‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Feb 21st 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cash grabbed a single leg on Mox, and Mox returned with a forearm. Mox tagged out to Claudio and Claudio blasted Cash with European uppercuts. Cash swept out Claudio’s leg and tagged out to Dax. Claudio booted Dax in the midsection and then body slammed Dax. Dax retaliated with a snap suplex on Moxley. Dax hit a leg drop across the bridge of Moxley’s nose, good for a two count. Cash tagged in and Mox went for a rear naked choke, but Cash lowered his hips, using Mox’s momentum to knock him out of the ring. Mox was infuriated and jumped right back in the ring, bowing right up to Cash head-to-head. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring. Dax headbutted Mox outside of the ring, but Claudio ambushed Dax with a European uppercut. Moxley flew out of the ring with a tope directed at Cash, but Dax shoved his partner out of the way, acting as a human shield, and Dax took the brunt of Moxley’s force. After Moxley landed, Cash shoved him into the steel ring steps. FTR pummeled Moxley in their corner with an onslaught of strikes. FTR catapulted Moxley into the bottom rope, throat first. Moxley blasted Dax with a King Kong lariat and then tagged Claudio. Claudio smothered Dax with European uppercuts. Claudio managed to hoist up both members of FTR at the same time and planted them. Outside the ring, Moxley spiked Dax on the arena floor with a stuffed piledriver when Claudio jumped off the apron with an assist! Back in the ring, Dax displayed his fighting spirit, dodging Claudio and tagged out to Cash Wheeler. Cash cleaned house on the BCC! Cash countered a Paradigm Shift from Mox with a brain buster for a near fall. Justin Roberts announced that five minutes remained. Cash hoisted up Moxley and then Dax jumped off the top rope with a leg drop for a near fall on Moxley. Dax superplexed Moxley while Cash went for a splash off the top rope, but Moxley countered by raising his knees into Cash’s ribs. With three minutes remaining, Claudio whipped Dax around the ring with the Giant Swing! Moxley dropkicked Dax in the head and covered him, but Dax kicked out at the two-count! Moxley battered Dax with the hammer and anvil elbows and then applied a rear naked choke. Cash crawled back into the ring to try to break up the bulldog choke, but Claudio grabbed Cash and applied a rear naked choke on Cash. There were two minutes remaining. Cash powered himself and Claudio up, getting to his feet, and then fell backwards on top of Moxley. Dax took Moxley off his feet and applied the sharpshooter. Claudio tried to boot Dax in the head, but Cash ran interference and German suplexed Claudio. Justin Roberts announced there was one minute remaining. Claudio wrapped up Cash in a sharpshooter, turned around and began to trade strikes with Dax, who had Moxley in a sharpshooter! Claudio and Dax relinquished their holds and began exchanging shots in the center of the ring! Dax spiked Claudio with a piledriver! Mox was there to cradle Dax with a crucifix, but Dax kicked out at two! Moxley went back to a rear naked choke on Dax, but Dax escaped. As Mox was looking for the King Kong lariat, FTR tried to counter with the Shatter Machine! As Cash lifted up Mox for his portion of the tandem finishing maneuver, time ran out and the bell rang! The time limit expired, and the bout was declared a draw by Justin Roberts.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Orange Cassidy def. Mike Bennett
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Orange charged at the Undisputed Kingdom as they were making their entrance and clobbered Taven with an Orange Punch! Cassidy stomped on Bennett in the corner. The ref pulled Orange back and Bennett seized the opportunity to hit Orange with a suplex. Orange rallied back with a Stun Dog Millionaire and then he landed a DDT on Bennett. Roderick Strong ran down to the ring and jumped on the apron. The ref had to keep Roderick back and prevent him from entering the ring. As the ref was dealing with Roddy, Mike Bennett nailed Orange with a blatant low blow. Bennett rocked Orange with a piledriver for a near fall. Bennett got overconfident and grabbed Tony Schiavone’s headset and began to insult Orange over the headset. When Bennett put the headset down on the announcers’ desk, Orange flew out of the ring with a tope. Bennett fired back with a Death Valley Driver on Orange on the arena floor! Somehow Orange managed to clock Bennett with an Orange Punch. Mike Bennett regained momentum with a Gotch style piledriver on Cassidy. Bennett hit two rolling elbow strikes on Orange. Bennett was looking for another piledriver, but Orange countered with the Beach Break out of nowhere and pinned Bennett!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Toni Storm def. Sydni Winnell
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Toni stormed Sydni and stomped her in the corner. Toni grounded and pounded Sydni. Toni splashed Sydni and then clobbered her with a running bulldog. Toni hit the hip attack and then planted Sydni with the Storm Zero! Toni locked in the Break a Leg submission and then released it. Toni opted instead for the Venus De Milo and won via submission!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo def. Madison Rayne
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Deonna took down Rayne with a snap mare. Deonna wiped out Rayne with a pump kick. Deonna smashed Madison with a knee strike to the face. Madison rolled up Deonna, but Deonna kicked out at the one-count. Deonna applied Toni Storm’s Break a Leg and forced Madison to tap out, sending a message to the AEW Women’s World Champion! After the match Toni ran into the ring and tried to whack Deonna with a shoe! Deonna ducked it and countered with a pump kick! Deonna swung at Mariah May but Mariah May backed up. Toni grabbed Deonna from behind and locked in the Break a Leg on Deonna!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Samoa Joe, Brian Cage & Swerve Strickland def. HOOK, “Hangman” Adam Page & Rob Van Dam
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Samoa Joe and Hook started the match for their respective teams. They locked horns and Joe planted Hook. Hook ran off the ropes and hit Joe with a forearm, taking Joe off his feet. Samoa Joe battered Hook in the corner. Brian Cage tagged in and isolated Hook in the corner with chops. Hook escaped and tagged RVD. Van Dam was looking for a monkey flip, but Cage rammed RVD into the turnbuckles. Swerve grabbed a tag and ate a kick from Rob Van Dam. RVD used his powerful legs to monkey flip Swerve. Hangman tagged himself in and had a stare down with Swerve. They began to brawl and Hook and Cage had to peel their partners away. Samoa Joe tagged in and bulldozed Hook in the corner with strikes. Cage entered and rocked Hook with a delayed vertical suplex. Hook stunned Cage with a DDT. RVD tagged in and cleaned house with his educated feet! RVD crushed Swerve with the Rolling Thunder! Rob Van Dam smashed Cage with the 5-star frog splash. Samoa Joe ran in to break up the pin attempt. Samoa Joe splashed Rob Van Dam in the corner. Samoa Joe rocked RVD with jabs. Joe headbutted RVD. Rob Van Dam took Samoa Joe off his feet with a springboard kick! Hangman tagged in and dished out a lariat to the back of Swerve’s head. Hangman reversed a power bomb from Cage with a hurracanrana! Hangman jumped off the top rope with a diving cross body press, but Brian Cage caught him! Hangman slipped free and drilled Cage with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall! Samoa Joe jumped in and booted Page. Hook entered the fray and blasted Samoa Joe with a lariat. Swerve grabbed Hook and planted him with a brain buster! RVD jumped off the top rope and nailed Swerve with a kick. Cage connected with a pump handle power bomb on RVD! Page was looking to hit Cage with the Buckshot Lariat, but he spotted Swerve on the floor. Rather than go for the win, Page climbed to the top rope. Cage climbed up to superplex Page, but Hook got up behind Cage and German suplexed Cage. Hook locked Cage in the RedRum but Cage tagged Samoa Joe. Swerve grabbed Hook but Hook put Swerve in RedRum. Swerve escaped. Cage power bombed Hook! Swerve rocked Hook with the House Call kick! Swerve ducked the Buckshot Lariat from Page, but Page ended up walloping Cage with it. Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland met in the ring and glared at each other. Samoa Joe booted Page in the jaw. Samoa Joe followed up with a tope to Hangman, driving Hangman into the announcers’ desk. Swerve was on the apron and went to kick Page, but Page ducked, and Swerve inadvertently connected with Samoa Joe! Hangman Page grabbed Swerve off the apron and power bombed him through the announcers’ desk! Back in the ring, Samoa Joe ducked the Buckshot Lariat and countered with a powerslam to Hangman for a near fall! Samoa Joe tried for a Muscle Buster on Page but Page broke free! RVD jumped back into the ring, but Samoa Joe swarmed him in the corner. Hook snuck up behind Samoa Joe and sent him for a ride with a T-bone suplex! RVD headed to the top, looking for the 5-star Frog Splash, but Cage shoved RVD off the top! Cage wiped out Hook with a discus lariat! Samoa Joe locked in a rear naked choke and won for his team via ref stoppage!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Another week another great episode of Dynamite. Why? Because we get great wrestling, great storytelling and it’s a whole heap of fun! The opener was fantastic as expected, the OC versus Mike Bennett match was unexpectedly great and the main event, despite feeling a little thrown together was a fun 6-man match that DIDN’T fall into the trap of total uncontrolled chaos. Another unmissable episode!