AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 23
Wednesday night's AEW Dynamite saw Sting, Darby Allin and The Hardys battle Andrade Family Office's Private Party, The Butcher and The Blade in a blockbuster 8-man Tornado Tag match.
That match headlined a jam-packed card that also featured the return of CM Punk, the latest from Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, and the first in-ring action from the newly formed Jericho Appreciation Society.
What went down, who emerged with momentum on their side and what did it mean for AEW as it begins the march to Double or Nothing in Las Vegas this May?
Find out now with this recap of the March 23 episode.
CM Punk vs. Dax Harwood
CM Punk returned to television for the first time since his violent, bloody Dog Collar match against MJF at Revolution, squaring off with one-half of FTR and the AAA tag team champions, Dax Harwood.
It was a great, old-school wrestling match that favored psychology and in-ring acumen and showed off two students of the game; a smartly-wrestled match that had the crowd invested in the match and, more importantly, the babyface Punk.
Tag team specialist Harwood looked every bit of Punk's equal but it was The Straight Edge Superstar who countered into the Anaconda Vise for the tapout victory.
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Harwood entered the arena by himself, without Cash Wheeler's accompaniment, really hammering home the significance of this match to him and Harwood's desire to win the match by himself.
- The heel grabbed the mouth of Punk, raking it and manipulating the referee's view of the illegal hold. Harwood is a master of in-ring psychology and this was proof of it.
- Punk's facial expressions, as if he is breaking the fourth wall and letting the crowd in on something, before signature moves are a thing of beauty. They are a huge part of why he is as beloved an in-ring performer as he is.
- The Sharpshooter from Harwood, in a match between two, noted Bret Hart fans, was a nice touch.
- The presence of The Gunn Club at ringside was more distraction than anything and did not have any bearing on the outcome.
8-Man Tornado Tag Team Match
A wild, chaotic 8-man Tornado Tag Team match pitted Sting, Darby Allin and The Hardys against Andrade Family Office’s Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy), The Butcher and The Blade in the continuation of an intensifying rivalry.
Big bumps, creative sequences, some cheating from Andrade El Idolo to inject his presence into the match and a jaw-dropping leap of faith from Hardy helped make this a fun, if not disjointed, brawl.
The babyfaces won in a predictable fashion, but that is not a bad thing. Private Party, Butcher and Blade are strong teams but they were never going to be perceived as equals given the Hall of Fame talent across the ring from them. They held their own but when the bell rang, the right team earned the victory.
How El Idolo recovers and what he has in store for the victors next bears watching.
Grade
C+
Top Moments
The match type and its lack of rules allowed El Idolo to seamlessly involve himself in an attempt to give his team a reasonable chance at victory and tossed Allin down arena steps in the process.
Private Party’s double Side Effect to Matt Hardy off the stage and through a table was a good bump. Jeff delivering a Swanton from a ledge in the concourse, driving Butcher and Blade through the merchandise table, was even better.
It is a shame Sting and Kassidy could not make the Gin and Juice counter spot work because it would have been a hell of a spot.
Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson vs. Varsity Blonds
Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson sought to make it 3-0 as a team under the guidance of William Regal as they squared off with young Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison of The Varsity Blonds.
Despite a spirited comeback attempt by the young tandem, Moxley and Danielson cruised to victory in another squash that showcased the violent intensity and aggression of the team.
It was a one-sided battle that put over the badass former world champions and little more, though it was interesting to see Garrison and Pillman get a similar amount of offense in as Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta given the latter team's stature in comparison to the Blonds.
Grade
Top Moments
- William Regal revealing that no money, nor accolades, can earn a man his leadership was a nice way to lay the groundwork for what he is looking for in a potential protege.
- Julia Hart sat on the ring steps, head down, still adversely affected by the black mist from Malakai Black that blinded her months ago. It is time pay that particular story off or drop it.
- Moxley dubbing his partnership with Regal and Danielson the "Blackpool Combat Club" is brilliant stuff and both solidifies them as a faction while selling what is sure to be a ton of T-shirts.
- Regal just bypassing Hart like she was not even there was pretty damn funny.
MJF Speaks
MJF cut a promo on Wardlow next, refusing to release him from his contract and repeatedly referring to him as "pig."
"I own you!" he exclaimed with the venomous vigor of the vilest villain in the business. Revealing Wardlow works for him and not AEW, then telling a Wardlow he would pay him to sit home long enough that he will fade into obscurity.
He said The Pinnacle is far from finished and next week, their return to the top of the industry begins, wrapping up another stellar promo from a guy that long ago entered the upper-echelon of talkers in professional wrestling.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- MJF said his feud with CM Punk will not be over until one of them is in the grave. It's a great reminder that, just because they had their match at Revolution, the feud is not over. It will never be over.
- It taking 10 guys to restrain Wardlow was a great visual and put over the fury coursing through his veins.
- Backstage, Wheeler Yuta and Trent argued over the former's inquiry into joining the Blackpool Combat Club. "I'm not trying to be the best friend I can be. I'm trying to be the best wrestler I can be," Yuta told Trent.
Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole
Two top-five singles stars in AEW battled in a damn good, highly competitive match that reminded fans of why they were once measuring sticks in Ring of Honor.
That company's name was on the lips of commentators Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross and Excalibur early, the match clearly designed to help keep the buzz surrounding Tony Khan's recent purchase of the promotion alive.
Cole and Lethal delivered exactly the sort of show-stealing bout one would expect from two former world champions and superb in-ring performers, but it was Cole who benefited from the interference of Red Dragon's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, delivering a low blow to Lethal and putting him away with the Boom.
AEW world champion Hangman Page answered a loudmouth, title-hungry promo from Cole and lashed him with his own leather belt but a low blow and beatdown left him in need of rescue from Jurassic Express and Christian Cage to close out the segment.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Cole absconding with the world title as if possession makes him the rightful champion was great heel stuff.
- This was Lethal's best AEW performance to date, against a guy he is very familiar with.
- Page staring down Cole and Red Dragon, knowing an ass-whooping was coming but still throwing hands with his belt, was great stuff and exactly the sort of Cowboy S**t that has come to define him in AEW.
- Interesting that Dark Order was nowhere to be found when their best friend needed them.
Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti Get over on Dan Lambert, Red Velvet vs. Leyla Hirsch
Former TNT champion Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti called out Dan Lambert, Men of the Year, Paige VanZant and anyone else who wanted to get their asses kicked. It went nowhere, other than to serve as a reminder that the feud exists and set up a verbal gag at Lambert’s expense.
Back in the arena, the rivalry between “Legit” Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet wrote its latest chapter as they wrestled a rubber match in which Kris Statlander was barred from ringside.
Hirsch resorted to cheating late in the competitive match, using a piece of a turnbuckle to flatten Velvet and score the tainted victory.
It was a sneaky, clever finish that saw Hirsch capitalize on Bryce Remsburg being out of position after snatching the other part of the turnbuckle from her. While the match was better than any of the other bouts between them, there is not a ton of in-ring chemistry between the two and it was apparent.
Grade
C
Top Moments
- "If your parents give you an extra $9.99 a month, you can subscribe to Paige VanZant's fan page and find out why Orange Cassidy keeps his hands in his pockets all day," Lambert said in a great line.
- The finish to Hirsch vs. Velvet was clever and, arguably, the highlight of the match.
- Statlander looked like a total badass, laying into Hirsch and showing aggression we had not seen out of her under her extraterrestrial persona.
John Silver and Alex Reynolds vs. Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia
A scheduled promo featuring new AEW women's champion Thunder Rosa was interrupted by Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero, kicking off what will probably be a perfectly acceptable first title program, even if it is lacking the spark one would hope for given the momentous title victory a week ago.
Jake Hager, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker accompanied Daniel Garcia and Chris Jericho to the ring for the night's main event, a tag team showdown with Dark Order's John Silver and Alex Reynolds.
The underrated excellence of Silver and Reynolds, combined with the solid first-time team of Jericho and Garcia, made for a fun and energetic main event won by the heels via submission when Garcia tapped Reynolds out with the Sharpshooter.
Based on the promo earlier in the night, it felt like it was only a matter of time before Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz attacked from out of nowhere but instead, AEW made the right call and let the segment breathe, the heels standing tall to close out the show.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Menard's attempt to get the crowd to turn on the Jericho Appreciation Society after they sang along to "Judas" was a nice idea but that song is such an iconic part of the AEW experience that it will always generate the sing-along.
- Jericho taking a page out of Eddie Guerrero's playbook and feigning injury at the hands of Pres10 Vance and Alan "V" Angels and getting them kicked out of the ringside area was a great touch, especially in Latino Heat's home state of Texas.
- Garcia using the Sharpshooter 25 years to the day that Bret Hart used it to defeat Steve Austin by KO at WrestleMania 13 was great, intentional or not.