This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite was great! The match quality was obviously at a high standard, that isn’t surprising considering that is AEW’s strong point a lot of the time. But the storytelling was much better this week, I had my problems with some of it, like MJF’s heel turn, which seemed like it was done just for the sake of it. But AEW advanced some storylines in the women’s division very nicely. The heat on the Britt Baker and Mercedes Mone rivalry has already been turned up, while Willow and Statlander’s feud is surely only just beginning. Chicago as expected were a great crowd and added a lot to the show. I’ve given AEW my fair share of criticisms recently, but I will give credit where it is due, this was probably one of the best Dynamite’s of the year. Well done to everyone involved.
This week on Dynamite. We will hear from the returning Britt Baker, Mercedes Mone has a championship celebration and the International Championship is on the line as Will Ospreay defends against Daniel Garcia. Let’s get into the review!
GREAT Bryan Danielson vs PAC
Obviously this was a great match with some fantastic wrestling. I say obviously because the competitors in this match are about as reliable as you can get. I really like the addition of the winner of the Owen Hart Cup going on to challenge for the AEW World and Women’s Titles this year. It just adds extra layers and stakes to the tournament.
Result: Bryan Danielson by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.75 Stars
GOOD Mark Briscoe Segment
Mark Briscoe came out to the ring to announce he will be the first member of Team AEW at Blood and Guts. Jack Perry then attacked Mark from behind, who was met with a chorus of boos obviously with Beach Break being in Chicago. Kyle O’Reilly came out to help but was hit with a Rainmaker for his troubles. The Acclaimed evened the odds.
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.25 Stars
GREAT Kris Statlander vs Willow Nightingale
This was a really fun match. This is a story that has been brewing for a while, so it was cool that this match was included in the tournament. Statlander and Stokely are a great pairing and it showed in this match. Then Willow might be AEW’s next star, the fans love her and she is easy to cheer for. Her promo before the match really added more fire to this matchup.
Result: Willow Nightingale by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
AMAZING Britt Baker and Mercedes Mone Segment
This segment did everything it needed to. Britt acknowledged and explained why she was away for so long in a very emotional promo, which was superbly interrupted by Mercedes Mone who has now fully brought back the heel version of her character. This Mercedes heel turn is a great idea, she is so much better as a heel and it’s the perfect time to execute the turn in a rivalry against a returning DMD. Loved the call back to one of Mone’s promos as well.
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.25 Stars
GOOD Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata vs Cage of Agony
Jericho came out before this match and announced Taz was relieved of his commentary duties for the rest of the night. Jericho went on to commentary for this one. Joe got the win for his team.
Result: Samoa Joe by Submission
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.25 Stars
GREAT Jeff Jarrett vs Hangman Page
Hangman has returned, and with a new attitude. It seems like they are going with Swerve vs Hangman at All In, which I’m completely fine with. I want to mention Jeff Jarrett though, he put in a fantastic performance.
Result: Hangman Page by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
AMAZING Will Ospreay vs Daniel Garcia – AEW International Championship
Incredible main event to finish Dynamite. Daniel Garcia had the crowd behind him and once again he was so close to winning the big one but just came up short again. Ospreay telling him to keep his head up after the match was great, after all he now knows what it is like to lose in AEW. The MJF heel turn I wasn’t a massive fan of, but he’s far better as a heel so I’m happy to see that version of MJF back.
Result: Will Ospreay by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4 Stars
Overall…
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite was great! The match quality was obviously at a high standard, that isn’t surprising considering that is AEW’s strong point a lot of the time. But the storytelling was much better this week, I had my problems with some of it, like MJF’s heel turn, which seemed like it was done just for the sake of it. But AEW advanced some storylines in the women’s division very nicely. The heat on the Britt Baker and Mercedes Mone rivalry has already been turned up, while Willow and Statlander’s feud is surely only just beginning. Chicago as expected were a great crowd and added a lot to the show. I’ve given AEW my fair share of criticisms recently, but I will give credit where it is due, this was probably one of the best Dynamite’s of the year. Well done to everyone involved.
Matches: 0.75/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere/Crowd/Commentary: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here
