‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Feb 14th 2024)

Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!

Match #1: Jon Moxley def. Dax Harwood

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Moxley flipped off Dax, trying to get under Harwood’s skin. Moxley put his hands behind his back and invited Dax to hit him. Dax blasted Mox with stiff strikes and chops. Moxley hammered the jaw of Harwood with forearms. Moxley bit the side of Dax’s head. Moxley applied a bulldog choke on Dax. Dax countered with a roll-up, but Mox kicked out quickly. Moxley kicked Dax with the heel of his boot, kicking upward at Harwood. Moxley whipped Dax into the barricade. Moxley catapulted Dax into the steel ring post. Dax and Mox slugged it out back in the ring. After one last volley from each man landing flush on the jaw, they both fell to the mat. The fight moved to the top turnbuckle and Dax superplexed Moxley. Moxley changed levels, kicking Harwood in the leg and striking him in the head. Harwood dodged an arm bar attempt and countered with a sharpshooter on Moxley. Moxley escaped and back body drop Harwood. Dax fired back, spiking Mox with a piledriver for a near fall! Moxley rocked Dax with a cutter and then curb stomped him. Moxley nailed Dax with a piledriver, but Dax kicked out at the two-count! Dax countered a Paradigm Shift with a brain buster for a near fall! Justin Roberts announced there were two minutes remaining. Dax jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Mox countered with a rear naked choke and Dax tapped out!

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #2: Wardlow def. Barrett Brown

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Wardlow hoisted up Brown onto the turnbuckle and then dropped Brown right into Wardlow’s own knee. Wardlow began posing and flexing, admiring himself on the big screen. Wardlow power bombed Brown and pinned him!

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #3: Adam Copeland vs. Daniel Garcia (No Contest)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Matt Menard joined the broadcast booth for this match. Copeland missed a splash and Garcia rolled up Copeland for a near fall. Garcia brought Copeland down with a drop toehold. Garcia danced and stomped on both of Copeland’s knees. Garcia hammered Copeland’s head with elbows. Garcia jumped off the turnbuckles, but Copeland caught him and countered with a shoulder breaker. Copeland baited Garcia into the corner and then wrenched on Garcia’s arm over the top rope. Garcia swept out Copeland’s legs. Garcia yanked Copeland down with a dragon screw leg whip! Garcia backed Copeland into the corner and stomped him down! Garcia connected with a running boot. Garcia worked on Copeland’s leg with another dragon screw. Garcia applied an STF on Copeland in the middle of the ring. Copeland countered into a front headlock. Copeland met Garcia on the top turnbuckle and rocked Garcia with an avalanche Impaler! Copeland went for the spear, but Garcia kicked Copeland in the head! Garcia jackknifed Copeland for a near fall. Copeland escaped and hung on to Garcia, putting Garcia in a cross face submission! The Patriarchy —Nick Wayne and Killswitch— jumped into the ring and began to beat down Copeland and Garcia. The match was thrown out.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Dante used an arm drag on Nick. Matt tagged in and gave a condescending fist bump to Dante. Dante and Darius battered Matt back and forth with strikes. Top Flight tried for sliding dropkicks but the Bucks dodged them. Back in the ring, Top Flight concentrated on the arms of Matt Jackson. Matt shut down Darius and Dante after Nick got involved with a cheap shot. Darius kicked Matt in the back of the head with a guillotine like kick. Dante tagged in and connected with a big springboard crossbody press on Matt for a near fall! Top Flight hit stereo sunset flips on the Bucks for a near fall. Matt caught Dante with a DDT! Top Flight got back in control and Darius launched off Dante and spiked Matt with a DDT! Nick broke up the pin attempt, but Dante drove him hard into the barricade with a tope! Darius nailed Matt with a Spanish Fly for a near fall! Nick interfered to help Matt, and Matt put his foot on the ropes for leverage while trying to pin Darius. The ref saw Matt cheating and stopped him. As the ref was admonishing Nick (and Nick was using the opportunity to distract the ref), Matt kicked Darius between the legs! The Bucks smashed Darius with the EVP Trigger and pinned him!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: Willow Nightingale def. Skye Blue

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Blue blasted Willow with a shotgun dropkick. Willow did a cartwheel and scooped up Skye and body slammed her. Willow sent Skye Blue to the outside with a pounce. Skye Blue connected with a thrust kick, but Willow walloped Blue with a lariat! Willow used a hip attack in the corner. Willow nailed Blue with a spinebuster for a near fall! Willow avoided a kick from Blue and sent Blue spilling to the floor with a pounce. Willow set up Skye on the top turnbuckle. Skye escaped and power bombed Willow off the top rope for a near fall! Skye rocked Willow with the Code Blue, but Stokely jumped on the apron to distract the referee! Willow clobbered Skye Blue with the Doctor Bomb and scored the pin, thanks to the big assist from Stokely!

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #6: Texas Death Match – Orange Cassidy def. Matt Taven

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

The only way to win is by knockout or submission… Taven chopped Orange in the corner. Taven knocked down Orange with a beautiful dropkick. Taven planted Orange with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cassidy whipped Taven into the guardrail. Orange baited Taven in and booted Taven in the jaw. They began to brawl into the crowd. Taven launched an elbow drop off the stage and landed on Orange who was on a table. Taven propped up the partially broken table against the stage. Taven suplexed Orange against the table, breaking it in half! Orange’s head was busted open. Taven obliterated Orange with a running knee strike on the ramp. Taven tossed Orange back into the ring. Taven spiked Orange with a DDT! Orange got to his feet before the 10-count. Taven pulled another table out from beneath the ring and propped it up against the broadcast booth. Cassidy jumped out at Taven with a tope. Taven jumped off the turnbuckles and connected with a kick to Orange. Taven smashed into Orange with a dropkick. Taven ran and jumped over the top rope like a missile at Orange Cassidy, but Orange moved, and Taven went crashing through the table. Orange pulled a heart-shaped box of chocolates from under the ring. It had a tag that read: “To: OC, From Chuckie T. XOXO”. Orange opened the box, and it was filled with thumb tacks! Orange poured the thumbtacks onto the canvass. Taven shoved Orange from the turnbuckles right on top of the thumbtacks! Taven attempted to land a frog splash onto Orange, but Orange rolled out of the way and Taven landed right on top of the thumbtacks! Orange DDT’ed Taven into the thumbtacks. Orange pulled a steel chain from beneath the ring. Mike Bennett ran down to the ring and smashed another heart-shaped box across the head of Cassidy! Bennett filled the ring with steel chairs. Trent walked down the ramp with a steel pipe! Trent swung the pipe right at Bennett’s head and it bashed into a steel chair, colliding into Bennett’s head! Taven hurled a steel chair at Trent’s head! Taven planted Trent face first into a steel chair! Orange was there, though, and drilled Taven with the Orange Punch! Orange planted Taven with a Beach Break on a chair on top of the tacks. Taven ripped at the pockets of Orange’s jeans. Orange wrapped the chain around his fist and smashed Taven with the Orange Punch! Roderick Strong ran to the ring and rocked Trent with a jumping knee strike! Trent had jumped in the way to protect Orange! Orange chucked Roddy out of the ring! Taven couldn’t get to his feet before the ref counted to 10 and Orange won via knockout!

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

Wow. Apart from the Wardlow squash match, this was one hell of an episode of Dynamite! Kicking off strong with a real fist0fight between Mox and Dax; Daniel Garcia got a superb showcase in his match against Adam Copeland – though I don’t think this story is over quite yet as this was the kind of ending that could lead to a 3-way match down the line; then we got a more of a fast-paced, high-flying match from the Bucks and Top Flight, thought the Bucks kept their offence more grounded this week; Willow versus Skye Blue was a well-paced breather that gave both women a chance to shine before the main event. A main event that, on paper, didn’t really feel like it was going to be a huge affair… but it was. Boy, it was! Orange and Taven left nothing on the table in this one and delivered a bloody crowd-pleaser! This was one of the best Dynamites this year IMHO.