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AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights
December 16, 2021AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights
For the second consecutive year, winter came to All Elite Wrestling in the form of a blockbuster episode of Dynamite, headlined by a world championship clash.
"Hangman" Adam Page defended his title against Bryan Danielson in one of the most hotly anticipated matches in recent memory.
Elsewhere, MJF sought to retain the Dynamite Diamond Ring he has held since 2019. To do so, he would have to defeat Dante Martin and overcome the pressure of his ongoing feud with CM Punk.
Who emerged from Wednesday's title bout with gold around their waist and what became of MJF's prized ring?
Find out now with this recap of the Winter Is Coming event.
AEW Championship Match: 'Hangman' Page vs. Bryan Danielson
The AEW world title was up for grabs in the night's opening match, an eagerly awaited showdown between champion "Hangman" Adam Page and top contender Bryan Danielson.
And fans alternated between chants of "let's go Hangman" and "let's go Bryan" as the combatants locked up.
A slow-paced opening gave way to the challenger bending Page backward, with his legs locked and his head trapped in a Dragon Sleeper. When the champ fought back, Danielson cut him off. He targeted the midsection, then dropped a knee to his back and shoulders as the show headed to a break.
Page finally created separation and mounted his comeback, wiping his challenger out with a tope suicida, before adding a moonsault plancha from the top rope. Back inside the squared circle, Danielson recovered and transitioned from one submission hold to another, looking to force a tapout from his opponent.
A nasty bump on the ring apron left Page nursing shoulder injuries that Danielson exploited, repeatedly driving him into the ring post and busting him open in the process. The challenger pounded away at the wound and caught the champion with a flying knee.
Danielson delivered a German suplex and immediately sought the Cattle Mutilation. Page fought to the ropes and forced the break. Outside the ring, Danielson accidentally kicked the ring post, injuring his shin and creating a weakness for Hangman to exploit.
The challenger regained control, peppering Page with kicks until his left leg gave out. Hangman took advantage and delivered a tombstone piledriver. Danielson answered with a knee from the top rope to the arm of his opponent. The Anxious Millennial Cowboy delivered Dead Eye on the apron as the action escalated. Page proceeded to launch himself from the top rope, missing his rival and crashing into the timekeeper table.
During another break, Danielson exposed the arena floor and delivered a DDT on the concrete. The champion responded with a German suplex. Attempts at a lariat failed to leave an impact thanks to an injured arm targeted by the heel. The challenger tried a back suplex from the top but Page landed on his feet and rocked him with a discus lariat.
With 55 minutes gone, Danielson stomped the face of Hangman. The titleholder caught him with another Dead Eye for a two-count. Page stomped his opponent's head in a nice bit of revenge. Hangman tried for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson caught him and applied the LeBell Lock.
The champion fought out and delivered the Buckshot Lariat but could not make the cover before the bell rang, signaling the end of the 60-minute time limit.
Result
Page fought Danielson to a time-limit draw
Grade
A+
Analysis
This was a Match of the Year candidate, rivaled only by Danielson's battle with Kenny Omega in September in New York City.
In the champion's first opportunity to prove he belongs in that position, he did just that for 60 minutes. The moment was never too big, nor were the time constraints too long. He was Danielson's equal and that goes a long way in establishing credibility.
Danielson continued his molten-hot streak here, adding another extraordinary performance to his resume. He was as advertised in this epic encounter and further sealed himself as Wrestler of the Year. Intense, aggressive, violent and relentless; he was the heel this match deserved.
The rematch will be excellent and the boos that rained down following the decision indicate the fans want more. They'll get it and AEW will reap the rewards.
Matt Sydal vs. Wardlow
Wardlow battled Matt Sydal in the night's second match.
The massive heavyweight absorbed everything thrown at him by Sydal and then proceeded to bowl him over, delivering just two powerbombs at the insistence of Shawn Spears en route to a dominant victory.
After the match, Spears reiterated that they do not get paid by the hour and blasted Sydal with a steel chair. He then received a call from MJF, who ordered Wardlow to get champagne and ice ahead of his Dynamite Diamond Ring victory later.
Result
Wardlow defeated Sydal
Grade
C+
Analysis
Another week, another Wardlow domination.
We have seen the teases of a split between him and MJF for so long that they are going to lose their effect eventually. AEW has to execute the breakup or fans will lose interest in the payoff.
Luckily, MJF is so unlikable that the moment Wardlow jacks him up with a clothesline or powerbomb, the big man will be made.
Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb
Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb wrote the third and decisive chapter in their rivalry Wednesday night.
What started as a red-hot, intense brawl settled down as Deeb worked over her opponent, showing the world why she is The Professor of Professional Wrestling. Shida fought out of a submission attempt and created separation with a Falcon Arrow, but Deeb reestablished control with a half crab.
Shida fought through the pain and survived the submission attempt. She launched Deeb into the turnbuckle and scored a jackknife pin for the win.
Result
Shida defeated Deeb
Grade
B
Analysis
Shida and Deeb have fantastic in-ring chemistry, as has been documented every time they have done battle in 2021. Their first two encounters set the bar high; and while this third match may not have lived up to them, it was still a strong effort from the former AEW women's champion and the most underrated wrestler on the roster.
Shida winning was the right call because Deeb is good enough to recover and remain a threat to either the women's or TBS titles.
It's best that the feud is given some time to breathe now, but one can only hope we return to this pairing sometime down the line because the in-ring work is too good for this to be the last time.
Dante Martin vs. MJF
MJF cut a scathing promo directed at CM Punk ahead of the night's main event, namedropping Ryback in the process.
Once the match started, he dodged an aerial assault, leaving opponent Dante Martin to crash and burn. He proceeded to control the bout, grounding his high-flying opponent in pursuit of a second consecutive retention of the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
As Martin fought back and quickened the pace, MJF found himself on the defensive and in dire need of an answer. A series of pinfall reversals, including Martin calling back MJF's claims that he could win a match with a headlock, ensued before Martin delivered the Nosedive.
FTW champion and Team Taz leader Ricky Starks put the heel's leg on the rope, breaking the pin. The distraction allowed him to recover and apply the Salt of the Earth for the submission win.
After the match, FTR hit the ring to celebrate with the victor until the arena darkened. When the lights came on, Sting and Darby Allin unloaded on the heels. Punk hit the ring moments later, chasing The Pinnacle from the ring and standing tall.
The Best in the World issued the challenge and the match was made official: Punk, Sting and Allin vs. FTR and MJF as a part of AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash next Wednesday.
Result
MJF defeated Martin
Grade
B
Analysis
Martin is undeniably a star of the future and MJF is a star in the here and now, and they had a solid main event to close out the show. It wasn't quite the quality of the heel's match with Allin at Full Gear, but it was a high-energy bout that saw the right guy go over, all while escalating Martin's feud with Team Taz.
More importantly, it allowed MJF to retain the ring, which has been a go-to weapon for the villain.
The main event for next week's show is going to be electric. It will be the first time Punk gets his hands on MJF and rekindles the feud between FTR and Sting and Allin, which wrote its first chapter at Dynamite Grand Slam in September.