Episode 61 of AEW Dynamite was the special “Winter is Coming” edition of the show, which they hyped like a pay per view format. It is the most widely hyped edition of weekly television that AEW has done yet. With a thirty degree wind chill and a fresh graphic to open the show, let’s get right into it.
We opened with the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal. This was a fast paced and entertaining battle royal, even more so than last year’s. Shawn Spears and Scorpio Sky continued their feud here, and AEW did more to make Miro look dominant here than they had since he’d arrived. He looked like a serious beast, which makes me all the more sad for the way they’d been using him. MJF inadvertently knocked Sammy Guevara out, which furthers their story. MJF accidentally hit Wardlow, and he was thrown out by Orange Cassidy. So MJF and Cassidy are the two winners here, and will face off next week for the ring. As solid as the match’s storytelling was, Cassidy tossing out Wardlow seemed far-fetched. Guevara or Wardlow likely costs MJF “by accident” next week.
Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Jericho
This was surprisingly a first time showdown between these two respected veterans, and it was a good one. Jericho had his working pants on, even though he had a hard time keeping his actual pants up. Jericho still works very hard in the ring, and Kazarian has always been underrated. MJF comes to ringside with a towel, acting like he’s going to throw it in on Jericho (a callback to his Cody feud). Guevara comes out and takes the towel, but Jericho sees him and thinks Sammy is going to throw it in. Very nice piece of storytelling there. Jericho wins during the chaos with the Judas Effect. After the match, things break down between MJF/Guevara and Wardlow/Hager. Jericho says next week they’ll have to decide if they can work together, or break up for good. Really solid segment overall.
The Young Bucks start to cut a promo about facing TH2 next week, but The Acclaimed show up. The Acclaimed are Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, two standouts that got signed after impressing on AEW Dark. Bowens says they’re stars and they’re signed, and Caster does a rap about the Bucks’ book cover. TH2 shows up and attack the Bucks while The Acclaimed talk over it. The Acclaimed are phenomenal young talents who can talk and have great builds. It’s awesome to see them getting mic time. They could be a pair of AEW homegrown stars if they’re protected.
Leyla Hirsch vs. Britt Baker
It’s great to see Leyla back on Dynamite. She’s currently unsigned, but has the build and pedigree to be a pitbull (like Rousey or Baszler) in this division. She’d be a great fit for Team Taz. Baker cuts a fun heel inset promo, then comes out clad in her Pittsburgh Steelers gear. Hirsch actually gets a ton of offense and reversals in here, and smoothly defaults back to her juji gatame arm breaker. Baker jaw-jacks and ton and shows some mat skill of her own here. Baker continues to improve in the ring as she’s found her sweet spot as a character. Baker wins with the mandible claw. Thunder Rosa comes out to attack Baker. Rebel tries to defend Britt, but Hirsch comes back and takes her out. It’s so weird that AEW is pushing so many unsigned talents, but Rosa and Hirsch are worth it. Great match, and a good pull-apart afterwards.
Ricky Starks/Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Cody Rhodes/Darby Allin
This was another really well-paced match that had a big fight feel. For all the guff I gave to AEW about last week’s match quality, the quality this week is off the charts. Hobbs came off like a star here, from his look to his suplexes. Taz is a great mentor for him. Starks radiates cocky heel heat, and Darby sells wonderfully as he’s isolated from his corner. In the end, Darby hits the Coffin Drop on Starks to win, and I’m surprised that Team Taz loses here. After the match, Team Taz gets their heat back. Arn Anderson comes in and gets beat down by Hobbs. Dustin Rhodes comes out for the faces, but gets equalized by Brian Cage. The lights go out, and snow falls as a dark video plays on the tron. STING comes out onto the snowy, blue-hue ramp. The small crowd and announcers go nuts. This feels like a genuine surprise, and even at his age, Sting is a star. He comes down and stares at all the faces with his bat, and has a few seconds nose-to-nose with Darby. What a wonderful segment following a good match. AEW needs star power and casual viewers as a new brand, and Sting is a name that people remember.
Hikaru Shida cuts a promo backstage saying she isn’t scared of Abadon, but then hears a noise and runs away scared. I get putting over Abadon as a threat, but having your babyface champion running away is a bad booking decision.
Jon Moxley cuts a promo in the back saying that the time for talking is done and the hype is in the air. He could read the phone book and make it sound exciting.
Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
This gets the big-match feel here, complete with cool lighting and long entrances. Impact Wrestling’s Don Callis (former WWF manager and ECW commentator) is on commentary as a favor to Omega. This match gets a full half hour once the entrances are done. They pace it well, starting off with traditional wrestling and good counter-wrestling. Everything here feels important, and Moxley gets the advantage when they get to brawling on the outside. The high impact offense is smooth and both men have each other well scouted. Moxley hits the Paradigm Shift, then goes to get two chairs for he and Omega to sit in. Having your opponent beaten with your move, then allowing them to get up to hit you is beyond stupid. Then they went through a sequence of strikes where they didn’t sell. Aside from those last two sequences, this was a really good match, and probably the best American showing for Omega. Don Callis leaves commentary to check on Omega, and then gets the mic and says he’s hurt. With Moxley distracted, Omega gets the mic and hits him, then follows up with five V-Triggers and the One Winged Angel to win the AEW Title. After the match, Callis and Omega run through the back to get away. Marvez asks what’s going on, and Callis says we’ll hear about it Tuesday night on Impact. So Moxley is now the champion, Callis is working with him, and it appears that AEW has a working relationship with Impact Wrestling.
Overall, this was the best Dynamite in AEW history. I have a few knit picks (Cassidy winning, the Moxley chair spot), but not much bad overall that I can say here. The show was tightly formatted and every segment helped further a story. The match quality was the best it’s been. We had the surprise debut of a legend in Sting (who is signed to a contract and speaking next week). We saw unsigned talents getting their time to shine (and making the most of it). And a big title change with an inter-promotional company payoff. The rating this week should be solid, and it gives fans a ton of buzz to talk about to tune in next week. This is how you deliver on a big show, and next week has a lot of quality stuff announced already.
