‘AEW Dynamite: Big Business’ Review (Mar 13th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dynamite: Big Business, which was broadcast live from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW World Championship Match – Samoa Joe def. Wardlow
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Wardlow whipped Samoa Joe hard into the ringside barricade. Wardlow rammed Joe into the steel ring steps. Back in the ring, Samoa Joe chopped Wardlow, but Wardlow planted Samoa Joe with a spinebuster. Samoa Joe tested the chin of Wardlow, jabbing away at the challenger. Samoa Joe chopped at Wardlow. Wardlow fired back with a shoulder block off the turnbuckles for a near fall. Samoa Joe slipped free of a powerbomb and followed up with a high boot and then a senton to Wardlow. Both men slugged it out in the center of the ring but Samoa Joe powerslammed Wardlow for a two-count. Wardlow’s knee buckled. The ref tried to stop Samoa Joe so the ref could check on Wardlow. As the ref turned his back to back Samoa Joe up, Wardlow thumbed Joe in the eyes. Perhaps Wardlow was playing possum. Wardlow blasted Samoa Joe with a knee strike for a near fall. Wardlow attempted a senton atomico, but Samoa Joe dodged it! Wardlow retaliated with a power bomb out of the corner. Samoa Joe applied the rear naked choke and Samoa Joe won via ref stoppage!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: The Elite (Kazuchika Okada & The Young Bucks: Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. Eddie Kingston & Death Triangle (PAC & Penta El Zero Miedo)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kingston ignored a fist bump from Matthew and tagged in “The Bastard” Pac. “The Bastard” wiped out Matthew with a step up hurracanrana and followed up with a back breaker. Penta El Zero Miedo nailed Nicholas with a thrust kick. Pac grabbed a tag and hit Nicholas with a big pump kick. Pac and Penta clocked Matthew with stereo thrust kicks. Okada tagged in and traded strikes with Kingston! Okada took down Kingston with a beautiful dropkick. Okada and the Bucks triple teamed Kingston in their corner with triple kicks. Kingston fought out of the corner, crawling to his corner for a tag, but Okada and Nicholas pulled Penta and Pac off the ring apron. The Elite continued to isolate Eddie Kingston. Penta grabbed a tag and cleaned house on the Elite. Pac blasted Okada with a shotgun dropkick. Pac and Penta took flight over the top rope, wiping out the Bucks on the arena floor. Penta smashed Nicholas with a double foot stomp from the top rope. Pac then landed on Nicholas with a 450 splash! Pac rocked Okada with a German Suplex. Kingston blistered Okada’s chest with chops. Okada planted Kingston with a DDT. Penta clocked Matthew with a Canadian Destroyer. Nicholas blind sided Penta with a superkick. Nicholas removed his belt, wrapped it around his fist, and charged at Kingston, but Kingston countered with a hot shot, guillotining Nicholas’ throat across the top rope. Matthew went to strike Kingston, but Kingston countered with a strike. As Matthew distracted the ref in the corner, Nicholas hit Kingston with a low blow between the legs. Okada clocked Kingston with the Rainmaker and pinned Kingston!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: “Switchblade” Jay White def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jay White rammed Darby into the turnbuckles. Darby fired back with a shotgun dropkick. Darby climbed to the top and splashed Jay White with a back flip, throwing his body at Jay White. Darby rocketed back out of the ring with a tope suicida. Jay White suplexed Darby onto a metal chair outside the ring! Jay White whipped Darby into the steel ring steps! Back in the ring, White chopped Darby in the back of the neck. Darby dodged a Stinger splash from White. Darby countered a Blade Runner with an over the top stunner and then a sunset flip for a near fall. Darby locked in the Last Supper, but Jay White managed to kick out at the two-count. Jay White began to dig his fingers into Darby’s back. Darby retaliated with a scorpion death drop out of nowhere. Darby covered White but White got his feet on the bottom rope. Darby was looking for a Coffin Drop, but Jay White avoided it, and Darby crashed onto the edge of the ring apron. Darby managed to jump into the ring, beating the ref’s count just in the nick of time, but Jay White was waiting for him. Jay White blasted Darby with the Blade Runner and scored the pin!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: HOOK & Chris Jericho def. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hook and Jericho hit a double suplex on Bishop. LionHOOK followed up with a double suplex on Liona. Jericho chopped at Kaun in the corner. Kaun ran Jericho over with a lariat. Toa tagged in and rammed into Jericho, who was hung up on the ropes. Jericho connected with a lionsault on Kaun. Hook tagged in and bulldozed Bishop with a lariat and then a T-Bone suplex. Hook followed up with a Northern Lights Suplex to Bishop Kaun. Gates of Agony regained momentum, but Hook put Kaun in Red Rum. Jericho dropkicked Toa and then Kuan tapped out to Hook’s Red Rum submission.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Willow Nightingale def. Riho
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Willow connected with a running cross body. Riho rocked Willow with a running dropkick and then clocked Willow with a knee strike. Willow walloped Riho with a dropkick off the turnbuckles. Riho hit a diving cross body on Willow for a near fall. Riho followed up with a Northern Lights suplex, but Willow kicked out at the two-count. Riho climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for the diving double foot stomp, but Willow dodged it! Willow sent Riho flying with a running pounce! Willow tried for a senton off the apron, but Riho moved, sending Willow crashing on the arena floor! Riho ran off the apron and walloped Willow with the diving foot stomp. Riho drilled Willow with a dragon suplex on the apron! Riho hit the double foot stomp again, but this time Willow kicked out at the two-count. Willow avoided a running knee strike from Riho. Willow landed a big lariat. Willow smashed Riho with the gut wrench doctor bomb and scored the pin fall victory!
My Score: 4 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Mercedes Mone made her AEW debut in the opening segment of the show
Final Verdict: 4/5
We knew AEW was pulling out all the stops for this special episode but woah… This show was stacked with great matches., some of the best we’ve seen on Dynamite in a while and it was certainly the best match Jay White has had in about a year IMHO. The Mercedes Mone promo felt a little TOO like a promo from the WWE (as did the “Close Up” interview that’s on AEW’s YouTube channel), Mone needs to get a bit more authentic and raw to really fit the AEW model of storytelling. But hey, she’s here and she’s definitely a great addition to the women’s division. Speaking of women, nice to see Willow and Riho get the main event spotlight and just knock it out of the park! Hey, if this is the result the women’s roster getting a heavy-hitting new addition then I’m all in!
