AEW Dynamite Winners, Live Grades and Reaction Before Redemption

Ahead of Redemption, All Elite Wrestling headed to The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee for a July 22 edition of Dynamite featuring title action and first-time team-ups.

Darby Allin finally got his hands on Kevin Knight, fighting for the TNT Championship. Kenny Omega teamed with Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay against The Don Callis Family.

Willow Nightingale and Thekla met face-to-face while The Sisters of Sin challenged The Divine Dominion in a No Disqualification battle for the Women's World Tag Team Championships.

This was only the beginning of a packed night hyping Redemption on Sunday. Check out all the winners, grades and reactions below.

TNT Championship: Kevin Knight (c) vs. Darby Allin

All Elite Wrestling

Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin

Last Time in Action: Kevin Knight successfully defended the TNT Championship against AR Fox (Collision, July 18); Darby Allin defeated Brian Cage (Dynamite, July 15).

Knight was hesitant to get into the ring to start the match, so Allin jumped onto him, starting a brawl at ringside, including a dive from the top rope into the timekeeper's area.

Finally, the two entered the ring and started the match. The Jet kept the brawl going, sending The Daredevil into the barricade off the ramp followed by Catapulting the face of Allin into the steel steps.

This broke open The Daredevil, but Allin refused to quit, hitting Knight with a Coffin Drop from the top rope to the floor into the commercial break.

The battle continued back from break where the referee took a bad bump. When Knight took advantage using the TNT Championship, The Daredevil caught him with the Scorpion Death Drop.

While the ref recovered though, Knight countered a Coffin Drop with a title shot followed by a Coast to Coast and UFO Splash to retain the TNT Championship.

Afterward, The Don Callis Family arrived, starting with Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada headed to the ring.

Renee Paquette interviewed The Family, particularly setting up Knight and Fletcher to clash over their shared goals. The Protostar announced for his match next and at Redemption all of The Family was banned from ringside.

No one has gotten more out of Knight since he turned heel than The Daredevil. This was hard-hitting and intense, built on Allin's signature brand of hardcore wrestling, even in a standard match.

Knight was a menace throughout, enjoying battling someone he could throw around and threaten to genuinely injure in stretches.

If not for the ending, this would have been a perfect opener, but the closing stretch was an obnoxious overbooking that milked the referee bump.

Even if it protected Allin, it would have been more effective to let Knight win more conclusively to sell him as a legitimate threat on Sunday to Kenny Omega.

Because of the timing, The Daredevil could not win here, which is a shame that Knight vs. Allin is the more interesting angle for The Jet right now.

Hopefully at least the dirty finish will set up a rematch down the line between these two.

Result

Knight def. Allin by pinfall to retain the TNT Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• The show started with Will Ospreay hyping up his team up with Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley. Ospreay and Omega teased each other before Mox's arrival caused tension.
• Renee talked up the tensions between these two before the match.
• Knight should use the Coast to Coast more as a finisher given that it has been sold as the move that hospitalized Allin.
• Knight called out in the post-match promo that he had broken the TNT Championship defense record held by Fletcher.

Brodido vs. ProtOkada

All Elite Wrestling

Brodido vs. ProtOkada

Last Time in Action: Bandido and Brody King defeated Aaron Solo & Nick Comoroto (Dynamite, July 22); Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada alongside The Don Callis Family lost to The Conglomeration and friends inside Death's Door (Forbidden Door, June 28).

Once all of The Don Callis Family had left the ringside area per Fletcher's request, this battle began. Both sides battled with intense focus.

After a competitive back-and-forth, King caught Fletcher out a Brainbuster counter with a Boss Man Slam for a near-fall.

Bandido nearly caught The Protostar with the 21 Plex, but Fletcher held the ropes followed by a Half-and-Half Suplex, only for the luchador to throw Fletcher into the air for a Faceplant near-fall.

King set up a Frog Splash on Fletcher for another near-fall. Okada made a save for Fletcher, only to accidentally hit him with a Rainmaker followed by a 21 Plex for the win.

Mark Davis arrived afterward, followed by Andrade El Ídolo to even up the odds and protect Brodido.

This was about as good as TV tag matches can possibly be. Everyone made the most of their spots, and Brodido especially have unreal team chemistry.

By the closing stretch, it was clear that this could have been the pay-per-view match, and Fletcher vs. Bandido will be another showstealer on Sunday.

It was absolutely the right spot for Bandido to pick up a pin on Fletcher to solidify his claim to the International Championship.

Add on to this the interesting tension between Fletcher and Okada, which will be fun to follow toward All In.

The only real question is whether this was too good a match for TV, which is a frequent question in AEW, and that cannot ever be a truly bad thing.

Result

Bandido and King def. Fletcher and Okada by pinfall.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

• Callis on commentary talked up both men, especially King, who he said had one problem: he thought for himself.
• Okada was not involved in this match nearly as much as Fletcher, but he made his spots count, delivering impressive counters to signature Brodido offense.
• The Rainmaker did not look that upset about hitting Fletcher, but he was apologizing when Fletcher woke up (while glaring when he was not looking).
• Afterward, AEW played a hype package trying to sell the danger of fighting The Painmaker.

Thekla and Willow Nightingale Meet Face-to-Face (Interviewed by Mick Foley)

All Elite Wrestling

Thekla and Willow Nightingale Face-to-Face

Mick Foley facilitated the face-to-face between Thekla and Willow Nightingale.

The Toxic Spider promised to beat the "poison" out of Willow and show the darkness she has hidden behind a smile.

Willow questioned if Thekla might be putting on an act to not feel "so small", which struck a nerve with The Toxic Spider.

A brawl broke out where Thekla used her glove and the microphone to hurt Willow, but Willow was the last woman standing.

While the men often go too long on promos, the women often struggle for promo time, but Thekla and Willow got just the right about of time for this spot.

Champion and challenger clearly sold their difference in philosophies and made clear why this is a match that needs to happen.

Despite a limited build, this segment made clear that this is the biggest match for Redemption.

Regardless of where this match lands on Redemption, it has the highest potential to be the emotional high of the PPV, and Willow and Thekla both keep showing the reason AEW relies on them as top stars.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

• Thekla wore the AEW Women's World Championship over her newly won Artist of Stardom Championship.
• Foley seemed a bit uncertain about his interviewer role in this spot, which is understandable since this is not a usual role for him.
• It was nice to hear Foley compare his own journey to Willow's, setting up the challenger to sell her friendship with the newly signed legend.
• Afterward, AEW aired a hype package for Hikaru Shida and Maya World before announcing Thekla and Shida vs. Willow and Maya on Collision.

"Switchblade" Jay White vs. Clark Connors

All Elite Wrestling

Clark Connors vs. Jay White

Last Time in Action: "Switchblade" Jay White made his in-ring return alongside Adam Copeland and The Gunns, defeating Shane Taylor Promotions (Collision, July 2); Clark Connors alongside David Finlay lost in their bid for the AEW Men's Tag Team Championships held by Cope and Christian Cage (Forbidden Door, June 28).

Switchblade toyed with Connors to start this match, even threatening an early Blade Runner, but 100 Proof fought free and turned the tide with a Spear out of the ring on the ramp into the commercial break.

Connors kept control until he tried another Spear that White dodged, sending 100 Proof into a steel chair.

The two battled back and forth until Switchblade lured Connors into another Spear, reversing into a Guillotine that knocked out 100 Proof and forced a referee stoppage.

Afterward, FInlay grabbed his shillelagh and blasted Switchblade, but the rest of The Bang Bang Gang arrived to make the save and send The Dogs into retreat.

The pace of this match felt more like a Collision than a Dynamite match. The two got time to lean into the story of White finding his footing for his first singles match since returning from injury.

While the action was not always crisp, it was effective, especially for the narrative both were selling.

White looks like he may need more time to fully find his footing again, so it is a good idea to wait for his climactic battle with Finlay, one on one.

This has been a solid stable battle so far between the teams, helped by a wealth of history built before all these men came to AEW.

Result

White def. Connors by referee stoppage.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Excalibur made a great call at the end, selling that White took a big risk allowing Connors to go for the Spear, barely catching him in the Guillotine.
• Afterward, backstage, Pac and Claudio Castagnoli attacked Cage and Cope. The Bastad than promised victory at Redemption.
• Just before the main event, backstage, Switchblade and Juice Robinson challenged The Dogs to a Double Chain match at Redemption.

No DQ for Women's World Tag Team Championships: Divine Dominion (c) vs. Sisters of Sin

All Elite Wrestling

Divine Dominon vs. Sisters of Sin.

Last Time in Action: Megan Bayne and Lena Kross alongside Mercedes Moné defeated Willow Nightingale, Maya World and Hyan (Dynamite, July 15); Julia Hart and Skye Blue alongside Thekla and Athena defeated The Brawling Birds, Mina Shirakawa and Thunder Rosa (Dynamite, May 20).

The Sisters of Sin started the action with vicious intent, using kendo sticks against Divine Dominion, but Bayne and Kross were not slowed for long.

They battled back and used every weapon available to hurt The Sisters of Sin, busting open Blue before blasting her with a steel chair into the commercial break.

Hart and Blue turned the tide back from break with a Double Powerbomb on Bayne through a table on the ramp.

Once The Megasus had recovered to back up The Colossal One, she got her own revenge by Chokeslamming Blue through a table on the floor.

Hart tried to take down Bayne with an Octopus Stretch, but The Megasus reversed into a Spinning Tombstone followed by From Heaven to Hell to seal the win.

The women's division has consistently overdelivered in limited hardcore opportunities like this, and this was no different.

The Sisters of Sin sold their hardcore advantage throughout, but it was clear time and again that the power disadvantage was more than Blue and Hart could handle.

By the end, Divine Dominion had once again established dominance over another women's tag team, looking unstoppable despite The Sisters of Sin making things dramatic in moments.

At this point, Bayne and Kross have established themselves as the gold standard for women's tag teams in AEW, and it will be tough for anyone to match this reign in the future.

Result

Bayne and Kross def. Hart and Blue by pinfall to retain the Women's World Tag Team Championships.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Both teams had unique matching fear, but Hart and Blue's gear stood out more paired with their matching newly won Artist of Stardom Championships.
• Blue was never going to let this match happen without her bleeding, though she probably would have liked a more pronounced crimson mask.
• The crowd was invested in the chaos of this match throughout, showing respect to both teams despite all four working as heels.