All Elite Wrestling has started 2022 on a tear. Revolution is squarely in the rearview mirror and the story must change gears headed into Double or Nothing in May, but that’s a lot of time between then and now. Does All Elite Wrestling rest on its laurels this week? The past couple weeks have been good, albeit a little underwhelming. How does this week’s Dynamite fare?
Let’s find out!
CM Punk vs. Max Caster
After the insane popular culture week we’ve experienced, who else but Max Caster would start Dynamite!? Our opening contest was between major rankings riser CM Punk and Max Caster. The mouthpiece of the Acclaimed did not disappoint! His rap was amazing with a Will Smith callout, referencing CM Punk’s unfortunate Z-Pak incident, and calling Punk the ‘Voice of the Moistless.’ I’m not proud at how much that last line made me laugh. I personally loved this rap, and thought it was the highlight of their match. The match itself was…fine.
The story of the match revolved around Max Caster and CM Punk nursing independent injuries. Caster had his shoulder taped and Punk was nursing his low back from his match with Dax Harwood the week prior. Caster constantly targeted Punk’s back, which allowed him to control the majority of the match. That, and Bowens usual interference.
Caster missed his Mic drop Elbow, which allowed CM Punk to hit a Piledriver and Anaconda Vice lock for the victory. A decent match to start Dynamite, but nothing to write home about.
3.25/5
Tony Schiavone began his interview marathon this week by joining CM Punk in the ring. He wanted to know what Punk meant by motioning for the title last week. CM Punk made it very clear that he’s targeting the AEW World Championship. This pleases me.
A quick backstage segment followed, with MJF making ‘Smart’ Mark Sterling install “No Wardlow” signs across the arena. According to MJF, the Wardog doesn’t exist anymore in AEW. FTR was not pleased by MJF’s actions towards Wardlow, however.
Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal
Up next was a really awesome match between two pro wrestling veterans. Jay Lethal has been on a recent losing streak, but unfortunately had a tough draw against recently revitalized Jon Moxley. This back and forth match showcased the upsides of both superstars.
The story of this match revolved around Moxley attempting to bully Lethal, but hurting his own knee in the process. This hobbled Moxley throughout, and even prohibited him of hitting the Paradigm Shift. Lethal showed some tenacity by withstanding the brutality of Moxley and hitting his Savage Elbow drop for a close two count. They countered each other a lot, but ultimately Moxley hit the Paradigm Shift out of nowhere for the victory.
I really enjoyed this one. Both men had good chemistry and played off of each other well. I’m excited to see where Lethal goes from here because he’s due a character shift.
3.75/5
‘The Problem’ Marina Shafir received a full video package afterwards. It detailed her recent destructions on AEW Dark. She seems to be signed to the company now!
FTR vs. Gunn Club
We got right back into the action after that. FTR have seen a slight character shift lately. They’re playing to the crowd and disagreeing with MJF’s antics more and more. They wanted to teach the Gunn Club a lesson this week, and that they did. The lesson of unbelievable tag team wrestling.
FTR dominated the match with combo moves right out of the gate. They are so smooth inside and out of the ring as a team. Halfway through the match, Cash Wheeler ran headfirst into Billy Gunn. This caused the Gunn Club to take advantage and take over. That was the story here: FTR’s tag team brilliance versus Gunn Club’s ability to cheat.
This match was well on its way to Match of the Night possibilities, except the ending was incredibly convoluted and unnecessary. Wardlow, who has been banned from AEW by MJF, caused a massive distraction and beat the crap out of security on his way to the ring. The match was still happening as Wardlow eventually overpowered and escorted out of the arena again.
This allowed Gunn Club to almost steal a victory, except FTR are too smart to fall for sneaky tricks. They hit the Big Rig for the victory. Good solid match, but the ending stuff brought down the match itself. I understand it was supposed to anger FTR, except the same outcome could have happened without any match interference. Have the solid match and angle afterwards.
3.5/5
After the match, MJF comes down to celebrate with FTR. The Top Guys weren’t having any of it. They told MJF to figure out his stuff with Wardlow without them.
Segments:
- The Jericho Appreciation Society was backstage once again being ridiculous. They continued to spit in the face of Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling fans alike. Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz had been away for a few weeks and the JAS has taken credit for it. Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz surprised them from behind the curtain and a brawl ensued. This was a really good brawl with ups and downs. Kingston hit the spinning backfist, except the JAS still had the numbers advantage. The JAS ended up on top again in a fun, albeit a little long, brawl segment. I wonder if the numbers will be evened out somehow.
- Tony Schiavone continues his interview marathon with Jade Cargill and ‘Smart’ Mark Sterling backstage. Like all of us, Schiavone was still wondering who Jade’s 30th opponent will be. They tease it being only Leva Bates, which was funny and a little sad for Leva, but it ends up being previously advertised Marina Shafir. I’m very happy that Marina gets to put on a showcase against Jade.
Bryan Danielson vs. Wheeler Yuta
Up next was a wonderful bout between young Wheeler Yuta and the ‘Perfect Wrestler’ Bryan Danielson. Yuta was trying to prove something in this match to both Danielson and William Regal, who was sitting on Commentary.
I love William Regal on commentary. Him being in AEW just makes me smile. Him addressing Jim Ross as ‘Mr. Ross’ and Excalibur as ‘Man in the Mask’ is perfect and I have no idea why. It just fits.
This match was a coming out party for Wheeler Yuta. He proved himself against one of the best ever in this match. The story was a simple one: Wheeler Yuta needed to withstand Danielson’s brutal assault. Ultimately he did not, but he sure put up a fight. He countered the Cattle Mutilation into his own striking elbows, and puzzled Danielson into a Seatbelt pin for a close two count. Eventually the strikes of Danielson were too much, leading to Danielson hitting the Running Knee, Gotch Piledriver, and Labelle Lock for the victory.
I loved everything about this. The Blackpool Combat Club is one of my favorite stories going right now. Cannot wait for more!
3.75/5
Segments:
- Adam Cole has rebranded himself, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish as the Undisputed Elite. They came to the ring for a championship celebration for their ‘rightful’ titles. They believed that the AEW World and Tag Championships were theirs by right. This was a fun little segment because we were treated to Kyle O’Reilly being naturally hilarious. He walked to the ring playing the belt like a guitar, tried talking, but couldn’t because he “had too much champagne.” The party ended abruptly however, as Hangman and Jurassic Express started a brawl and took back their titles. I’m a little disappointed there wasn’t more to the stolen titles story.
- Tony Schiavone was finally on the rampway with Thunder Rosa for her first big speech as champion. She wants to be the face and foundation of Women’s wrestling. This shouldn’t have been interrupted last week…
- IT’S HAPPENING. FTR was backstage again and threw out a challenge to the Young Bucks. They’re out to prove, once and for all, who the best tag team in the world is.
Owen Hart Qualifier: The Bunny vs……TONI STORM!
Our first qualifying match for the Owen Hart Tournament was up next. The Bunny’s surprise opponent ended up as everyone expected. Toni Storm arrived in AEW to thunderous cheers from the South Carolina crowd. Both ladies put on a show in a pretty good match. It was a good debut showing for Storm and Bunny proved she’s still underrated. There wasn’t much, story-wise, but they beat the crap out of each other for almost ten minutes. Storm came out on top with the Storm Zero and the pinfall.
3.25/5
I’m very happy to see the creativity of Toni Storm in AEW. This Owen Hart Tournament should be phenomenal for that division.
Schiavone is backstage to get the response from Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero about Thunder Rosa. Vickie says a few things, but Nyla seriously proves that she doesn’t need Vickie. The girl has charisma, awesome lines, and amazing comedy that blends heel/face. I don’t understand why she needs a manager.
Andrade el Idolo vs. Darby Allin
After a whirlwind episode, Dynamite finally reached the main event. And what a main event it was! I’m still not exactly sure of the overall story between Andrade el Idolo and Darby Allin, however this match surely didn’t need one. They told a great match story and tore the house down.
The match itself didn’t technically get started for five minutes. Andrade didn’t waste any time by attacking Darby before the bell. They both brawled on the outside until Andrade suplexed Darby onto the steel steps. The carnage continued after the actual bell rang too. Darby continues to be incredible at getting his ass handed to him.
And that was the story of the match. Andrade took advantage before the bell and continued to dismantle young Darby until he fought back. The best part of the match was Darby hitting an Avalanche Crucifix bomb into a Fujiwara Armbar. It was seamless, dangerous, and perfect all the same time.
Unfortunately the Andrade Family Office were going to make an appearance for their boss. Jose the Assistant tried to get involved, except Sting had Darby’s back. However, the numbers game of the Andrade Family Office took out Sting, and Darby needed to get involve. This caused Andrade to take advantage of the distraction, and hit the Hammerlock DDT for the victory. Andrade gets a huge win!
That’s a really big win for Andrade over Darby Allin. He needed something like this and hopefully builds forward momentum. I wish he won clean, but you need to protect Darby a little bit as well. Fantastic match that I really loved.
4.25/5
Match of the Night
Verdict
What a great episode of Dynamite that was! My immediate first impressions of this week’s episode were not stellar, main event notwithstanding. I turned off the television and was a little disappointed with the show, but then I looked at my notes. All Elite Wrestling packed this episode to the brim with good stuff! There wasn’t a lot of talking on this episode, but just good wrestling. AEW allowed the wrestling to tell the stories this week. Love that!
Most of this episode’s story revolved around the Blackpool Combat Club, FTR, and the Pinnacle drama. All of it was great and cannot wait to see where everything goes from here.
In conclusion, this week’s episode of Dynamite didn’t hit any amazing highs, but was a great all around show.
Overall: 4.25/5