This Wednesday, AEW will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its flagship program, “Dynamite,” with a show from Pittsburgh.
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, here are the five greatest matches in “Dynamite” history.
5. CM Punk, Sting, and Darby Allin vs. MJF and FTR
“Dynamite #116: Holiday Bash – Tag 1”
December 22, 2021
Selfishly, I must admit that this match holds a special place in my heart.
While I love all six men involved in this match, my affinity for Sting and CM Punk can’t be understated. Prior to 2021, witnessing these two monoliths join forces would have been unthinkable. At the height of my adolescent wrestling fandom, this was the “dream match.”
Introduce Darby Allin, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and FTR; with the historic Greensboro Coliseum as the backdrop, and you have a recipe for near perfection.
That isn’t to say that this match is without its flaws. MJF did nearly break his neck in this match, if it weren’t for Dax Harwood narrowly catching him. However, the rush of endorphins that I experience whenever I watch Sting, Allin, & Punk’s entrance is extraordinary.
This match is six-man tag team wrestling at its finest.
4. FTR vs. The Young Bucks
“Dynamite #131”
April 6, 2022
With their ROH World Tag Team Championship and AAA World Tag Team Championship on the line, FTR found themselves facing a familiar foe in The Young Bucks.
In their first encounter at “Full Gear” (2020), Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were the antagonists — having driven a wedge between “Hangman” Adam Page and the Elite. This time, the roles were reversed. Harwood and Wheeler had become sympathetic figures amidst the Pinnacle’s collapse.
These two teams stood at the pinnacle (no pun intended) of tag team wrestling and their first meeting in 2020 was an instant classic. When their rematch was scheduled for “Dynamite,” fans knew they were in for a treat.
The match itself exceeded my wildest expectations, which is saying a lot for these two teams. This easily could have been a main event of a Pay-Per-View, let alone a standard episode of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
3. “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson
“Dynamite #115: Winter is Coming”
December 15, 2021
When “Hangman” Adam Page” defeated Kenny Omega at “Full Gear” (2021) and won the AEW World Championship — the company’s ace had finally emerged.
Page’s first appearance as world champion came four days after “Full Gear,” when he returned home to the Commonwealth of Virginia. However, his triumphant homecoming celebration was interrupted by none other than the “American Dragon,” Bryan Danielson, who had defeated Miro in the finale of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament to earn another shot at the world championship. With “Revolution” (2022) over three and a half months away, the most fitting stage for their titanic clash would be less than a month away at “Winter is Coming” (2021).
To this point, Bryan Danielson was undefeated in singles competition in AEW. For Page, beating the “American Dragon” would be the most difficult challenge of his career. And, it was exactly that. While Page was the AEW World Champion, this match was driven by Danielson; who is no stranger to hour-long marathons. The tale is as old as time: the young and relentless hero trying to outlast the savvy veteran.
When the time ultimately expired, just moments after Page finally landed his Buckshot Lariat, I knew I had just witnessed one of the most extraordinary matches to ever grace network television.
2. Will Ospreay vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman
“Dynamite #250”
July 17, 2024
While the AEW International Championship was on the line, the title was just an afterthought in this contest.
Both wrestler’s youth belies their extraordinary ability. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is one of the most gifted orators of this generation, or any generation for that matter. So much so, that it overshadows his god-given ability in the ring. Will Ospreay is currently on one of the most prolific runs in wrestling history and already on a short list of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete in a squared circle.
For Ospreay, this was yet another opportunity to test his mettle against AEW’s finest. For MJF, it was a chance to prove that he is the most valuable asset in all of professional wrestling.
This match could have been the main event of any Pay-Per-View on AEW’s schedule and it would have stolen the show. Fortunately for us, it was on network television.
These two battled for 59 minutes and 57 seconds, trading nearly every weapon in their arsenal. The general public’s consumption of televised wrestling has been greatly conditioned by the worldwide-leaders’ practices over the past two decades. We’ve become accustomed to brief exchanges between wrestlers that build towards more climactic Pay-Per-View events. While this match certainly wasn’t the conclusion to their feud — it was a beautiful love letter to the “sickos.”
1. Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega
“Dynamite #103: Grand Slam – Tag 1”
September 22, 2021
When Bryan Danielson debuted at the end of “All Out,” AEW had reached a fever pitch. The company was only week’s removed from CM Punk’s debut at Friday Night “Rampage: The First Dance” and “All Out” was one of the most extraordinary Pay-Per-View events of the century.
Kenny Omega was in the midst of his legendary run as the AEW World Champion, widely considered the best performer on AEW’s roster. The “Best Bout Machine” rose to prominence in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, becoming the new leader of the Bullet Club after AJ Styles’ departure. However, it was Omega’s series of matches against Kazuchika Okada that canonized him as one of the preeminent wrestlers in the world today.
While this wasn’t Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega’s first matchup, it had been over a decade since their last encounter. However, Omega had never pinned or submitted Danielson before. Now that he had become the self-proclaimed “God of Pro-Wrestling,” could he finally slay the “American Dragon?”
Over 20,000 fans attended the inaugural “Grand Slam” to witness two of the best wrestlers to ever grace the squared circle compete for the AEW World Championship. This bout kicked off the show and was scheduled for a 30 minute time-limit. From the opening bell, the atmosphere was electric. Both men exhausted every last second on the clock, continuing to fight even after the bell had rang. While Omega retained his AEW World Championship, he still proved unable to pin Danielson.
For Danielson, it was a reminder that he was still as good as anyone in professional wrestling today; even two decades into his storied career.
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