‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Apr 10th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: TNT Championship Match – Adam Copeland def. Penta El Zero Miedo
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Penta speared Copeland and then stuck him with a diving double foot stomp for a near fall. Penta El Zero Miedo hit Copeland with a clothesline, knocking Copeland to the arena floor. Copeland got back in the ring and Penta greeted him with a chop to Copeland’s chest. Copeland rallied back with flying head scissors. Copeland and Penta El Zero Miedo both had the same idea, fighting fire with fire, clubbing each other with lariats and then high boots. Penta El Zero Miedo had Copeland rocked after a sling blade. Penta flipped over the top rope with a dive onto Copeland. Back in the ring, Copeland found an opening, planting Penta face first on the mat. Copeland applied a modified sharpshooter onto Penta El Zero Miedo, but Penta made the crawl to the bottom rope, forcing the ref to break the hold. Penta stunned Copeland with a stalling dropkick. Copeland secured the cross face on Penta, wrenching back, but once again Penta reached the ropes. Copeland was looking for a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but Penta escaped. Penta charged at Copeland but Copeland power slammed Penta onto the apron! Copeland tried to spear Penta but inadvertently speared Alex Abrahantes. Penta got to his feet and clocked Copeland with a thrust kick. Penta El Zero Miedo drilled Copeland with an avalanche Code Red! Penta jumped off the middle rope, but Copeland countered with a spear and pinned Penta El Zero Miedo!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo, Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) def. Chris Jericho, HOOK & Katsuyori Shibata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jericho hit Moriarty with a shoulder block and then a lionsault for a near fall. Jericho battered Lee with short clotheslines in the corner. Jericho sent Moriarty for a ride with a hurracanrana off the top turnbuckle. Shibata tagged in and mauled Moriarty with a forearm and then a round kick to the spine. Shane Taylor entered the match and Hook asked to be tagged in, so Shibata obliged. Taylor clubbed Hook with a lariat. Hook fired back with a German Suplex to Taylor. Shibata tagged in and cracked Lee with a high boot in the corner. Shibata chopped down Lee and then decimated Lee with a running dropkick in the corner. Shibata went for a running kick to Lee, but Lee dodged it. Shibata inadvertently caught Jericho with the kick. Shibata tried to tag out to Hook, but Jericho pulled Hook off the apron to prevent the tag. Jericho asked Hook what Shibata’s problem was. Hook and Jericho argued outside the ring, trying to sort things out. Shibata locked Lee in a sleeper. Shane Taylor ran in and clubbed Shibata with his right hand, and Lee grabbed the pin on Shibata!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Kazuchika Okada def. Christiano Argento
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Okada leveled Argento with a big elbow strike. Okada wasn’t even breaking a sweat. Okada smashed Argento with a dropkick and then the rainmaker to score the pin!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Mariah May def. Anna Jay
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Anna ducked a shot from Mariah and fired back with a chop to Mariah. The two exchanged overhand chops in the center of the ring. Anna nailed Mariah with a neck breaker. Mariah headbutted Anna Jay. Mariah May scored with a dropkick. Anna dodged a hip attack and rallied back with forearms. Anna charged at Mariah and clobbered her with a kick in the corner. Mariah retaliated with a running hip attack. Mariah rolled up Anna and pinned her!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Samoa Joe def. Dustin Rhodes
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Samoa Joe and Dustin Rhodes traded strikes. Samoa Joe whipped Dustin into the guardrail. Joe jabbed Dustin, but Dustin fired back with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes was taking the fight to the champion. Samoa Joe headbutted Dustin. Samoa Joe rammed Dustin into the steel ring post! Dustin Rhodes was busted wide open! Samoa Joe bludgeoned Dustin with more strikes in the ring. Dustin turned things around with a powerslam. Dustin Rhodes walloped Samoa Joe with a Code Red for a near fall. Dustin went for a running bulldog, but Samoa Joe countered with a lariat. Dustin Rhodes grabbed the World title and brought it into the ring. Dustin wanted to use it on Samoa Joe, but ref Paul Turner warned Dustin not to use it. Dustin put the championship belt down. Dustin nailed Samoa Joe with the Cross Rhodes for a two-count! Dustin Rhodes charged at Samoa Joe, but Joe wiped out Dustin with an STO! Samoa Joe grabbed a steel chain out of the corner and wrapped it around his fist. It was the chain that previously belonged to Swerve Strickland. Ref Paul Turner removed the chain from the ring. As the ref was handing the chain to an AEW ring crew member, his back was turned, and Samoa Joe seized the opportunity to bash the championship belt into Dustin’s head! Samoa Joe covered a knocked out Dustin and pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Let’s say it. This entire show was let down by the use of THAT video, THAT kiss that felt far too exploitative and very “Attitude-era” and THAT promo from Will Ospreay… WTF are AEW playing at? I’m not a WWE fanboy (as you’ll know from reading my reviews) and I’ve been very pro-AEW over the years but this is a particular low point for the challenger brand. The wrestling had to do a lot to overcome those odds and, sadly, it couldn’t. The show opened strong with the Copeland/Penta match and then closed just as strong with the women’s match and the main event. But the whole thing was marred by those aforementioned incidents. A total shame.