‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Nov 20th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Santander Arena in Reading, PA. We’ve got Excalibur, Matt Menard, and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer, & Brian Cage def. Will Ospreay, Mark Davis, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Ricochet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Both teams brawled as The Don Callis Family made their entrance. Don Callis was nowhere to be found. Davis caught Takeshita, planted him, and then squashed him with a sit-out senton. Ricochet took flight over the top rope, wiping out Takeshita on the arena floor. Hobbs had his knee sandwiched between the steel ring steps and the edge of the ring by Lance Archer. AEW Medical Staff checked on Hobbs. Powerhouse Hobbs limped his way to the back. Ricochet reversed a choke slam attempt by Archer with a hurracanrana. Archer choke slammed Ricochet over the top rope and down onto his partners. Ricochet rocked Takeshita with a handspring back elbow. Ospreay tagged in and he and Fletcher slugged it out, a preview of what we’ll see this Saturday at Full Gear. Takeshita tagged back in, but Davis hoisted Takeshita with a fireman’s carry into a kick from Ospreay. Ospreay and Davis followed up with a double team cutter on Takeshita. With help from Cage and Archer, Takeshita blasted Ospreay with a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Ospreay barely beat the count. Hobbs hobbled his way back to the ring and nailed Fletcher with a lariat. Hobbs grabbed a tag, and he leveled Takeshita with lariats. Cage and Archer tried to suplex Hobbs, but he blocked it and countered with a flying double lariat. Hobbs power slammed Archer and tagged Mark Davis. Davis smoked Takeshita with a powerful right hand strike. Davis blocked a knee strike from Takeshita. Davis spiked Takeshita with a gut wrench piledriver. Fletcher slapped Davis but Davis took his former partner down and grounded and pounded him. Cage power bombed Ricochet, but Hobbs was waiting with a spinebuster. Ospreay wiped out Archer with a flying elbow. Fletcher and Ospreay traded strikes again. Fletcher connected with a standing Spanish Fly. Ospreay inadvertently hit Davis with a Hidden Blade after Fletcher pulled Davis into the path of destruction. Fletcher flew out of the ring with a tope to Ospreay. Takeshita dropped his knee pad and smashed Davis with a power drive knee, scoring the pin fall victory!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Kris Statlander def. Hikaru Shida
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Before she faces TBS Champion “The C.E.O.” Mercedes Moné at AEW Full Gear, Statlander faced 3x AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida. Statlander swept out Shida’s legs and followed up with a moonsault press. Shida fired back with a running knee lift as Kris was draped over the apron. Statlander retaliated with a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Shida cracked Kris with a shining samurai knee strike! Shida used a backslide for a near fall. Shida smashed Statlander with a falcon arrow. Shida drilled Kris with a German Suplex. Statlander planted Shida out of nowhere with the Wednesday Night Fever and scored the pin!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Bobby Lashley def. Joe Keys & Cheeseburger
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lashley hurled Cheeseburger across the ring and then speared him. Lashley wiped out both competitors. Lashley ran over Cheeseburger with a lariat with extra mustard. Joe Keys hammered away at Bobby, but Bobby flattened him! Lashley speared Keys! Lashley applied the Hurt Lock on Keys and the ref stopped the match!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Claudio Castagnoli def. Darby Allin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Darby took Claudio down with an arm drag. Darby followed up with a body press. Darby tried for the Coffin Drop but Claudio caught him and tossed him to the side. Claudio body blocked Darby into the barricade. Claudio hit Darby with a European Uppercut, knocking Darby clear over the barricade. Darby got the upper hand with a tope, rocketing out of the ring with incredible speed and velocity. Claudio swept out Darby’s legs on the top turnbuckle. Claudio nailed Darby with an avalanche gut wrench suplex for a near fall! Darby drilled Claudio with a Code Red! Claudio booted Darby in the head. Claudio hurled Darby with the Giant Swing into the steel ring steps! Claudio whipped Darby over the announcers’ table. Claudio press slammed Darby from on top of the announcers’ desk onto the timekeeper’s table. Claudio leveled Darby with a lariat and then pinned Darby.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Orange Cassidy def. Wheeler Yuta
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Wheeler Yuta blasted Orange with a shotgun dropkick. Orange blocked a boot and countered with a stun dog millionaire. Orange followed up with a tope suicida. Yuta pulped Orange with a brain buster on the barricade! Yuta spiked Orange with a DDT on the apron, targeting Orange’s neck. Orange stunned Yuta with a PK and then a brain buster for a near fall! Yuta dodged the Orange Punch and countered with a German Suplex. Yuta nailed Orange with hammer and anvil strikes. Orange tore at the fingers of Wheeler and hit a Michinoku Driver. Wheeler spiked Orange with a piledriver but Orange kicked out at the two-count! Wheeler went back to the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Wheeler applied the Cattle Mutilation. Orange managed to reach the bottom rope with his feet, forcing the ref to break the hold. Yuta swung a steel chair at Orange and Orange ducked it. Orange rolled up Wheeler and scored the pin!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Another great episode of Dynamite this week. OK, so I complain that the show is spoilt by too many backstage segments, promos etc. But the great matches more than made up for all the promos etc. Plus this week did a LOT of heavy lifting for the forthcoming pay-per-view Full Gear. Overall great stuff!
