AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 24
All Elite Wrestling arrived at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Wednesday night for an episode of Dynamite that set the stage for Sunday's Double or Nothing and was headlined by another gutsy International Championship defense by Orange Cassidy.
Freshly Squeezed battled Kyle Fletcher of Aussie Open on a night when top names addressed the fans one last time before their high-stakes bouts on the pay-per-view (available on B/R in the United States), and others made one last push for momentum ahead of the event.
What went down, how did it affect the build for Double or Nothing and how did each segment grade out? Find out with this recap of the go-home edition of Dynamite.
Match Card
1 of 10Announced in advance for Wednesday's show were:
- AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle Fletcher
- AEW World Trios Championship Open House: AR Fox, Metalik and Blake Christian
- Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta
- Taya Valkyrie vs. Lady Frost
- Roderick Strong vs. Daniel Garcia
- Adam Cole and Chris Jericho contract signing
- Promos from: Ricky Starks, FTR, MJF, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle Fletcher
2 of 10
Orange Cassidy caught another beating to start Wednesday's show as the reality of the grueling schedule he has created for himself continued to set in.
This week, New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Kyle Fletcher pummeled him, nearly beating him and taking his International Championship on numerous occasions in the opening contest.
As he has done repeatedly, though, Cassidy seized a momentary opening and scored a come-from-behind victory that ensured he would go on to Double or Nothing and defend in the 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal.
The match was solid but way too reminiscent of last week's bout between Jack Perry and Rush, in which the heel beat the life out of the babyface before a cheap roll-up won the match for Jungle Boy.
At least in this instance, Cassidy was not the top contender to be AEW world champion. Still, it felt a bit too much like the story that match told and, more importantly, the idea of Cassidy taking the punishment he did and still kicking out of a move as devastating as an Avalanche Michinoku Driver was a bit much.
Cassidy has been great as champion, the workhorse of AEW and one of the legit stars of the first half of 2023 for the promotion, but it feels like his reign is nearing its end, potentially as soon as Sunday night in the Battle Royal.
After the match, Jay White and Juice Robinson beat down Ricky Starks backstage to continue that rivalry, despite the announcement that "Absolute" will also compete in Sunday's Battle Royal.
Result
Cassidy defeated Fletcher
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Fletcher rocked Cassidy with a kick and brainbuster for a two-count in the opening seconds of the match, not allowing the champion to instigate his mind games.
- Cassidy delivered Beach Break on the floor to slow his opponent's momentum.
- Fletcher delivered consecutive tombstone piledrivers and added an Avalanche Michinoku Driver, but Freshly Squeezed still kicked out as the commentary team put over his resilience.
- Fletcher tried the piledriver one too many times, and Cassidy countered into a roll-up for the pinfall victory and successful title defense.
FTR Promo
3 of 10
The final segment of the build to the AEW World Tag Team Championship match between FTR, Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal saw special guest referee Mark Briscoe take center stage.
He made it clear to everyone that he will no longer be manipulated by Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler or their heel challengers. He then got physical with all the teams before angrily stomping off.
The title match is secondary to the drama surrounding Briscoe. And while that is perfectly acceptable, it would be nice to see the generational team of FTR be involved in a feud that was about the titles and establishing their legacies as the best of this generation.
They did, after all, re-sign with AEW in an attempt to continue their quest to sustain the credibility of tag team wrestling.
Booking them to battle a makeshift team of Jarrett and Lethal, rather than any number of actual teams on the AEW roster, is certainly a choice.
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- "More than anything, you're lucky. Sunday, your luck runs out," Wheeler warned the No. 1 contenders.
- "You've broken a million damn guitars and you still can't stay relevant," Harwood told Jarrett.
- "Last year, we went to war with you and your brother three times; and this time, we go to war for you," Harwood told Briscoe.
- Briscoe smacked Harwood in response to the piledriver he suffered at the hands of the blinded tag champ on last week's show.
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Open House Match for AEW World Trios Championships
4 of 10
The House ruled Wednesday night as Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews again scored an impressive defense of their AEW World Trios Championship by defeating AR Fox, Metalik and Blake Christian.
Though short, the action-packed match highlighted the high-flying offense of the babyface, but the otherwise physical dominance of the titleholders stood out.
Black, King and Matthews have been presented well under the Open House Challenge gimmick and are beating challengers convincingly. Still, one can't help but notice that the prestige and profile of the titles have fallen off since the former champions dropped them.
That is unfortunate, but at least The House of Black is being presented and pushed like the force of nature it should have been a long time ago.
Result
The House of Black defeated Christian, Fox and Metalik
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Matthews stomped Fox into the mat, an ode to former teammate Seth Rollins, before applying a standing modified cloverleaf (the Prism Trap), a nod to real-life significant other Rhea Ripley.
- Black applied a knee bar to Metalik, Matthews maintained the cloverleaf, and King choked Christian out to score the submission victory.
The Four Pillars Speak Ahead of DoN Main Event
5 of 10
If there is any match on the Double or Nothing card that deserved better build than it has received, it is the Four-Way for the AEW World Championship between the company's young pillars: MJF, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry.
Not only has the content of the build been underwhelming, but it has also put the three challengers in a position to verbally spar with MJF, something they simply cannot do. They are fighting lightsabers with stones, especially when a motivated MJF cuts a scathing promo the likes of which he did here.
He was enthralling, engaging and brought back to the forefront the very real possibility that he is taking his ball and leaving AEW at the conclusion of his contract on New Year's Eve.
That one promo was more intriguing than anything that has gone on over the course of this feud, which might be among the biggest indictments of all creative ahead of Double or Nothing.
Thankfully, it was MJF's sell job on the mic that elevated the grade because, without it, AEW was staring down another "C+" on a show full of them to this point.
Grade
B-
Top Moments
- "I feel like I want "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry to be thrown into an echo chamber so he can listen to himself speak and bore himself to death," MJF said.
- "Four years later, we have given you the best matches and best moments in the history of this company. We are not just part of AEW, goddamn it, we are AEW!"
- MJF reminded the fans and Tony Khan that his contract is coming up: "You should be worried because I might just take my ball and go home."
- "To be the face of AEW, I need to be AEW champion. This Sunday, I will take your AEW Championship...and I might even do it with a headlock takeover," Allin warned, recalling the traditional hold that MJF used to defeat the face-painted antihero in their last encounter.
- Guevara made the save for Allin after a low blow, and Perry laid MJF out on the ramp to end the segment.
Taya Valkyrie vs. Lady Frost
6 of 10
The TBS Championship feud between Jade Cargill and Taya Valkyrie limped along Wednesday with no real fire surrounding it, despite a perfectly acceptable bout between the latter and the underrated Lady Frost.
There was no physicality, no promo or anything even close to a heat-inducing angle involving champion and challenger ahead of their match Sunday night. It was a flat segment that failed to hype up the fans and really highlighted just how lackluster the creative around Cargill, the TBS title and her challenger has been.
It is massively disappointing given how much of a star Cargill is, how strong a challenger Valkyrie is and the potential that exists for a solid match between the two at Double or Nothing.
Result
Valkyrie defeated Frost
Grade
C
Top Moments
- TBS champion Jade Cargill, Leila Grey and "Smart" Mark Sterling watched from the top of the ramp.
- Valkyrie sent a message with her Road to Valhalla finisher, reminding Cargill that she can use the move Sunday at Double or Nothing, unlike the first time they competed against each other.
- Tony Khan announced that the debut of AEW Collision on June 17 will take place in Chicago at the United Center. Surely, there will be no rampant speculation over its headliners because of the location?
Contract Signing for Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho
7 of 10
Adam Cole and Chris Jericho signed the contract for their Unsanctioned match at Double or Nothing, and, true to form for AEW, excess reigned as the babyface revealed he had recruited ECW legend Sabu to back him up against the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Why? Apparently, common sense and explanations are not needed.
The segment did nothing to drum up any additional excitement for Sunday's match and, if anything, took the attention off of the central feud and put it on the gimmicky booking of Sabu as backup.
Despite the talent involved, the booking of this program has been lacking. The hot angle involving Britt Baker feels like a lifetime ago, to the point that the unsanctioned gimmick feels like one tacked on to heighten the significance of the match rather than being the next logical step in the feud.
This didn't hit the mark. The introduction of Sabu as a spot performer made little sense, and the result was a very disappointing segment between two guys who deserve more than what they had to work with Wednesday night.
Grade
D
Top Moments
- "AEW should be happy this is a non-sanctioned match because the blood will not be on their hands, but on mine and that's just how I like it," Cole told Jericho.
- Jericho taunted Cole by replaying footage of Baker being on the end of a kendo-stick attack as her real-life partner was forced to watch while handcuffed to the bottom rope.
Roderick Strong vs. Daniel Garcia
8 of 10
Roderick Strong vs. Daniel Garcia was a late addition to Wednesday's show, an excuse to highlight the former NXT star on the heels of his Falls Count Anywhere win over Chris Jericho last week.
With little time for expectations to skyrocket, the contest was a nice little display of technical skill that saw Strong pick up the win and earn momentum he will hope to carry on into post-Double or Nothing AEW.
Beyond that, there was not much to this one, which is unfortunate because with more time and without the breakneck pace of a Tony Khan go-home show, it could have been a TV Match of the Year candidate.
Result
Strong defeated Garcia
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Strong delivered End of Heartache for the victory.
Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs. Blackpool Combat Club
9 of 10
Leave it to Claudio Castagnoli to help elevate the show.
The Swiss Superman and reigning Ring of Honor world champion teamed with Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Wheeler Yuta to challenge ROH tag champs the Lucha Bros in a fantastic main event that saw dramatic near-falls and jaw-dropping high spots before an expectedly screwy finish in which The Young Bucks cost the heels the straps.
The match itself lived up to expectations based on the talent involved, but it fell flat as the final hype for the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing.
Matt and Nick Jackson costing the challengers, no appearance from Kenny Omega or "Hangman" Adam Page, and another generic "blood and guts" type promo from Jon Moxley made for a rather dull conclusion to the show.
For a match that is expected to be the selling point of Sunday's PPV, it deserved a stronger sell than what we got.
Result
The Lucha Bros defeated Yuta and Castagnoli
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- "It's always nice to be out here with you, man in the mask," Bryan Danielson told Excalibur on commentary, a nod to William Regal.
- Danielson cited the teachings of Regal in Yuta's ability to tuck his neck and avoid serious damage despite a big piledriver by Fenix.
- The Young Bucks appeared from under the ring and took out Castagnoli, leaving Yuta to fall prey to the Fear Factor as the Lucha Bros retained the ROH tag titles.
- Moxley vowed that Anarchy in the Arena will be the most brutal, violent match in AEW history, which seems unlikely considering that one with the exploding ring gimmick. On second thought, never mind.
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Double or Nothing feels like the coldest PPV in AEW history.
That is less a criticism than an observation from someone who has covered nearly every episode of Dynamite since day one and his fair share of AEW PPVs.
There has been a distinct lack of urgency throughout the build, with rushed booking and sometimes nonsensical decisions to boot.
All of those things were on display this week, with a show that felt more like a build to a show that is three weeks out than a PPV four days away. That some of the segments fell flatter than Tony Khan may have envisioned when he booked them did not help.
Wednesday's broadcast was disappointing, with everything coming across just slightly off or lacking the spark one hopes for from the last opportunity to leave an impression ahead of one of the biggest shows of the year.
With that said, Sunday's card is still an impressive one that will likely generate interest and buys based on potential alone. Chris Jericho vs. Adam Cole is a dream match for some. Anarchy in the Arena may not be everyone's cup of tea, but violent chaos has become a staple of AEW.
The AEW World Championship match will be the best part of the entire feud as the talking ends and four of the most talented young stars steal the show with the top prize in the company at stake.
Fans should order Double or Nothing and enjoy what will be a great night of in-ring action, as most AEW PPVs tend to be.
It would just be nice if the booking ahead of the matches was more coherent, urgent, exciting or, in some cases, even remotely interesting.
Grade: C
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