AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before WrestleDream
Four days before the inaugural WrestleDream pay-per-view, All Elite Wrestling hit the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado for an episode of Dynamite that laid the final groundwork for the top feuds and stars that will shine Sunday evening.
Julia Hart sought to continue her winning ways and build momentum heading into a TBS Championship match with Kris Statlander as she battled Willow Nightingale.
We heard from Ring of Honor world tag team champions MJF and Adam Cole, while Darby Allin and Christian Cage, and Swerve Strickland and "Hangman" Adam Page all spoke ahead of their high-profile PPV matches. And a huge Four-Way showdown headlined Wednesday night's in-ring action.
Match Card
1 of 9Announced in advance for the September 27 show were:
- Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Jackson vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Austin Gunn
- Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart
- Contract signing: Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland
- Sitdown interview: Darby Allin and TNT champion Christian Cage (with Jim Ross)
- MJF and Adam Cole promo
AEW International Championship: Rey Fenix vs. Jeff Jarrett
2 of 9
One week after winning the AEW International Championship in a controversial match against Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix defended against Jeff Jarrett.
It wasn't particularly great.
The match was an overbooked mess, with two styles that could not have been any more different. It was the definition of two wrestlers being on different pages, and it showed—as did hints of a potential knee injury suffered by the champion.
If that was the case, it is understandable that things would have been disjointed to the extent they were.
This was a showcase for new champion Fenix, but it wasn't a particularly effective one.
The latest in the Adam Cole-MJF friendship was next. The cameo by Paul Wight was a lot of fun, as was The Devil admitting he was almost caught throwing a guy overboard before.
Result
Fenix defeated Jarrett to retain the title
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Fenix wiped out Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt prior to the match with a plancha.
- Referee Aubrey Edwards shoved Karen Jarrett at ringside, recalling their rivalry.
- This was a clear styles clash and not in the fun, AJ way.
- Fenix appeared to have injured his knee at some point and nursed it all the way through to the end of the segment.
Don Callis Family Interview
3 of 9
Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita hit the ring for a promo before introducing the newest member of The Don Callis Family, Sammy Guevara.
The trio aired footage of a sneak attack by Takeshita on Kota Ibushi before The Spanish God issued words of warning for Chris Jericho ahead of a trios match at WrestleDream that will pit the heels and Will Ospreay against The Ocho, Ibushi and Kenny Omega.
This felt a lot like the promo segment we got on Rampage and probably could have been relegated to a quicker backstage vignette, with Callis voicing over the Ibushi attack.
There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but the segment did nothing to build on what we had already seen five days earlier.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Callis introduced Guevara as the newest member of the Don Callis Family, which seemed fairly familiar to anyone who watched Rampage.
- Callis aired footage of Takeshita attacking Ibushi, including using a kettlebell to his head.
- "It's time for me to take the torch and be the star I was supposed to be," Guevara said.
- A backstage confrontation between Wheeler Yuta and Ricky Starks led to the announcement of a match for WrestleDream.
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3-Way Blind Eliminator: Nick Jackson vs. Brian Cage vs. Claudio Castagnoli
4 of 9
Nick Jackson defeated Claudio Castagnoli and Brian Cage to earn a shot at Rey Fenix on next week's Dynamite Fourth Anniversary broadcast.
Like the opener, there was a clash of styles here; but unlike that last one, this worked.
Jackson and Castagnoli working together to halt the ferocity of Cage was a nice touch, as was the babyface stealing the win from his bigger opponents.
As Excalibur pointed out on commentary, there is a rich history between Jackson and Fenix, dating back to four years ago.
As ridiculous as a Jackson singles run seems—unless you are an unabashed fan of The Young Bucks—it at least makes sense that they would compete against each other on a landmark show.
Result
Jackson defeated Cage and Castagnoli
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- If nothing else, this was certainly a random collection of wrestlers.
- Excalibur recalling Jackson's first singles loss—to Rey Fenix—and generating some background to this was a welcome addition.
- Jackson and Castagnoli momentarily worked together to punish Cage, proving that the task at hand supersedes their previous issues.
- Jackson delivered a springboard hurricanrana to Castagnoli and stole the victory by pinning Cage.
Adam Cole and MJF Promo
5 of 9
The revelation by Adam Cole that he will require surgery on his broken ankle and torn ligaments may have brought about a disappointing end to the work between him and MJF, but we quickly found out what awaits the AEW world champion next as Jay White stepped up.
After revealing he will defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship by himself on Sunday, MJF tore White apart verbally before the Bullet Club Gold leader responded, insinuating that he has been taunting MJF from afar and he now wants the AEW World Championship.
The write-off of Cole as he went to assist a pleading Roderick Strong and segue into the MJF-White feud was done well and made this a far better segment than it had the potential to be.
MJF vs. White is going to be great if and when it takes place.
Please, if nothing else is accomplished by anything in this program, just give us MJF and Juice Robinson in something.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Cole's announcement of his broken ankle was met with groans by fans, who understandably did not want to see the magical run with MJF cut short.
- MJF gave Cole permission to go off and help Roderick Strong and he will be waiting for him when he gets back.
- "You've managed to convince them [the fans] that you're also filet mignon but you're actually tofu," MJF told White.
- "You're an intelligently produced version of what someone in Japan thought was a top guy," MJF added.
- "I don't think they love you like they love Adam Cole," White said.
Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Jackson vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Austin Gunn
6 of 9
The Lucha Bros, The Young Bucks, Gunns and the duo of Orange Cassidy and Hook will compete at WrestleDream for a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Wednesday, representatives from each team battled in a Four-Way as Penta El Zero Miedo, Matt Jackson, Austin Gunn and Cassidy took to the ring.
A non-stop, action-packed bout saw Jackson look to replicate his brother's success from earlier in the night but end up eating an Orange Punch from Cassidy, who earned the hard-fought victory.
It was the right call creatively for Freshly Squeezed to win here. He and Hook are the least-experienced team. Cassidy's win allows them to build some momentum ahead of the tag team bout.
That also almost certainly eliminates them from actually winning Sunday night, but there aren't many champing at the bit for a match between them and FTR.
Result
Cassidy defeated Jackson, Penta and Gunn
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The entrances took place during the picture-in-picture break, typically an indicator that the show is running long. After the lengthy-but-great promo that preceded it, that was no surprise at all.
- Gunn repeatedly teased moves from WWE Superstars, including Triple H and The Rock, to garner heat.
- Jackson wearing black was a nice touch in that it separated him and his brother, who wore white during his victory earlier in the night.
Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart
7 of 9
Julia Hart continued her 17-month unbeaten streak with a win over Willow Nightingale Wednesday night.
The 21-year-old continued her monumental run, ensuring she entered WrestleDream and a TBS Championship match against Kris Statlander with momentum on her side.
It would have been nice to have Hart appearing as an in-ring competitor more consistently over the last 17 months, but she has been heated up nicely over the past month and enters Sunday for the biggest match of her career against the last woman to defeat her.
If nothing else, it is a story that is based in fact and gives gravity to what initially looked like a random matchup.
Result
Hart defeated Nightingale
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Excalibur reminded viewers that it has been 17 months since Hart lost, with her last defeat coming at the hands of TBS champion Statlander.
- Nightingale wore a bandage over her face, selling the effects of the black-mist attack by Hart.
- Hart attacked Nightingale after the match, reapplying the Hartless until Statlander made the save and stared down both her challenger and Brody King.
Contract Signing: Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland
8 of 9
So much of what Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland accomplished in the weeks leading into WrestleDream was so good that there were heightened expectations for this contract signing.
But it ended up being a disappointment.
The content was not as good, both men appeared to be telling different stories early, and Page had to tie everything together before the red-hot conclusion to his promo.
Perhaps the program blew through its best stuff early, but this segment did not sell their match in the way their previous two interactions did.
The cliffhanger conclusion of the show, involving the masked assailants who attacked Jay White, was interesting. Time will tell what any of its means, but Tony Khan has teased an exciting new era in AEW, and one imagines they may have something to do with it.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "What's a cowboy to an outlaw? What's a buckshot to a kill shot?" Strickland asked Page, hammering home the idea that the two are not alike.
- Page waxed poetically about a storm he has weathered over the last year and promised to give Strickland the best of him at WrestleDream.
- "This isn't a personal thing between you and me. Quite frankly, it could have been anyone, but it just so happened to be you in the position that I want," Strickland said.
- The show ended with White being jumped and attacked by unknown assailants in MJF devil masks. One put their hand over the camera, fading the show to black.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
The intent was there for a show that hit home the significance of Sunday's WrestleDream, but it didn't always land.
A large portion of Wednesday's episode was devoted to MJF, his program with Adam Cole and the start of his feud with Jay White.
Outside of the Cole stuff, which directly affected the match against The Righteous for the ROH tag titles on Sunday, nothing about that segment had any real implication for the PPV.
The segments that did were solid if unspectacular, and the result is a WrestleDream card that looks fantastic on paper but lacks the hype and excitement it should have.
Grade: C+
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