‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Apr 8th 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – let’s dive right in! As usual, we’ll be abbreviating AEW’s huge match recaps where we can to save your eyes and your time…
Match #1: Don Callis Family (Andrade El Ídolo, Mark Davis & Konosuke Takeshita) def. Darby Allin, Bandido & “Jungle” Jack Perry
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Darby Allin, Jack Perry and Bandido (subbing for Brody King) formed an uneasy trio against the Callis Family, with Allin and Perry’s bad blood still bubbling under the surface. Early on, Andrade bizarrely tagged out and walked up the ramp, leaving Takeshita and Davis to take control. The match quickly broke down into chaos, with big dives from Allin and Bandido, and Perry flying around the ring. Allin even called Andrade back out, only to get blindsided by Takeshita and dumped with a brutal German suplex down the ramp. Takeshita and Davis dominated from there, isolating Perry until Bandido finally got the hot tag, unleashing a flurry of power and high-flying offense. The closing stretch turned frantic, with interference from Andrade and Callis tipping the balance. In the end, Davis hit a crushing piledriver on Perry, allowing Andrade to return and finish things with The Message for the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: TBS Championship – Willow Nightingale def. Queen Aminata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Queen Aminata returned after five months looking sharp, immediately rejecting Willow Nightingale’s handshake and jumping her with a neckbreaker for a near-fall. Aminata controlled early, targeting Willow’s neck and dominating both in and out of the ring, while Hikaru Shida watched on from the crowd. Nightingale fought back with her trademark power, landing lariats, a Death Valley Driver and a brutal apron cannonball. Aminata stayed dangerous, hitting Chocolate Kisses, a diving stomp and a nasty elbow, but couldn’t keep the champ down. The closing stretch turned into a hard-hitting war, with both women trading bombs and near-falls. In the end, Nightingale’s resilience won out. A huge Pounce sent Aminata crashing into the ropes, before Willow sealed it with Babe with the Powerbomb to retain the TBS Title.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #3: Tommaso Ciampa def. Máscara Dorada
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Tommaso Ciampa grounded Dorada early, but the high-flyer kept slipping free and firing back with slick counters and a standout armdrag that sent Ciampa to the floor. Ciampa quickly shifted momentum, dropping Dorada with a brutal bicycle knee on the apron and taking control at ringside. Dorada rallied with a tornillo and a near-fall 450 splash, showcasing his speed and creativity, but Ciampa’s experience kept him one step ahead. A low dropkick and Project Ciampa nearly ended it, yet Dorada refused to stay down. The finish came when Dorada’s moonsault hit nothing but Ciampa’s knees. Ciampa capitalised, trapping him in Willow’s Bell before blasting him with a final bicycle knee for the win, securing the #1 spot in the TNT Title Casino Gauntlet match at Dynasty.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: Will Ospreay & United Empire (Callum Newman, Francisco Akira & HENARE) def. Death Riders (Jon Moxley, PAC, Claudio Castagnoli & Daniel Garcia)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Death Riders didn’t even make it to the ring before United Empire jumped them, sparking an all-out brawl through the crowd. Claudio Castagnoli showed ridiculous strength early, while dives, ladders and tables quickly turned this into chaos. Will Ospreay and his team gained momentum with big dives and table setups, but Jon Moxley and company dragged things back into violent territory, targeting Ospreay with everything from submissions to outright brutality. The match escalated with bodies flying through tables on all sides, each team trading huge spots in a frantic closing stretch. It ultimately came down to Ospreay and Moxley, with Mox hitting multiple Paradigm Shifts in a nasty callback to their past encounters. But Ospreay survived. After a timely assist from Newman, he blasted Moxley with a Hidden Blade through a table and scored the pin in a wild, car-crash main event.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s AEW Dynamite was one of those episodes that quietly overdelivers. On paper it looked like a solid, story-building show… in execution, it hit far harder than expected. The opener was chaotic in the best way, blending storyline tension (Allin/Perry/Andrade) with pure spot-fest energy. The TBS Title match was the standout from an in-ring perspective, with Willow Nightingale and Queen Aminata delivering a hard-hitting, emotionally driven battle that made the title feel important. Ciampa vs Dorada added variety, mixing lucha flair with WWE-style brutality, while the main event was absolute carnage – the kind of multi-man chaos Jon Moxley thrives in, elevated by Will Ospreay’s star power. Overall, this was a consistently strong episode with a standout women’s match and a wild main event.
