AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 3
All Elite Wrestling continued the build to its biggest pay-per-view of the year, All Out, Wednesday night with a packed episode of Dynamite and a high-stakes main event pitting Chris Jericho against Wheeler Yuta for a shot at the AEW Interim World Championship.
That match headlined a card that also saw the return of Undisputed Elite and the first appearance by Powerhouse Hobbs since his startling betrayal and beatdown of "Absolute" Ricky Starks last week.
What else went down and what did it mean for a company nearing the all-important September 4 extravaganza? Find out with our recap of this week's show.
Orange Cassidy vs. Jay Lethal
Friday night, Orange Cassidy teamed with Best Friends to defeat Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt.
Wednesday night on Dynamite, Freshly Squeezed looked to make it 2-0 as he squared off with Lethal in one-on-one competition.
Cassidy frustrated Lethal early but a cerebral setup, culminating with a distraction caused by Satnam Singh, allowed the heel to turn the tide in his favor. He targeted the leg of his opponent, driving it into the ring steps and working it over during the commercial break.
Freshley Squeezed mounted a comeback with Stundog Millionaire and added a diving DDT for two. Unfortunately, his knee failed him on two different occasions, leading to a Lethal Injection and a victory for the heel.
After the match, Lethal called out Wardlow, and the TNT champion rushed the ring, sending the victor, Dutt and Singh scurrying to the floor.
The match and everything that followed was merely a setup for Wardlow vs. Lethal at Battle of the Belts III and while the latter is a great in-ring performer who can work with Wardlow to further develop the big man's in-ring game, it came at the expense of a red-hot Cassidy.
The laid-back babyface has been delivering his best work of late and did so again here, even breaking character to put over how damaged his knee was. He is infinitely more interesting and over than Lethal.
This feels like a booking misstep that could have been prevented by putting Lethal in there with someone else.
Result
Lethal defeated Cassidy
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Tony Schiavone revealed early that this was the first one-on-one meeting between Cassidy and Lethal.
- Lethal took his time crawling up the ramp, even getting Cassidy to exhibit some emotion, before revealing it was a ploy to bring out Singh.
- Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor entered the arena, with the former on the shoulders of the latter in an attempt to equal Singh's height.
- "Get him off! Christ!" Cassidy screamed as his opponent continued to focus his attack on his knee beyond the rope break.
Undisputed Elite Return
Undisputed Elite returned for the first time since prior to Forbidden Door on June 26.
Adam Cole cut a promo in which he revealed he is still not cleared to wrestle, and neither is Kyle O'Reilly. He also said they would look to find the fix to their recent failures and talked up the importance of loyalty.
Which brought him to The Young Bucks. If they are not going to select Bobby Fish as their partner, then they cannot participate in the upcoming tournament for the Trios Championship, according to Cole.
"What I meant to say is that you two won’t be physically capable of doing the tournament," he said before the trio attacked and beat down the Bucks. "Hangman" Adam Page made the save and accepted a handshake from his former friends, seemingly reuniting the Hung Bucks.
This was a great angle and immediately set up a high-profile trios feud that will be among the most hotly anticipated matches the promotion will have at its disposal.
Where this leaves Kenny Omega when he eventually returns remains to be seen, but the fans in Columbus, Ohio were very happy to see Page and the Bucks reunite.
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- The handshake, while not quite Mega Powers level, was still long-awaited and generated the type of pop you would hope for from such a reunion.
- AEW interim world champion Jon Moxley cut a promo in which he said it does not matter who wins between Wheeler Yuta and Chris Jericho in the main event because they both know he will fight, scratch and claw to retain his title.
Thunder Storm vs. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter
Thunderstorm's Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm sought to continue their early dominance as a team Wednesday night.
To do so, the AEW world women's champion and her Australian tag team partner would have to defeat the devious duo of Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter, who were accompanied by Rebel.
The heels isolated Rosa early, cutting her off from her teammate. A hot tag to Storm sparked a comeback, but an avalanche Air Raid Crash by Baker drove the fiery babyface to the mat and put her on the defensive.
Intense back-and-forth action saw Storm uncork a barrage of running hip attacks late, only to eat a short-arm lariat from Hayter, who scored her biggest win to date.
The commentary team put over the victory and the manner in which Baker and Hayter coexisted, suggesting there were obvious hints recently about dissension in the ranks. Other than some side looks from the latter, there had been no major developments in the disintegration of their partnership.
It is another one of those manifested stories that was understated from the get-go but will likely intensify to support creative direction.
With that said, Hayter has been one of the breakout stars of the past year and is more than ready to challenge Rosa for the title. If there is an intent to split Hayter and Baker, giving her an opportunity to claim The Doctor's former title is a great start.
The match itself was great and the crowd in Columbus accentuated the above-average action. It wouldn't be a bad thing to revisit this or at least book a Four-Way match down the road somewhere.
Result
Baker and Hayter defeated Rosa and Storm
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- The hot tag to Storm was great and was enhanced by the crowd's reaction to everything the women were doing to that point.
- There was clear jubilation on the face of Hayter, who has not had the opportunity to score significant victories of this type thus far in her AEW run. This was a signature win and hopefully the start of something special for her.
Powerhouse Hobbs in Action
Ren Jones was the unlucky first victim of a revitalized Powerhouse Hobbs, who manhandled the young competitor en route to a one-sided victory.
After the match, "Absolute" Ricky Starks hit the ring to a big ovation, only for his overzealousness to cost him as Hobbs laid him out once again.
Both Hobbs and Starks scream "money," and their impending feud is likely to create stars of both men. Give them the time and they will put in the work to ensure AEW management has no choice but to position them as the company's long-term future.
In a pre-taped promo, Darby Allin tattooed himself while talking to the House of Black's Brody King. The ink? "The coffin drops on Brody King."
If legit, Allin is clearly willing to go to any lengths to get a feud over.
To be fair, it was in response to King getting his own ink to promote the program.
Result
Hobbs defeated Jones
Grade
C+ for the match and Starks run-in; B for the Allin promo
Top Moments
- Hobbs just manhandling fools will never not be entertaining.
- Starks not getting revenge on Hobbs was a better long-term storytelling choice.
- Miro cut a promo regarding his recent issues with House of Black, promising to reveal himself soon.
Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage
Matt Hardy called out Christian Cage for his recent actions toward Jungle Boy, and the future Hall of Famers and longtime rivals rekindled a feud that has spanned 20 years.
Cage controlled the action through the break, but the resilient Hardy fought back and had the villain reeling. He sprawled him out on the table and tried for an elbow drop from the ring apron, only to crash and burn.
Captain Charisma capitalized and scored the victory to infuriate the fans.
He teased a Con-Chair-To on Hardy, only for Luchasaurus' music to play. Instead of the masked big man, Jungle Boy attacked from out of nowhere, sending Cage running through the crowd and to the locker room.
The feud between Cage and Jungle Boy is money, and the latter is going to be an even bigger star than he already is, assuming those in power resist the urge to put the heel over.
The match was solid if unspectacular. Truth be told, Cage and Hardy can probably have a good TV match with their eyes closed and one arm tied behind their backs, but that is by no means an invite or challenge to try.
Hardy is looking his 47 years more and more, and while he still has it in condensed matches like this, he probably shouldn't be counted on to compete every week.
Result
Cage defeated Hardy
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Cage suckered Hardy into an eye rake in an attempt to put him through a table.
- After the break, Ethan Page cut a scathing promo criticizing fans for not having his back and demanded answers as to why he is not featured more prominently in AEW. Stokely Hathaway offered him his card, teasing a business relationship between them.
- A backstage promo featuring Angelo Parker, Matt Menard and Anna Jay ended with the latter choking out a security guard.
Dumpster Match: The Acclaimed vs. The Gunn Club
The Acclaimed and The Gunn Club wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry Wednesday in a match made famous by the latter duo's father, Billy Gunn, in 1998: a Dumpster match.
Max Caster and Anthony Bowens attacked Austin and Colten Gunn prior to the bell, with the former stopping to cut a rap after.
The second-generation team turned the tide during the break, taking control of the bout.
Caster and Bowens fought back and scored the win when the former delivered the Mic Drop off the entrance tunnel, through a table and then joined his partner in tossing the heels in the dumpster.
They sent the trash receptacle off the apron and crashed it to the floor.
The Acclaimed are super-over and clearly the future of the tag team division. Caster's raps are some of the most over things on any show, and the raw energy Bowens brings to the act is undeniable.
The best thing that could happen for them is that this rivalry finally appears to be over.
The match was a garbage brawl (pun most certainly deserved) with solid effort from all involved and the right outcome, but it is more than time to get the victors away from The Gunn Club and into something a little more substantial.
Result
The Acclaimed defeated The Gunn Club
Grade
C
Top Moments
- "No filter, we ain't Instagram, we'll make the Ass Boys retire like Vince McMahon," Caster rapped.
- Jim Ross used the phrase "bowling shoe-ugly," one typically reserved for not-so-great matches.
- "You don't see very many of these matches," Taz said. JR responded, "I can think of two or three reasons why," in the most sarcastic of tones.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho put his guaranteed AEW Interim World Championship opportunity on the line against Ring of Honor Pure champion Wheeler Yuta Wednesday night in the main event of Dynamite.
Despite Aubrey Edwards tossing Angelo Parker and Matt Menard from ringside and thus costing Jericho that advantage, the former world champion still managed to control the action through the picture-in-picture commercial break.
Wheeler fought from underneath and proceeded to catch The Wizard with five consecutive German suplexes for a near-fall. Jericho answered with the Walls of Jericho, looking for a tapout.
Yuta survived but could not fight out of the Liontamer, with Jericho's knee dug in the back of his head, and had to tap out. When he refused to release the hold, AEW interim world champion Jon Moxley hit the ring, chasing the veteran away.
This was a good, hard-fought match that properly showcased Yuta while giving Jericho the predictable victory.
It was clear the longer the match went on that Yuta probably could have wrestled circles around Jericho, but the artist formerly known as Lionheart did a great job of slowing him down and working a more methodical match.
That he won the bout fair and square, without an abundance of cheating was a nice touch and put Jericho over as a real threat to beat Moxley.
Don't expect that to happen, but at least the booking has been strong ahead of the championship bout.
Result
Jericho submitted Yuta
Grade
B
Top Moments
- With Parker and Menard accompanying The Wizard, ROH world champion Claudio Castagnoli hit the ring in support of Blackpool Combat Club teammate Yuta.
- Referee Edwards tossed the former 2.0 tag team, banning them from ringside and preventing any cheating on Jericho's behalf.
- "I'm gonna stretch the s--t out of you!" Jericho promised Moxley ahead of their championship clash next Wednesday night.