The January 11 edition of AEW Dynamite was a solid two hours of wrestling programming with lots to sink our teeth into. Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page finally had their rematch, two months after Page suffered a devastating concussion at the hands of Moxley. Bryan Danielson began his quest to take on MJF for the AEW Heavyweight title as he faced Konosuke Takeshita, all while MJF reminded us why he is an all-time mic worker. And, we were treated to Excalera De La Meurte, the finale in the Best-Of-Seven as The Elite looked to reclaim the AEW Trios Championships from Death Triangle!
It all took place in front of a ramped-up crowd at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles!
Here are the Grades and Analysis for an enjoyable show. Can AEW follow suit this Wednesday with another strong show?
Jon Moxley v Hangman Adam Page
Grade: B
Dynamite is always better when a match kicks off the show, as was the case tonight. After weeks of facing off in heated face-to-face promos, we finally got our rematch from a few months back, which was stopped due to Page’s unfortunate concussion.
Hangman picked up the victory with the Buckshot Lariat, going over Moxley clean. Per Jim Parsons @ TheSportster, this is only the 2nd time Moxley has lost clean 1-on-1 in AEW. It’s clear that Page is going to stay in the upper tier of the roster. If there was any doubt Page was healthy enough to compete, it was erased tonight.
After the match, doctors tended to Moxley in the ring, looking at his head. Is the script being flipped with Moxley now having concussion issues?
This match had enough star power to be PPV-worthy….and with the lack of matches booked for AEW Revolution, why not wait till then?
Adam Cole Returns
Grade: B+
Storytime with Adam Cole returns! What a massive pop for his first appearance since NJPW / AEW Forbidden Door in June. Seven months away is enough time to forget how smooth and comfortable Cole is on the mic. It only takes a few seconds to understand why he’s so over with fans, as a face or as a heel.
His talk about his struggle with recovering from injury, both physical and mental, was heartfelt, believable, and steered him toward the babyface side of the roster. “The new Adam Cole is born” and would be a great potential feud down the road for MJF.
Big Bill & Lee Moriarty v JungleHook
Grade: C+
JungleHook showed great chemistry and teamwork early in the match. Putting Hook in tag team matches allows him to shine in short stretches. He’s not at the stage yet where he can carry a 1-on-1 match past five minutes, but he can come in for the big pops ie. hitting an impressive T-Bone release suplex on Big Bill.
No surprise to see JungleHook pick up the win and have Lee take the pin to protect Big Bill, who’s an untapped asset moving forward.
Konosuke Takeshita v Bryan Danielson
Grade: A+
This was not only an INCREDIBLE match but we also were treated to MJF on the mic. First, let’s talk about MJF’s promo. Appreciate the man for what he brings to the table. The bar has been incredibly raised, based on his previous promo work, and yet he delivers each and every time.
Whether it’s whoever he’s in the ring with (poor Takeshita….his last name will never be looked at the same), the local audience, or the tempting treats of celebrities in the crowd (Ken Jeong and Freddie Prinze Jr. just had to sit there and take it), no one is safe when MJF speaks.
Now let’s recognize the greatness of both men in this match. When it was announced last week, the IWC knew this could be a classic (without the announcers saying it could be a classic, which never works).
Konosuke losing was no surprise…Danielson had to win or the storyline made no sense. But the loss doesn’t hurt him. At only 27, he has plenty of time to blossom into a star. The crowd knows it. The IWC knows it. And the roster knows it. He has the size and in-ring moxie to wrestle anybody. He looks good and he makes his opponent look good.
Does Bryan Danielson have a bad match? Is it scientifically impossible? What a blessing that he was able to return from his career-ending injury and give everybody these absolute classics. When his AEW contract ends and his full-time run is done, his consistency of high-quality matches may end up being the best EVER.
Toni Storm & Saraya v Dr. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter
Grade: B-
The AEW Women’s Division still suffers from a lack of depth. Not in numbers, but in quality. Time and experience SHOULD fix that. Luckily, these four wrestlers can help carry the load. (Along with Serena Deeb, the most underappreciated talent on the entire roster!)
Adding Hikaru Shida in as a wildcard has added some interesting wrinkles. When she tossed in the kendo stick, it was right in the middle of the ring…not towards Toni Storm. A heel Shida would create some fresh new matchups in the division. Saraya seems to think this was on purpose as her social media posts since Wednesday suggest she sees Shida as a traitor.
Speaking of Saraya, she needs to stop yelling “THIS IS MY HOUSE!”. It’s not getting over. She’s been called out by Britt Baker for how ridiculous it is to claim this. Sometimes you try something and it doesn’t work. Just cut it and move on.
Hayter and Storm have excellent in-ring chemistry. A rematch has to happen.
Jericho Appreciation Society In-Ring Promo w/ Ricky Starks and Action Andretti
Grade: F
UGH. This was easily the low point of the night. Why is 2.0 employed? Besides the “They used to be in WWE!” what value do they bring to the table? The ring work is average. The mic work is meh at best.
Action Andretti was terribly exposed with his limited promo time. And Ricky still needs major polish. His insults are grade-school level and not creative. It’s clear the creative team wants him to grow and become a major player, but work needs to be done if he’s to hang with the top talkers in the business.
This segment was unnecessary and halted the show’s momentum. The top pop for the whole segment was Jack Hager’s “I like this hat!”. Not a high bar.
MAIN EVENT Best-of-7 Final for the World Trios Championship (Excalera De La Meurte)
Grade: B-
This match would’ve received a higher grade if it hadn’t been seen six times over the last two months. The action was still fun to watch, but the novelty of watching these two teams compete evaporated halfway through the series.
The Elite winning the titles was too obvious. Booking the series 3-1 steered everything to a seventh match taking place, especially NAMING the stipulations ahead of time! Those could have been revealed after every match was done.
Having Death Triangle retain the belts, and doing in it 5 or 6 matches, would’ve been a refreshing change. The Elite can afford the loss.
Dynamite Overall: B
Final Comments: Overall, a solid episode with most of the TV time dedicated to in-ring action. There were a few backstage segments designed to promote Friday’s AEW Rampage card.
- The Acclaimed getting their own stars on the Walk of Fame??? Ummm….ok? Surprised they didn’t wrestle, so they could have an entrance and drop a diss on WWE’s potential sale
- Juice Robinson challenging Darby Allin
- Orange Cassidy, Danhausen, and Golden Globes winner Paul Walter Hauser teasing their appearance on Friday (was there a quick spike in ‘Who is Paul Walter Hauser’ searches during this segment? Does the AEW fan base know who this is?)
Unfortunately, there was very little build to AEW Revolution. Full Gear 2022 also suffered from a lack of build-up to the date itself. With so few PPVs on the schedule, there needs to be better hype for these cards.
This week’s Dynamite will need to step up if it intends to measure up when it comes to in-ring action from last week. And, will AEW somehow get fans to forget about the fact Mercedes Mone didn’t appear?
AEW Trios Champions The Young Bucks will take on Top Flight, TNT Champion Darby Allin will take on Kushida, Jake Hager will take on Ricky Starks, Willow Nightingale battles Toni Storm, and Orange Cassidy battles Jay Lethal for the All-Atlantic Championship.
