AEW made its debut at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock for the 250th edition of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
To celebrate the momentous occasion, “Dynamite 250” was headlined by three incredible matches; all of which were pay-per-view quality exhibitions.
“Dynamite” has been on an incredible hot streak as of late, riding this tidal wave into Little Rock with a blockbuster card. Can a handful of marquee matches carry this episode of “Dynamite” to the same heights as the last two installments?
Let’s dive right in.
Hits and Misses
MISS: The Build Toward “Blood & Guts”
At the top of the 9 o’clock hour, The Acclaimed met with Mark Briscoe backstage to offer their services in “Blood & Guts” — next week in Nashville. While Briscoe accepted their offer, he admitted that it’s ultimately the AEW World Champion’s decision to make. Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana magically materialized out of thin era, giving Max Caster and Anthony Bowens his blessing. While the segment was admittedly a little clunky, four of the five participants for Team AEW in “Blood & Guts.”
Shortly thereafter, the TNT Champion, Jack Perry, addressed Darby Allin’s assault on Brandon Cutler last week on “Dynamite.” Perry assured Allin that he doesn’t care about Brandon Cutler and is ready to defend his title wherever and whenever. Perry then proceeded to… also beat up Brandon Cutler. This was a little odd.
While the seeds for “Blood & Guts” have been sown over the course of several months now, both of these segments seemed like afterthoughts in this episode. Maybe it speaks more towards my general disinterest in The Elite and this match format, but Team AEW doesn’t exactly leap off the page quite like it did for “Anarchy in the Arena” at “Double or Nothing.”
Nonetheless, these segments set the stage for the evening’s main event.
HIT: The Main Event
For many, Swerve Strickland versus Kazuchika Okada is a veritable dream match — pitting the World Champion against the Continental Champion in a non-title bout.
One of the most undervalued aspects of storytelling and plot progression in professional wrestling is actual wrestling. What a novel concept, right? Swerve Strickland was keenly aware of his opponent’s championship pedigree, managing to determine the pace of the bout, but never allowing it to escape Okada’s grasp. To the “Rainmaker”’s credit, Okada is a master of counter-wrestling — able to absorb Strickland’s unorthodox offense and immediately react with his own. However, the match was interrupted by the Young Bucks, who swarmed the ring and assaulted Strickland. Slowly, each participant for The Elite and Team AEW made their way to the ring in short order — culminating in Darby Allin, repelling from the rafters a-la his mentor, Sting.
While this main event failed to live up to “Dynamite”’s last two main events, it was certainly entertaining nonetheless. More than anything, it left me wanting to see a full length match between Strickland and Okada — without any interruptions from The Elite. I’d call that a success.
HIT: Mercedes Moné vs. Nyla Rose / Britt Baker Banned from Backstage
I expected an entertaining contrast in styles from these two and they didn’t disappoint. Nyla Rose is so fun to watch, and Mercedes Moné’s play on Britt Baker’s “Lockjaw” was tremendous.
It was the aftermath of the match that really won me over. When it was announced that Baker was banned from the backstage area, it was obvious that Baker was going to interfere from the crowd. The fact that she was standing ringside in the crowd, holding a sign and wearing a Sting mask, was hilarious. I do hope that Baker’s continued torment of Moné begins to escalate over the next few weeks. Baker is too good with a hot microphone not to challenge Moné in a more direct way.
MISS: “The Learning Tree” and Minoru Suzuki
After throwing a fireball at Hook and crippling Samoa Joe, “The Learning Tree” Chris Jericho wants to know who else has to be hurt, before wrestler’s stop questioning his wisdom. Queue “Kaze Ni Nare,” the iconic theme of Minoru Suzuki — who has arrived in Little Rock to make good on the challenge he issued before “Forbidden Door.”
Suzuki challenges Jericho to a match on next week’s “Blood & Guts” edition of “Dynamite,” handing Bryan Keith a letter from AEW officials announcing that Keith and Big Bill will be banned from ringside.
Just to reiterate, Jericho is 53 years old and Suzuki is 56. I would love to see Suzuki wrestle one of AEW’s younger stars. Not to belabor the phrase, but seven years ago this would have been a “dream match.” In 2024, it’s more like a nightmare.
HIT: Mariah May
Of all the ways that Mariah May could have responded to her betrayal of “Timeless” Toni Storm last week, her impersonation of Storm was brilliant. Not only did May look identical to Storm, but the crowd was clearly confused — magnifying their disdain for May.
May has become so reviled that even Tony Schiavone called her an expletive on air. What an honor.
Oftentimes in wrestling, less is more. There’s something effective about simplicity. This was brilliant.
HIT: Will Ospreay vs. MJF
“Dynamite 250” began with a match that could have main-evented a pay-per-view: Maxwell Jacob Friedman versus Will Ospreay for the International Championship. Not only was this a clash between two of the greatest phenoms in professional wrestling, but it was for Ospreay’s International Championship and it went for an hour!
I had lofty expectations for this match, but it vastly exceeded my wildest imagination. After the match surpassed the thirty minute mark, the idea of an hour time limit draw began to creep into my mind. When Ospreay raised MJF over his head, contemplating the “Tiger Driver ‘91,” I was sure the match was over. So, when MJF ultimately beat Ospreay and won the International Championship, I was in disbelief.
That ending was the culmination of an hour’s worth of work, between two of the greatest wrestlers alive. This was a masterclass, a match for the ages, and easily one of the five best matches in AEW “Dynamite” history. If you missed this, you did yourself a disservice as a wrestling fan.
This match alone more than made up for “Dynamite 250”’s run-of-the-mill second hour — continuing the stellar streak that “Dynamite” is on. We’ll find out whether or not “Blood & Guts” can continue the trend next week.
The rest of this week’s programming includes:
Friday Night “Rampage”
- The Conglomeration vs. Undisputed Kingdom
- Minoru Suzuki vs. the Butcher
- Chris Jericho & Big Bill vs. The Outrunners
- Lucha Bros. vs. Private Party
- Kris Statlander in action
Saturday Night “Collision”
- The Patriarchy vs. Bang Bang Gang (AEW Trios World Championship)
- Darby Allin vs. The Beast Mortos
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Chris Graham
