AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 3, 2023
Roderick Strong made a surprise debut in All Elite Wrestling a week ago, coming to the aid of friend Adam Cole in his battles with The Jericho Appreciation Society. Wednesday night on Dynamite, he partnered with his Undisputed Era teammate, International Champion Orange Cassidy and Bandido to battle the heel faction in a blockbuster 8-Man Tag Team Match.
That contest headlined another episode aimed at building to the Double or Nothing that also included a high-stakes "Four Pillars" Tag Team Match, the latest in the war of attrition between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club, the return of Saraya to the squared circle and a massive trios battle royal.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced in advance for Wednesday's show from the CFG Arena in Baltimore were:
- "Four Pillars" Tag Team Match: Darby Allin and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry vs. Sammy Guevara and MJF
- 8-Man Tag Team Match: Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bandido and Orange Cassidy vs. Jericho Appreciation Society (Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker)
- Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royale
- Ricky Starks vs. Juice Robinson
- Willow Nightingale vs. Saraya
- The Elite promo
8-Man Tag Team Action Kicked Off Dynamite
2 of 8
AEW wasted little time getting to the party match of the week as Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bandido and International Champion Orange Cassidy battled Jericho Appreciation Society members Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker.
The match was predictably action-packed, gradually building before crescendoing with utter chaos in the final minutes. Cole scored the win for his team and immediately achieved a measure of revenge on Chris Jericho by attacking The Ocho on the stage.
The match was good fun, with solid work from Cassidy and a fine introduction to Strong's style for those unfamiliar with it, and produced the latest in the Cole-Jericho feud. Considering that the one-on-one match figures to be one of the marquee bouts of the May 28 Double or Nothing pay-per-view, it was the right call to spotlight it, and this managed to do so without overexposing them.
Result
Cole, Strong, Cassidy and Bandido defeated Garcia, Hager, Parker and Menard
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Jericho entered the arena wearing the new Britt Baker T-shirt that was the topic of discussion across social media this week, interested in a closer look at the night's opening contest.
- "How many people can't wait to see Chris Jericho in London?" The Ocho asked because, well, sure.
- Jericho taunted Cole on the headset by criticizing him for not protecting Britt Baker two weeks ago and, in great heel fashion, ignored the fact that he had handcuffed his budding rival to the ropes.
- The look of disgust on Garcia's face as Cassidy unleashed his uninspired offense was fantastic.
- Cole lowered the Boom on Parker for the win.
- Jericho, on commentary and staring right at a monitor, somehow missed Cole rushing the stage directly toward him. Cole tackled him through part of the staging and hammered away at the former world champion.
Blackpool Combat Club Speaks; Willow Nightingale vs. Saraya
3 of 8
Blackpool Combat Club's Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, backed up by Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, had words of warning for the AEW locker room and The Elite in particular.
Moxley warned Kenny Omega ahead of their cage match on next week's show to wrap up the brief promo that inexplicably included an insult hurled at Bret Hart by The American Dragon.
Back in the arena, the never-ending feud between The Outcasts and the rest of the AEW locker room continued as Saraya benefited from incessant interference from Toni Storm and Ruby Soho to defeat Willow Nightingale.
Hikaru Shida returned, swerved the heels and joined Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. and Jamie Hayter in laying out the heels and spray painting "AEW" across them.
This feud desperately needs to conclude, and with the arrival of the criminally underrated and oftentimes undervalued Shida, it at least appears as though there is an endgame in sight. Expect the former women's champion to team with Hayter and Baker to battle The Outcasts at Double or Nothing, presumably in some sort of gimmick bout.
Once that wraps up, it is time to move on from the program.
Overbooking by way of the heel interference hampered the match's ability to be good, with too much focus paid to the antics and less to the actual in-ring action.
Yes, it was intended to make fans hate The Outcasts. However, this far into the program, it is clear that they are the villains, so that was only further hammering home a point that has been made over and over again.
Result
Saraya defeated Nightingale
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Backstage, Danielson claimed to be better than Bret Hart and called him egotistical for believing no one would ever be better.
- Moxley said Blackpool Combat Club is a bunch of blades looking for wire to sharpen themselves and proceeded to put over next week's steel cage match with Kenny Omega in Detroit.
- Soho and Storm attacked Nightingale behind the official's back as Saraya expertly distracted him.
- Nightingale delivered a Death Valley Driver but Storm provided a distraction that kept the official from making the count. She responded with a pounce to Soho, but it opened up an opportunity for Saraya to deliver the Goodnight for the tainted win.
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Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royale
4 of 8
Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, Brody King and Julia Hart issued an open challenge to any trio to challenge them for the AEW World Trios Championship, with a few new stipulations under "House Rules": 20-second counts on the floor, no rope breaks and disqualifications are not enforced.
With that in place, six trios competed in a Tres de Mayo Trios Battle Royale, won by The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass as they overcame the odds to eliminate Butcher, Blade and Kip Sabian.
The crowd popped for the individual acts, but the match itself was not nearly as hot as one would expect, given the collection of wrestlers involved. That can probably be attributed to the de-emphasis on the trios titles since The Elite dropped them to The House of Black, not to mention the fact that less than half of the teams involved compete together regularly.
The right team went over, if for no other reason than getting The Acclaimed on the Double or Nothing card, but if there is even the slightest idea of putting them over The House of Black, it should be exorcised immediately.
Teams involved
- The Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno)
- The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass
- Powerhouse Hobbs, QT Marshall and Aaron Solo
- The Butcher, The Blade and Kip Sabian
- Lucha Bros and El Hijo del Vikingo
- The Varsity Athletes (Josh Woods, Tony Nese and Ari Daivari)
Result
The Acclaimed won
Grade
C
Top Moments
- "Welcome to the open house," Julia Hart said ominously, an invite to any trio to step up and challenge The House of Black.
- Hobbs and Lucha Bros rekindled their rivalry, and the former TNT champion put an exclamation point on his physically dominant performance by eliminating Vikingo.
- "That's from all that scissoring. He's got a good grip," Taz said of Daddy Ass as he held onto the ropes, evading elimination.
Kenny Omega Speaks; Wardlow in Action
5 of 8
Kenny Omega and Don Callis cut a promo warning Jon Moxley about the violence that awaits him next week inside a steel cage on Dynamite.
The promo continued to hint at ulterior motives for Callis, who interrupted Omega and made the entire ordeal about himself for a hot minute before The Cleaner wrapped things up.
Back in the arena, TNT Champion Wardlow squashed the unknown enhancement talent Logan Leroux, delivering his powerbomb symphony in a match in which he barely broke a sweat.
It is probably for the best that he won there because his attempt to ignite a physical confrontation with Luchasaurus by calling him and Christian Cage out failed miserably, leading to another staredown that left The War Dog befuddled.
The feud between the TNT champion and his prospective No. 1 contender is much colder than it should be, thanks in large part to the creative inconsistency that has plagued Wardlow since last year's Double or Nothing.
Once the hottest babyface in the industry, he saw his star dim by way of repetitive questionable booking decisions. Now, the once-popular powerbomb symphony is hardly met with the same reaction it was before.
The impending match between them may be a ton of fun, as battles between big, athletic heavyweights typically are, but it feels like a major missed opportunity as opposed to a hotly anticipated showdown that it probably should be.
Result
Wardlow defeated Leroux
Grade
C
Top Moments
- "What you did to Don...you made it personal. It ends next week," Omega warned Moxley.
- Wardlow, apparently not understanding how it works, demanded an open challenge that he would be the one responsible for issuing.
A Trip to Sandy Fork; Ricky Starks vs. Juice Robinson
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Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh took a trip to Sandy Fork, Delaware, to visit Mark Briscoe as they continued to attempt to win his allegiances in their battle with FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
In the arena, "Absolute" Ricky Starks got a measure of revenge on Bullet Club Gold for their recent attacks on him, defeating Juice Robinson in a hard-fought match with Rochambeau. A post-match attack by "Switchblade" Jay White extended the feud and pointed to an eventual showdown between him and Starks, presumably at Double or Nothing.
While there are issues to take with the use of Starks since what should have been a defining win over Chris Jericho at Revolution, the match with White is still a fairly big deal and, if nothing else, should be damn good.
The match with Robinson was solid and physical, with Starks earning a quality win.
That is unlikely to be the case at Double or Nothing, as White should not lose in his first PPV match against. A loss for Starks, though, essentially returns him to the status quo that defined the period prior to the Jericho feud.
Result
Starks defeated Robinson
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Papa Briscoe telling Mark to be weary of the guy in overalls, only for Singh and Dutt to both be wearing them, was a fun bit. The entire segment was enjoyable and, if nothing else, was a nice change of location.
- White entered the arena with Robinson but opted to let "Rock Hard" go it alone against Starks.
- White attacked Starks after the match, and Excalibur suggested the competitors are on a collision course.
"Four Pillars" Tag Team Match: Darby Allin and Jack Perry vs. MJF and Sammy Guevara
7 of 8
The main event of Wednesday's show, like the storyline at the center of it, was clunkier than it needed to be but ultimately benefited from the strength of the performances within.
There was a good bit of overbooking throughout the match as MJF and Sammy Guevara's egos boiled over, and Allin and Perry's distrust of each other reared its head, but the babyfaces ultimately did what the heels could not: coexist long enough to secure the win and force a four-way AEW World Championship Match at Double or Nothing.
MJF was great, the master manipulator throughout most of it before his self-centeredness turned his dreams of an easy night in Las Vegas on May 28 into a nightmare.
That match, featuring the four young stars around whom Tony Khan has built several top storylines since the inception of AEW in 2019, will be a defining moment for the company and one that should confirm that he was right to do so.
Result
Perry and Allin defeated Guevara and MJF
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Earlier in the show, Guevara called out MJF for leaving him behind last week, but foolish bought the excuse and reconciled with the champ.
- Backstage, MJF attempted to manipulate Perry, creating further tension between him and Allin ahead of the tag team main event.
- Allin made a late blind tag to Perry, who locked MJF in the Snare Trap. Guevara made the save, only to be left behind during a dive as the champ refused to take the leap with him.
- MJF further proved his selfish tendencies by stealing a pin attempt from Guevara, who looked dismayed by the way the match was unfolding at that point.
- The Salt of the Earth slapped The Spanish God and ate a superkick as a result. Perry laid Guevara out, but it was Allin, who made a blind tag, that scored the win with a Coffin Drop.
Not Flawless, But Focused: Overall Show Grade
8 of 8
Looking at each individual segment of the show and the grades assigned to them, one would be hard-pressed to consider the May 3 episode of Dynamite one of the better offerings in recent memory.
As parts, some worked while most missed the mark ever-so-slightly. As a whole, though, this week's show saw a focused effort to highlight the feuds, stories and stars that will feature at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Cole vs. Jericho, Starks vs. White, The Elite vs. Blackpool Combat Club, the AEW Originals vs. The Outcasts, a teased rivalry between The Acclaimed and House of Black over the trios titles, Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus, and the Pillars four-way were all prominently featured as the creative forces began formulating the card for the Memorial Day weekend extravaganza.
There are holes to poke in the creative right now, some bigger than others, but the show was a step in the right direction and gave fans the impression that Tony Khan at least knows where he is headed in time for one of the biggest events of the year.
Overall Grade: B-
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