AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 1

Just days before Revolution, All Elite Wrestling presented the go-home episode of Dynamite, headlined by a Face of the Revolution ladder match featuring some of the most death-defying competitors in the world.

The main event capped off a night that saw Bryan Danielson and MJF speak one last time about their 60-Minute Iron Man match for the AEW World Championship, an All-Atlantic title defense by Orange Cassidy, and a Casino Battle Royale to determine the fourth team to compete for the tag titles at Revolution.

Who emerged victorious from the in-ring action and who built momentum heading into the first AEW PPV of 2023? Find out with this recap of the March 1 edition.

Match Card

Wednesday's match card for Dynamite:

• Face of the Revolution ladder match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ortiz vs. Komander vs. Eddie Kingston vs. AR Fox vs. Action Andretti vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (Samoa Joe on commentary)
• Casino Tag Team Battle Royale featuring Aussie Open, Jericho Appreciation Society, Best Friends, The Kingdom, Dark Order, La Faccion Ingobernable, The Butcher and The Blade, Lucha Bros, Top Flight and Blackpool Combat Club
• Peter Avalon vs. Chris Jericho
• AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Big Bill
• FTW Championship: Hook vs. Matt Hardy
• Riho vs. Toni Storm
• Bryan Danielson and MJF promos

AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Big Bill

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Orange Cassidy faced the biggest challenge to his reign as AEW All-Atlantic champion in Big Bill.

Despite a chokeslam that drove him through the timekeeper's table and the presence of Stokely Hathaway at ringside, Freshly Squeezed retained his title with three consecutive Orange Punches, one of which came from the top rope.

The match was a fun one that set the tone for the night and gave Cassidy another big victory in a string of them. He has been a great choice to carry the All-Atlantic Championship, which has not been prioritized at all but has still been at the center of some above-average bouts.

Cassidy has been extraordinary during this run and deserves more credit for the quality of his work of late, despite the perception of him as a comedic act.

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Result

Cassidy defeated Big Bill to retain

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Grade

C+

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Top Moments

• The announce team ran down the history of the Cow Palace in San Francisco, home of Wednesday's show, including a mention of Roy Shire and Big Time Wrestling.
• Cassidy frustrated the challenger early, dodging him at every turn before Big Bill delivered a sidewalk slam. 
• The heel drove Freshly Squeezed through the timekeeper's table with a chokeslam. 
• Cassidy dropped to the mat, avoiding a big boot. He repeated the spot and rolled to the floor. There, Big Bill threatened to chokeslam Danhausen, only for Hathaway to backhand the face-painted babyface with the cast on his supposedly broken hand.
• A bloodied Jon Moxley cut a prerecorded promo on "Hangman" Adam Page before their Texas Death match this Sunday.

• The House of Black attacked The Elite during their entrance, sending a clear message to the AEW trios champions ahead of Revolution.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Wild and chaotic spots were the name of the game in the Face of the Revolution ladder match featuring Powerhouse Hobbs, Ortiz, Eddie Kingston, Konosuke Takeshita, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, AR Fox and Komander.

Awe-inspiring athleticism and creativity defined the contest, with the high-flying of Komander really standing out from the pack.

The presence of the Jericho Appreciation Society's Daniel Garcia nearly ensured Guevara scored a tainted win, but it was Hobbs who earned the victory and a future shot at the TNT Championship after sending Takeshita crashing off the ladder.

The match was a spot fest that featured some great storytelling in the form of Garcia and Guevara working together to eliminate Andretti, but it really thrived on its big moments.

Hobbs winning was a welcome creative decision because the guy screams "money" and really should have been prominently featured before now.

It remains to be seen if this victory allows him to build momentum toward a championship but it was one of the more defining victories of his young career.

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Result

Hobbs defeated Andretti, Guevara, Takeshita, Fox, Komander, Kingston and Ortiz

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Grade

B

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Top Moments

• Kingston and Ortiz brawled to start the match, with their personal rivalry trumping their desire for a championship opportunity.
• Komander wiped out the field with a dive to the floor.
• Fox took a nasty bump on a ladder that did not give at all.
• Andretti and Guevara executed an ugly falcon arrow bump that appeared to affect both.
• Garica interfered on behalf of his JAS teammate Guevara.
• Hobbs wiped Takeshita off the ladder, climbed it and won the match.
• Afterward, Wardlow appeared and looked to attack Samoa Joe, who escaped unscathed. He powerbombed one poor security guard onto a group of them instead while Hobbs watched.

Peter Avalon vs. Chris Jericho; Christian Cage's Challenge to Jack Perry

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Chris Jericho wiped Peter Avalon out with the Judas Effect a week ago, costing the comedic act an opportunity to accept Ricky Starks' open challenge for a match at Revolution.

Wednesday night, the veteran found out the hard way what happens when you deprive a hungry competitor, as Avalon took the fight to him from the outset.

Jericho weathered the early storm, though, and earned the win with a Codebreaker.

After the match, he threatened to beat down Avalon further until Starks made the save. It was a trap, though, as the Jericho Appreciation Society jumped Starks and left him lying, sending one last message ahead of Revolution.

The Starks-Jericho program feels far colder than it should be given who is involved. Maybe it is because the babyface has already beaten the heel twice; once in singles action and once in tag team battle.

Whatever the case, it feels like a contest that is nowhere near as hot as it should be. It will be up to Starks and Jericho to rectify that through effort and storytelling.

Christian Cage cut a promo with Renee Paquette in which he denounced "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry as a champion, claimed he still sees wrestling as a business and challenged his former protégé to a fight at Revolution.

Perry answered with a video package right out of 1995 WWE.

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Result

Jericho defeated Avalon

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Grade

C

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Top Moments

• Jake Hager's purple bucket hat was over more than anything that went on in this segment.
• Either Perry watched a bunch of Undertaker stuff on Peacock or Tony Khan mixed up his promotions as the burial vignette that Jungle Boy responded to Cage's challenge with felt like something The Deadman would be a part of in WWE.

FTW Championship: Hook vs. Matt Hardy

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

FTW champion Hook faced one of the craftiest challengers to his title to date in the form of Matt Hardy.

The veteran got a longer match out of the rookie and put him on the defensive more than any other opponent, but he could not do the unthinkable by beating him.

Instead, Hook countered Hardy's arsenal into the Redrum for the quick submission victory.

This was perfectly acceptable wrestling and something Hook needed to be involved in. Longer matches against grizzled veterans with a wealth of experience such as Hardy are the perfect setting for a young star looking to expand his game.

Here, the 23-year-old was asked to sell more than he typically does. It worked, and his sudden win really helped put over just how devastating the Redrum is as a submission.

The feud with The Firm is a bit too midcard-like, but working with veteran competitors who can help Hook evolve is a great call.

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Result

Hook submitted Hardy to retain

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Grade

C+

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Top Moments

• Hathaway removed his cast, proving the broken hand caused by Hook was really a charade.
• AEW women's champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker had a message for Saraya and Toni Storm ahead of Revolution:

• Hangman Page cut a passionate promo ahead of his Texas Death match against Jon Moxley.

Riho vs. Toni Storm

Credit: AEW

Former women's champions were up next as Riho squared off with Toni Storm, who was accompanied by Saraya, in the latest struggle between the outsiders and AEW originals.

Down the stretch, Storm controlled the contest and appeared to have things in hand. A late distraction by Britt Baker and AEW women's champion Jamie Hayter allowed the Japanese competitor to score the pinfall victory from out of nowhere.

After the match, Ruby Soho made her presence felt ahead of the three-way dance pitting her, Hayter and Saraya against each other for the top prize in the women's division. A brawl between all involved led to security involvement.

This was a surprisingly effective bit of business, both in terms of in-ring action and the final build for Sunday's title match.

Storm and Riho had some solid in-ring chemistry while the storyline that has put Soho in the middle of two warring teams has done a great deal to bring attention and focus to the women's division.

Soho vs. Hayter vs. Saraya should be a boatload of fun and continue the upward trend of recent women's wrestling storytelling in AEW.

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Result

Riho defeated Storm

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Grade

B

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Top Moments

• Saraya talked trash to Riho, taking the babyface's attention off of Storm momentarily.
• Baker and Hayter distracted Storm, allowing Riho to score the upset.
• Soho hit the ring after the match and laid into both Saraya and Hayter.

Casino Tag Team Battle Royale

Credit: AEW

Order of entry: The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and John Silver), Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta), La Faccion Ingobernables (Rush and Preston Vance), Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix), Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis), Jericho Appreciation Society (Matt Menard and Angelo Parker), Top Flight (Dante and Darius Martin), The Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven), Best Friends (Danhausen and Orange Cassidy), The Butcher and The Blade.

Earlier in the show, it was announced that Best Friends' Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta were not cleared to compete in the match.

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The fourth team in the AEW World Tag Team Championship match at Revolution was determined in a Casino Battle Royale on Wednesday, with Orange Cassidy and Danhausen stepping in late for injured Best Friends teammates Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor.

Despite the beating he took at the hands of Big Bill earlier in the show, Cassidy withstood the late onslaught by The Butcher and The Blade just long enough for an opportunistic Danhausen to dump the heels and secure the win.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, who cashed their ticket to the match last week, attacked before The Acclaimed hit the ring. Along with the Gunns, they brawled before the babyfaces stood tall to close the segment.

This was not a particularly great Battle Royal. AEW has always managed to excel in these matches, but this was disappointing, with only half-hearted stories weaved throughout, leading to a clunky-yet-predictable finish.

Cassidy and Danhausen at least make sense given their history with Jarrett and Lethal, but the match at Revolution feels so much unlike an actual tag team title match. It's almost unthinkable that the same PPV once staged the greatest tag team match in AEW history: Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks in 2020.

Instead of that, we will be privy to a mishmash of characters and ongoing storylines, none of which is actually dedicated to the strengthening of the titles themselves.

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Result

Cassidy and Danhausen won

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Grade

C+

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Top Moments

• Castagnoli and Yuta attacked Dark Order during their entrance, continuing their trend toward heeldom while playing up the ancillary effects of the Moxley-Hangman rivalry.
• Rush attempted to pull Fenix's mask off during the commercial break. 
• Tony Nese, Josh Woods, Ari Daivari and "Smart" Mark Sterling attacked The Lucha Bros, leading to their elimination from the match by LFI.
• Parker tried to hide under the ring skirt, but Danhausen rolled him into the squared circle and then worked with Cassidy to send him packing.
• The Dark Order distracted Castagnoli and Yuta, leading to their elimination.

Bryan Danielson and MJF Put Final Hype on Revolution Main Event

Credit: AEW

Bryan Danielson fileted MJF on the mic in the closing moments of Wednesday's show, blasting him for his breakup with his fiancée and threatening to kick his head in if he is not prepared to go one hour with him at Revolution.

For once, MJF said nothing. Instead, he stood in disbelief at the venom spewed by the No. 1 contender, who reminded him of all that he has fought through to get this opportunity, including poverty, injury and The Authority.

The look on the champion's face as the show went off the air was that of a guy who knew he had awakened a monster in Danielson and must now find a way to counter him if he hopes to retain his title.

This was great stuff as Danielson again reminded fans that, when he is on, he is a great promo. He held nothing back, and his words cut MJF. Their match Sunday night should be a Match of the Year candidate, if everything goes to plan.

The only negative was the rushed nature of the program. AEW severely overbooked the show, giving Danielson and MJF little time to put the finishing touches on their feud.

Still, Danielson saved his best MJF-centric promo for last, and the result was a suitable exclamation point.

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Grade

A+

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Top Moments

• "He hates me because people call me the best wrestler in the world and as the AEW champion, he thinks he deserves that," Danielson said.
• "If there's one thing you deserve, it's your fiancée leaving you."
• "Pinning shoulders to mats and banging rats...is that what you do, Max? That doesn't seem like someone I'd want my daughter to marry."
• "You better be ready to fight with everything you have for 60 full minutes, because if you don't, you are going to get your f--king head kicked in!"