AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming 2023 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Highlights and More
The most anticipated matchup of the Continental Classic's Gold League took place Wednesday night in the main event of the Winter Is Coming episode of AEW Dynamite as Swerve Strickland squared off with Jon Moxley.
The two unbeaten competitors in their group battled for undisputed control of the Gold League and another important three points.
What went down when they did battle in the main event of another packed episode that also featured The Von Erichs' return to Dallas ahead of the release of the major motion picture, The Iron Claw?
Find out with this recap of the December 13 broadcast, including analysis and grades for each of the night's bouts, angles and promos.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance for Wednesday's show were:
- Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland
- Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Jay Lethal
- Continental Classic Gold League: Mark Briscoe vs. Jay White
- Continental Classic Blue League: Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo
- Hangman Page vs. Roderick Strong
- Riho vs. Ruby Soho
- Golden Jets and Samoa Joe promos
- An appearance from Kevin, Marshall and Ross Von Erich
Samoa Joe Promo; Hangman Page vs. Roderick Strong
2 of 9
"Hangman" Adam Page cut off accusations by Samoa Joe that he was responsible for attacking MJF a week ago and Roderick Strong joined the fray to point the finger at the AEW World Champion himself. A physical altercation between Page and Strong gave way to the night's first match.
A good, competitive, physical match concluded with Page overcoming interference from Matt Taven and Mike Bennett and flattening his opponent with the Dead Eye for the victory.
The quality of the match was almost secondary to the fact that Page looked like a world-beater, dispatching of The Kingdom and Strong en route to a win. Sure, it helps him rebuild momentum as the year comes to an end but did the heels need to be undermined to get to that point?
There is a credibility issue with the heels and considering their role in the storyline with MJF and Adam Cole, that is problematic.
Result
Page defeated Strong via pinfall
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "Last week, I was made into a liar," Joe said, taking exception to the sneak attack that left MJF laid out a week ago, thus proving him wrong about his ability to protect the world champ ahead of their World's End showdown.
- Strong yelling "SAMOA!" to interrupt the proceedings was fun. That whole shtick is getting stale, but this was one instance where it still had some legs.
- Strong pointed the finger right at MJF as The Devil, which either means he is most definitely the masked man or Roddy is about to have a hell of a "I told ya so" moment.
Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Brody King
3 of 9
Andrade El Idolo defeated Brody King to earn three crucial points in the Continental Classic Blue League Wednesday night in what was a hell of a battle between two driven, determined competitors.
Both men beat each other up, dealing hard blows about the body of the other, testing their toughness and endurance. Ultimately, it was one man's cunning that proved the difference as El Idolo exposed a turnbuckle and drove King's face into it before delivering a hammerlock DDT for the win.
The win continued El Idolo's recent string of success, including a win over Bryan Danielson on Collision, and gave King an out for the loss.
All while delivering one of the better matches of this tournament to this point.
Result
El Idolo defeated King
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- There was an intense exchange of chops that sounded like utter pain.
- This was a match-up of two men beating the unholy hell out of each other. A physical battle with high stakes in the Continental Classic.
- This week's stretch has been as good to El Idolo as any point in his AEW career.
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The Golden Jets Return
4 of 9
Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega returned Wednesday and cut a promo on AEW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Starks and Big Bill, the former blaming them for an attack after Full Gear that left him with a dislocated elbow.
The champs interrupted, verbal hijinx ensued, and a match for World's End on December 30 was made official.
This...was not good. At all.
It was two babyfaces trying to be clever and failing miserably to keep up with Starks on the mic. When that didn't work, they dipped into Enzo Amore-themed insults, as if poking fun at Bill for being one-half of the most organically over tandem in NXT history is somehow a bad thing.
That everyone talked over everyone else only exacerbated a promo that faltered from the start.
Grade
C-
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Jericho and Omega dropped references to Big Bill's time in NXT as tag team partner of Enzo Amore, mostly because they didn't have any other material.
- This entire ordeal was the opposite of good.
Riho vs. Ruby Soho
5 of 9
Riho returned to AEW a week ago and made her intentions to challenge "Timeless" Toni Storm for the women's title obvious because, well, rushing the ring to make the save is how new No. 1 contenders are determined in this division.
Wednesday, she at least scored a quality win over Ruby Soho in a solid if unspectacular match that was hurt mightily by a commercial break right in the heart of the in-ring action.
Afterward, Storm mockingly applauded her from ringside as it became clearer that they are on a collision course for a championship clash, presumably on December 30 at World's End.
Result
Riho defeated Soho
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Storm won major bonus points for her "Tazmaniac" reference on commentary, causing Taz to utter, "going old school."
- "There's absolutely no way she would be able to do that to me. I'm far too big," Storm said of Riho's suplex to Soho.
- Soho and Saraya's position in the women's division is almost unfathomable given how central they were to it six months ago.
Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Jay Lethal
6 of 9
Rush channeled frustration following his loss to Jon Moxley a week ago into an impressive victory over Jay Lethal in the Continental Classic.
He dominated the action and put Lethal down with the very bulldog choke that caused him to lose consciousness long enough for the referee to declare Moxley the winner last Wednesday.
The win highlighted Rush as a legitimate threat to win the entire tournament. For Lethal, the loss only intensified his own frustration, leading to a post-match tease that his time in the most unlikeable faction in the company may be coming to an end.
Result
Rush defeated Lethal
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Selling Lethal as a spoiler for Rush, when he is already eliminated from contention because he has yet to win a single match in the tournament, is not necessarily the best means for drumming up interest in this one.
- Lethal splitting from Jeff and Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh appears to be the direction things are heading. That's fine, but where does Lethal fit on this loaded roster from there?
Continental Classic Gold League: Mark Briscoe vs. Jay White
7 of 9
"Switchblade" Jay White fought for his Continental Classic life Wednesday night, knowing that it would be extremely difficult for him to remain in contention for a victory if he lost to the mathematically eliminated Mark Briscoe.
Luckily for the former No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship, he was able to thwart a late-match surge by the ROH original, getting his knees up during an attempted Froggy Bow, and putting him away with the Blade Runner for the win.
A good match that would have meant more if the respected Briscoe was still meaningfully involved in the tournament.
Result
White defeated Briscoe
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- It is one thing to beat guys like Lethal and Briscoe on TV. It is another thing to do it so that fans are exposed to them losing every single week. They are propped up as being hugely significant to the history of Ring of Honor but what weight does that carry when they lose for weeks on end? The die-hards know how important they are but even considering that, it is tough to care about what they are doing when there is very little doubt as far as the outcome of their matches.
Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland
8 of 9
Jon Moxley stole the win in the main event of Dynamite, grabbing hold of Swerve Strickland's belt to score a controversial pin. Making matters worse was that Strickland's shoulder was also off the mat.
The conclusion of the hotly anticipated bout accomplished two things: it gave Moxley a lead in the Gold League and set up a must-win situation for Strickland next week and it also helped create sympathy for Swerve.
Here was a guy who fought through a bad shoulder, had Moxley reeling, and lost via screwy means. He was every bit as good as the former world champion, who had to cheat to pick up the win.
It also drums up controversy and gives a reason for the two to run it back again in the semifinals if that is the direction Tony Khan plans on taking things.
The match was not as good as White vs. Briscoe or El Idolo vs. King, but it was a nice appetizer for what the two competitors can do without the strict TV time limits.
Result
Moxley pinned Strickland
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- This one had a big-match feel to it from the moment both men got into the ring. Moxley, the measuring stick, versus the hottest guy in the company right now in Strickland.
- Lots of focus on the injured right shoulder of Strickland here. Moxley's inability to force a submission led to frustration that resulted in him trying to get a chair involved and inadvertently creating an opening for Swerve.
Overall Grade
9 of 9The Continental Classic once again dominated the airwaves this week and anytime that is the case, as long as the in-ring content is strong, the show is going to get a passing grade.
With that said, there continued to be questionable booking decisions, including the use of Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal, who have been beaten into the ground in this tournament.
Add to that Riho's sudden re-emergence as the top contender to the women's title despite doing nothing more than a well-timed run-in a week ago, and a truly awful promo segment involving Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks, and Big Bill, and you have a show where there was just enough head-scratching to keep it from achieving much more.
Also, AEW had an opportunity to capitalize on the publicity the Von Erich family is going to receive from the release of The Iron Claw into theaters on December 22 by highlighting the family.
Instead, they booked Kevin and his sons Ross and Marshall in a backstage vignette to set up a match on Rampage. They did not put them on-screen with MJF, or partner them with the way-too-obvious Hangman Page. Instead, they were treated like an afterthought and that was a major missed opportunity.
Grade: C+
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