Wednesday night means one thing and one thing only! It’s Dynamite review time!
All Elite Wrestling has found a nice groove of late. There’s a perfect balance of story, matches, and fiery promos that make Dynamite incredibly fun every week. Even last week’s episode, while not being my favorite, was objectively still good. That’s what AEW does. They know how to put on a wrestling show for wrestling fans.
The trend looks to continue, as well. CM Punk and MJF headline a card containing Malakai Black, Ruby Soho, PAC, and Jon Moxley. It’s a star studded episode of Dynamite, but did the star power create an equally awesome show?
Let’s find out!
Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta

Dynamite starts off with a bang as Jon Moxley kicks off the show in a good match against Wheeler Yuta. This match originally was slated to be Moxley versus Brian Kendrick, but some unfortunate clips surfaced and Tony Khan needed to make a split second decision involving Kendrick. Wheeler Yuta filled in great because this match surprised the hell out of me. I expected a squash, but it was not that at all. Yuta killed it in this match.
Any match involving a Best Friend usually means the group is out in support, however there was only Orange Cassidy this time. Danhausen was also following Cassidy out to the ring, but we aren’t sure if he’s joined Best Friends or not.
Moxley began taking over as the match went on and Yuta would amount a little offense here and there, but it wasn’t until Moxley went face to face with Danhausen that Yuta was able to get the advantage. The young Yuta strung together a flurry of offense that culminated in a fantastic Frog Splash and a two count. At this point Moxley had enough and finished the match with the Paradigm Shift.
I really enjoyed this match because of the time AEW allowed Yuta to have. He stepped up in an unfortunate situation and killed it on National Television. It was a great match and a good start to Dynamite.
3.5/5
Except we were not done with Moxley this evening. Bryan Danielson popped into the ring after the match was over. Everyone expected Danielson to challenge Moxley, but he proceeded to cut an amazing promo that caught us by surprise. Danielson wants to team up with Moxley and start a faction of young guns to take over AEW. Moxley’s facial expressions were hilarious because of his obvious hesitation. Danielson told Mox to think about it, and now I cannot stop thinking about the possibilities.
Segments:
- Brandi Rhodes and Dan Lambert have another battle of words. The barbs traded between the two were actually pretty good this time, but I still don’t understand what we’re doing here. I did enjoy the Josh Alexander callout though. Pretty sure he’s a free agent soon. Eventually Paige van Zant comes to the ring, beats up Brandi, and they need separated. Just going to say this: I do NOT need to see Brandi Rhodes versus Paige van Zant…
- Matt Hardy is backstage with Private Party and he’s pissed that they didn’t win on Rampage. Andrade pops up out of nowhere and is angry too. His investment of the HFO hasn’t seen any returns yet. Hardy apparently has the solution of Isiah Kassidy facing Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship this Friday on Rampage.
PAC/Penta el Zero Miedo vs. Kings of the Black Throne

Up next was a tag match between Death Triangle and The Kings of the Black Throne. This was a good match, but I expected better from these four guys. Maybe my expectations were too high, but these four are some of my favorites in the game. When they lock horns I want something awesome. Maybe that’s my own fault because this match was totally fine.
The beginning was great, however. PAC came to the ring blindfolded and fought the beginning match with it on. He was able to dodge Malakai and hit him with a few moves before he took it off. This was awesome and I missed seeing PAC on Dynamite.
The match was your standard tag match with the Kings overwhelming and isolating PAC from Penta. Brody King is such a great addition to the tag roster. Eventually PAC is able to tag out to Penta and the intensity ramps up. The tag bell sounds and a flurry of moves and combos keep the intense pace. Unfortunately it doesn’t last long because it ends abruptly as Malakai spits the black mist into Penta’s face. PAC was taken out somewhere along the line, the Kings hit the Dante’s Inferno finisher, and pick up the pinfall.
Just a standard tag match here. It was fine, but knowing what these four could put on I would have liked seeing more. I’m interested what the Black Mist is going to do. Malakai keeps using it but nothing is happening. Small things happen like Julia needing an eye patch and PAC kind of needing a blindfold. I like slow stories, but I’d like for this to go somewhere. Good match, regardless.
3.25/5
Segment:
Adam Cole is backstage and pissed off about the Lights Out match last week. He doesn’t believe that the result should affect his standing because he’s still undefeated. Apparently he’s taking out his anger on Evil Uno this Friday on Rampage.
Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose

Up next was the rematch from the TBS Tournament where Ruby Soho eliminated Nyla Rose from TBS title contention. Nyla wanted revenge and she got it in a great women’s match. This match was very well done, and if not for the main event, would absolutely be grabbing Match of the Night.
The story here was like most Nyla matches. She used her strength to overpower Soho, but she also attack Soho’s shoulder again. Ruby continues to get that shoulder worked on every match that I wonder if it’s becoming some sort of story. Nyla spent most of the match with the advantage, except for a really cool spot where Ruby lifted Nyla onto her shoulders and dropped Rose onto the ring apron. It didn’t last long as Nyla quickly turned the tides back with a vicious Spinebuster onto the floor.
Eventually Ruby was able to connect with the No Future kick, except that dastardly Vickie Guerrero pulled Nyla’s leg underneath the rope to break the count. Ruby attempted to escalate the situation by hitting a top rope No Future kick but she missed! I don’t believe it was accidental but it looked really good if she meant to miss. Nyla pounced and hit the Beast Bomb for the victory.
I really liked how this match ended and the entire match overall. Ruby Soho doesn’t really have an offensive style that I like, but these two blend together very well. They put on a great match this week and will probably continue the feud because of Vickie’s interference.
4/5
Segments:
- Gunn Club beat up Jungle Boy backstage and throw him outside into a pile of snow.
- Hangman Adam Page comes down to the ring for an interview with Schiavone. He’s still pissed about having the belt for 81 days and only defending it twice. Dan Lambert’s grating voice interrupts until Lance Archer says no more talking. Lance and Hangman have a really cool brawl as Lance destroys the champ through the ringside table. This was REAL good.
- Jericho is backstage and addressing Santana and Ortiz. He’s angry about last week and is calling an ‘Inner Circle Team Meeting’ next week on Dynamite.
MJF vs. CM Punk

Suddenly it was main event time! It was very confusing that the main event was starting with forty minutes to go, but there definitely was a reason. MJF and CM Punk finally engaged in battle after MJF had done everything in his power to evade The Best in the World. They finally fought and this match was one of the best examples of Sports Entertainment in recent memory. This was a great Pro Wrestling match, but there was a lot of Sports Entertainment here as well.
The story of the match was obviously going to revolve around the repulsive actions of MJF. He took cheap shots galore and even tried running away before the match really got going. As the match progressed, the story revolved around CM Punk’s arm and knee. MJF dodged a spear and Punk dove, arm first, straight into the ring post. This caused the Salt of the Earth to consistently barrage that arm, and at some point Punk’s leg. I wasn’t sure where he hurt the leg, but that was a target as well.
The Almost Dusty Finish…
About halfway through the match, MJF found a thick piece of electrical tape. He proceeded to choke Punk out with said tape, however he was able to cover it up with a sleeper hold. The referee didn’t see the tape as Punk was trying to tell referee, Bryce Remsburg, but he couldn’t talk. Punk passed out and MJF won! …Or did he?
During the celebration, MJF dropped the tape right in front of Bryce Remsburg. The referee was mad and restarted the match, to the obvious dismay of MJF. Punk rolls up MJF for a close two count and an almost Dusty Finish. I’ll get to how I felt about the whole match, but I enjoyed this section. Even though I found it unnecessary, given the final outcome.
Back to our originally scheduled good match!
The match continues with Punk finding new life and MJF continually dissecting Punk’s arm and leg. They did a really good job of selling this because Punk couldn’t hit the GTS. He kept trying but couldn’t lift Max up. What CM Punk could do was the freaking Pepsi Plunge! That looks like an incredibly brutal move to try and protect.
The match comes to a final conclusion with my favorite man, Wardlow, coming down the rampway. He looks perturbed to be helping MJF, but he gets into Punk’s face. You don’t know it yet, but as the camera zooms into their stare down, MJF grabs the Dynamite Diamond ring from Wardlow. MJF sneaks back into the ring and clonks CM Punk over the head with it and gets the pinfall. MJF beats CM Punk in Chicago!
I really liked this match. It was a great match and a perfect example of how you tell story in your match, while also having great pro wrestling. Having said that, I do not think this match needed that middle screwy part. While yes, I did enjoy it, the finish would have done the same without it. That finish was perfect. MJF winning because of a regretful Wardlow while still using the Diamond ring is the perfect way for Max to beat Punk in Chicago. This sets up the rematch at Revolution and probably the Wardlow turn.
Regardless, great match to cap off a good Dynamite.
4.5/5
Match of the Night
That concluded Dynamite for this week! Honestly, if I were to grade Dynamite independently from the main event, it would not receive a good score. The segments were awkward and unnecessary, and the matches were fine but not great. The last two matches saved a below average Dynamite where I can give it a good score, but AEW sometimes has this issue. When there’s a monumental match on Dynamite, they put all of the energy into that match. It takes away from the rest of the show, in my opinion.
Nonetheless, I must grade Dynamite as a whole. I had a lot more fun in the second hour than the first. It was a good Dynamite and the streak of fun shows continues.
But…please AEW…stop with the Brandi and Lambert segments…
Verdict:
3.75/5