AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 13
Championship week in All Elite Wrestling kicked off Wednesday in New Orleans with an episode of Dynamite headlined by a dream match pitting Samoa Joe against Minoru Suzuki for the Ring of Honor World Television Championship.
Also featuring an AEW tag team title match between Jurassic Express and RedDragon's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish and a dream match between CM Punk and Penta Oscuro, the show was another blockbuster episode on the road to the company's Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
CM Punk vs. Penta Oscuro
CM Punk's march to the AEW World Championship continued Wednesday in the night's opener, a singles showdown with Penta Oscuro that had fans in New Orleans into every strike very early on.
The competitive back-and-forth shook off a potentially devastating spot in which Punk clearly nursed a banged-up left knee following a botched head-scissors from the top rope and delivered down the stretch. The finish was fantastic and put an exclamation point on a very good match between a top contender to the world title and a competitor who can excel as a singles or tag wrestler.
A grueling match, it will be interesting to see the effect it has on Punk. Is he merely banged up or is he hurt? If it is the latter, how does that affect his ability to challenge for the top prize in the company, a direction Tony Khan is clearly taking the competitor on this road to Double or Nothing?
If he is ok, expect a ton of interest in his journey to the world title and a showdown with either Hangman Page or Adam Cole in Las Vegas.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- The dueling chants prior to the match highlighted the investment fans have in both competitors.
- An ugly slip-up off the top rope left Punk clutching his knee in pain as concerned fans chanted "CM Punk!" in support.
- Punk responded with a hurricanrana off the top, executing the move seamlessly and in defiance of his injured knee.
- The teased piledrivers from each competitor on the ring apron made for a cool spot.
- The finish, which saw Punk catch Penta in midair and deliver Go To Sleep, was fantastic.
AEW Tag Team Championship Match: Jurassic Express vs. RedDragon
Jurassic Express passed its toughest test to date Wednesday night in a phenomenal, pay-per-view quality match against RedDragon.
Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus overcame the challenge of their opponent, earning a hard-fought victory that featured great sequencing late and some tandem offense from both teams that reflect their status as two of the best in the world.
There was a small issue with Luchasaurus forgetting to sell the injury at one point, particularly when he kipped up and proceeded to unload his offensive arsenal without issue or hesitation, but that was hardly enough to derail a match that would have been right at home on the Double or Nothing card had the company waited that long to produce it.
The introduction of FTR to the mix afterward was intriguing and creates several different directions the tag division can go in ahead of the Vegas PPV, including a three-way dance for the titles that would be difficult for anything to follow.
Props to Jungle Boy, who has developed his in-ring game to the point that he is a genuine top 10 worker in the company.
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- The intensity with which Jungle Boy throws his lariat clotheslines is underrated and one of the best elements of his work.
- Jim Ross calling out the overabundance of tope suicidas and injured knees thus far on the show was hilarious and totally no-sold by both Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
- Luchasaurus kipping up and no-selling his knee injury from earlier in the match, only to go back to it after a standing moonsault near-fall, was not great.
- Jungle Boy just barely getting his foot under the rope to break up a submission put over the "game of inches" feel of the match.
- FTR confronted RedDragon and hinted they may challenge for the AEW tag titles in the near future as they look to add to their championship haul.
Captain Shawn Dean vs. MJF
MJF dominated Captain Shawn Dean early and often in their match, only to have Wardlow once again rear his head and stalk after the scarf-wearing loudmouth.
The big man's presence, and decimation of security guards, cost his former charge the match as Dean earned the very first count-out victory in AEW Dynamite history.
Wardlow's reveal was phenomenal and MJF sold it magnificently. The crowd is red-hot for the War Dog right now, proof of how well the character has been booked. There will come a moment where Wardlow gets his hands on MJF and the crowd, presumably in Las Vegas, will erupt accordingly.
This story has been right out of Batista turning on Triple H ahead of WrestleMania 21 and the crowd has eaten it up, proving that sometimes, borrowing from the past is not a bad thing. Much like it did for Batista 17 years ago, it has elevated Wardlow exponentially and has him in a position to be the company's next breakout star.
You cannot ask for more than that out of a story like this one. Kudos to the young Ohioan and MJF for ensuring the feud succeeded to the extent that it has through their performances.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- The camera catching footage of security beaten up backstage, one without a shirt, before Wardlow revealed he was posing as a guard himself was a great moment.
- Wardlow shaking off Spears' chair shot put him over further as an unstoppable force driven by vengeance.
- Dean picking up wins over MJF at a clip no one else has managed is a great side story and one the company can revisit from time to time.
Trios Match: Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz vs. Jericho Appreciation Society
At one point, it appeared as though Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz had gotten the best of the Jericho Appreciation Society, especially after they attacked Angelo Parker and Matt Menard on the airport runway. That would be the only victory the trio scored, though.
Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia and Jake Hager won a solid trios match by capitalizing on Menard and Parker's interference, not to mention the use of a baseball bat to their benefit.
The outcome continues a feud that never once felt like it would be resolved with this match. There is a bigger, more wild and chaotic match to be had out of this program, presumably with two other competitors joining Kingston and Co. for the showdown.
Parts of the feud have been hot, others have not, but Kingston is great and Santana and Ortiz are finally taking center stage rather than playing lackeys so it is more beneficial than not.
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Ortiz wearing Angelo Parker's shoes around his neck after attacking him earlier in the day and stealing them was a nice bit of continuity.
- Kingston's "THUMP" shirt paid homage to New Orleans legend and WWE Hall of Famer, the great Junkyard Dog.
- Backstage, Lexy Nair revealed Hook will compete in his first Dynamite match next week in Pittsburgh against Tony Nese.
Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue; Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Team Taz
Marina Shafir squashed Skye Blue in an enhancement match, sending a message to TBS champion Jade Cargill in what was more of an introduction to the Dynamite audience than anything else.
Her lack of screen time in both NXT and here in AEW reared its head as she struggled to put over her killer persona, coming across as one-dimensional and emotionless rather than sadistic and dominant. She needs to get reps in front of cameras to fully achieve her fullest potential.
Hometown hero and FTW champion Ricky Starks entered the arena to a thunderous ovation as he and Powerhouse Hobbs battled Swerve Strickland in a match weeks in the making.
The match, energetic and fun with great performances from Strickland and Starks, saw the heels go over after interference from Taz. There was nothing about the match that felt like the end of the feud between the two teams, especially with Hobbs scoring the win for his team over Lee, nor did it feel like something destined to propel things forward.
It was a good match, featuring four good wrestlers, with great heat from a New Orleans crowd solidly behind Starks. The same Starks who, oddly enough, did not get the nod to score the win in front of his hometown fans.
Grade
Shafir vs. Blue: C-; tag match: C+
Top Moments
- Red Velvet and Kiera Hogan sat in Cargill's Baddies Section, hinting at a future on-screen pairing with the champ.
- The pop for Starks and the genuine emotion it caused was a great moment for a young star with all the potential in the world to be a huge part of AEW's future.
Ring of Honor World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe vs. Minoru Suzuki
A barrage of badassery kicked off the evening's main event as Ring of Honor World Television Champion Minoru Suzuki and Samoa Joe beat the ever-loving hell out of each with an onslaught of open-hand chops to the chest that only encouraged angrier, more ferocious strikes from the opposition.
Joe's body was beet-red early but he absorbed and advanced, overcoming a submission-based attack by his opponent in time for cameras to catch Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt at ringside, a precursor of things to come Joe's new-found rivals stayed at a distance for the entirety of the match, though, as The Destroyer ended the immensely physical battle with a Muscle Buster for the win and the title.
The wince-inducing physical brutality of the match was in character for the all-time tough competitors and exactly what fans of both men expected when they squared off. Joe winning makes sense since he is signed to AEW and lives in the states. He is a name Tony Khan can build the new ROH around, too. He is also garnering some of the loudest reactions of anyone in the company so it certainly makes sense that Khan would want to highlight him with a big title victory.
The arrival of former NBA player Satnam Singh was...not good. The crowd rejected him from the start and the beatdown, aided by Lethal and Dutt, ended an otherwise very strong show with a dud. There was no reason to do the lights-out gimmick and the fans let AEW officials know it very quickly.
Maybe Singh becomes a star for AEW but this was an inauspicious start to a career in pro wrestling.
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- The red, bruised chests of Joe and Suzuki reflected the ferocity behind every chop.
- Joe beating Suzuki clean was the right call. Both men are legends, the fan base knows them (for the most part) and either outcome would have been accepted and respected.
- The debut of Singh was a massive disappointment, especially given the lights-out shtick that accompanied it. Fans expect awe-inspiring surprises from those moments and this...was not one of them.