AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from TNT Debut
A new era of professional wrestling was ushered in Wednesday night with the debut of All Elite Wrestling's TNT show Dynamite, headlined by a Six-Man Tag Team match, the coronation of the promotion's first women's champion and a high-stakes match for executive vice president Cody Rhodes.
The first opportunity for the company to leave an impression, it provided an energetic alternative to the tired mainstream product presented elsewhere.
What exactly went down, who emerged victorious and which female competitor etched her name in the history books by claiming the gold?
Find out with this recap of the combustible October 2 broadcast.
Tune in to TNT on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET to catch all the action of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.
Cody vs. Sammy Guevara
1 of 5
A loss for Cody would negate his championship clash with Chris Jericho on November 9.
The Washington, D.C., fans greeted him with a hero's welcome, while the ever-confident Sammy Guevara was met with a chorus of boos. But it was the young star who seized the spotlight and outwrestled his second-generation opponent early, delivering a standing moonsault for a near-fall.
Guevara had an answer for everything Cody tried until a snap powerslam put him down for a two-count. The youngest member of the Rhodes dynasty trapped his opponent in a Figure Four his father was very familiar with at the height of his popularity, but Guevara made it to the sanctuary of the bottom rope, forcing the break.
Cody continued to build momentum, dropping Guevara in a delayed front suplex. Guevara followed that showboating with a big kick, but the babyface answered with a springboard stunner for another near-fall.
Guevara answered with a springboard cutter for his own two-count.
A bicycle kick dropped The Best Ever off the apron and to the floor. Looking to build on it, Cody launched himself through the ropes with a tope suicida, but an alert Guevara pulled Brandi Rhodes in the way of her husband.
The distraction allowed him to post Cody. Back in the ring, a top-rope moonsault missed, as did a standing one. A running shooting star press didn't, though, and Guevara earned yet another near victory.
With Guevara draped across the rope, Brandi got a measure of revenge with the assistance of a high heel, and Cody executed a Disaster Kick for a strong false finish.
An inverted superplex failed to put away Guevara, leaving Cody grasping for straws. The heel escaped a vertebreaker attempt, jumped to the top rope and drove his opponent to the mat with a super Spanish Fly.
Cody caught him with a small package to score the hard-fought pinfall win.
After the match, commentator Tony Schiavone attempted to get a word with Cody, but Guevara interrupted him. The heel provided just enough of a distraction for Chris Jericho to enter the ring and brutally assault Cody, first with the AEW Championship and then with a steel chair on the arena floor.
Result
Cody defeated Guevara
Grade
A
Analysis
This was the perfect introduction to what AEW is about.
Guevara is a young wrestler brimming with potential who seized the opportunity presented to him in this match and looked every bit his opponent's equal. Cody put him over and made him look like a star capable of being the future of the company. On top of it all, the match used storytelling to create dramatic near-falls and pop the crowd.
The crowd was red-hot for the face of AEW, and the result was an electric, dynamic opener on a night when it was absolutely essential for that to be the case.
The post-match beatdown by Jericho built heat for his upcoming Full Gear main event against Cody and gave his opponent a reason to seek revenge, perhaps as early as the November 9 pay-per-view.
Brandon Cutler vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman
2 of 5
The TNT audience was introduced to the loudmouthed, egotistical Maxwell Jacob Friedman, known to the AEW faithful simply as MJF, when he battled Brandon Cutler in one-on-one action.
The brash, cocky competitor took control of the match from the opening bell, but Cutler scored a sunset flip for a near-fall.
An alert MJF raked the eyes, though, slowing his opponent's momentum. Hanging him up on the rope and then sending him shoulder-first into the ring post, MJF targeted the left arm of his opponent.
Cutler fought back, delivered a picture-perfect tope suicida and hammered away at his opponent. Seizing an opening created by a momentary referee distraction, MJF applied an armbar and forced a tapout.
Result
MJF defeated Cutler
Grade
C+
Analysis
This worked as an introduction to an MJF character that figures to be a major part of AEW television for the foreseeable future. Charismatic beyond words, he is a great heel around whom the company can build any division.
Cutler is a compelling person who probably could have benefited from a little backstory or one of the superb video packages that introduced him to the masses in The Road to TNT web series. His performance here was strong and indicative of a wrestler grateful for the opportunity he has now. That emotion will endear him to audiences.
'Hangman' Adam Page vs. Pac
3 of 5
Originally scheduled for Double or Nothing on May 25, the match between "Hangman" Adam Page and Pac finally occurred in an AEW ring on the premiere episode of Dynamite.
Intensified by The Bastard's disrespectful interruption of Page's post-show interview at All Out on August 31, the bout would have significant implications on championship standings going forward.
Pac stalled early, refusing to enter the squared circle and drawing a ton of heat from the live crowd as a result. An exchange of forearms to the face started the match, each competitor jockeying for position. Page gained the early upper hand, backing his rival into the corner and delivering a nasty knife-edge chop that sent him scurrying to the floor.
Page followed him out, taking the fight to the grizzled vet. A tope suicida leveled Pac and continued his momentum. A fallaway slam and running shooting star press followed.
Pac finally managed to cut off Page and delivered a moonsault to the floor that wiped him out. Back inside, a springboard 450 nearly earned The Bastard a win, but Page shot his shoulder off the mat to ensure the fight continued.
As the heel scaled the ropes, Hangman created separation, rolling across the ring. Pac answered with a running dropkick and again returned to the top rope. Page cut him off and joined him up top, where he delivered a super fallaway slam. A corner dropkick followed, and it appeared Page was nearing victory.
An ill-timed charge resulted in him crashing and burning on the arena floor, where Pac renewed his assault. A missile shotgun dropkick downed Page as his opponent built his own momentum. Chants of "you're a bastard" filled the arena as Pac continued his beatdown at the 10-minute mark.
Some trash talk on the part of the heel opened a door for Page, who exploded back into the match with a spinebuster. Sensing he was in trouble, Pac rolled out of the ring, but Page met him with a top-rope moonsault.
Back inside the squared circle, Pac escaped a Buckshot Lariat, delivered an undetected low blow and executed his jaw-dropping Red Arrow. He tapped out Page for the win.
Result
Pac defeated Page via submission
Grade
A
Analysis
At one time, the world was Page's. He rode a wave of momentum and expectation into All Out, where some believed he would make good on his promise to capture the AEW Championship.
He didn't, and now he's lost another high-profile match that threatens to eliminate him from championship contention entirely. What happens to a young star facing adversity after months of excelling? That is a question that breeds an intriguing story fans can sink their teeth into.
Pac has been nothing short of stellar since arriving in AEW. He has been every bit the villain promised, and his two consecutive wins over members of The Elite must have him in line for a title opportunity sometime in the near future.
AEW Women's Championship Match: Riho vs. Nyla Rose
4 of 5
Dr. Britt Baker joined Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross and Excalibur on commentary for the historic showdown between Nyla Rose and Riho. One of those two women would emerge from the match as the first-ever AEW women's champion.
Would it be the consummate underdog Riho or the hometown Native Beast?
Rose charged at Riho, who sidestepped her and fired off a flurry of forearms. A dropkick stunned the larger competitor, and a second brought her two her knees. Rose struggled early until a shoulder block and big splash halted her opponent's onslaught.
Rose worked her over, grounded her and applied an STF. She looked to force a tapout, but the resilient Riho fought her way to the ropes, grabbing the bottom one and forcing the break.
Riho survived a delayed suplex attempt and went for a German suplex, but Rose powered out. She blasted her with a nasty back elbow, to which the babyface responded with a running knee strike that sent Rose to the floor.
Riho scaled the ropes and came off with a crossbody. Rose caught her and executed a backbreaker on the floor. Rose teased using a chair, but the official pulled it away from her. Instead, the heel sent Riho crashing into the guardrail, leaving her writhing in pain.
Rose grabbed chairs from under the ring, piled them up and laid Riho on them. She leaped off the ring apron and crashed back-first on the weapons as her opponent rolled out of the way. Riho delivered a big double stomp to the back and scored a close two off it.
The babyface followed with a crossface of her own. Rose utilized her power advantage, though, and escaped. Riho delivered a roll-through double stomp, to which Rose responded with a massive Samoan Drop for a near-fall.
Rose draped Riho on the top rope and scaled the ropes for a knee drop to the back of the head. The high spot was still not enough to put away Riho, though, as she managed a dramatic kick-out. Rose reapplied the STF, but the gutsy Riho refused to submit.
Rose released her grip and set up Riho for a powerbomb. Riho tried to back-body-drop her way out but crumbled under the frame of her opponent. She still showed fight, firing off rights to the face. A big kick stopped her in her tracks. A roll-up from out of nowhere nearly earned Riho the championship.
Rose responded with a Death Valley Driver, but Riho again got her shoulder off the mat in time to preserve her title aspirations. Rose climbed the ropes, but Riho cut her off. A series of fiery forearms to the chest gave way to an improbable superplex and close two-count.
Three double knees finally earned Riho the hard-fought victory.
Result
Riho defeated Rose to win the title
Grade
A+
Analysis
If there was ever a greater representation of the age-old saying "it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog," it was this.
Riho overcame the oppressive arsenal of the unforgiving Rose, showed tremendous heart in doing so and had an otherwise split crowd inside the Capital One Arena rooting for her victory by the end of the bout. She was resilient, she was tough and now she is a champion.
It was intriguing to see Kenny Omega hitting the ring to save the newly crowned titleholder from a further beating at the hands of Rose. Acknowledging their friendship and pairing her with The Cleaner will only help Riho gain footing with the audience as she embarks on a run as the top star in the women's division.
Post-match antics suggest Rose is not yet finished with Riho. Given the strength of this match, another title bout between the two would be more than welcome.
Six-Man Tag Team Match: The Elite vs. Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz
5 of 5
Tuesday night on TNT, during the AEW Dynamite preview show, it was revealed AEW champion Chris Jericho would team with Santana and Ortiz, who debuted by attacking The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros after the ladder match at All Out.
For the artists formerly known as The Latin American Xchange to pick up a win in their first match with AEW, they would have to defeat the reunited Elite in the first-ever Dynamite main event.
Jericho teased starting with Omega, but it was Ortiz who got that honor. Omega took him down, sent Santana to the floor and tried for a headscissors on Jericho, only to find himself in the Walls of Jericho. Matt and Nick Jackson made the save, dropping the AEW champion with a double superkick. They followed up with stereo dives on Santana and Ortiz, leaving Omega in the squared circle.
Suddenly, Jon Moxley slid into the squared circle and attacked his Full Gear opponent. Their fight spilled into the crowd, where the aggressor pummeled Omega. This left the main event a three-on-two handicap match, with the Bucks forced to go it alone.
Backstage, Moxley dropped Omega with a butterfly DDT through a glass table.
The heels cut off the ring, isolating Matt from his brother. Matt scored a quick roll-up for two but found himself right back on the receiving end of a punishing assault by Jericho and Co. He finally created separation, dropping Ortiz over the top ropes and catching Santana with a spear.
The alert Ortiz pulled Nick off the apron, though, preventing a much-needed hot tag. Jericho tagged in and proceeded to miss a lionsault. Again, the heels prevented a tag by knocking Nick from the apron.
A flipping cutter from the top rope allowed Matt to find his second gear, execute a trio of suplexes and make the tag.
Nick exploded into the match, unleashing a flurry of strikes and a bulldog/DDT combo to Santana and Ortiz. A moonsault from the top to the floor wiped out Ortiz at ringside. As The Young Bucks set him up for the Meltzer Driver, Jericho re-entered the ring and caught Matt with the Codebreaker.
Jericho finished off Nick with the Judas Effect for the pinfall win.
After the bell, Cody made the save, only to be attacked by Guevara. Dustin Rhodes hit the ring and unloaded on the heels but quickly found himself on the receiving end of a beatdown by the debuting Jake Hager.
Result
Jericho, Santana and Ortiz defeated The Young Bucks and Omega
Grade
A
Analysis
Three very important things were accomplished in this one match: Moxley returned and intensified his rivalry with Omega; Jericho and Cody continued to build to their AEW Championship match at Full Gear; and Hager debuted in a red-hot, show-closing segment that put him right in the mix with the company's biggest stars.
AEW delivered a noteworthy main event that built some very effective heels to go along with the strong roster of babyfaces it possesses. As is the case in all forms of storytelling, the protagonist is only as effective as their antagonist.
The Elite, the Rhodes and the rest of the AEW roster now have a crop of heel competitors to feed off, and the heat on every show will be better for it.
This was a stellar close to an excellent first TNT broadcast.
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
