Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Thoughts on two title changes, the return of Private Party, and the segment that set up next week’s Swerve Strickland vs. Kenny Omega match

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Dynamite Hits

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship: A hell of a back-and-forth battle. Ciampa has been red hot since he arrived in AEW two weeks ago, so it was surprising to see him drop the TNT Title so quickly. If the plan was for Fletcher to hold the title going into Grand Slam in his native Australia, then why didn’t Ciampa win one of the company’s other 37 singles titles (I might be slightly embellishing) so he could have a longer reign? I hope there’s a plan for Ciampa to bounce back strong. Saturday’s Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe ladder match looks great on paper, but neither wrestler is known for showing restraint, so I also fear that they will put their bodies through hell.

“The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. Dezmond Xavier and Myron Reed vs. “Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy in a three-way for a shot at the AEW Tag Team Titles: Near fall fatigue set in while watching this match. It’s typically only an issue on the marathon AEW pay-per-views, but it flared up on this episode, presumably because there were pay-per-view caliber matches on the card. The in-ring action was strong, and my issues with the abundance of near falls were not enough to bump this match out of the Hit section. It was disappointing to see Reed lose this early in the Rascalz run in the company. Someone had to lose, and I can see why they didn’t want Quen or Kassidy to be pinned during their return match after a long absence. The post-match angle with FTR was fun. I get a kick out of Dax Harwood asking his adversaries questions, only to pull the mic away just as they are about to respond.

Swerve Strickland and Kenny Omega: The tension escalated believably with Swerve pulling no punches with his initial comments. Omega fired back with some strong words of his own and maintained the serious tone rather than slipping into the quirky side of his personality. The intensity carried over to the brawl, which concluded with both men going from the stage through a table on the floor. The best thing about AEW not having its first pay-per-view until mid-March is that it allows them to load up the weekly television shows with pay-per-view quality matches. Next week’s Swerve vs. Omega match is pay-per-view main event worthy, and it will be interesting to see if it gives the company a television ratings boost.

Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander, and Mark Davis vs. Jon Moxley, Pac, and Claudio Castagnoli: A strong trios match with good work from everyone involved. The live crowd was loud and fully invested during the match, but it was interesting to hear how quiet the fans were just seconds after the pinfall. At the risk of reading too much into one match, the abrupt shift suggests that the fans reacted to the action, but they really didn’t pick sides, because they have no incentive to do so. Moxley seemed to be the only babyface on either side, but the fans like Takeshita just as much. If nothing else, it should create a unique environment when they meet for the AEW Continental Title on Saturday. Even so, I think the feud between the Don Callis Family and the Death Riders would be better with a traditional babyface/heel dynamic.

Kris Statlander vs. Thekla in a Strap Match for the AEW Women’s Championship: A gritty brawl that ended the night with a second title change. Statlander’s second title reign didn’t go much better than her first, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, given that she still has the same weaknesses. It’s more than fair to question again whether it was a mistake to have her score major wins over Toni Storm and Mercedes Mone, when they could have gone with Willow Nightingale, who has the connection with fans that Statlander still lacks. Thekla’s act needs a couple of tweaks, but a change was needed, and it’s encouraging that the company didn’t stubbornly drag out the Statlander title reign.

AEW Dynamite Misses

Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong vs. Daniel Garcia and Clark Connors: A minor Miss. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I couldn’t care less about the Conglomeration, let alone whether Strong is in or out of the faction. Putting that aside, it’s hard to take Garcia or Connors seriously when Cassidy was able to beat them after his tag team partner walked out on him, even if he got a minor assist from Darby Allin. Cassidy’s win also took away some of the heat of Strong walking out. I don’t know why the show ran long when this match could have been trimmed from the lineup. Perhaps AEW asked for the time in advance, but I wonder how many viewers who watched on delay missed the end of the main event because the show ran longer than their DVRs were scheduled to record.

(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.)