the boom with the knee strike, but MJF kicked out at two! MJF obscured the ref’s vision and hit Cole with a low blow. MJF put on his Dynamite Diamond Ring. He was about to drill Adam Cole with it when the referee prevented MJF from using it. Cole plastered MJF with a superkick, then the Panama Sunrise, and then lowered the boom! Cole covered MJF and as the ref was making the count, the time limit expired. Justin Roberts announced that the match was a draw!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Sting, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy & Keith Lee def. Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage & The Gates of Agony – Toa Liona & Kaun)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sting connected with two Stinger splashes on Swerve. Brian Cage tripped up Sting, pulled him by the ankles from outside the ring. The Gates of Agony hurled Darby at Brian Cage, and Cage caught Darby and powerbombed him. Daniel Garcia was watching the match on a monitor backstage. Swerve was looking for the JML Driver, but Darby reversed it. Darby came over the top with a stunner and then tagged Keith Lee. Lee cleaned house on the Gates of Agony and fired a big elbow strike on Brian Cage. Orange Cassidy tried for the Orange Punch, but Cage intercepted. Darby blasted Cage with a shotgun dropkick. Sting knocked Kaun to the ground with a massive strike. Toa crushed Sting in the corner with a running splash. Sting took down Cage with a clothesline. After some assistance from Orange Cassidy, Sting finished off Cage with the Scorpion Death Drop and pinned him!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: TNT Championship Match – Wardlow def. Jake Hager
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hager ambushed Wardlow as Wardlow was making his entrance. Wardlow charged out of the corner with a clothesline and then a release German Suplex. Matt Menard and Angelo Parker walked down to the ring. Arn Anderson stopped them in their tracks long enough for Brock Anderson to run down and even up the odds. Wardlow sent Hager spilling to the outside with a clothesline. Wardlow smashed Hager with a senton off the top! Wardlow pinned Hager after the Powerbomb Symphony!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Toni Storm def. Skye Blue
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Skye Blue hammered the champion. Skye connected with a diving cross body press for a two-count. Storm went for a hip attack, but Skye had it scouted and then retaliated with a hip attack of her own. Skye Blue’s mother was sitting in the front row. Toni and Ruby saw her, and spray painted her in the face! Skye jumped out with a tope suicida on Toni and Ruby. Blue connected with a kick to Storm. Toni grabbed a handful of tights and pulled Skye throat-first into the ropes. Ruby passed a can of spray paint to Toni. The ref was distracted dealing with Ruby, but before Toni could use the spray paint, Skye Blue had a can of her own and sprayed it in Toni’s eyes! Skye rocked Toni with the Code Blue. Ruby jumped on the apron to distract Skye. When Skye Blue turned back around, Toni nailed Skye with the Storm Zero for a near fall! Toni locked in the Texas Cloverleaf and Skye had no choice but to tap out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: The Hung Bucks (‘Hangman’ Adam Page & The Young Bucks — Matt & Nick Jackson) def. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mox and Page went right at it, and then the Bucks and Yuta and Claudio brawled! The Elite sent the BCC packing with superkicks. Page connected with a shooting star press to the floor on Yuta! Matt Jackson tagged in, but Mox turned him around and began stomping him. Matt speared Mox and grounded and pounded him. Nick Jackson tagged in and came off the top with a cross body on Mox. Moxley nailed Hangman with a tope suicida. Matt Jackson jumped over the top with a cross body on Mox and Claudio. Mox connected with a King Kong Lariat and then a Gotch-style piledriver on Nick Jackson for a two-count! Mox scoop slammed Nick Jackson. Page tagged in and cleaned house on Yuta and Claudio. Hangman tossed Yuta with a fallaway slam. Page sent Yuta into the corner with a powerbomb, into the waiting kicks of the Bucks. Matt Jackson tagged in and used the locomotion Northern Lights Suplexes on Wheeler Yuta. Claudio hoisted up Matt Jackson and Mox jumped off the top rope with the Doomsday Device. Mox locked in the rear naked choke on Matt. Nick Jackson saved his brother with a senton. Claudio choke slammed Matt Jackson. Claudio sent Yuta flying with the rocket launcher, but Matt raised his knees up! The Bucks had a superkick party for all three members of the BCC. The Bucks sandwiched Wheeler with the BTE Trigger and then Hangman finished him off with the Buckshot Lariat! Page pinned Yuta!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Another solid episode of Dynamite but this felt a little too much like it was focused on FUTURE storylines rather than what’s happening now. I guess that had to be the case to try and sell people tuning into the new AEW show, Collision, this weekend. Which I will be… Reviews of that show will hopefully be coming too. The opening 30-minute match went so well that it never felt like the thing was dragging, in fact I found it hard to believe that 30 minutes had passed when the bell rang to end the match! The tag match that followed was fun and it’s ALWAYS great to see Sting kick ass in the ring. The women’s title match was a surprise – Skye Blue was booked very strong, which was great to see but the interference meant you knew she never actually stood a chance of winning. The whole match was headlined by that great reversal of the spray pain though… a great move by Skye and it now leads to more of the Outcasts’ opponents knowing how to counter that! As for the main event, that was – to be expected – great but then END of the match, post-pin made the whole thing even better – definitely don’t miss that by switching off early!
