In one blink of an eye, Double or Nothing has come and gone once again. The show must roll on with another edition of AEW Dynamite! All Elite Wrestling usually has fun fallout episodes of Dynamite, but they’re usually story-driven and lacking action. Not this fallout episode! This edition of Dynamite was packed to the gills with fun matches and juicy drama.
Let’s talk about it!
Blackpool Combat Club vs. Lucha Bros & Bandido
The opening contest saw the Blackpool Combat Club face off against the Lucha Bros and Bandido. The BCC ended Double or Nothing on top and started Dynamite, once again, on top. And you know who has all the momentum in the world? Wheeler Yuta.
Yoots scored the pinfall over Kenny Omega on Sunday and another one in this match. The entire Blackpool Combat Club has cranked it up to another gear it seems. They surround their opponents like a pack of wolves and don’t allow any sort of reprieve. The apex predators of AEW right now, and possibly all of wrestling.
Bandido deserves a shoutout from this match, however. He hit a delayed vertical suplex after holding Wheeler Yuta suspended in the air for one full minute. Bandido is special and deserves all the spotlight!
But the BCC came out on top, yet again. Yuta scored the victory with the seatbelt pin in a great opening contest to set the tone for the rest of the night.
3/5
Segments:
- Alex Marvez was backstage with The Elite to discuss Double or Nothing’s unfortunate loss. They discussed how they’re hurting, but their spirit is not gone. The Dark Order made a rare Dynamite appearance to talk to Hangman but decided to leave instead. Marvez stopped Hangman to ask about Omega, who apparently left the country. Omega had left the country. Wherever could he have gone!?
- Schiavone had his walking shoes on this week. He started his night in the ring to talk to Bullet Club Gold. Switchblade and Juice discuss their unfortunate early exit from the Blackjack Battle Royal and how FTR saved Ricky Starks afterward. The AEW Tag Champs appeared and received a punch loaded with quarters from Juice Robinson. Bullet Club Gold came out on top in a fantastic segment. Ricky Starks chased them away and challenged Jay White to a match next week.
- TK was back, once again, to announce that CM Punk is back for AEW Collison. Cool.
Trent Baretta vs. Big Bill vs. Swerve Strickland
Up next was a triple threat match between three of the biggest names from the Blackjack Battle Royal this past Sunday. Swerve and Big Bill had worked together during the final moments of that match, but the shifty Swerve betrayed the big man. That led to this match with Trent Baretta thrown in. And this match was an amazing match that felt way longer than nine minutes. An easy pick for Match of the Night.
The story of this match was Big Bill. He’s quickly becoming a can’t miss attraction in AEW. He steals the show of every match he is in, and not just because he’s a literal giant. His strength and size are his main assets, but he’s way more athletic than you’d expect. The majority of this match saw Swerve and Trent team up to neutralize Big Bill.
And when it came down to the end, Swerve came out on top, as he often does. Big Bill was relentless in his attack, so Swerve gave him the stomp onto the ring apron. This allowed Swerve to win the match with a lovely crucifix pin onto Trent to win the match. This wasn’t a #1 contender’s match or anything, but it gave someone a lot of momentum toward their International Championship goals. Great match.
4/5
Match of the Night
Segments:
- Renee Paquette has had a light load the past few weeks. This week she was on the rampway to welcome The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass. They were sad about losing at Double or Nothing, but are dedicated to giving Billy Gunn one more belt. It’s crazy to think of that sentence in 2023, but it is completely valid.
- There are times in professional wrestling when you sit in awe of what’s happening on the screen. Up next, Schiavone welcomed Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita to the ring to discuss their actions from Double or Nothing. The San Diego crowd greeted them with a deafening chorus of boos that drowned literally any words Callis spoke. And the boos were sustained for the entire segment. Grabbing that much unanimous vitriol in 2023 is a rarity. A masterpiece of a segment.
Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy vs. Gates of Agony
Up next was the coming out party for the Gates of Agony against Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy. The Mogul Embassy team is fantastic and watching them crush Darby and Cassidy for the majority of this match was cool. Darby and Cassidy are two of the best sellers in AEW, which paired perfectly with the beefy Gates of Agony.
This pairing of Cassidy and Allin is amazing too. They’ve been wrestling on the House Show tour and hopefully, build enough momentum to become a true tag team. They work perfectly together. The ending of this match was the perfect example. They seamlessly transitioned a Stundog Millionaire into a Code Red and Coffin Drop to finish the match. Fantastic stuff.
3.5/5
After the match, Swerve Strickland and Brian Cage come to the ring to intimidate Orange Cassidy. Unfortunately for Swerve, Sting made a rare appearance to save the day. Cue Tony Schiavone, “IT’SSS STIIIIINNNGGGGG!”
Segments:
- Schiavone was back in the ring to welcome Hook. What was next for the FTW Champion? Hook’s plan was changed when Jose the Assistant interrupted to complain about their lack of TV time. Vance and Dralistico attacked Hook and Jungle Boy made the save. JungleHook lives again.
- Renee Paquette was backstage with Toni Storm, who talks about being too good for anyone to challenge. This was good stuff from the new champ.
TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Nyla Rose
The surprise return of Kris Statlander and her TBS Championship victory was one of the best moments of 2023. To rehab from not one, but two ACL injuries in such a short time frame is nothing short of a miracle. Her determination and grit led her to a well-deserved TBS Championship victory. Her first defense? Nyla Rose.
There was a lot of story in this simple match between Stat and Rose. The champ had ring rust and knee injury history, which was an easy target for Nyla. Another fun story was that Statlander was Nyla’s first title defense back in 2020. This led to Nyla assuming she could easily defeat the new TBS Champion. And finally, Taya Valkyrie was backstage watching with a scowl on her face. That match between Taya and Jade was awesome, and Statlander stole her moment at the PPV.
But despite all of that, Kris Statlander picked up her first title defense with a huge 450 splash. Her strength makes it easy to forget that she can hit something from the top rope. Good match!
3.5/5
Adam Cole & Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Chris Jericho & Saraya
The main event of this week’s episode felt like a retry after a lackluster Unsanctioned match at Double or Nothing. Adam Cole was joined by his girlfriend Britt Baker, and Jericho was joined by his newfound friend, Saraya. This retry worked to find whatever magic was missing last Sunday because it was a lot of fun!
Mixed tag matches can be extremely hit or miss. The rules always state, “Guys fight guys and girls fight girls,” but that’s so silly. There’s always a moment or five in a match when they interact with one another, so just let them go wild if they want to. In this match, that’s what they did. Jericho and Britt had a lot of fun interactions, including that Lockjaw pictured above. There is something infinitely hilarious about Jericho getting some just desserts.
Jericho and Saraya tried all the nonsense they could muster; outside interference and Floyd the Bat. Cole, Baker, and a surprise from Hikaru Shida would have none of it! Adam Cole won the match with the Boom knee and hopefully, this feud is over. Knowing Chris Jericho, it probably isn’t.
3.75/5
OVERALL
And that was Dynamite for this week! What did you think of it?
No complaints here! Fallout episodes are usually a blast. Getting to see the twists and turns of the story is fun after a PPV. The matches were fun and all, but Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita were the highlight of the night. That was an all-time level of heel heat. So good! The rest of the show was good too! The build toward Forbidden Door starts now and should be fun too!
Verdict: 4/5