Review: AEW Dynamite Review – 23/02/23
AEW Dynamite Review – 23/02/23
Hi everyone, Sam here for the AEW Dynamite Review. Before I get into the review of each segment there are couple of things I want to highlight. Firstly, what is with AEW and going over the top on every episode of Dynamite. On the one hand cool because you never know what their gonna do next in the ring, but on the other hand, they can’t keep this up. Like Moxley just keeps bleeding every week.
Secondly, solid wrestling the whole show not a badly worked match. Where is the stories, there are 2 stories happening in AEW that are cohesive, BCC vs The Dark Order and Starks vs JAS. Everything else feels jumbled and all over the place, get your stuff together AEW you’re better then this.
Finally, why is Tony letting former WWE guys and older guys go over their original talent and new talent. For example Skye Blue is “homegrown” talent, then why is she the 6th most important person in her match? Also where is half of your roster mate, you’ve got FTR on your books, you’ve got Omega, you’ve got the bucks, Jade Cargill, Willow Nightingale, Wardlow was on for a cup of tea. Like come on Tony use your homegrown talent to make your product feel different to WWE.
But the good, the Acclaimed are fantastic, Hayter proving that she is one of the better champions in AEW, MJF justifying hate which such precise its almost relatable and that tag team getting to shine before getting beaten by Jay Lethal and a lethargic athlete.
1st Segment: Match
The shows opens with the All Atlantic Championship match between Orange Cassidy (c) against Wheeler Yuta. Why they got rid of Where is my mind for Orange Cassidy is beyond my comprehension. A battle between former tag partners gives this match some story to work with. Commentary playing up the difference between Best friends and the Blackpool Combat Club is nice. Out comes Claudio Castignoli to motivate Yuta by slapping him and telling how its done. Yuta getting some heat for raking the eyes of Cassidy. Yuta kicking a table on top of Cassidy was unintentionally funny. Also Yuta looking like a complete bellend as Claudio Castignoli goes to the back. The commentary team trying to make the audience care about Rampage is really funny considering how many people watch it. Orange Cassidy retains the All Atlantic Championship against Wheeler Yuta. The match was good don’t get me wrong but there were too many false finishes for just a TV match. Fair enough if this was a PPV but this is regular TV. The story of the tag partners really helped this match go from a spot fest to a good match. Post match Claudio tells Yuta to decline Orange Cassidy’s show of respect.
2nd Segment: Promo
Evil Uno telling Page to not get in the way of Evil Uno. Loving the fact that both sides of that weird friendship. This small promo of Uno calling out Page for thinking Dark Order isn’t on his level is great, despite Page not wanting them to get hurt.
3rd Segment: Promo
Out comes Ricky Starks and talks about being constantly attacked by Chris Jericho despite Jericho not wanting to have a rematch with Starks. Starks then reveals he has an open contract for a match against him at Revolution. Out comes Jericho, so much for playing heel with the fans singing your song but it is appreciation of Jericho so I guess it works, but that doesn’t stop me singing along though. Jericho states that Ricky isn’t done with Jericho unless Jericho says so and belittles Ricky about his win. Peter Avalon comes out and Jericho gives him the Judas Effect. Jericho contemplates taking the contract to embarrass Ricky, but after goading from Ricky (good stuff from him though), Jericho signs the contract.
4th Segment: Match
The Acclaimed have arrived and are here to have a match against Lee Moriaty and Big Bill. The Acclaimed beat Moriaty and Big Bill. Great stuff from Moriaty and Big Bill, good to see him doing well as a big man considering his past. The Acclaimed as usual are fun to watch. Not too much to say about this match but hey still solid wrestling.
5th Segment: Promo
Tony Schiavone introduces Christian Cage in which Jungle Boy took it personally and just rushed Christian to the floor and beat the crap out of him. Jungle Boy then brings out two chairs and prepares to do a con-chair-to and Christian hits him with a low blow and gets hit with a chair. Christian is about to perform a murder by slamming Jungle Boy’s head into the chair, hot damn does that draw heat from the Arizona crowd. I don’t know how I feel about the audience chanting for Aubrey Edwards but its happening.
6th Segment: Match
Out comes Saraya to her boyfriend’s song Zombified (P.S. Falling in Reverse isn’t that great come at me Radke fans). Skye Blue doesn’t even get music, what is this nonsense. Poor Skye Blue young and talented but treated like a jobber ugh, continue. Storm on the outside giving Skye Blue a suplex. Hell of a submission by Skye Blue, AJ Lee would be proud. Saraya beats Skye Blue. The match was fine but here comes Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker to chase of Saraya and Toni Storm, but are cut off by Ruby Soho (with the weird song). Guess we are getting Ruby Soho vs Jamie Hayter for the championship, should be solid. That segment felt like, out come the women for a cup of tea and they will not be seen again until next week, just feels wrong for these talented women.
7th Segment: Promo
Out comes the American Dragon with the great tron but the Wish.com Jason Derulo music. Danielson then tries to break down why MJF hates Danielson despite breaking Danielson’s friends arm and hospitalising William Regal. Out comes MJF to basically tell everyone that his fiancée left him, big offt, crowd chanting ‘You Deserve it’ is pretty rough. MJF then calls out Danielson for having something he doesn’t, a family and that he thinks wrestling is more important than family. Dom Torreto would be proud of MJF in terms of family. They then get into a pull apart brawl after MJF mentions that the match will end with Dada getting a concussion. What a good segment, both Danielson and MJF have clear goals and the reasons why are clear. Good storytelling on both sides.
8th Segment: Promo
Jamie Hayter cuts a promo on Saraya saying she don’t even go here and trying to break the women’s division. She makes a three way match for the womens title.
9th Segment: Match
It’s the tag team battle royal. Mark Briscoe going after Mark Sterling and Josh Woods and they get into a brawl. Tony Nese eliminated, Arya Daivairi eliminated. Aussie Open eliminated as well as Daunte Martin. The Blade eliminated. Alex Reynolds eliminated, Preston Vance eliminated, Penta El Zero eliminated, Rush eliminated with an awesome elimination from Rey Fenix. John Silver has been eliminated, JAS have been cursed and then eliminated by the best friends, Chuck Taylor eliminated. Dante Martin eliminated, The Butcher eliminated, Rey Fenix eliminated. Satnam Singh saving Jarrett and Lethal. Orange Cassidy comes out and piggybacks Trent Berretta. Jay Lethal eliminated. Beretta eliminated. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett win. Great match, crap result, why is Jeff Jarrett winning matches over young talent, absolute nonsense so annoying its infuriating that AEW has so many great tag teams and lets a pensioner go over a bunch of better teams ugh.
10th Segment: Promo
Tony Khan has an announcement and gives it to Adam Cole. He then announces that there is a new show for AEW called AEW All Access which gives a look into AEW wrestlers and their stories. This got to go after the battle royal, well thanks for waiting guys here comes Tony ‘I have an underwhelming announcement’ Khan to tell us that they are making a reality show about superstars and their stories. Firstly the reason this is bad because it wasn’t that important, could have promoted throughout the show not as an important announcement. However, on to the show idea itself. It is a good idea to have this show, really delves into the wrestlers and where they came from. It should be able to help the fans get behind more of the wrestlers. I hope they get the viewers but as Rampage shows, anything that isn’t Dynamite isn’t going to get views.
11th Segment: Match
It is the main event and its Evil Uno vs Jon Moxley. There is an ad break over Moxley’s entrance which is kind of sad. Thanks for keeping the company together, we are going to chuck an ad break on your entrance mate. Same with Evil Uno what’s with AEW taking a dump on some of its original talent. Anyway onto the match, also why wasn’t a match with such high stakes (the battle royal) not the main event? Jon Moxley beats Evil Uno and the Dark Order come out to save there friend but are beaten down with the Blackpool Combat Club. Which prompts Adam Page to come out. Page comes out to beat the crap out of a bleeding Jon Moxley. Poor Evil Uno, got fed to Moxley just for 100 wins. Nothing really to write home, solid enough probably should have opened the show but hey still alright.
