With only 10 days until “All Out,” this episode of “Dynamite” performed the high-wire act of recapping one pay-per-view and building towards another. Did Tony Khan stumble along the way in front of his hometown crowd or did he stick the landing?
Let’s dive in.
Hits and Misses
Hit (?): Jon Moxley Returns
AEW “Dynamite” kicks off with the return of three-time world champion, Jon Moxley. Queue… “Death Rider?” The absence of Moxley’s iconic rendition “Wild Thing” is glaring, but was an immediate tonal shift for AEW’s self-described ace.
Intrigued, Tony Schiavone grabs a microphone and leaves the announce desk to meet Moxley in the ring. First, Moxley challenged Darby Allin — who has a little free time on his hands before his match with Bryan Danielson at “Grand Slam.” Then, Moxley locked eyes with Schiavone, warning him that “this isn’t your company anymore.”
Was Moxley referring to Schiavone, the man in his earpiece, Darby Allin, The Elite, or a more enigmatic figure? Conversely, maybe the concussions are beginning to mount.
Later on in the second hour, Moxley was joined by Marina Shafir, who battered a few engagement talents on Moxley’s behalf.
By and large, I enjoyed the return of Moxley. Still, we were left with more questions than answers. Is Moxley still a member of the Blackpool Combat Club? Who was Moxley warning? Only time will tell.
MISS: “Hangman” Page and Swerve Strickland
The opening contest saw “Hangman” Adam Page and Tomohiro Ishii do battle, for what felt like an eternity. It will be interesting to see how many viewers they lost during this match, in the quarterly hour ratings.
Afterwards, Swerve Strickland finally confronted “Hangman” Adam Page, blaming Page for his loss to Danielson at “All In.” Page reiterated that Strickland never truly beat him fairly. In the first match, Prince NaNa intervened. In their second bout, NaNa and Brian Cage intervened. Their third contest ended in a 30-minute time limit draw.
Strickland belittled Page for his preoccupation with ending his title reign, calling it a tantrum. While Page was concerned with Strickland, Strickland was concerned with winning the AEW World Championship. And, even though he lost his title, he will win it again, but first he needs to handle “Hangman.” Strickland promises that no one will intervene in their match at “All Out,” when the two are locked in a Steel Cage.
My issue with this entire feud is that the lines between babyface and heel have been erroneously blurred. Swerve Strickland’s enjoyment of the crowd’s adulation has prevented him from completely turning heel. It doesn’t change the fact that the inciting incident in this feud, that drove Page to such violent extremes, was Strickland invading his home. Is Page wrong for seeking vengeance? Certainly not in the weird world of wrestling, no.
Page had no answer for Strickland’s challenge. In fact, he almost seemed too ashamed to respond. It’s time for Strickland to completely commit himself to the role of a heel and return the favor that Page did for him last year at “Full Gear.”
Unfortunately for Page, I don’t expect that to happen.
MISS: Jamie Hayter’s Return
Jamie Hayter’s highly anticipated return to AEW occurred last Sunday on the “Zero Hour” pre-show of “All In,” which felt inapt given how beloved she was before her injury. Her return to “Dynamite” was equally disappointing.
This should have been a promo, addressing her absence and challenging anyone on the women’s roster to a match on Friday Night “Rampage” or Saturday Night “Collision.” Instead, it was just a subpar match against Harley Cameron.
HIT: MJF and Daniel Garcia
This was easily the highlight of the night. After losing his AEW American Championship to Will Ospreay at “All In,” Maxwell Jacob Friedman has renounced his American citizenship. MJF commends Ospreay for his immense talent, recognizing that Ospreay has the talent necessary to obtain the AEW World Championship one day. However, MJF promises Ospreay that he will personally see to it that Ospreay never captures the grandest prize in all of professional wrestling.
MJF didn’t travel to a podunk town like Champaign to lament his failure, though. MJF came to Champaign to challenge the man who intervened in his match last Sunday, Daniel Garcia. MJF promises that if Garcia ever shows his face in AEW again, he’s going to end his life. However, Garcia blindsides MJF — entering the ring and battering the former International Champion. Garcia lifts MJF onto the top turnbuckle and attempts to break his neck with a piledriver, but security guards arrive and separate the two. The interference gives MJF the opportunity to collect himself and take the fight to Garcia. The two begin jockeying for position until more security arrives, led by Christopher Daniels.
After MJF escaped the ring, Garcia grabbed a microphone; telling MJF that he was the one who stole MJF’s Dynamite Diamond Ring. Not only did he steal it, but he pawned it off in Buffalo, NY to afford his round trip to London last weekend. Garcia has become so obsessed with ruining MJF’s life, that he called it a “fetish.” So much so that he’s talked to Tony Khan and it’s official: Daniel Garcia will face MJF next Saturday at “All Out.” Garcia won’t stop at a pinfall, though. He wants to break MJF’s neck, just like MJF broke his. Garcia finished his promo by throwing the microphone across the entranceway, nailing MJF in the forehead.
This was phenomenal, top to bottom. Daniel Garcia’s intensity was palpable and his hatred towards MJF felt legitimate. It’s very rare that MJF’s opponent can match his intensity. Somehow, Garcia managed to surpass it.
MISS: All Star 8-Man Tag Team Match
Tony Khan consolidated my two least favorite angles into one television segment this week. Maybe this should be a “hit.”
Over the last two months, both the Conglomeration versus the Undisputed Kingdom and Hook versus the Learning Tree have been abysmal feuds. This match was so uninteresting, Tony Khan had to assure fans on X (formerly Twitter) that this would be exciting. He lied.
HIT: Ricochet vs. Kyle Fletcher
Ricochet made his highly anticipated debut at “All In” in the Casino Gauntlet Match. Last night, he had his first singles match in AEW against the “Protostar,” Kyle Fletcher. This was yet another opportunity for Fletcher to increase his profile, sharing the stage with a former WWE star. Fletcher didn’t disappoint.
This was an extremely enjoyable wrestling match. Ricochet finished Fletcher with Vertigo (a lifting reverse DDT), one of his classic finishing maneuvers. Afterwards, Will Ospreay appeared in his entranceway, laying down his International title and effectively challenging Ricochet. However, PAC attacked Ospreay from behind, delivering a devastating Reverse Hurricanrana to the “Aerial Assassin” on the entranceway. PAC reminds Ospreay that they have a match scheduled for next Saturday at “All Out,” so Ospreay should be a little more worried about the task at hand.
With opponents like PAC and Ricochet lining up for their shot at the International Championship, Will Ospreay’s second title reign is sure to be a phenomenal one.
MISS: Bryan Danielson’s First Challenger Emerges
In the main event segment, Bryan Danielson makes his “Dynamite” debut as the AEW World Champion. Danielson admits that a confluence of factors has forced him to reconsider his future. His neck needs surgery sooner rather than later and his family is ready for him to come home. Still, that won’t stop the “American Dragon” from defending his title as long as he possibly can. However, when Danielson eventually does lose the world championship, his career as a full-time wrestler will be over. So, who wants to try retiring the “American Dragon” first?
Queue the “Scapegoat,” Jack Perry on the titantron, fresh off his win over Darby Allin at “All In.” However, Perry’s video is merely a distraction, giving the TNT Champion an opportunity to blind side Danielson. Perry proudly stands tall over Danielson, posing with both titles in his grasp, as the program ends.
What a lackluster feud to kick off Danielson’s title reign. Jack Perry isn’t even the most prolific singles wrestler in his own faction, let alone of all the heels in AEW. Jack Perry’s monotonal delivery and affiliation with the most ice-cold heel faction in AEW isn’t doing him any favors. At least he’s working with Danielson, who can conjure a good match out of anyone who is remotely capable in the ring. Still, this is disappointing nonetheless. Hopefully this feud ends in 10 days at “All Out,” and another challenger emerges.
This episode of “Dynamite” felt like it was gasping for air. With only 10 days left until “All Out,” it’s obvious that Tony Khan struggled to tie up all the loose ends exiting “All In,” while simultaneously building towards the Pay-Per-View next Saturday. However, there are three more hours of television this week. Hopefully the rest of “All Out” will be announced by the end of “Collision” this Saturday — giving next week’s episode of “Dynamite” a little more room to breathe.
The rest of the week’s programming
Friday Night “Rampage”
- Konosuke Takeshita vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Lio Rush
- Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal vs. The Undisputed Kingdom vs. Private Party
- Mina Shirakawa in action
- Nyla Rose in action
- Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Outrunners
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