‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Aug 14th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. We’ve got Excalibur, Taz and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: TBS Championship – Mercedes Mone def. Hikaru Shida
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shida, a lot more aggressive than we normally see her, backed Mercedes against the ropes. Shida lowered her shoulder and dropped the champion with a running tackle. Mercedes rallied back with an arm drag into a cross face. Shida escaped and there was a stalemate in the early goings, as both wrestlers went for a dropkick at the same time. Shida rocked Mercedes with a hurracanrana and then a running knee strike. Shida followed up with a snap suplex. Shida nailed Mercedes with a back breaker. Kamille distracted Shida outside the ring, allowing Mercedes to capitalize with a meteora on Shida. Mercedes peppered Shida with forearm strikes in the corner. Shida retaliated with a dropkick from the turnbuckles. Shida cracked Mercedes with an elbow to the face. Shida followed up with a jumping knee strike for a near fall on Mercedes. Mercedes hit a backstabber on Shida. Mercedes charged at Shida, but Shida dodged the champ. Mercedes connected with a meteora, but Shida was able to kick out at the two-count! Mercedes went for the three amigos suplexes, but Shida blocked the third suplex and countered with a falcon arrow for a two-count! Kamille pulled Mercedes out of the ring, out of harm’s way. Shida grabbed a kendo stick and whacked Kamille with it. Shida went to use it again, but Mercedes pulled it away. The ref admonished Mercedes and while he was distracted, Kamille booted Shida. Mercedes smashed Shida with the Moné Maker and scored the pin!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: “Hangman” Adam Page def. Jay Lethal
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lethal used Page’s aggression against him by blasting Page with five consecutive tope suicidas. Page planted Lethal with a Dead Eye on the apron! Page whipped Lethal into the barricade, and then through him onto the timekeeper’s table. Page swarmed Lethal and battered Lethal with stiff shots. Hangman spiked Lethal with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Jay Lethal rallied back with the Lethal Combination but Page kicked out at the two-count. Adam Page locked in the cross face but Lethal reversed with a roll-up, but Page escaped. Hangman gouged Lethal’s eyes and then walloped Lethal with a discus lariat. Page drilled Lethal with the Buckshot Lariat and pinned Lethal!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Orange Cassidy def. Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Roddy whipped Orange into the turnbuckles and chopped him. Kyle sent Roddy over the top rope with a clothesline. Cassidy followed up with a tope suicida. Roderick tossed Orange with a uranage throw onto Kyle’s back! Roddy drove Cassidy down with a back drop. Kyle put Orange in a rear naked choke, but Roderick grabbed both of them in a double Stronghold. Orange Cassidy dropped an elbow from the top rope, landing on Kyle, who had Roderick in a guillotine choke. ROH World Tag Team Champions Mike Bennett and Matt Taven came down to ringside with steel chairs. Tomohiro Ishii and ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe of The Conglomeration ran down to even up the odds, pulling Taven and Bennett from the apron! Briscoe catapulted off a steel chair in the ring and flipped onto Taven and Bennett on the arena floor. Orange rocketed out of the ring with a tope to Roderick. Roderick rammed Orange into the edge of the ring and then wiped out Kyle. Kyle and Roderick traded strikes in the center of the ring. Orange Cassidy kicked both of them, stomping on them. Orange followed up with a double hurracanrana. Orange spiked Kyle with a DDT and then nailed Roddy with the Beach Break for a near fall! Kyle put Orange in an arm bar and then applied a heel hook on Roderick. Orange escaped and punted Roddy with a PK! Roddy and Kyle connected with the high-low on Orange. Kyle and Roddy rocked one another with elbow strikes. Roderick smashed Kyle with the sick kick! Orange rolled up Kyle with a crucifix pin and grabbed the victory!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) [DQ]
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Acclaimed jumped the Bucks as the Bucks were making their entrance! Bowens jumped off the stage and onto the champions! Back in the ring, Bowens smashed Matt face first into the mat. Daddy Ass walked to the ring to fire up the Acclaimed. Caster and Daddy Ass had Matthew cornered outside the ring, but Matthew ran away. Daddy Ass was going to whack Nicholas with a steel chair, but the ref ejected Daddy Ass from ringside. Matthew pummeled Max with right hands. Nicholas raked his fingernails down Caster’s back. Nicholas inadvertently kicked Matthew, allowing Bowens to tag in. Bowens got cracked with a superkick from Nicholas. Matthew nailed Bowens with the Sliced Bread, followed by a knee strike by Nicholas for a near fall on Bowens. The Bucks pumped up their Reeboks and blasted Caster with superkicks. Bowens deflated the Bucks with double lariats. Caster tagged in and dropped Nicholas with a sling blade. Caster pressed Matthew and powerslammed him into the turnbuckles. Caster jumped over the top rope and landed on Nicholas. Caster came off the top rope with a cross body press onto Nicholas for a near fall! Nicholas went for a senton, but Caster countered by raising his knees. Matthew power bombed Bowens onto the ramp! Matthew shoved Caster backwards, inadvertently knocking down the referee. Matthew kicked Caster with a low blow. Matthew brought his championship title into the ring. FTR ran down to the ring! Dax Harwood grabbed the title belt away from Matthew while Cash Wheeler tried to help the ref back to his feet. Matthew spat at Dax in the face! Dax dropped Matthew with a double leg takedown! Dax grounded and pounded Matthew. The ref got to his feet and saw this, and the ref disqualified The Acclaimed!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Swerve Strickland def. Wheeler Yuta
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson was sitting ringside for this match. Yuta charged at Swerve, but Swerve countered with a strike. Swerve whipped Yuta into the steel barricade! Swerve got into Danielson’s face and said he was going to retire him next week. Swerve nailed Yuta with two consecutive back breakers. Swerve locked Yuta in an inverted submission and then cradled Yuta for a near fall. Swerve tried for a powerbomb, but Yuta reversed it, sending Swerve into the turnbuckles. Wheeler Yuta followed up with the elbow suicida. Yuta jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Swerve dodged him! Yuta rolled out of Swerve’s grasp and applied an ankle lock. Swerve escaped the ankle lock, but Yuta dropped hammer and anvil elbows on Swerve. Yuta rolled up Swerve in the seatbelt for a near fall. Wheeler drilled Swerve with a German Suplex. Wheeler chopped at Swerve, but Swerve absorbed the contact and laughed. Swerve bashed Wheeler with an uppercut headbutt! Swerve cracked Yuta with the House Call kick! Swerve nailed Yuta with a second House Call kick! And then a third House Call! Swerve grabbed Yuta by the arms and stomped on him. Swerve grounded and pounded a defenseless Yuta, and the referee stopped the match because Yuta was unconscious. Danielson jumped into the ring to stop the punishment. Danielson turned his back to check on Yuta. Swerve ran down to the ring and blindsided Danielson with a House Call kick! Swerve taunted a downed Danielson!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
A solid night of wrestling on Dynamite this week but one that was spoiled by having far too many promos, backstage segments and interviews. Look, I get it, they’re building the stories for All In London at the end of the month, but AEW used to be so good at telling these stories IN the ring, not with talking heads stuff. In terms of matches, nothing really amazed but there were SOME parts of each match that hit sort-of “WTF’ moments but overall everything felt average. The only thing I took away from this week’s show was that The Young Bucks need to lose the title ASAP. They’re either not appearing on shows or, when they do, their stuff is totally lacklustre. Shame.
