‘AEW Dynamite: Fight For the Fallen’ Review (Aug 16th 2023)
This week’s episode of AEW: Dynamite marks the return of AEW’s special Fight For the Fallen programming (though this is the LEAST “special” of all these particularly themed shows). This episode was broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and saw Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary for tonight’s event. Let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW International Championship Match – Orange Cassidy def. Wheeler Yuta
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Orange and Wheeler traded arm drags. Then they exchanged stiff chops and forearms. Wheeler suplexed but then Orange countered with one of his own. Wheeler blasted the champ with a tope suicida. Orange suplexed Yuta on the arena floor. Yuta spiked Orange on the ramp! Wheeler followed up with a thrust kick to Orange’s head. Back in the ring Orange blasted Yuta with the Beach Break! Wheeler chomped down on Orange’s hand and then stomped on it, trying to neutralize the hand that Cassidy uses for the Orange Punch.Orange took flight with a tope suicida. Orange climbed the turnbuckles, but Wheeler kicked him in the head. Wheeler rocked Orange with a massive superplex! Wheeler crashed down onto Orange with a diving splash for a near fall. Cassidy clocked Yuta with the PK and then DDT’ed Yuta. Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli walked out of the stands and glared at Orange from ringside. Orange looked over at Moxley and nailed Yuta with a Paradigm Shift. Orange connected with the Orange Punch on Wheeler Yuta. Orange immediately grabbed his hand. Yuta locked up Orange in the seat belt for a near fall. Orange rolled up Wheeler, held onto his jean pockets, and pinned Wheeler!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Darby Allin & Nick Wayne def. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Gates of Agony rushed at Darby and Nick as Darby and Nick were making their entrance. Swerve Strickland and AR Fox walked onto the ramp with steel chairs. Nick Wayne rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida onto Bishop Kaun! The Gates of Agony hip tossed Nick into the barricade. The Gates of Agony double teamed Darby Allin. Nick Wayne sent Toa flying off the apron with a hurracanrana. He followed up with a cutter to Bishop. Darby splashed Bishop with a Coffin Drop and pinned him!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch – Jeff Jarrett def. Jeff Hardy
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Absolutely anything goes and the only way to win is by pinfall. Jeff Jarrett ambushed Jeff Hardy. Hardy whipped Jarrett into the wall and then bludgeoned Jarrett with a crutch. Satnam Singh grabbed Jeff Hardy by the neck and hoisted him up against the wall. Matt Hardy, Brother Zay and Ethan Page came out to even up the odds. Jeff Hardy dropkicked Jarrett on the ramp. Smoke began to billow out from beneath the ring. Hardy smacked Jarrett with a kendo stick. Jeff Hardy connected with a swanton, crushing Jarrett through a table! Jay Lethal jumped into the ring to break up the pin attempt. Ethan Page blasted Lethal with a shoulder tackle. Matt Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on Lethal! Karen Jarrett hit Matt Hardy from behind with a cheap shot. Jeff Jarrett grabbed his guitar, but Jeff Hardy pulled it away and smashed it over Jarrett’s head. Leatherface came to the ring and kicked Jay Lethal in the midsection. Leatherface chased Karen Jarrett to the back! Satnam Singh grabbed Jeff Hardy and then Jay Lethal cracked Jeff Hardy in the back with a hammer! Satnam Singh choke slammed Jeff Hardy! Lethal placed Jeff Jarrett on top of Jeff Hardy and then Jarrett scored the pin!
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: All In London Women’s Championship Qualifier Match – Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D def. The Bunny
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bunny charged at Britt, but Britt rolled up Bunny for a near fall. The Bunny stomped on Britt’s hand. She followed up with a knee lift to Baker. Penelope Ford jumped on the ring apron and distracted Britt long enough for the Bunny to hit a lariat. Britt fired back with forearms. Britt battered Bunny with elbow strikes. Britt hit the Sling Blade. Britt nailed Bunny with a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Baker landed a thrust kick and then the curb stomp and she pinned the Bunny!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) def. The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Bucks superkicked the Gunns as the Gunns were making their entrance! The Bucks double suplexed Colten in the ring. They hip tossed Austin. The Bucks cleaned house with a flurry of offense. The Gunns gained some traction, working over Matt Jackson with tandem offense. Matt Jackson rallied back and tagged Nick. Nick took down the Gunns with a huge double crossbody. Nick superkicked Austin! Nick punt kicked Colten. Matt Jackson tagged in and he superkicked Austin. Nick smashed Austin with a knee strike. Colten saved his brother from the Bucks. Colten tagged in, but Matt rolled him up for a near fall. The Gunns hit Matt with the 3:10 to Yuma but Nick used an elbow drop to break up the pin attempt. Matt German Suplexed Austin Gunn. Matt pinned Austin with some leverage from his brother. Juice Robinson and Jay White jumped into the ring after the match and began to ground and pound the Young Bucks! They placed Matt Jackson’s injured arm between a steel chair, and they were about to crush the arm when FTR’s music hit! FTR jumped in the ring, and they cleaned house on Bullet Club Gold! The Bucks and FTR cooperated to clear out the ring of Bullet Club Gold!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Let’s tell it like it is. That Texas Chainsaw “Deathmatch” was the stupidest thing AEW has put on the air. Period. A terrible, cheap tie-in that felt more forced than anything the Hardys did in Impact. Dumb, just dumb. And the rest of the card wasn’t much better, unfortunately. Probably because more time and thought was seemingly given to the myriad of promos building towards All In London at the end of the month. But hey, at least the show opened strong, with another great title defence from Orange Cassidy – though I do wish they’d made more of the “mentorship” Yuta had at the hands of Orange and the Best Friends BEFORE they ever got to this match! The Darby Allin/Nick Wayne match against the Gates of Agony was little more than a promo for Allin and Sting’s match at All In… but hey, at least AEW are FINALLY making a major push for what is literally the biggest wrestling event in UK (and undoubtedly wrestling) history! The women’s qualifier was spoilt by a foregone conclusion, as was the main event TBH. SO we were left with promo after promo to keep us entertained. Which, for me, felt far too WWE than AEW.
