‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Nov 1st 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. We’ve just got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW International Championship Match – Orange Cassidy def. Claudio Castagnoli
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio Castagnoli hoisted up Orange and planted him. He followed up with a body slam to the champ, and then a double foot stomp. Claudio began to tenderize the body of Orange with multiple knee strikes and then an uppercut forearm. Claudio countered a cross body press off the top rope with a back breaker on Orange, and then switched to a gut wrench rib breaker. Orange Cassidy rolled out of the ring, trying to play head games with Claudio, but Claudio ran around the ring and clubbed Orange with a forearm. Orange shoved Claudio into the steel ring post and followed up with a tope suicida. Orange went for a second attempt, but Claudio caught Orange and dropped him across the top of the steel barricade. FTW Champ HOOK walked to the ring, but the referee ejected both HOOK and Wheeler from ringside. Claudio rocked Orange with a delayed vertical suplex back into the ring! Claudio charged at Orange, but Orange dodged him. Claudio collided into the steel ring post. Orange jumped out of the ring and caught Claudio with a DDT on the arena floor. Orange cracked Claudio with the Stun Dog Millionaire. Orange went for a DDT, but Claudio countered with the Giant Swing! Claudio applied the Sharpshooter. Orange tried to escape but Claudio transitioned into a cross face! Claudio cracked Orange with a European Uppercut for a near fall. Claudio put Orange in a sleeper hold. Orange began to fade. Orange escaped and clocked Claudio with the Orange Punch! Orange smashed Claudio with the Beach Break but Claudio rolled out of the ring, showing off his tremendous instincts and ring awareness. Orange began to stomp Claudio. Orange clobbered Claudio with a running PK. Orange pulped Claudio with a DDT for a two-count. Orange got a hurracanrana on Claudio, grabbed his legs, and pinned him!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match – The Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) and Brian Cage def. “Hangman” Adam Page and The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hangman was fighting this match with revenge on his mind. The Bucks dropkicked Cage and Liona. Hangman jumped off the turnbuckles with a lariat to Kaun. Matt Jackson splashed Kaun with a cannonball in the corner. Nick Jackson smashed Kaun with a senton. Page hit Toa with a discus lariat. Hangman knocked Toa over the top rope with a lariat. He followed up with a pop-up powerbomb on Bishop Kaun. Page was about to go for the Buckshot Lariat when Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana walked onto the ramp. Page got a look at Swerve and sprinted up the ramp toward him! Nana and Swerve retreated backstage as Hangman charged after them. The Bucks were left alone with a three on two situation. Nick Jackson superkicked Bishop Kaun. Brian Cage ate a superkick from Nick Jackson. Cage battered Nick with a lariat and then a suplex from the apron and back into the ring. Matt Jackson peppered the head of Bishop Kaun with right hands! The numbers were catching up with the Bucks. The Gates of Agony spiked Matt Jackson! Brian Cage shoulder blocked Nick Jackson. Cage powerbombed Nick Jackson and then cracked him with a knee strike. The Gates planted Nick and then Bishop Kaun pinned Nick Jackson.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Golden Jets (Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega) def. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Don Callis Family stood behind the broadcast booth as Don Callis sat in on commentary for this match. Jericho chopped away at Menard and Parker. Omega tagged in. Omega and Jericho hit a tandem suplex on Menard. The Golden Jets followed up with a double shoulder block on Parker. Jericho dropkicked Menard and then connected with the Code Breaker on Parker. Omega hit the terminator dive on Hager! Menard smacked Jericho in the face with a bat as the ref was distracted. Parker covered Jericho but Jericho kicked out. Parker swung at Jericho with the baseball bat. Jericho dodged it. Jericho decimated Parker with the Judas Effect and pinned him!
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Hikaru Shida def. Willow Nightingale
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Willow rolled up Shida for a near fall. Willow followed up with a shoulder block and then a low cross body for a two-count. Shida charged at Willow and rattled Willow with a knee to the back of the head. Shida followed up with a diving cross body to the outside. Shida suplexed Willow. Shida booted Willow in the face. Willow answered with a high boot of her own. Willow cracked Shida with a spinebuster for a two-count. Shida dropkicked Willow off the turnbuckles. Shida hit an avalanche falcon arrow, but Willow kicked out immediately! Willow pounced the champion! Willow smashed Shida with the Death Valley Driver for a near fall! Shida cracked Willow with the knee strike. Shida unsheathed the shining katana and pinned Willow!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Bullet Club Gold (Austin & Colten Gunn, “Switchblade” Jay White & Juice Robinson) def. MJF and The Acclaimed (Max Caster, Anthony Bowens & “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Acclaimed came out to team with MJF. MJF made his entrance in Acclaimed-inspired gear. MJF charged at Jay White but White ducked out of harm’s way and hid behind Bullet Club Gold. Bowens and Juice tagged in. Juice connected with a shoulder block. Bowens clubbed Juice with an elbow. Daddy Ass and Austin Gunn faced off. Austin jabbed at his father. Daddy Ass fired back with a big right hand. Jay White tagged in and chopped Daddy Ass. But Daddy Ass dropped Jay White with a chop. Bowens connected with Scissor Me Timbers on Colten Gunn. Colten stomped Caster in the corner. Switchblade cracked Caster with a knife edge chop. MJF tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns and Juice Robinson! Bullet Club Gold got bounced all over the ring, but Jay White ran out of the ring. MJF chased Jay White around the ring. Jay White jumped into the ring and MJF followed, but Austin chop blocked him. MJF countered the 3:10 to Yuma with a DDT to Colten! MJF connected with the kangaroo kick on Austin and Juice! Jay White snuck behind MJF and drilled the champ with the Blade Runner! Jay White pinned MJF!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Another disappointingly mid episode of Dynamite (though it seems this show is on a run of average/mid shows recently). I had high hopes, this week’s show opened VERY strong with a fantastic match between OC and Claudio, which delivered everything you could possibly want from a match and both contenders. The six-man tag was average and suffered from tying into the Swerve/Page feud rather than truly servicing the Trios titles – though to be fair to the Mogul Embassy, those guys will be a LOT more likely to defend the titles on both ROH and AEW (I couldn’t see three-quarters of The Elite on ROH on a monthly, let alone weekly, basis). The “Golden Jets” match was another that suffered from being more focused on a bigger story rather than the match at hand. The women’s title match upped the game again, with two of my favourite members of the AEW roster (let alone the women’s roster) going at it in a fantastic display of women’s wrestling. And unlike the two prior matches, this one kept the external feuds till the END of this match! As for the main event, well it was Bullet Club Gold – a team that I’m honestly not a fan of and a team that, I think, needs to drop the jokes and the over-acting (Juice I’m looking at you) and get serious as a BULLET CLUB faction! I’m digging MJF and The Acclaimed as a 4-man team and it was fun to see MJF try and fit in with the more extravagant team and maintain his “hard man” image.
