It’s Wednesday, you know what that means. AEW Dynamite has hit a milestone 200 episodes, and what a ride it’s been thus far. Tony Khan has changed the face of Pro Wrestling and is even on the cusp of breaking the all-time paid attendance record for any Wrestling show for the All In event. Not bad for a “secondary promotion”. Dynamite 200 is a stacked card which includes The Elite facing off with Team Jarrett in trios competition, Toni Storm defending her Women’s title against Hikaru Shida, Chris Jericho teaming with Konosuke Takeshita against Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia, and much more!
CHRIS JERICHO & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA DEFEAT SAMMY GUEVARA & DANIEL GARCIA
The dynamic of this match is very interesting with Jericho not fully committing to the Don Callis family but his association with him made Jericho the heel by default. Guevara and Garcia played the babyface role very well. The crowd ate up every Guevara spot and every Garcia dancing-bit. There is a lot of potential of the two as a regular tag team. Callis eventually gets involved, bashing Garcia’s skull in with a baseball bat while he has the dragon-slayer submission locked in on The Ocho. Jericho, while hesitant at first, eventually goes for the pin and gets the win. Jericho looks distraught after the bell showing this story is far from over.
A LOOK BACK AT DYNAMITE VIDEO PACKAGE
Tony Khan has a backstage segment that eventually cues a video package looking back at the best and most memorable moments in the history of Dynamite. For 200 episodes, Dynamite certainly has a plethora of moments that will be remembered forever.
CHRIS JERICHO & MATT MENARD BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
Renee Paquette tried to get a word from Chris Jericho who is confronted by fellow Jericho Appreciation Society Member Matt Menard. There will be a mandatory JAS meeting next week at Dynamite.
ROB VAN DAM SURPRISE DEBUT
While many had predicted it already, it was still very cool seeing the legendary Rob Van Dam come out to confront Jack Perry, introduced by one of his most famous rivals in Jerry Lynn. The whole f’n show might not be the performer he was fifteen years ago but he is still a bona-fide icon and to be fair to AEW, they have utilized their legends well. It will also benefit Perry to be rubbing shoulders with such a big name.
TRENT BERETTA DEFEATS JON MOXLEY & PENTA EL ZERO MIEDO
These three performers wasted little time before the weapons were introduced. A few minutes in Moxley piledrives Beretta on a barbed wire 2×4. Soon after, a bloody Beretta superplexes Moxley onto two tables on the outside. These three men did not phone it in, they went balls to wall and they showcased some great death-match style wrestling which has become a staple in AEW. An avalanche destroyer from Penta onto Beretta looked brutal, with Beretta doing a great sell job for the maneuver. The end was near when Moxley introduced the thumbtacks, a weapon he’s become synonymous with. All three wrestlers took some big bumps on the tacks. Beretta eventually pulls off the upset as he steals the victory pinning Penta after Moxley’s death rider. Post match, a brawl ensues between the Blackpool Combat Club and The Best Friends with Orange Cassidy. The two trios will have a parking lot brawl on Friday Night Rampage which is sure to be death defying.
ROB VAN DAM BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW
RVD challenges Jack Perry for the FTW Champion for next weeks Dynamite. RVD might not be a spring chicken anymore but in just a thirty second backstage promo, he came off as one of the coolest guys in the company. Class is permanent.
MJF & ADAM COLE IN-RING PROMO
Babyface World Champion MJF comes out to an amazing fan reaction. The champion discusses his past traumas and the various disorders he suffers from. The promo was heartfelt and opens up another chapter in this long-running MJF story. MJF embraces the fans and although he’s still a scumbag, he’s now a man of the people. Adam Cole soon comes out to the ring to join his new best friend. Cole praises MJF, and then the big announcement is made. MJF wants to give Adam Cole a World title match at All In. Months ago, this wouldn’t be fitting of a stadium show main event but with where this story is going, one can argue that this deserves to be the main event of Wembley. Soon after, cameras pan to the back. Roderick Strong is having a meltdown backstage, he is then joined by The Kingdom, former partners of Adam Cole. A new trio possibly on the cards?
THE ELITE DEFEAT JEFF JARRETT, JAY LETHAL & SATNAM SINGH
Imagine telling a TNA fan in 2010 that Generation Me’s Matt and Jeremy Buck will be in the same ring as Jeff Jarrett in 2023 for another company on the lead up to a historic pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium, but here we are. This match was full of shenanigans. Brandon Cutler, Karen Jarrett, and Sonjay Dutt all got involved at some point. Soon after, the Hardyz came to even the odds. In the ring, Hangman Adam Page saves Kenny Omega from a guitar attack. Omega gets the pin on Lethal after a one-winged angel. After the match, Page announces that the Elite have re-signed with the company, which was reported earlier in the day. All In is weeks away, this would’ve been a great time to set up an angle, but it looks like the audience will have to wait and see what’s in store for the Elite.
MOGUL EMBASSY PRE-TAPED SEGMENT
AR Fox explains his actions after his betrayal of Darby Allin from last week. Fox felt that Allin’s praise was just empty words after Fox never even received a phone call from Allin after he signed for AEW. Footage then begins to roll as The Mogul Embassy make their way to the Buddy Wayne Academy. The group brutalize Nick Wayne and bust him open with a framed picture of Nick and his father Bruce. The group then force Wayne to call Allin on his phone. They menacingly threaten Allin and leave Wayne in a pool of his own blood. This was an excellent segment by all parties. Fox looks like a natural in this role already, Swerve is one of the best heels in the business, and Wayne played the scared but valiant kid character excellently.
ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: AUSSIE OPEN (c) DEFEATS EL HIJO DEL VIKINGO & KOMANDER
This was a great showcase of these two teams and shows the unreal depth of the AEW roster. Aussie Open will especially be a great addition to the tag team division as they’ve been one of the form teams of the year. Vikingo never ceases to amaze the audience with his acrobatics and Komander is no slouch either. This was highlighted by a double 630-splash from the duo onto Mark Davis for a near-fall. Aussie Open eventually pick up the victory in what was a tidy match.
AEW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH: HIKARU SHIDA DEFEATS TONI STORM (c)
The women’s division hasn’t been in a great place recently, but two great workers can change that instantly with a well worked match. A women’s main event on Dynamite isn’t an everyday occurrence but the performers did well in their spot. The match was hard hitting and snug. A storm zero after spray to the face looked like it was going to be the end of it but Shida ended up kicking out. A surprise roll-up is what gave Shida the huge win. Confetti began to rain down as Shida celebrated the victory, the Japanese starlet had to wait over two years to regain her championship, but she was finally able to do it. Most importantly, she is able to do it in front of an audience, a luxury that wasn’t afforded to her during pandemic times.
