By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Darby Allin and Jon Moxley: You didn’t have to wait long to find out the answer to the question in the headline. The jailhouse-style meeting through glass was the highlight of the show. It had a unique setting, and most of the dialogue between the two was strong. The exception was Darby’s oddball line about how there’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about joining the Death Riders. What? Darby understands and apparently even agrees with the cause, but he won’t join the faction because he does not respect Moxley. I don’t mind Darby saying he agrees with the cause, but Moxley’s methods are so destructive that not joining the group should be a no-brainer for Allin’s babyface character. The segment in front of the live crowd later in the show was not as effective. We’ve seen Allin shake off some hellacious bumps, so it was just hard to believe that he would be struggling to walk after being roughed up by Pac in a segment that was listed as taking place earlier in the day. Still, this was all better than Darby showing up with a flamethrower or a Molotov cocktail. They got back to the basics and gave their I Quit match at WrestleDream match a strong final push.
Kenny Omega, Jack Perry, and Luchasaurus vs. Josh Alexander, Hechicero, and Mark Davis: There was good storytelling throughout the match. Omega wanted and is still seeking revenge on Alexander for Kota Ibushi’s injury. Perry saved Omega from a big move and sacrificed himself in the process, which should help Omega start to trust Perry. I’m over the drama between the Elite members, but they did touch on that a bit in the post-match angle when Matt Jackson stopped short of superkicking Omega.
“GOA” Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun vs. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin: The Demand beat the Hurt Syndicate on pay-per-view, but then GOA was fed to Brodido on Dynamite, and the Hurt Syndicate got their win back in another Dynamite match. So it was encouraging to see GOA beat Lashley and Benjamin on Dynamite, even if it was due to Ricochet’s interference.
Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron: This was unexpected fun. Bayne typically squashes opponents, and Cameron has taken plenty of losses. As such, I assumed that Bayne would dominate, Cameron would get a quick hope spot, and then Bayne would put her away. Rather, they worked a competitive match that made Cameron shine in defeat, while Bayne still went over strong enough that giving up more offense than usual didn’t hurt her.
Brody King, Bandido, and Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer, and Rocky Romero: A soft Hit for the final match of the long night. Briscoe and Fletcher brawling to the back was not much of a final push for their TNT Title match at WrestleDream. It would have been better to give them both some promo time to sell the match. The post-match angle with Kazuchika Okada attacking King and Badido gave a late push to the AEW Tag Team Title match at WrestleDream. While the Dynamite portion of the three-hour block was stronger, it was encouraging that the show quality didn’t fall off a cliff once the Collision hour started, as was the case for the past Dynamite and Collision combo shows.
“The Opps” Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. “La Faccion Ingobernable” Rush, Dralistico, and The Beast Mortos for the AEW Trios Titles: A soft Hit. I still couldn’t care less about the trios titles, but Joe staring down guest color commentator Hangman Page was a solid reminder of their AEW World Championship match. The one thing missing was a big go-home promo from Joe.
AEW Dynamite Misses
AEW Women’s Champion Kris Statlander and Toni Storm: The backstage interview felt a little too cutesy with both women trying to one-up the other by removing pieces of clothing. The brawl that followed in the ring was a nice attention grabber early in the show. Ultimately, though, I just didn’t come out of this feeling more excited about their pay-per-view match. After all this time, I still don’t feel like we have any clue who the Statlander character is. Worse yet, I don’t get the sense that she knows either.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong: Giving this match a minor Miss is surely blasphemy in the eyes of fans who care most about match quality. Sure, they worked a good match, which is no surprise because they are both great wrestlers. The problem is that they struggle to connect with the audience as characters. The fans were given no incentive to care about the outcome of this match, and it showed based on the live crowd’s tepid reaction.
Jamie Hayter vs. Skye Blue: A minor Miss for a match that felt like it overstayed its welcome. I’m guessing that part of the reason it was so competitive was to make Blue look good in defeat heading into the Blood & Guts match next month. But I can’t imagine that going long with Hayter has anyone thinking differently about Blue. If the goal is to make people take Blue seriously, she needs to actually win some matches.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
” I don’t mind Moxley saying he agrees with the cause, but Moxley’s methods are so destructive that not joining the group should be a no-brainer for Allin’s babyface character”
I think you meant to say Darby.
Fixed. Thank you.