‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Mar 11th 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from San Jose, California. We’ve got Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni and Bryan Danielson on commentary, so let’s dive right in! Also, as usual, we’ll be abbreviating AEW’s huge match recaps where we can to save your eyes and your time…
Match #1: Death Riders (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli) def. Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
We opened with Moxley and Castagnoli entering through the fired-up San Jose crowd, flanked by Marina Shafir carrying the AEW Continental Championship. Hechicero started against Castagnoli, working submissions and mind games until the two traded near-falls and counters, with Hechicero even flipping off Moxley after sending Castagnoli to the floor. Moxley and Takeshita tagged in to a huge reaction, trading heavy strikes before the Death Riders isolated Hechicero in their corner. Hechicero fought free with flashy counters and finally brought Takeshita back in, who ran wild with forearms, elbows and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Moxley answered with submissions and a lariat, but couldn’t keep Takeshita down. The closing stretch saw all four men involved, with Hechicero and Castagnoli going move-for-move in a fast, chaotic sequence of near-falls. Just as Hechicero seemed to have momentum, Castagnoli poked him in the eye behind the referee’s back and stole the win with a small package.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: TNT Championship – “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher def. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bailey came to the ring with Kevin Knight, while Fletcher was accompanied by Mark Davis, Kazuchika Okada and Don Callis, who joined commentary. Bailey started fast with kicks and submissions, catching Fletcher in an early armbar before sending him shoulder-first into the steel steps. Fletcher slowed things down with power offense, hitting a backbreaker and heavy chops, but Bailey fired back with a hurricanrana, shooting star press and rapid-fire kicks for a near-fall. The pace kept building as the two traded huge counters, including a poisonrana on the apron, avalanche back drop and multiple moonsault variations from Bailey. Fletcher answered with suplexes, powerbombs and a brutal lariat, but couldn’t put Bailey away as the time limit warning approached. The closing stretch was packed with near-falls, with Bailey hitting the Time Adventure Kick and Fletcher surviving at the last second. Just as Bailey looked set to finish things, Okada distracted the referee, Davis passed Fletcher a Trios title belt, and Fletcher smashed Bailey with it before hitting a brainbuster to steal the win.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Match #3: Brody King def. Jiah Jewell
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
As King stormed to the ring, we heard some pre-recorded comments from him before the match. King said he was looking all over San Jose for Swerve Strickland, as he wasn’t even dressed in his gear for this standby match. Jewell charged King, which was a big mistake, as King floored him with a lariat. King nailed a Gonzo Bomb and quickly pinned Jewell.
My Score: MEGA-SQUASH out of 5
Match #4: The Dogs (Gabe Kidd & David Finlay) def. Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Finlay and Cassidy were set to start, but Kidd immediately tagged in and attacked Allin, sending both teams brawling to the floor. Cassidy gained the early advantage by dropkicking Finlay into the steps with his hands in his pockets, while Allin blasted Kidd into the barricade. Back inside, the War Dogs took control, isolating Cassidy with heavy double-teams and preventing him from reaching Allin for several minutes. Cassidy finally created space with quick counters and a dive to the floor, allowing him to tag Allin, who exploded into the match with Coffin Drops, a Scorpion Death Lock and frantic offense on both opponents. The pace broke down into chaos, with dives on both sides and Allin even hitting a missile dropkick to Kidd on the floor while he was seated in a chair. Just as Cassidy lined up the Orange Punch, Clark Connors interfered with a tire iron, turning the tide. Back in the ring, Finlay and Kidd capitalised, hitting a backbreaker, rolling elbow and finally a Dominator into a jumping piledriver on Allin to secure the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: TBS Championship – Willow Nightingale def. Persephone
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The match started with some trash talk before both women traded holds without either gaining control. Nightingale struck first with a headscissors, but Persephone answered right back and even tried to steal a quick win after faking a handshake. The pace picked up with near-falls on both sides, including a fisherman’s suplex from Nightingale and a fallaway slam from Persephone, who focused on keeping the champion grounded. The action spilled to the floor where Nightingale used her power, countering a moonsault attempt and driving Persephone into the floor before hitting a cannonball on the apron and another in the corner. Persephone survived, though, and fired back with a German suplex and a springboard moonsault as the time warning was called. The closing stretch saw both women trading strikes and counters, with Nightingale hitting a lariat for two before the fight moved to the top rope. Persephone tried for a big power move, but Nightingale slipped free and caught her in a backslide to retain the TBS Championship.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #6: “Psycho Killer” Tommaso Ciampa and FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. Dem Bucks (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Mark Briscoe)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Ciampa was the last man out, but Briscoe attacked him before he even reached the apron and the match instantly broke down into a wild six-man brawl. Dem Boys took early control around ringside, even setting up a table for Ciampa, but once the bell rang the action moved quickly with the Bucks flying in with dives, FTR cutting them off with double-teams, and all six men trading rapid-fire tags and big moves. Superkicks, suplexes and tandem spots came one after another until a huge exchange left everyone laid out. The chaos only escalated as Briscoe was busted open during a fight into the crowd, before battling back to ringside with a blockbuster off the barricade. The Bucks ran wild with dives and splashes, but every near-fall was broken up, leading to tables, chairs and interference at ringside. Nick was shoved off the top through a table, Matt was spiked onto the announce desk, and Briscoe took the brunt of a Shatter Machine before barely surviving. In the end, FTR and Ciampa isolated Briscoe, with Wheeler’s interference allowing Ciampa to hit the Psycho Driver followed by a running knee to finally score the pin in a chaotic main event.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s Dynamite was a strong, action-heavy episode that leaned more on match quality than major storyline progression, but the in-ring work was good enough to keep the show consistently entertaining. Kyle Fletcher vs. Mike Bailey easily stole the night with a fantastic TNT Title match full of counters, near-falls and interference-fuelled drama, while Willow Nightingale’s title defence added another solid highlight. The opening tag also delivered, with Moxley, Claudio, Takeshita and Hechicero working a fast, physical style that set the pace for the night. The rest of the show ranged from good to chaotic, with the War Dogs tag being fun, the Brody King squash doing its job, and the six-man main event bringing plenty of wild energy even if it felt more like controlled madness than a true blow-off. Overall, this was a very watchable Dynamite that never dragged, but it lacked that one truly unforgettable moment to push it higher.
