‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Sep 4th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the UW Panther Arena in Milwaukee. We’ve got Excalibur, Taz and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: AEW Continental Championship Match – Kazuchika Okada def. Kyle Fletcher
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Fletcher avoided the rainmaker clothesline after Okada narrowly avoided Fletcher’s finisher. Kyle nailed Okada with a high kick, sending Okada to the floor. Fletcher flew out of the ring with an elbow suicida. Back in the ring, Fletcher ran through a lariat attempt from Okada and took the champ off his feet with a lariat of his own. Fletcher planted Okada for a near fall. Okada rallied back with a neck breaker after Fletcher blasted Okada with thunderous kicks. Okada climbed to the top turnbuckle and dropped an elbow right on target. Fletcher countered the Rainmaker with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall! Okada lured Fletcher outside the ring, acting hurt, and then spiked Fletcher with a DDT on the arena floor. Fletcher smashed Okada with a brainbuster on the apron! They both spilled to the arena floor, Fletcher unable to capitalize. Fletcher cracked Okada with two thrust kicks. Justin Roberts announced that fifteen minutes had passed in the match. Okada dropkicked Fletcher, knocking Fletcher out of the ring. Okada knocked Fletcher over the guardrail with a boot. Fletcher fired back with a brainbuster on the top of the barricade! Fletcher took flight over the barricade and wiped out Okada! Fletcher climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit an elbow drop on Okada! Fletcher was looking for the tombstone piledriver but Okada reversed and used a short arm lariat on Fletcher! Kyle ducked the Rainmaker clothesline and countered with a half and half suplex. Fletcher nailed Okada with a jumping piledriver but Okada kicked out at the two-count! There was one minute remaining in the match. Okada pulled the referee and then shoved Kyle into him. As the ref was distracted, Okada hit Fletcher with a low blow. Okada finished off Kyle with the Rainmaker clothesline and scored the pin! Takeshita checked on Fletcher after the match.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Jamie Hayter def. Robyn Renegade
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hayter leveled Renegade with a lariat. Robyn rammed Hayter with double knees in the corner of the ring. Hayter made Robyn pay with a pump kick to the face. Hayter power slammed Robyn. Hayter rocked Robyn with back breakers across her knee. Hayter smashed Robyn with the Hayter Ade and pinned Renegade for the three-count!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Mariah May def. Nyla Rose
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mariah slapped Nyla in the face. Nyla muscled Mariah into the corner. Mariah avoided the Beast Bomb. Mariah connected with a kick but Nyla fired back with a cross body block. Nyla hit a leg drop after two consecutive body slams to the champion. Mariah May scored with a big dropkick from the top rope. Mariah covered and Nyla kicked out, barely at the one-count! Nyla and Mariah had the same idea and went for headbutts, and they rattled on another, both falling to the mat. Nyla tossed Mariah with a German Suplex. Nyla splashed Mariah in the corner. She followed up with a clothesline for a near fall on the champion. Mariah escaped a Beast Bomb attempt. Nyla countered a cross body press with a power slam. Mariah swept out Nyla’s legs and then smashed into her face with a running knee strike. Mariah stuffed Nyla with the Storm Zero piledriver and then pinned Nyla Rose!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, & Wheeler Yuta def. Will Ospreay & The Conglomeration (Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Yuta and Kyle chain wrestled to start the match. Yuta used a flying mare. Kyle applied an arm bar but Yuta escaped and rolled up Kyle for a near fall. Orange tagged in and hit the kitchen sink on Yuta. Pac tagged in and sent Orange into the corner. Pac pointed to Ospreay and Ospreay grabbed a tag, a sneak preview of what we’ll see this Saturday on pay-per-view. Ospreay connected with a dropkick on Pac. Claudio entered the fray and pulped Orange with a driving upper cut. Pac blocked a diving DDT and countered by applying the Brutalizer. Ospreay jumped in to break up the submission hold. The Trios champs triple teamed Orange, hitting the fast ball special. Kyle broke up the pin attempt on Orange. Ospreay tagged in and sent Yuta flying with a back body drop. Will connected with a corkscrew kick to Yuta! Will whipped his partner Kyle O’Reilly into Pac in the corner. Then Will followed up with a running elbow strike to Pac. Yuta flew out of the ring with a tope suicida on Orange. Pac jumped over the top rope and crashed down onto Kyle! Ospreay took the fight to Pac, the man he’ll fight this Saturday night for the AEW International championship. Ospreay booted Pac off the stage. Will flipped off the edge of the ramp and landed on Pac. Cassidy cracked Claudio with a diving DDT in the ring! Orange staggered Claudio with the Stun Dog Millionaire and then the Beach Break for a near fall on Claudio! Kyle and Orange took turns battering Claudio with round kicks. Kyle caught Claudio with a hanging guillotine! Claudio planted Kyle but Kyle maintained the hold! Claudio popped up Kyle and caught Kyle on the chin with a European Uppercut! Claudio hurled Kyle around the ring in the Giant Swing! Yuta dropkicked Kyle as Claudio was swinging Kyle. Claudio covered Kyle and picked up the pinfall victory!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
As a go-home show for this weekend’s All Out pay-per-view this episode of Dynamite was damn near perfect. And that ending, the contract signing that wasn’t was, frankly, insane! We’re talking Brian Pilman levels of insane… Hangman and Swerve are cooking right now and if this doesn’t pay off in some gruesome, wince-inducing way then I’ll be thoroughly disappointed. In terms of this week’s matches, the opener was a fantastic example of Okada’s work, whilst the women’s title match cemented Mariah May’s current reign, beating ANOTHER former champ was the right move – especially when that former champ was Nyla Rose. As for the main event, it was great to see the current champs pick up another win, even more so over Ospreay and co. But this week’s episode was all about the build to All Out and in that respect, this show killed it.
