AEW Dynamite Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From March 4

The March 4 edition of AEW Dynamite at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, featured two world title matches and more build to Revolution.

MJF defended the AEW Men's World Championship against Kevin Knight while Thekla put the AEW Women's World Championship on the line against Thunder Rosa.

Hangman Adam Page and Jon Moxley were in action, and The IInspiration made their tag team debut against The Brawling Birds.

Just 11 days before Revolution, this was an important night of action. What would All Elite Wrestling deliver in the final stretch before the pay-per-view?

AEW Men's World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Kevin Knight

Last Time in Action: Kevin Knight defeated Mansoor (Dynamite, February 25); MJF successfully defended the AEW Men's World Championship against Brody King (Grand Slam: Australia, February 14).

MJF walked into this match overconfident, but he quickly realized he was in trouble against the fast and resilient Knight.

The Jet fought through the painful offense of the Salt of the Earth and laid him out with a wild springboard clothesline to the floor, heading to commercial for the first time.

When they returned, Knight jumped over MJF and moonsaulted off the barricade onto him to set up the UFO Splash. The Salt of the Earth tripped him to avoid it.

A Coast-to-Coast Dropkick set up a successful UFO Splash, but MJF knocked referee Bryce Remsburg into the ropes to cause a slow count.

The Jet went for another UFO Splash, but The Salt of the Earth got his knees up followed by the Heatseeker to win and retain his gold.

Afterward, MJF tossed Remsburg out of the ring and threatened Knight. Hangman Adam Page arrived to distract The Salt of the Earth for a Roundhouse from "Speedball" Mike Bailey.

This match was clearly booked to give Knight a huge spotlight, and he made the most of it. He pushed the pace and kept MJF off his game throughout.

There was no drama to this result as AEW was never going to sacrifice the Revolution main event after weeks of build, but it still worked.

The ref bump and slow count was a corny way to sell that Knight almost beat MJF when the real sell was how Knight delivered in this spotlight.

His ability to not only deliver unreal high-flying action but also continue to sell the damage of this long title bout made clear that The Jet is ready for a massive singles run.

Result

MJF def. Knight by pinfall to retain the AEW Men's World Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Excalibur called for the Collision video recap too quickly to start the night, leading to an awkward technical issue to start the show.

The crowd shifted the expected dynamic by cheering MJF and booing Knight even during the introductions. The Jet won over the crowd over the course of the match.

The Salt of the Earth claimed to "teach" Knight how to wrestle only to be quickly overwhelmed by The Jet's sound fundamentals.

MJF went after the ribs of Knight early, and The Jet sold the injury consistently afterward by selling his usual high-flying moves as painful for him.

Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy vs. Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

David Finlay made his first AEW appearance since 2022, officially becoming All Elite.

Last Time in Action: Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors lost to Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii (Dynamite, February 18). This was the first time since Blood & Guts (Dynamite: Blood & Guts, November 12) that Cassidy and Darby Allin teamed.

A brawl started during the entrances in this match. Connors Speared Cassidy into the timekeeper's area, starting this match off.

Freshly Squeezed was cleared by doctors and made the save, running over The War Dogs with fast-paced lucha-style flair.

Allin laid out Connors with a Stundog Millionaire into a Tornado DDT by Cassidy. After The Daredevil took out The War Dogs at ringside with a Coffin Drop, Freshly Squeezed caught 100 Proof with an Orange Punch to win.

Afterward, David Finlay arrived to lay out both Cassidy and Allin with a shillelagh, adding another War Dog to this fight.

For how much AEW had built to this tag team match, this was somewhat lackluster. The War Dogs continue to struggle to get a definitive win over The Daredevil and Freshly Squeezed.

Perhaps the arrival of Finlay will help though as he and Kidd are certain to be both treated as highly dangerous singles stars going forward.

The surprise return of The Celtic Prince was a big boon to this story and segment. He has not competed in an AEW ring since 2022, and it seemed more likely he would follow his brother and father to WWE.

Instead, AEW has brought in another big New Japan Pro-Wrestling name that assumedly will be working a dual contract with AEW and NJPW similar to Kidd and Connors.

Result

Cassidy and Allin def. Connors and Kidd by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

Tony Khan did officially announce that all three War Dogs are All Elite on X.

Andrade El Ídolo walked out on a face-to-face backstage with Bandido for a call, showing no respect to his Revolution challenger.

The Young Bucks and FTR discussed their Revolution match backstage with Renee Paquette before Dax Harwood punched out Brandon Cutler.

The Brawling Birds vs. The IInspiration

Bradlee Rutledge/ Via Getty Images

The IInspiration have officially made the TV jump from TNA to AEW with their Dynamite debut.

Last Time in Action: The Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor) defeated Gypsy Mac and Tyra Russamee (Collision, February 28). This was the TV debut of The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay).

The IInspiration did not take The Brawling Birds serious and quickly got run over by Hayter and Windsor, who finished the match with Two Birds, One Stone.

This was not a sharply executed match, but it was the right booking for all involved.

McKay and Lee are an entertaining duo but were not going to come into AEW and immediately throw their weight around.

This loss sets the standard in the women's division. The IInspiration will need to find themselves to compete against the best in the AEW women's division.

The Brawling Birds, meanwhile, already look ready to challenge for the Women's World Tag Team Championships.

Result

Hayter and Windsor def. Lee and McKay by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

AEW aired The IInspiration's backstage introduction before their match.

The IInspiration came out to a theme sung by Harley Cameron.

Lee and McKay wanted to keep dancing to their theme, but Hayter and Windsor started the fight.

Hangman Adam Page vs. Marty Snow

All Elite Wrestling

Hangman Adam Page was not ready for MJF's latest trick, aided by The Don Callis Family.

Last Time in Action: Hangman Adam Page alongside JetSpeed successfully defended the World Trios Championships against The Demand (Collision, February 21). This was Marty Snow's AEW debut.

The Cowboy did not hesitate, laying out Snow with a quick Buckshot Lariat to win within seconds.

Afterward, Hangman called out MJF, who arrived as a distraction for a surprise attack from Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis.

"Speedball" Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight slid in to make the save. Don Callis arrived to announced that ProtOkada and Davis were taking a shot at the World Trios Championships in the main event.

This squash match was a simple easy way to give The Cowboy another win on his record. It was not truly needed, but it was over quick.

The post-match was a major surprise to spice up a show that already had plenty on the card. It is nice to see the World Trios Championships defended, but on paper, this was an odd time for that match.

JetSpeed had teased The Family with a title opportunity on Collision, but with Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero and Thekla vs. Thunder Rosa still on the docket, this could have waited for next week.

The value of this segment will be determined by how the main event goes. It is too early for Jet Set Rodeo to lose the gold, but this could put even more on the line in the growing Death Riders vs. Callis Family rivalry.

Those two warring stables have carried the trios division lately and would make sense to completely take over the conversation around the gold.

Result

Hangman def. Snow by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

Tony Schiavone speculated that this might be the fastest match in AEW history.

Knight came out with bandaged ribs from the opener while The Cowboy walked a bit limp after the sneak attack on his ankle.

Continental Championship Eliminator: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Hechicero

All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley continued his run through The Don Callis Family in Continental Championship Elminators.

Last Time in Action: Jon Moxley defeated El Clon (Dynamite, February 25); Hechicero lost to Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship (Collision, January 10).

Hechicero bent Mox into knots throughout their fight, trying to force a submission, but the champion refused to quit.

Mox finally responded with power, hitting a King Kong Lariat to set up a Paradigm Shift. Hechicero countered into a Spinning Body Scissors for a near-fall.

The champion flipped off Hechicero then Stomped him out followed by a Paradigm Shift to win.

This was another strong Continental Championship Eliminator match from Mox. He made The Alchemist look like a a real threat especially for the first 10 minutes of this match.

While it was unlikely that the champion would lose ahead of his match with Konosuke Takeshita, the match was worked with just enough heat to sell the possible upset before Mox shut him down.

Result

Mox def. Hechicero by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Hechicero came out to a new theme ahead of his match. It will take some getting used to the change, but it is a good song.

Mox delivered a follow-up message to Konosuke Takeshita afterward through the camera, causing The Alpha to arrive and stare down his challenger.

The Death Riders spoke afterward backstage. Daniel Garcia called The Family "stupid". Wheeler Yuta revealed his bald head without fear. Mox then promised violence for Takeshita at Revolution.

Swerve Strickland Choked Out Brody King

All Elite Wrestling

Swerve Strickland delivered another message to the AEW roster, courtesy of a vicious chain attack on Brody King.

Brody King arrived impromptu to call out Swerve Strickland. Prince Nana arrived, but The Most Dangerous Man attacked The Hound of Hell from behind.

He choked out and hanged King with a chain before accepting King's Revolution challenge. Bandido was late to make the save.

This was a strong focused segment to sell Swerve vs. King. The Revolution challenge was expected, but the two made the most of the time to build heat.

It also showed how far The Most Dangerous Man has descended into his heel villainy alongside Nana. There was no hesitation from Swerve.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Swerve reminded King that he would not be the first man he hanged in Los Angeles.

AEW got the perfect angle for the Revolution challenge with the Revolution poster in the rafters shown between King and Swerve.

In pre-taped interviews, "Jungle" Jack Perry and Ricochet both agreed it was almost time to end their "war".

Tommaso Ciampa spoke with Renee Paquette at ringside about his TNT Championship aspirations. FTR arrived to greet The Psycho Killer, who said he was not friends with Dax Harwood or Cash Wheeler.

AEW Women's World Championship: Thekla (c) vs. Thunder Rosa

All Elite Wrestling

Thekla successfully defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Thunder Rosa.

Last Time in Action: Thunder Rosa alongside Kris Statlander defeated The Sisters of Sin (Collision, February 28); Thekla defeated Stat in a Strap match to win the AEW Women's World Championship (Dynamite, February 11).

Thunder Rosa walked into his match with bandaging around her neck, and Thekla struck at the obvious wound.

While La Mera Mera pushed the fight early, The Toxic Spider wore her down, even choosing not to win after her first Spider Walk Spear.

Rosa nearly made her pay for that with a Thunder Fire Driver for the best near-fall of the night. Thekla caught La Mera Mera with another Spear followed by a Stomp to win.

Rosa looked like a woman in her only second match back after a long injury hiatus, but that did not stop Thekla from delivering an impactful story in her first title defense.

The uneven action at times helped the drama of The Toxic Spider enjoying her advantage over her challenger.

She almost got too cocky and lost her gold, but ultimately Thekla's arrogance allowed her to do even more damage to Rosa's neck.

By the end, it was clear that the story was La Mera Mera had rushed into this match, and only Stat understood the depths of The Toxic Spider's sadism.

Whatever stipulation they get, Thekla vs. Stat again will be must-watch action.

Result

Thekla def. Rosa by pinfall to retain the AEW Women's World Championship.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

Rosa arrived with a new theme for her world title opportunity. This is another strong song but an obvious transition given how long Rosa used her original.

Stat was late to make the save for Rosa after the match, allowing Thekla to hit another Stomp on the neck of La Mera Mera.

World Trios Championships: Jet Set Rodeo (c) vs. The Don Callis Family

Last Time in Action: Hangman Adam Page, Kevin Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey defeated The Demand to retain the World Trios Championships (Collision, February 21). This was the first time Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis have teamed as a trio.

Jet Set Rodeo started the brawl early in this match, going right at The Don Callis Family. This led to a frantic pace where everyone fought through the first half of this match.

Once the action calmed, "Speedball" Mike Bailey knocked out both Davis and Okada then tagged in The Cowboy for a Deadeye on The Dunkzilla for a near-fall broken up by Fletcher.

After Hangman caught Davis with a Buckshot Lariat, he tagged in Knight. MJF caught The Cowboy with the Dynamite Diamond Ring, and The Rainmaker laid out The Jet with a Rainmaker.

This set the stage for Davis to hit the Awful Waffle on Knight to seal the win and title change to close the program.

This title match was set up in a chaotic scene, and the match that followed lived up to that chaotic energy.

The whole match was non-stop action and led to a somewhat surprising title change this early in the run of Jet Set Rodeo.

It may be the best move to get the World Trios Championships off Jet Set Rodeo, who had divided attentions since winning the gold.

The Cowboy can solely focus on MJF and the AEW Men's World Championship while JetSpeed perhaps goes after singles gold.

However, Okada and Fletcher are also now double champions with divided attentions. Assuming no Free Bird Rule is used as AEW has previously avoided, the championships are heavily congregated on the same stars.

Still, that is an issue for AEW to address in the future. For the moment, this was a great match and a wild energizing finish to a Dynamite that needed an exclamation mark.

Result

Davis, Okada and Fletcher def. Knight, Bailey and Hangman by pinfall to win the World Trios Championships.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

Since this started after the two-hour mark, Excalibur clarified multiple times this would go as long as it needed.

Don Callis joined commentary and was not happy with the "hot-dogging" of the champions.

It was especially cool to see Davis highlighted with the pinfall and camera focus since he was the only non-champion of his team finally winning gold.

Overall Show

Last week's show was fairly basic in building to Revolution. This week's show was absolute chaos, giving off WCW Nitro energy where anything could happen at any time.

Especially down the stretch, this was the kind of Dynamite that is not easily forgotten. On a night with two world title matches announced, it was a third world championship that changed hands instead.

The Don Callis Family continues to consolidate power where heels are running every men's division in AEW.

Luckily, Callis still has not recruited any women yet to go after Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.

It was an uneven night for Dynamite, but the highs significantly outweighed the lows to deliver the craziest show of the year so far from AEW.

AEW has leaned on its unpredictability to draw in audiences, and this kind of booking continues that trend with manic consistency.

Overall Show: A-