AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Jan. 31
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of AEW Dynamite on January 31.
The feud between "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland continued this week when the former got to pick the latter's opponent for the night.
However, Page didn't just get to sit back and watch. He had to worry about facing a man he has fought a few times in All Elite Wrestling, Toa Liona.
We also saw Jon Moxley take on Jeff Hardy, Deonna Purrasso battle Taya Valkyrie, and Chris Jericho take on Kyle Fletcher.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Wednesday's show at UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Hardy
1 of 7
Dynamite opened with Jon Moxley making his way through the crowd to face Jeff Hardy in the opening match.
Neither man held back. We saw Hardy take a dive off the apron and Mox hit a suicide dive before we were even five minutes into the show.
The announcers talked about Hardy showing more aggression lately, but Moxley was the aggressor for most of this match.
This was an interesting combination because these two have been in the ring together a handful of times, but this was their first singles match. Neither is what you would call a conventional wrestler, but that worked in their favor.
This didn't feel like a standard wrestling match, but that didn't stop it from being fun. The Charismatic Enigma came close a few times, but the former AEW world champion put him to sleep to score the win.
Four luchadors from CMLL attacked Mox after Hardy left the ring. His Blackpool Combat Club teammates were not there to help, but a few others from the locker room helped clear the ring.
Result: Jon Moxley defeated Jeff Hardy
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Moxley looked like he was making an effort to get through the crowd a bit quicker than usual.
- Hardy winced when he posed in the corner during his entrance. He is great about selling his previous matches by acting injured sometimes, but this may have also been a genuine moment of pain if he had pulled a muscle.
- Moxley had Hardy's legs and head tied up in a unique submission for a few seconds. Even the announcers had trouble remembering seeing it before.
- The way Moxley countered a dive by just punching Hardy in the face looked awesome.
'Hangman' Adam Page vs. Toa Liona
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Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland got to pick each other's opponent for the night, so Liona stepped up for the leader of The Mogul Embassy.
Liona had a decent size and power advantage. That would usually mean Page had the upper hand in speed, but they were more evenly matched than expected based on appearance.
This was another hard-hitting fight, but in a different way to Mox vs. Hardy.
Page was unable to hit the Buckshot Lariat, but he did manage to keep Liona down for the three-count with a crucifix.
Result: "Hangman" Adam Page defeated Toa Liona
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Prince Nana was not at ringside for Liona. His presence was missed.
- The way Liona threw Page over the top rope to the floor with one arm was great.
- Liona's pounce that sent Hangman out of the ring was ugly in the best way.
Wardlow vs. Komander
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The Undisputed Kingdom accompanied Wardlow to the ring for his match against Komander.
This wasn't a two-move squash like some of Mr. Mayhem's recent matches, but it wasn't exactly a competitive exchange between two evenly matched competitors either.
Wardlow looked like he may have hurt his knee before finishing Komander off with a powerbomb. This was filler, but let's hope The Wardaddy's knee is OK.
Result: Wardlow defeated Komander
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- The ring announcer accidentally called him Mr. Wardlow.
- The 360 throw from Wardlow looked great.
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Chris Jericho vs. Kyle Fletcher
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Powerhouse Hobbs and Don Callis accompanied Fletcher to the ring for his match against Chris Jericho, who was fresh off the Jericho Cruise.
The former AEW champion chased Callis away but not permanently. As soon as Fletcher got the veteran back in the ring, Callis returned.
This was booked to be the story of a young up-and-coming star taking on a man who is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
Jericho is a competent performer and Fletcher is one of the brightest stars under 30, so it's easy to see why they meshed well. Even when it looked like Jericho was slowing down, Fletcher adjusted to make everything look good.
Jericho caught him with two different versions of the Judas Effect to get the pin. One looked much better than the other, but you can decide for yourself.
Result: Chris Jericho defeated Kyle Fletcher
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Fletcher's tights had an iridescent look to them. The color appeared to change slightly when viewed at different angles.
- The way Fletcher looked when he sold the hurricanrana from the top rope was ridiculously over the top, which made it funny.
- The brainbuster looked rough.
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie
5 of 7
Toni Storm joined the commentary team to watch Deonna Purrazzo take on Taya Valkyrie. Johnny TV was at ringside to support his wife.
These are two competitors who have a lot in common despite taking different approaches. Valkyrie is all about flash over substance, but Purrazzo calls herself The Virtuosa because she prides herself on being one of the best technicians in the world.
Those differences aside, both women are skilled, powerful competitors who can throw some stiff strikes and bend their opponents in different holds.
Purrazzo secured the win and immediately taunted Storm from the ring as she shook with anger at the commentary table.
Result: Deonna Purrazzo defeated Taya Valkyrie
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Both women had incredible entrance gear.
- Storm's reaction to Taya and Johnny making out was perfect.
- The Young Bucks and Darby Allin had an interesting interaction backstage.
Swerve Strickland vs. RVD
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Samoa Joe sat with the commentary team for the main event. Hangman got to choose Swerve's opponent, but he made him wait until his entrance to find out it was.
Page also revealed this was a Hardcore match just before the bell, so RVD surprised Strickland with a chair to the face to get things going.
As expected, this bout quickly turned into a series of weapon spots and moments designed to pop the crowd. As soon as Page revealed the stipulation, we all knew headlocks and drop-toe holds were out the window.
This didn't come close to the level of brutality of Swerve's other recent Hardcore bouts, but it had its charm. The crowd always loves RVD and popped for all of his signature moves like Rolling Thunder.
Brian Cage interfered, which brought out Hook to even the score for his one-time tag team partner. After a handful of near-falls for both men, Strickland got the win with a Swerve Stomp.
Result: Swerve Strickland defeated RVD
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Having Page tease RVD in such an obvious way kind of negates making it a surprise.
- Joe did a good job putting over RVD on commentary.
- Hook has teamed up with so many random people that it's easy to forget he and RVD had a match together.
- Swerve's table bump looked good.
The Final Word
7 of 7
This was a solid episode of Dynamite in terms of the overall quality of the matches, but something was missing.
Every bout on this card had its upside, but a lot of them also felt similar in tone. We didn't get any technical clinics or spot fests. We got plenty of chaos, but it all felt like the same kind of chaos, if that makes sense.
Liona and Page may have edged out everything else for the best match of the night, but it would be easy to see why people would also pick Mox vs. Hardy or Swerve vs. RVD.
AEW is in the middle of a lot of stories right now, so we're in a bit of a holding pattern until we get close to Revolution on March 3 when a lot of these storylines will wrap up.
Grade: C+
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