AEW Dynamite Winners, Live Grades and Reaction From July 15

The MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston hosted the July 15 edition of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite, a show that promised memorable action and major build to Redemption.

Kenny Omega is finally AEW world champion again. He celebrated his victory while charting his course as titleholder toward All In. Andrade El Ídolo fought Jake Doyle for a chance to challenge national champion Mark Davis.

Mercedes Moné teamed up with The Divine Dominion to face Willow Nightingale, Maya World and Hyan. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage put the AEW World Tag Team Championships on the line against The Death Riders.

Who would emerge victorious? Which stars would step up to earn spots on the upcoming Redemption card? Check out all the winners, grades and overall reaction.

AEW World Tag Team Championships: Cage and Cope (c) vs. The Death Riders

All Elite Wrestling

Christian Cage and Adam Copeland vs. Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia

Last Time in Action: Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta alongside Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley defeated Top Flight, AR Fox and Komander (Collision, July 11); Christian Cage and Adam Copeland defeated The Dogs to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships (Forbidden Door, June 28).

While Christian and Cope started strong against their challengers, Garcia and Yuta managed to isolate The Rated-R Superstar in the apron to take control heading into the commercial break.

Cope fought his way free by biting Yuta to tag in a fresh Patriarch. The champions turned the tide and finished off Yuta with an Assisted Spear.

Afterward, The Death Riders and The Dogs attacked the champions again until The Bang Bang Gang arrived to clear the ring, ending with "Switchblade" Jay White taking David Finlay's shillelagh.

This was one of the weaker opening matches on Dynamite in recent months. There was little drama since the two least successful members of The Death Riders were contesting two veterans.

Garcia has also done better work recently than this, which felt like it was structured to be too basic to get the crowd involved.

C&C did add a solid title defense to their reign, and the post-match was fun at least, selling the growing stable warfare.

White is building to a big match against Finlay while the tag champions have plenty of interesting upcoming challengers.

It would be nice to see a clearer path though for the tag team division into All In.

Result

Cage and Cope def. Yuta and Garcia by pinfall to retain the World Tag Team Championships.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments and Observations

• The show started with Mox telling Will Ospreay that he could not hesitate when it was time to take his shot, no matter who was across from him.
• Renee Paquette explained that C&C asked for this shot to take down The Death Riders.
• AEW showed a dramatic video package to sell this match (though Garcia's music was still playing over the clip).
• The Young Bucks watched from the crowd, teasing a future title challenge.
• Christian and Switchblade continue to have issues despite Cope working with The Bang Bang Gang, further selling The Patriarch as still a heel.

Andrade El Ídolo vs. Jake Doyle

All Elite Wrestling

Andrade El Ídolo vs. Jake Doyle

Last Time in Action: Andrade El Ídolo def. Brian Cage (Collision, July 4); Jake Doyle alongside The Don Callis Family and MJF lost to The Conglomeration, Darby Allin and Konosuke Takeshita inside Death's Door (Forbidden Door, June 28).

The power of Doyle was a bigger threat to Andrade than he expected, serving as a powerful wall that El Ídolo struggled to break through.

A Moonsault to the floor on the big man finally seemed to turn the tide. Andrade hit the Three Amigos back in the ring for a near-fall.

A pair of strong Elbow Smashes by Doyle nearly won the big man the match, but Andrade responded with a Back Elbow and The DM for the victory.

Afterward, AEW showed the official graphic for Mark Davis vs. Andrade at Redemption. Davis arrived, but El Ídolo stopped him from entering the ring by wielding the Dynamite Diamond Ring.

While there was little doubt that El Ídolo had this win in the bag, Doyle looked like a beast throughout, pushing Andrade almost past his limit.

This was as close to a breakout performance as Doyle has had to date in singles action, and it should be fun to see how high he can reach as his status in The Don Callis Family improves.

While Davis has been a great National champion, Andrade should and will dethrone him at Redemption.

This is a good way to give El Ídolo some AEW gold while delaying his inevitable rise to the world title scene likely in early 2027.

He has all the tools to be one of AEW's top men, but the time is not yet right for him to hold the top prize, especially before he finally gets his one-on-one match with MJF.

Result

Andrade def. Doyle by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Before the match, backstage, The Lethal Twist ambushed The Conglomeration after a distraction from The Demand.
• Renee Paquette spoke to Andrade backstage, who revealed he now had MJF's Dynamite Diamond Ring but refused to admit who gave it to him (even though it was absolutely Will Ospreay based on last week.)
• AEW also showed another vignette for El Ídolo, highlighting the lifestyle that makes him great.
• Andrade came out with two women and still took a selfie with a woman at ringside.
• The crowd has fully embraced the "How You Know?" chant during matches.
• El Ídolo made an adjustment to his shirt from Forbidden Door with red tape over the "bad words".
• The loud female cheers as Andrade removed his shirt were telling. The crowd still wanted his pants off too though.

Kenny Omega's AEW Men's World Championship Celebration

After Tony Schiavone introduced Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks arrived to replace MJF's Triple B with the classic AEW Men's World Championship.

The Cleaner promised that he would deliver the best version there has ever been of Omega at All In. This brought out Will Ospreay.

The Aerial Assassin asked to speak with The Cleaner solo. He celebrated one of the best of all time getting back to his best.

Kevin Knight arrived to congratulate Omega and challenge the champion. The Cleaner put over The Jet and accepted the challenge for Redemption but only if Knight would leave Don Callis in the back.

The Jet responded with a sneak attack. Darby Allin attacked Knight as he tried to retreat from a protective Ospreay, but The Family arrived. The Death Riders evened the odds and sent The Family into retreat.

This went a bit long, but the crowd was invested in all of it, helped by the confident promo work of Omega, who was as good as he has been in a long time.

The Cleaner especially locked in to sell his match against The Jet. While it still feels a bit early for Knight to be in this position, this is clearly an emphatic statement by Tony Khan about Knight's potential.

This will be a major test for the challenger, who needs to deliver the best performance of his career in what is likely to be the Redemption main event.

Omega will retain as his match with Ospreay must be preserved for All In, but this could serve as the testing ground for a 2027 Jet world title reign.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• The celebration was highlighted by a nice red cover on the mat as well as an Omega symbol filled with highlights of The Cleaner's career accomplishments.
• Ospreay compared himself and Omega to a "real-life Goku and Vegeta" in a nerdy reference to Dragon Ball Z.
• Knight pulled out a nice line that got an audible "ooo" from the crowd: "What's a God to a non-believer?".
• The Cleaner put over MJF rightfully as a fighting champion.
• Backstage, "Jungle" Jack Perry promised Chapter 2 of his journey begins his breakthrough to the top, challenging a new star to fight him on Collision.

Brodido vs. Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto

Last Time in Action: Bandido and Brody King defeated The Death Riders (Dynamite, June 17). This was the first time Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto have teamed up on AEW programming since AEW Dark: Elevation (December 17, 2022).

Brodido make quick work of Solo and Comoroto, ending in a Double Frog Splash on both men for a double Bandido pin.

What was the point of this match on a Dynamite that already is missing some marquee action in the wake of an excellent Beach Break last week?

It is nice to see Bandido and King, but the ROH world champion was already in action on Collision last week.

If anything, this could have served to highlight King, who is not as featured on TV.

Instead, this was a quick and messy way to make Bandido look good and set up another title challenge for the ROH world champion.

When it would be more interesting for Bandido to defend his ROH world title on AEW, he keeps getting championship opportunities he cannot win.

Bandido vs. Fletcher will be a great match, but it is unclear how it will benefit the build to All In.

Result

Brodido def. Solo and Comoroto by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

• Backstage, an excited Bandido threw a Wanted sign at Fletcher during a pre-match hype interview with Renee Paquette.
• Later, backstage, Kyle Fletcher officially offered Bandido a match at Redemption for the International Championship.

International Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Komander

All Elite Wrestling

Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

Last Time in Action: Komander alongside Top Flight and AR Fox lost to The Death Riders (Collision, July 11); Kyle Fletcher defeated Konosuke Takeshita to become the new International champion (Dynamite, July 8).

The high-flying prowess of Komander had The Protostar struggling early in this contest.

He flew around the ropes to the floor, including an impressive Springboard Hurricanrana to the floor that cut open Fletcher on the corner of the announce table.

A panicked Fletcher caught Komander with a Michinoku Driver followed by a Brainbuster to win.

Afterward, The Protostar tried to rip Komander's mask. Konosuke Takeshita arrived to make the save. Kazuchika Okada surprised The Alpha with a Rainmaker.

Brodido ran in to make the save and take down ProtOkada.

On paper, Komander should not have been getting this title opportunity this early from his return to action.

However, his unreal performance throughout this contest made any booking quibbles disappear quickly.

Fletcher picked up a hard-fought title defense while Komander won over this crowd with his unreal athleticism.

Fletcher and Komander have consistently delivered together, though, so that was no surprise.

The post-match elevated a fun filler title match to a major confrontation that likely confirms the plan is Fletcher vs. Okada vs. Takeshita at All In.

Before that though, this segment set up a fun tag match for next week between ProtOkada and Brodido.

Result

Fletcher def. Komander by pinfall to retain the International Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Komander's rope walk is still one of the most unreal moves in wrestling and got the crowd more than just about anything else on the show.
• Takeshita is in the midst of the G1 Climax, so it was shocking to see him appear on Dynamite.
• Okada teased that he wanted the International Championship back, struggling to give it back to Fletcher.
• Renee Paquette interviewed The Brawling Birds on the stage. They promised to not let England down in their pursuit of success.
• In a pre-tape, Chris Jericho brought back The Painmaker for a Redemption challenge. Tommaso Ciampa accepted and challenged anyone to fight him on Collision.

Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage

All Elite Wrestling

Brian Cage vs. Darby Allin

Last Time in Action: Brian Cage defeated Zachary Wentz, and Darby Allin defeated Trent Beretta (Collision, July 11).

Cage dominated Allin throughout this contest, utilizing his power against the much-smaller competitor.

The Daredevil finally fought back with a Coffin Drop on the steel steps followed by another as The Machine returned to the ring to win.

Afterward, Excalibur confirmed that Allin would challenge Knight next week for the TNT Championship.

This was a good match between two great athletes that felt rushed due to the odd pacing of the overall show. This might have been better served waiting for Collision.

Despite the pacing issue, these two work so well together as Cage can easily throw around The Daredevil while giving him important openings to fight back.

By the end, this sold what makes Allin a threat to anyone and why Knight should not underestimate the threat of the former world champion.

Result

Allin def. Cage by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Kenny Omega talked to Renee Paquette about Kevin Knight. Allin interrupted to warn Omega that The Jet cannot be saved. Jon Moxley arrived to agree with The Daredevil.
• There was no explanation for why Don Callis finally agreed to let Allin challenge Knight for the TNT Championship, especially right before a world title match for The Jet.
• Renee Paquette interviewed Knight and Callis. Callis told Knight to get the job done. "Speedball" Mike Bailey told Knight he was still willing to forgive him.

Mercedes Moné and Divine Dominion vs. Willow Nightingale, Maya World and Hyan

All Elite Wrestling

Willow Nightingale, Maya World and Hyan vs. Mercedes Moné and Divine Dominion

Last Time in Action: Willow Nightingale won the Casino Gauntlet (Dynamite: Beach Break, July 8). Mercedes Moné defeated Maya World to win the Women's Owen Cup, and Megan Bayne and Lena Kross defending successfully against Thunder Rosa and Olympia (Forbidden Door, June 28). Maya and Hyan lost to Moné and Athena (Collision, June 24).

Despite the confidence of the champions, Willow, Maya and Hyan looked like the more cohesive trio early in the contest and into the final commercial break.

The action grew more explosive and chaotic down the stretch, especially highlighted by Willow and Bayne colliding as well as Moné and Maya showing off their chemistry again.

Divine Dominion managed to isolate and overwhelm Hyan, but Willow saved her from a pinfall after a Falcon Arrow.

While Willow cleared out Kross and Bayne, The CEO survived a great Hyan Spear and sealed the win with the Moné Maker.

This was a great finish to a lackluster episode of Dynamite, highlighted by the explosive offense of everyone involved.

Hyan was always the most likely woman to take the fall, but she got in some great moves next to five more featured women.

The win for Moné established her trio with Divine Dominion as a nearly unstoppable force and should give Willow a major task in finding partners that can contend with Kross and Bayne.

It is a shame that Thekla was not on the show, but that may be because of her appearance in STARDOM earlier in the day.

Even so, the AEW Women's World Championship match for Redemption needs a strong spotlight in the next week to sell a match that feels rushed at this stage.

If anything, this match showed that Moné vs. Willow is the real focus for AEW at present while The Toxic Spider is unlikely to retain at Redemption.

Result

Moné, Bayne and Kross def. Hyan, Maya and Willow by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• This match did not start until past the top of the two-hour mark, requiring multiple promises from commentary that they would get as much time as they needed.
• The crowd was into everyone in this match, obviously favoring The CEO though as the hometown woman.
• The CEO took center camera to end the night, mockingly dancing for the crowd.

Final Word

While AEW has consistently delivered on PPV all year, the builds to the secondary shows remain consistently awkward.

No PPV has felt as thrown together as Redemption.

This was supposed to be the week when AEW delivered the clear vision for Redemption. Instead, while multiple great matches were announced, this show was scattershot and rushed, relying heavily on one-off fun matches to sell the night.

While most of the action was good, the rest of the show slogged through interview after interview of the roster.

The biggest moment of the show was the Kenny Omega championship celebration, but that fell into a familiar men's main event scene trap of running far too long for the content presented.

Redemption is highly likely to be a great PPV, but this week's Dynamite did not sell why fans should spend their money on a show that AEW is throwing together last minute.

Final Grade: D+