This past week’s episode of Dynamite took place in Laredo, Texas, as several matches were set up for AEW Revolution. The show had a strange pacing, with several matches in the first hour, and the second hour focusing mostly on promos.
An odd 8-man opening match set the stage for several ‘mid’ AEW Dynamite Grades segments throughout the night.
Orange Cassidy (w/ Danhausen), The Acclaimed, & ‘Daddy Ass’ Billy Gunn vs Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, & Sonjay Dutt via pinfall
Grade: D-
Unlike previous weeks, Dynamite started with a fizzle. This match did nothing to get the crowd warmed up, and the lack of atmosphere carried throughout the night. Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn are in the ring at the same time? It’s 1998 all over again! And yet again, why is Jeff Jarrett getting TV time, with such a huge roster of incredible talent available?
Singh serves zero purpose. He makes Omos look like Ric Flair in the ring. I don’t see any future for the big man.
Texas Tornado Tag Match: Blackpool Combat Club (ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) defeat La Faccion Ingobernable (Preston Vance & Rush)
Grade: B-
It’s Wednesday night, and you know what that means….Jon Moxley is bleeding again!
This would’ve been a perfect opportunity to let Hangman Adam Page come out and do guest commentary. He wouldn’t have to say much, but he could chat up his disdain for Moxley and help build up even more hype for their obvious upcoming match.
The brief tease between a potential Claudio v Rush bout drew a good pop. That would be an incredible program for the ROH World Championship.
Wardlow Sitdown Interview w/ Jim Ross
Grade: C
Ok, now we know why Samoa Joe cut Wardlow’s hair, as he wore it long to honor his late father. It just feels like an unnecessary wrinkle to their storyline. The idea of Wardlow just wanting his revenge for Joe stabbing him in the back is more than enough.
Here’s hoping Joe retains the gold at Revolution. The TNT Title needs a dominant reign, and the King of Television is the perfect man to do that.
ROH Tag Team Champion Mark Briscoe defeats Josh Woods via pinfall
Grade: B-
This was a good excuse to get Mark Briscoe on TV. A solid match with an underrated Josh Woods. These two obviously have solid chemistry from wrestling each other in the past.
The real question now is….what happens with the ROH World Tag Team Titles? It’s hard to strip Mark Briscoe because he doesn’t have a partner. Who makes sense to jump into that spot?
Adam Cole Sitdown Interview with Renée Paquette
Grade: B-
AEW desperately needs Adam Cole back. The roster is missing a mega babyface, and Cole is set up to fill that role perfectly. ‘Bay Bay’ is a natural feud for MJF in the future.
AEW World Champion MJF In-Ring Promo with Christopher Daniels
Grade: B+
Almost every MJF segment deserves an A, but he’s set his bar so high, it’s nearly impossible to be elite every time out. Having Christopher Daniels come out and tout the virtues of Brian Danielson was a nice way to build up the food even further, without having Danielson out there.
The show needed a backstage attack on Bryan’s shoulder to continue that angle heading into their 60 minute ironman match.
Jungle Boy” Jack Perry defeats ROH World Six Man Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage via pinfall
Grade: C
Jungle Boy eked out a victory despite being dominated by The Machine. Not exactly a strong showing for someone who has ‘championship aspirations’.
The return of Christian Cage drew a decent pop from the crowd. Heel Christian is soooooo good, almost too good. His incredible mic work really exposes Jungle Boy’s mediocre promo skills. This may not be the best angle for Perry.
The Acclaimed Backstage Promo
Grade: B-
The most convoluted way of setting up a tag team title match for AEW Revolution has just been created. Four teams will compete at the PPV, with two of those teams looking to qualify in the coming weeks.
Isn’t a rematch between The Acclaimed and The Gunns enough? Is Tony Khan trying to get as many bodies on the show as possible?
The Elite Backstage Promo with Top Flight
Grade: C-
This segment was just an excuse to promote NBA All-Star Weekend. And that’s fine…..gotta keep the TV partners happy!
“Hangman” Adam Page defeats Kip Sabin via pinfall
Grade: C
Despite a backstage attack earlier in the show, Adam Page survives and wins. The match was simply a transition to the BCC coming out so Moxley could challenge Page to a Texas Death Match at Revolution. That drew NO reaction from the crowd. Perhaps the desire is not there for a 4th match between the two.
Jericho Appreciation Society Backstage Promo w/ Tony Schiavone
Grade: D+
This feud simply will not die! Daniel Garcia challenged Ricky Starks to a match on Rampage.
Everyone would be best to simply move on from this. No one is getting elevated.
Main event: Ruby Soho defeats Dr. Britt Baker and Toni Storm via pinfall on Britt
Grade: B
The AEW Women’s division certainly has more storyline layers than ever. AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter has four legitimate challengers for the title, with Britt, Toni, Ruby and Saraya all tied together in this angle.
The natural conclusion to this seems to be a five-way bout at AEW Revolution. But it’s obvious that Britt Baker is still the biggest star in the division. Have her win the title and let her and Hayter battle over the next few months.
AEW Dynamite Grades Overall: C
