‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jul 26th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW International Championship Match – Orange Cassidy def. AR Fox
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
This is Orange Cassidy’s 27th defense of the AEW International Championship. Orange began the match with head games, but Fox managed to apply the body scissors to the champ. Orange wiggled out of the hold, but Fox countered a shotgun dropkick attempt. Fox was looking for the cutter, but Orange anticipated it and rolled out of the ring. AR Fox vaulted off the ring post and moonsaulted onto Orange on the arena floor. Orange came back with a Stun Dog Millionaire on Fox. Fox connected with a mule kick off the ropes and then followed up with a stunner of his own. Fox nailed Orange with a twisting brain buster for a two-count. Fox smashed Orange with a senton off the top for a near fall. Orange picked up a sense of urgency and stuck Fox with a DDT and then the Beach Break for a two-count! Cassidy went for the Orange Punch, but Fox turned Cassidy’s momentum against him, setting him on the top turnbuckle. Fox took Orange down with the lo Mein pain! Fox planted the champion with a DDT for another near fall. Orange rolled out of the way of Fox’s 450 splash. Fox may have twisted his ankle on the landing. Orange caught Fox in the mouse trap and pinned Fox!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: PAC def. Gravity
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Gravity hit a dropkick on Pac and then hit a second dropkick to take down Pac. Gravity cracked Pac with a forearm. Pac eventually caught up with Gravity and destroyed him with a dropkick through the ropes. Gravity scoop slammed Pac onto the arena floor. Gravity followed up with a stalling splash off the apron. Gravity connected with a high cross body press onto Pac. “The Bastard” began to punish Gravity with a series of kicks. Pac spiked Gravity with an avalanche brain buster! Pac floated over and locked on the Brutalizer, forcing Gravity to submit!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Swerve Strickland def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Darby held onto a headlock. Darby launched off the top with an arm drag to Swerve. Swerve vaulted over the top rope, but Darby was waiting for him and countered with a Code Red on the arena floor! Darby Coffin Splashed Swerve against the barricade. Swerve launched himself off the steel ring steps and rocked Darby with a kick to the side of the head. Swerve connected with a leaping flatliner and then hit a big suplex for a near fall on Darby. Swerve and Darby traded pinfall attempts. Darby stepped through with the Last Supper, but Swerve managed to kick out! Darby speared Swerve through the ropes, sending both competitors crashing hard onto the arena floor. Darby attempted a cannon ball through the ropes but Swerve suckered Darby into it, nailing Darby with a forearm. Swerve smashed Darby with the Swerve Stomp for a two-count! Darby used an over-the-top stunner on Swerve. Darby climbed to the top, but Swerve pulled Darby’s boot out from beneath him. Swerve decimated Darby with a Death Valley Driver off the turnbuckles and onto the ring apron. Darby tried to climb back into the ring but as he was doing so, AR Fox ran out and rammed Darby into the ring post! Swerve finished off Darby with the JML Driver and pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. def. Taya Valkyrie
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Taya and Baker locked up and Taya used her strength to drive Baker down. Taya took Baker off her feet again with a shoulder block. Taya rocked Baker with running knees into the corner. Taya chopped at Baker and then hit a lariat. Taya grounded and pounded Britt Baker. Taya charged into the corner, but Britt evaded her. Britt drove her knees into the side of Taya’s head. Britt rocked Taya with the ripcord. Taya got to her feet and she and Britt traded forearms. Taya blasted Britt with a roundhouse kick! Baker answered with a thrust kick. Taya countered a DDT from Britt with a Northern Lights Suplex. Britt hit a thrust kick on Taya. Baker smashed Taya with the Panama Sunrise, but Taya kicked out at the two-count! Taya speared Britt Baker! Taya tried for the Road to Valhalla, but Baker countered with the Lock Jaw and Taya tapped out!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Three-Way Tag Match – Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) def. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) and Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
All three teams brawled around the ring. Chuck Taylor threw Mox off the ramp and then did a stage dive onto the BCC. Trent nailed Rey Fenix with a big knee strike. Moxley followed through with a cutter on Trent. Claudio blasted Fenix with a European Uppercut. Trent DDT’ed Claudio for a near fall. Trent followed up with a side suplex. Trent attempted a tope suicida, but Claudio countered with a European Uppercut. Moxley tagged in and smashed Trent with a King Kong Lariat. Chuck tagged in and unloaded on Mox with chops. Mox turned him around and blasted Chuck with body shots. Chuck nailed Mox with a German Suplex. Penta El Zero Miedo tagged in and clocked Chuck with two sling blades and then a backstabber. The Lucha Bros used double thrust kicks on the BCC, but the BCC fought back with double lariats. The Best Friends spiked the Lucha Bros with stereo piledrivers. Moxley drilled Rey Fenix with a Paradigm Shift. Claudio was wearing out Chuck with hammer and anvil elbows. He power bombed Chuck Taylor. The BCC were standing tall and dominant, ready to finish off Trent when Orange Cassidy came out! Cassidy pulped Wheeler Yuta with the Orange Punch! Moxley and Orange began to slug it out on the arena floor. Trent squashed Claudio with the Scrunchy, but Claudio wasn’t the legal man. Penta clobbered Trent with the Fear Factor and pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
I’ve seen the chatter that said this wasn’t a great episode of Dynamite but I have to disagree. The opening match between Orange Cassidy and AR Fox was one hell of a banger and Fox was the IDEAL opponent for Cassidy – their styles gelled so well and both men pulled out all the stops to make the match spectacular. OK, so the mid-card was fine, some average matches and a good one between Swerve and Darby Allin (though it did feel a tad repetitive given the duo’s prior matches over the years), but the show closed strong with the three-way tag match main event. Overall this was a decent show, not one that you could call terrible by any means… which seems to be the consensus elsewhere on the net!
