Reviews by Dave
By David E Houston II
Show air date: October 4, 2022
AEW Dynamite celebrated its 3-year anniversary live from the Entertainment and Sports Arena (I guess they haven’t sold those naming rights yet) in Washington, DC.
MJF defeated Wheeler Yuta
AEW starts immediately with the suddenly hot situation between Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Wheeler Yuta of the Blackpool Combat Club. I’m just happy to see a BCC guy against someone not in the Jericho Appreciation Society. BCC leader William Regal worked guest commentary and was his normally great self, even in a crowded booth (4 people is too many so it helped that Tony Schiavone laid out for most of the match).
This was a very good match. MJF seemed a bit slow, maybe a little rusty but he got better as it went along and Yuta was definitely bringing his A game. MJF wins with a modification of his Salt of the Earth armbar. I’ve always thought his not being a technical wrestler relying on a submission lacked sense but it was a good finish.
Then they did some dumb 💩. Yuta decides he wants to shake hands (TF??) and Max looks to be ready to do it (???!!!) when Lee Moriarty of the MJF-allied The Firm ambushes Yuta. Stokely Hathaway hands Friedman the diamond ring to sock him and Max hesitates (TF is going on???). Having had enough, Regal heads down to the ring very slowly, pulling out his trusty brass knuckles and they all just leave. There are three of you, two big tough wrestlers and an aged Regal ran them off??? And where the hell was anybody else in BCC?? Yuta needs more friends.
Darby Allin defeated Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal lost to Darby Allin. It was okay. Some nice work. DC didn’t seem that invested, probably just waiting to see Allin win after taking a beating, the normal Allin match. Things weren’t going Lethal’s way and his friends–Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh–stepped out on the stage. Lethal stopped what he was doing to tell them to leave. Some exchanges later, Lethal was pinned by Allin’s Last Supper roll-up.
Then there’s some tension with Lethal and his allies as he gives Allin a firm handshake after the match. What is happening with the heels on this show??? Why have Lethal and Friedman have basically the same angle in consecutive matches? F&*k!
Wardlow defeated Brian Cage
For the TNT Championship
Nice short promo from Prince Nana, leader of the Embassy, before his guy Brian Cage’s TNT title shot against Wardberg…sorry, Wardlow. This match might have been a nice attraction if someone had told us about it before Monday on social media. Some long-term planning and matchmaking would help this company a lot. Solid Hoss Fight. I’ve seen Cage in better ones this year but it wasn’t bad.
Wardlow wins with his Powerbomb Symphony. The rest of the Embassy–the Gates of Agony team of Kaun and Toa Liona–run out and put a beatdown on Wardlow, prompting an attempted save by his new ally, Ring of Honor TV champion Samoa Joe.
Joe gets handled too which brings out ROH tag champions FTR. Intense staredown between the two sides. I liked the Gates of Agony walking away but not quite backing down. Already too much of that in the first hour. They get a title shot at Battle of the Belts IV.
Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm, and Athena defeated Serena Deeb, Jamie Hayter, and Penelope Ford
The Wrestling Gods–JBL and Moose–have a wicked sense of humor. I’ve been wanting some new women on AEW TV and they’ve given me Willow Nightingale but then gave me the return of Penelope Ford and even more Jamie Hayter. That came to a head with a trios match featuring Nightingale teaming with Women’s champion Toni Storm and Athena (accompanied by Saraya) to defeat Ford, Hayter, and “The Professor” Serena Deeb (accompanied by Dr. Britt Baker DMD and Rebel).
Nice match.
Had a happy ending with Nightingale getting her first big TV win, pinning Ford with a Dr. Bomb. Her moment is quickly over as they move into a scuffle between Baker (with another poor choice in britches) and Saraya and the rest of the women.
National Scissoring Day
World tag champions The Acclaimed–“Platinum” Max Caster and Anthony Bowen with tagalong Billy Gunn–celebrated National Scissoring Day. It doesn’t matter about being “homegrown” so I’ll be glad when Caster lets that go and the title-winning match was on TV so we know you didn’t do it on your own. That kind of kayfabing is heel work. “Smart” Mark Sterling came out to get beat up and Swerve Strickland challenged Billy Gunn to a match on the next episode of Dynamite. That, my friends, is a Rampage match. This wasn’t for me so I FF through most of it. The live audience was into it.
Anna Jay and…FOH. FF.
“Hangman” Adam Page defeated RUSH
Hangman Page beat RUSH. Wasn’t doing anything for me. RUSH hit a straight jacket piledriver and while it didn’t finish Page, it finished me. The ninja hit his own finish–the Buckshot Lariat–not 90 seconds later for the win and was done selling that 💩when World champion Jon Moxley came down. Moxley with a sound promo for their upcoming match on Oct 18. I love that Moxley–when he’s on his game–talks like a fighter, not a “pro wrestler” or even a “sports entertainer”.
Nightingale is confronted by Jade Cargill and her Baddies and she gets a shot at Cargill’s TBS title (but not on TBS) at Battle of the Belts IV this Friday night.
Good promo package on the All-Atlantic championship match between champion PAC and Trent Barretta of Best Friends.
Main Event: JAS defeated Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia
The show started to feel long, the second show in a row to do this to me, and I had no positive investment in the main event—“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson teaming with ROH Pure champion (why spend any time building that title?) Daniel Garcia facing ROH champion Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara of the JAS. I read JAS won with some chicanery. That’s what I expected.
So…Have a nice day, everyone.
The Real Uncle Dave grade: C
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Reviews by Dave is the best wrestling review on the internet! It’s written by David Houston II, who writes about WWE NXT, AEW Dynamite, and IMPACT Wrestling.
