This week’s episode of Dynamite took place in San Francisco, home of the Cow Palace! The go-home show to AEW Revolution gave us our fourth entrant into the AEW Tag Team Championships. And, The House of Black sent a strong message to The Elite before their AEW Trios match on Sunday.
Here are the grades for AEW Dynamite, March 1, 2023:
Cassidy Defeats Big Bill via Pinfall
Grade: B-
Orange Cassidy has become the latest ‘workhorse’ in AEW, doing with the All-Atlantic Championship what Darby Allin did with the TNT Title. With so many bodies on the roster, it should be simple to book a talented foe to take on Cassidy. Give them a series of matches and let them tear the house down every week.
Big Bill has turned into a big waste. His only asset right now is his size. Bill looks to be on a path to nowhere.
Jon Moxley Post-Match Promo From Last Week
Grade: A
This was Moxley’s best promo in a very long time. The dank stairwell setting, the growing intensity, and yes, even the dripping blood added to the seriousness in his voice. Sometimes Moxley’s ruthlessness feels a little forced; but in this instance, fresh off a rough match with Evil Uno, it felt very in the moment.
The Texas Death Match between him and Hangman Adam Page will no doubt be very brutal and very violent. As one commenter on YouTube wrote, “You gotta love an intense promo from Moxley. Hangman and Moxley are gonna burn down the arena this Sunday at Revolution.”
The House of Black Jumps The Elite
Grade: B+
The House of Black sent a strong message to The Elite, jumping them during their big entrance on the ramp. The segment would have been even more effective if it first went to commercial, then came back to see The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in the ring for a follow-up promo. Show them in agony, all banged up, and let them hype their upcoming match at Revolution. As it was booked, fans didn’t know why The Elite was coming out in the first place.
Hobbs Wins the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match
Grade: B-
Powerhouse Hobbs going over was the right call, although Konosuke Takeshida would’ve been an excellent consolation. Hobbs has a history with both Samoa Joe and Wardlow, and this is a natural extension of the storyline. If the heel Powerhouse is challenging for the title, does that mean a face Wardlow will be the new TNT champ?
There were SOOOO many high spots during this match. Big, dangerous ladder bumps really should be saved for PPV matches.
Best Friends Backstage Promo
Grade: C
Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor weren’t medically cleared, so Cassidy and Danhausen take their place??? There’s a million other tag teams in AEW that could have taken their place…..such strange booking. Looks like Tony Khan wants to sell more Danhausen merchandise.
Jericho Defeats Peter Avalon via Pinfall
Grade: D
The match itself did nothing to feature either participant. It was simply a gateway to beat down Ricky Starks after the match.
There is no need to see Chris Jericho wrestle on weekly television. It’s fine having him on Dynamite every week, but let him cut promos and be a mouthpiece for the rest of JAS. His in-ring appearances, at this point in his career, should be PPV-only.
Starks needs to get away from this angle asap. Hopefully, the Revolution match is quick and painless, whatever the result is.
Christian Cage In-Ring Promo
Grade: B+
Not many wrestlers on the roster can get on MJF’s level for promo work, but Cage is definitely one of them. He knows how to work the crowd and get each & every reaction he’s looking for.
It’s a smart choice not having Jungle Boy come out and confront Christian on the mic. A simple video of him digging a grave, while a tad cheesy, was effective enough to get the message across.
Hook Defeats Matt Hardy via Submission
Grade: C-
Hook still has some growing to do in the ring. Without the benefit of being in a tag team match, he had to carry some spots in the match and looked hesitant while transitioning between moves. But, his potential is obvious. He has a great look and is incredibly explosive.
Matt Hardy….Did we really need to see him out there? Why not feature one of the members of Private Party? This is TV time that could have been better used.
Riho Defeats Toni Storm via Pinfall
Grade: D
You really have to suspend disbelief when watching Riho in the ring. The commentary team went out of their way to talk about how quick and athletic she is in the ring when it’s obvious she’s no more agile than any other female on the roster. Even her roll-up pin was unconvincing.
Sadly, this is a step back for Storm. This should have been a squash victory for Toni, showing her power, strength, and dominance over a much smaller opponent.
Cassidy and Danhausen win Casino Tag Team Battle Royale
Grade: B+
With 10 teams involved in this match, it was bound to be slow and plodding at teams. And yet, it worked! It was an excellent contrast to the ladder match, as the action was ground-and-pound with so many bodies in the ring at once.
The only major mistake here was who won and entered the 4-way Tag Team Title Match at AEW Revolution. Why not give that spot to Top Flight, Aussie Open or The Butcher & The Blade?….pssst….more Danhausen shirts!
Danielson and MJF In-Ring Promo
Grade: B+
The Battle Royale must have gone long because this segment was very short to end the show. The script was flipped here when Bryan did the majority of the talking, getting ready to bring the fight to the champ on Sunday.
This feels like MJF is going to retain at Revolution. It’s too early to take the belt off this generational talent. But what happens to Danielson with a loss? He’s been vocal about his full-time career winding down.
No matter the result of the ironman match, both men are excellent choices to be AEW World Champion.
Dynamite Overall Grade: B–
It was an episode with several solid matches and a few duds. It was not the greatest go-home show by any stretch. There were several segments available to build more hype to the PPV, so it was a bit of a waste of TV time. But there are enough interesting matches on the card to make it an intriguing event to watch!
