With “Worlds End” in the rear-view mirror, AEW returned to Asheville, N.C., at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, for the special “Fight for the Fallen” edition of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
Like previous installments of “Fight for the Fallen,” proceeds of the gate were donated to Hurricane Helene relief — benefiting Asheville and the surrounding area that was affected by the storm.
Not only was this the first “Dynamite” of the new year, but it was also dubbed as the “Mother of all Simulcasts,” ushering in an exciting new era for AEW. In addition to being broadcast on TBS and TNT, “Dynamite” and Saturday Night “Collision” will now be simulcast on Warner Brothers-Discovery’s streaming service, MAX.
We’re a month and a half away from AEW’s next pay-per-view, “Grand Slam” in Australia. Did this week’s episode build a stable foundation for the future? Let’s find out:
HIT: “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Orange Cassidy
After failing to defeat Jon Moxley at “Worlds End” for the AEW World Championship, Orange Cassidy wanted to settle his score with “Hangman” Adam Page, once-and-for-all. Unfortunately, Cassidy was unable to exact any measure of revenge against Page.
Cassidy delivered two consecutive DDT’s, reversed Page’s Buckshot Lariat into a Beach Break, and landed three Orange Punches; but still couldn’t pin Page.
Page responded with a single Buckshot Lariat, which was devastating enough to pin Cassidy.
After the match, Page delivered two consecutive Dead Eyes to Cassidy — ostensibly injuring the Conglomeration’s leader. Before his onslaught could continue, AEW’s security flooded the ring to separate Page and Cassidy, led by Christopher Daniels. The “Fallen Angel’s” words fell on deaf ears, because Page didn’t hesitate to attack him either.
“Hangman” Adam Page has been AEW’s promising young star, its reluctant hero, and its world champion. He’s succeeded in the face of adversity and been consumed by hatred. Now, after failing to defeat Jon Moxley, Page has finally turned heel.
While the match itself was entertaining enough, the aftermath was brilliant. This was a watershed moment in the ethos of “Hangman” Adam Page.
Rating: ***
HIT: Hurt Syndicate defeated The Acclaimed
The second match of the evening saw The Acclaimed faced Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, representing The Hurt Syndicate — with MVP on commentary.
Max Caster and Anthony Bowens interpersonal relationship was at the forefront of this match, continuing to build towards The Acclaimed’s eventual demise.
MVP addressed the potential of Caster joining The Hurt Syndicate, revealing that Lashley and Benjamin are no longer interested in the self-proclaimed “best wrestler alive.”
At the end of the match, Max Caster tagged himself in against Bowens wishes, but quickly found himself at the mercy of the “Standard of Excellence.” Benjamin delivered four German Suplexes, before tagging in Lashley — who applied the Hurt Lock on Caster. Overwhelmed, the “Best Wrestler Alive” tapped in short order. Bowens watched from afar, refusing to interrupt Lashley’s Hurt Lock. Clearly, his frustration with Caster has reached a fever pitch.
I’m excited to see where this feud is heading. Can Caster convince The Hurt Syndicate to reconsider? Will Bowens turn heel? The possibilities are endless and enthralling.
Rating: **¾
MISS: Julia Hart defeated Jamie Hayter
After nearly eight months, the House of Black’s Julia Hart finally returned to the ring, facing Jamie Hayter.
While the match was announced several weeks ago, this feud began in November; when Hart interrupted several of Hayter’s interviews with vignettes, teasing her impending return. While Hart’s motivations are still unclear, it’s not difficult to imagine why Hart would target Hayter. Hart is a former TBS Women’s Champion, while Hayter is a former AEW Women’s World Champion. For Hart, defeating Hayter would put her in direct contention for Mariah May’s title.
Unfortunately, this match was clunky from the start to finish. Hart was never the women’s division best worker, but it’s clear she’s developed quite a bit of ring-rust in her absence. Hayter has only wrestled eight matches since her return, six of which were less than 10 minutes long. Couple that with the fact that they’ve never shared the ring before, and it’s no surprise that this was unimpressive.
In the end, Hart tried to use an arrow to attack Hayter, but was stopped by referee Aubrey Edward. While Edwards was preoccupied, Hart used her signature black mist to blind Hayter and score a pinfall.
While this wasn’t the most exciting affair, this feud is far from over and I’m excited to see where it takes both women.
Rating: **¼
HIT: Mercedes Moné Champagne Celebration
2024 was a landmark year for Mercedes Moné. Since debuting in AEW, she’s won the TBS Women’s Championship, NJPW Strong Women’s Championship, and scored notable wins against: Willow Nightingale, Stephanie Vaquer, Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Hikaru Shida, Hazuki, and Kris Statlander.
So, Moné held a red carpet celebration to commemorate her recent success, invoking Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 10 women’s matches of 2024; which Moné appeared on three times, including their women’s match of the year.
This also gave Moné an opportunity to advertise her match at “Wrestle Dynasty” against Mina Shirakawa, where she’ll be putting her NJPW Strong Women’s Championship on the line against Shirakawa’s RevPro British Women’s Championship.
Moné is 15-0 since signing with AEW, a record that the “CEO” proudly shared last night. Obviously, this has become a defining characteristic of Moné. Will she eclipse Jade Cargill’s 508-day reign as TBS Women’s Champion and/or her 60-win undefeated streak? Maybe that’s Moné’s trajectory for 2025.
HIT: Jay White defeated Roderick Strong & Swerve Strickland
This match was scheduled to determine the number one spot in next week’s Casino Gauntlet Match. The winner of that Casino Gauntlet Match will challenge Jon Moxley in two weeks on the special “Maximum Carnage” edition of “Dynamite.”
In theory, the number one spot in a Casino Gauntlet Match is invaluable, because the match can end as soon as someone is pinned. However, two people have to begin the match, so shouldn’t there have been two matches to determine the first two contenders? Based on their involvement in this match, it’s clear that Jay White, Roderick Strong, and Swerve Strickland all intend to enter the Casino Gauntlet Match. So, couldn’t one of the other competitors enter second, and still have an opportunity that is equally as advantageous as the winner?
That being said, this was a really fun match. Strickland dominated the majority of this match, overwhelming Strong and White with his athleticism and unorthodox offense. However, Strickland was blind sided by Ricochet, brandishing a pair of scissors and seeking revenge for Strickland bombarding him with toilet paper at “Worlds End.”
Strong dragged White into the ring, but White quickly recovered — countering into a Blade Runner for the three-count.
White secured the number one spot in the Casino Gauntlet Match, supposedly giving him a decisive advantage in the match. More importantly, it keeps White’s aspirations alive and a possibility to challenge Moxley again.
Rating: ***
HIT: Ricochet assaults Swerve Strickland
After the triple-threat match, Ricochet continued his assault on Strickland — repeatedly stabbing him with the scissors. Ricochet dragged the bloodied Strickland into the ring and tried to follow him with a steel chair, before Prince Nana tried to intervene. Ricochet made short work of Nana, laying him out with a chair shot.
Ricochet climbed into the ring, picked Strickland up, and sat him down in the chair: delivering one final Spirit Gun to punctuate the affair. The Undisputed Kingdom arrived with steel chairs to repel Ricochet, who burst into a fit of laughter.
When Ricochet signed with AEW, I never would have anticipated him undergoing this metamorphosis. I’m excited to see how Ricochet continues to evolve as a heel and how Strickland retaliates. This has the potential to be a fantastic feud.
HIT: Jeff Jarrett addresses his future
It’s 2025 and Jeff Jarrett just cut a six-minute promo on television. Lord have mercy on us all.
Last year, Bryan Danielson completed his final year as a full-time wrestler. John Cena and Hiroshi Tanahashi have both announced that 2025 will be their final year in professional wrestling. Did the “Last Outlaw” make a similar announcement?
Jarrett carried his boots into the ring and his emotions on his sleeves, recounting his family’s long and storied history in the professional wrestling game. From his grandmother, Christine Jarrett, to his father, Jerry Jarrett, and to his own career, as both a performer and promoter: Jarrett’s life has been inextricably intertwined with professional wrestling.
Jarrett isn’t retiring, though. In fact, he used the opportunity to announce that he’s signed his final contract as a professional wrestler. For 38 years, Jarrett has pursued championship gold — winning 12 world championships. Now, he has his eyes set on the AEW World Championship and his pursuit will begin next week, when he competes in the Casino Gauntlet Match.
This was a roller-coaster ride of a promo. On one hand, it’s baffling to me that Jarrett was given six-minutes of television time for this. While I certainly didn’t expect Jarrett to announce his immediate retirement, I thought he would announce his intentions to retire at the end of 2025 or at “All In.”
There’s a lot of middle-ground between continuing to wrestle and actively pursuing the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. Does this mean we’ll see Jeff Jarrett face Jon Moxley in the near future?
Setting the logistics aside, I still really enjoyed this promo. I really enjoyed Jarrett’s face-turn in 2024 and would like to see him carry this momentum into 2025.
HIT: The Devil has returned
MJF filmed this promo directly after his match with Adam Cole at “Worlds End.”
Having beaten Cole, MJF is ready to begin the next chapter in his illustrious career, and there is no better place to begin than the new year. The “Devil” has returned and he wants retribution. More importantly, he wants the AEW World Championship, and he’s not afraid of Jon Moxley. After all, he’s the man who beat Moxley in 2022.
This was yet another phenomenal promo from Maxwell Jacob Friedman, channeling the inner rage and arrogance of his idol, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
If this week’s episode of “Dynamite” has made anything abundantly clear, it’s that the championship picture is more wide-open than ever before. Adam Copeland, “Switchblade” Jay White, Swerve Strickland, Jeff Jarrett, and MJF all expressed their interest in capturing the title. The question is who will emerge as Moxley’s next challenger for “Maximum Carnage” and “Grand Slam?”
HIT: Rated FTR defeated The Death Riders
The main event saw Rated FTR face The Death Riders in trios action.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are both Asheville natives. While Adam Copeland is from Toronto, he currently resides in Asheville. So, it’s only natural that Rated FTR took center stage to challenge Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta.
Adam Copeland has apparently abbreviated his name to “Cope,” which is certainly an interesting choice.
This was a really exciting main event. While FTR carried the load for Rated FTR, Copeland looked great in his return — bringing the fight to Moxley. In the end, Jay White intervened — exacting some measure of revenge on Yuta for his interference in the main event of “Worlds End.” The distraction allowed Copeland to spear Moxley through a barricade and FTR cornered Yuta in the ring — delivering the Shatter Machine. Cash Wheeler picked Yuta back up, giving Copeland an opportunity to punctuate the affair with a spear.
Finally, there is a faction with enough talent and chemistry to overwhelm Moxley and his emissaries. Hopefully, this isn’t the end of Rated FTR’s war against the Death Riders.
Rating: ***½
Final Verdict
Not only was this a fantastic episode of “Dynamite,” but it was a great way to kick off this new era for AEW; presenting us with a myriad of challengers for Jon Moxley and the AEW World Championship. Couple that with a handful of exciting matches, “Hangman” Adam Page’s heel-turn, and Ricochet assaulting Swerve Strickland; and you have the ingredients for a great episode of “Dynamite.”
Rating: ****
The rest of the week’s programming
Saturday Night “Collision”
- The Learning Tree vs. Rated FTR
- Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo
- Daniel Garcia [c] vs. Mark Briscoe
- Private Party [c] vs. Lio Rush & Action Andretti
Wrestle Dynasty
- Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd
- Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shota Umino
- Jack Perry vs. Yota Tsuji
- Mercedes Moné vs. Mina Shirakawa
- Brody King vs. David Finlay
- Konosuke Takeshita [c] vs. Shingo Takagi
- The Sons of Texas [c] vs. The House of Torture
- Willow Nightingale vs. Athena vs. Persephone vs. Momo Watanabe
- The Young Bucks vs. The Great O-Khan & A Mystery Partner
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