‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Sept 6th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW International Championship Open Challenge Match – Jon Moxley def. AR Fox
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Fox dodged a lariat from Moxley, but Mox was there to chop away at Fox in the corner. Fox connected with a springboard dropkick. Fox flew over the top rope and wiped out Moxley on the floor. Fox DDT’ed Moxley for a near fall. Moxley whipped AR Fox into the steel barricade. Fox rallied back with a thrust kick to the champ. Fox blasted Moxley with a cutter for a near fall. Darby Allin and Nick Wayne were backstage watching the match on a monitor. AR Fox vaulted off the ring post with a moonsault onto Moxley. Fox hit Mox with a 450 splash for a two-count. Moxley captured Fox and nailed him with hammer and anvil elbows. Moxley followed up with the King Kong Lariat and then the Death Rider to score the pin on AR Fox.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: TBS Championship Open Challenge Match – Kris Statlander def. Emi Sakura
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sakura tried to surprise the champion with a quick roll-up. She followed up with a Tiger Driver on Statlander. Emi drove Statlander to the arena floor with a running crossbody press. Outside the ring, Emi nailed Kris with a crossbody press against the steel ring steps. Back in the ring Emi stunned the champ with a lariat. Both women collided in the center of the ring with dueling lariats. Statlander was brought back down with a swinging neck breaker and then a nasty vertical back breaker from Emi Sakura. Statlander connected with a discus lariat. Statlander smashed Emi with Wednesday Night Fever and pinned Emi!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara) def. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Don Callis joined the broadcast booth for this match. Davis and Jericho started things with a collar and elbow tie up. Jericho chopped at Davis, but Davis returned fire. Sammy tagged in and Jericho and Sammy took Davis down with a double shoulder tackle. Mark Davis did a cartwheel and then hit a double clothesline on Jericho and Sammy. Kyle Fletcher tagged in, and body slammed Sammy. Sammy hit Kyle with a corkscrew dropkick. Jericho tagged in and he and Sammy nailed Kyle with a delayed vertical suplex. Davis and Fletcher smashed Jericho with stereo forearm smashes. Sammy came in with a cutter on Davis. Jericho fired back with a Code Breaker on Fletcher. Jericho connected with a dropkick off the turnbuckles. Sammy rocketed over the top with a tornillo onto Aussie Open on the arena floor. Jericho went over the top rope but inadvertently landed on Sammy. Aussie Open made the dash around the ring with Jericho and Sammy and bashed them with the Collider. Aussie Open nailed Jericho with the Aussie Arrow with Davis grabbing a near fall on Jericho. Jericho swept out the legs of Fletcher and tried for the Walls, but Fletcher escaped. Fletcher spiked Jericho with a brainbuster for a near fall. Jericho charged at Fletcher, but Fletcher ducked, and Jericho inadvertently hit Sammy. Jericho cracked Fletcher with the Judas Effect and pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match – Roderick Strong def. Trent Beretta
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Strong grappled Trent to the ground. Strong applied a front face lock. Strong hit a shoulder tackle but Beretta came back with a knee strike. Roderick Strong cracked Trent with a back breaker. Trent launched off the top roe with a DDT on Strong, targeting the neck. Strong shoved Trent into the ring post. Strong planted Trent on the edge of the ring. Roderick rocked Trent with the Sick Kick right on target! Trent used a hurracanrana off the top rope for a near fall on Roddy. Trent followed up with a half and half suplex. Trent spiked Strong with a piledriver, but Roddy got his boot on the rope to stop the ref’s count. Strong cracked Trent with a knee strike and then finished him off with the End of Heartache, scoring the pin on Trent!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarter-Final Match – Darby Allin def. Nick Wayne
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Darby and Nick shook hands before the match began. Darby and Nick traded pin fall attempts. Darby grabbed a side headlock. Darby went for a tope suicida, but Nick dodged it, sending Darby crashing into the steel guardrail. Nick Wayne superplexed Darby and followed up with a fisherman’s buster for a near fall. Nick tried for a frog splash, but Darby raised his knees! Darby blasted Nick with a shotgun dropkick. Darby locked on a figure four leg lock. Nick Wayne reversed it, but Darby grabbed the ropes. Nick and Darby collided with double crossbodies, knocking one another to the mat. Darby and Nick traded strikes in the center of the ring. Darby asked for a microphone. Darby put his hands behind his back and invited Nick to hit him. Nick nailed Darby with a thrust kick. Christian Cage and TNT Champion Luchasaurus walked onto the ramp and joined the broadcast booth. Nick flipped over the top rope and landed on Darby. Nick whipped Darby into the steel guardrail. Nick hit a frog splash off the ring post and down onto Darby on the arena floor! Nick followed up with the Wayne’s World for a near fall. Nick Wayne attempted a Wayne’s World off the top rope, but Darby held on, knocking Nick to the mat. Darby was contemplating the Coffin Drop but had second thoughts. Nick applied the Last Supper for a near fall on Darby. Darby stunned Nick with the Code Red for a two-count. Darby grabbed Nick’s arms and stomped the back of Nick’s head, knocking out Nick! Darby advances in the tournament!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Well, what do you know, this week’s Dynamite felt like an “f’ you” to those that thought the loss of Phil Brooks and his behind-the-scenes buddy would be detrimental to the brand but hell no, judging by this, the EXACT OPPOSITE is true. In fact, we had no Elite either (well, we did get Hangman but I’m talking the other three) and were any of them missed. Nope. In fact we got AEW mainstay Jon Moxley killing it against AR Fox, who showed just why he’s an excellent signing for the company; Kris Statlander giving Emi Sakura a shot – someone whom I thought has been missed since the demise of Dark and Elevation; and even the Grand Slam tournament matches worked… especially when I’ve complained in the past about AEW’s reliance on these kinds of tournament to fill time! All in all an unmissable week for AEW.
