AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 11
AEW Dynamite has seen its fair share of loaded match cards since its inception in 2019, but you would be hard-pressed to find one with more high-profile matches than the one it produced Wednesday night for its return to Los Angeles.
The Elite and Death Triangle settled their Best of 7 Series for the AEW World Trios Championship, while "Hangman" Adam Page and Jon Moxley wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry with a hotly anticipated grudge match.
Throw in a mystery-partner angle and a potential show-stealing matchup between Bryan Danielson and Konosuke Takeshita, and AEW presented a blockbuster night of action on TBS.
Match Card
1 of 8- Best of 7 Series for the AEW World Trios Championship: The Elite vs. Death Triangle (Match Seven: Escalera de la Muerte)
- Jon Moxley vs. "Hangman" Adam Page
- Bryan Danielson vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- Jungle Boy and Hook vs. Big Bill and Lee Moriarty
- Saraya and Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter
- Jericho Appreciation Society promo
Jon Moxley vs. 'Hangman' Adam Page
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Adam Page silenced all doubters with an emphatic victory over Jon Moxley in the night's opening contest.
With the fans in Los Angeles solidly behind him, Hangman fought through Moxley's attempt to exploit his previous head injury. He absorbed everything thrown at him by the former AEW world champion before engaging him in a strike-heavy exchange late.
Stunning Moxley, Page uncorked one last Buckshot Lariat to flatten his opponent and score the pinfall victory.
This was a hellish fight between two guys who do not like each other, with some jaw-dropping physicality. The last lariat appeared to have broken Moxley's nose, adding to the theme of the match.
Page needed the win. After way too long, he earned a signature victory over the hottest star in pro wrestling in 2022. Where this takes him moving forward remains to be seen, but he can now begin to rehabilitate a character that was hurt by the creative provided him a year ago.
Result
Page defeated Moxley
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- The energy Moxley brings to the arena makes him a perfect candidate to kick off any show.
- Moxley delivered rights, then stomps, to the head of Page as the referee warned Hangman to protect himself or he would stop the match.
- Page unleashed a series of hard-hitting lariats.
- Moxley taunted Hangman fans with a double middle-finger salute.
- The competitors engaged in a late-match slap fight that gave way to the finish.
Adam Cole Returns
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For the first time since August, Adam Cole returned to AEW television, hitting the ring for an emotional promo.
The former Ring of Honor and NXT world champion relived the long journey back before revealing that he has returned, which is bad news for the All Elite Wrestling locker room.
Cole was a total babyface here, thanking the fans and playing up the gratitude he has for them and the business. It is the right call for him, given his popularity from the first time he stepped through the curtain at All Out 2021 and the reaction he received following his return from a lengthy absence.
With a heel world champion and a major villainous faction in the Jericho Appreciation Society, there are plenty of opponents for a babyface Cole. Then, when the opportunity arises, turn him back.
He is adaptable, good in the ring and perpetually over. Now, Tony Khan has a second chance to book him as the high-profile main event attraction he is rather than the secondary figure he was prior to his departure.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- "I have given you nothing for six months but you were still there for me. For that, I am eternally grateful. Thank you!"
- "The bad news...it's not for me. The bad news is for the AEW locker room because Adam Cole is back! I'm not going anywhere!"
Jungle Boy and Hook vs. Big Bill and Lee Moriarty
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After weeks of teasing Hook suplexing Big Bill, the AEW fans got everything they wanted when the FTW champion teamed with Jungle Boy to battle Bill and his partner in The Firm, Lee Moriarty.
The heels controlled early, isolating Jungle Boy until a hot tag to Hook sparked the babyface comeback. He delivered the long-awaited suplex to an enormous pop and choked out Moriarty to secure the victory.
An inoffensive match, this was really about the one spot, with Bill bumping huge for his smaller opponent and then selling the shock of it with his facial expressions.
This will probably be revisited, or at least the Hook-Jungle Boy team will be, but it would hardly be a bad thing if it were a one-and-done. Neither man really needs to be part of a thrown-together tandem at this point.
Result
JungleHook defeated The Firm
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- The pop for the hot tag to Hook was reflective of how popular the 23-year-old is and the effectiveness of his presentation.
- Hook T-bone suplexed the life out of Big Bill to a massive ovation.
Bryan Danielson vs. Konosuke Takeshita
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Bryan Danielson and Konosuke Takeshita were scheduled for a show-stealing one-on-one encounter Wednesday night on Dynamite, but MJF could not stop himself interjecting early with a pre-match promo.
Danielson ultimately interrupted the AEW world champion and proceeded to take the fight to Takeshita. What ensued was a brilliant wrestling bout that simultaneously put over the intensity and motivation of the prospective No. 1 contender and the tenacity and resiliency of his young opponent.
The American Dragon shook off what appeared to be a potentially serious knee injury to stomp away at Takeshita, then submit him to the Regal Stretch, a nice ode to his mentor and a man at the center of his feud with MJF.
The expectations for this match were lofty due to the quality of Danielson and Takeshita's work, and they lived up to them. This was hard-hitting and featured some great sequences and reversals en route to the finish that saw the right guy go over, but not without effectively establishing his opponent as a star of the future.
If Danielson is going to be consistently producing bangers like this, the road to his showdown with MJF is going to be a rewarding one for the AEW fans.
Result
Danielson submitted Takeshita
Grade
A+
Top Moments
- "And I thought Danielson was a bad public speaker," MJF said after Takeshita responded to him in Japanese.
- MJF insulted Ken Jeong and Freddie Prinze Jr., both of whom were at ringside.
- Takeshita rocked Danielson with a top-rope lariat.
- A nasty botch at ringside resulted in an ugly bump in which Danielson's leg became trapped under Takeshita. It clearly affected the prospective No. 1 contender, who struggled to put weight on the joint.
- The crowd popped for Takeshita making it to the ropes, proof of the connection he has forged with the fans since early in his career.
Saraya and Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter
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Hikaru Shida took exception to Saraya deeming Toni Storm the best wrestler in the world a week ago, and her presence at ringside ultimately led to the downfall of her associates.
Late on in a wild, highly competitive match, Shida slid her trademark kendo stick into the squared circle, only for Britt Baker to use it on Storm, leading to victory for her and AEW world women's champion Jamie Hayter.
There were so many people expecting Mercedes Moné to make her AEW debut that it hung over this match like a dark cloud. The crowd was red-hot for Hayter, but the reaction to the match and the hard work of the women involved was hurt by the anticipation for a moment that never came.
It's a shame because the story of Shida being so determined to help her friends and prove her value to Saraya, only to accidentally lead to her defeat, was really well done and will lead to a full-fledged heel turn for the former women's champion down the line.
This didn't need Moné because everyone here delivered a really solid match, which was enhanced by the storytelling.
Result
Baker and Hayter defeated Saraya and Storm
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Storm applied the Texas Cloverleaf to Baker, but Hayter rocked her with a kick to the face.
- Storm and Hayter exchanged forearms to the face, with Excalibur recalling that it was similar to the barrage of strikes that fractured the former's face at Full Gear.
Jericho Appreciation Society
7 of 8
We are only a few days into 2023, and we already have a candidate for the worst promo segment of the year.
The Jericho Appreciation Society were braggadocious and celebratory as they took to the squared circle for a promo segment. Matt Menard put over the JAS hurling Ricky Starks through a table, while Chris Jericho celebrated sending Action Andretti back to the minor leagues. Except, he didn't.
The babyfaces interrupted, and one of the worst back-and-forths ensued, with none of the usual strong talkers elevating a segment that appeared doomed from the start.
Andretti did not come across as particularly likable, Starks fumbled his words a couple of times, and the most memorable line came courtesy of...Jake Hager?
It was an ineffective segment that we could have been spared had they shot a quick backstage promo to set up Starks vs. Hager for next week.
Grade
D
Top Moment
- "I'm gonna slap your face all over your face," Hager warned, drawing a smirk from Starks in a so-bad-it-was-great moment.
Best of 7 Series for AEW World Trios Titles: The Elite vs. Death Triangle
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The Best of 7 Series for the AEW World Trios Championship came to a much-needed conclusion in Wednesday's main event, with The Elite predictably defeating Death Triangle to regain the gold.
The spots were displays of incredible athleticism and creativity. There is no denying the work and risk that went into executing them to the precision both teams did.
Still, this felt more of the same as we have seen throughout the series: An abundance of frenetically paced spots, some overacting by one participant in particular, typical dazzling offense from The Young Bucks and even better stuff from the underrated PAC.
The team we all expected to win did, and all is right with the world of AEW. Or something like that.
Who The Elite moves on to feud with next remains to be seen, but it will probably be a group like House of Black, which can least afford to be landing pads for Omega and the Bucks as they attempt to establish themselves as the greatest trio of all time.
A great match? Probably, but it's time to retire this matchup and for The Elite to switch things up with something more than the chaotic party-style tag matches they have perfected.
Result
The Elite defeated Death Triangle
Grade
A
Top Moments
- From the beginning of the match, the crowd was very into Death Triangle, a reaction the company may not have expected, as The Elite were almost certainly expected to be the favorite.
- Rey Fenix sent Nick Jackson off the top rope with a hurricanrana and legs-first into a ladder, drawing "oohs" from the crowd.
- Matt Jackson's rolling Northern Lights suplexes culminated with one onto a ladder.
- Alex Abrahantes knocked over a ladder, taking Matt Jackson off of it. Brandon Cutler hit the ring and sprayed Abrahantes' eyes, taking him out of the equation.
- Penta delivered a Fear Factor to Matt on a ladder.
- Omega provided a One-Winged Angel off the ladder to Fenix. PAC followed with a 450 splash, but Omega got his knees up.
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