AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 7
Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega have been sworn enemies since day one in All Elite Wrestling, and they continued their rivalry Wednesday night in a blockbuster six-man tag team match also involving The Young Bucks and The Good Brothers.
That star-studded main event headlined a show that also featured the latest TNT Championship defense from Darby Allin, "Hangman" Adam Page looking to continue his winning ways and a grudge match between Tay Conti and The Bunny.
Who emerged victorious as the march toward the May 30 Double or Nothing pay-per-view continued?
Find out now with this recap of the April 7 broadcast.
'Hangman' Adam Page vs. Max Caster
Not at all amused by Max Caster's prematch rap, Page attacked his opponent, stomping a mudhole in him in the corner. The fallaway slam followed, as did a snap suplex as Page built on his early momentum.
Caster seized control momentarily off a well-timed distraction by tag team partner Anthony Bowens, but Page dove over the top rope and wiped out the brash star to cut him off. Another distraction by Bowens benefited Platinum, who pulled Hangman into the ring post.
Page again shut Caster down, driving him into the mat with a spinebuster and exploder suplex. Caster targeted the left shoulder of his opponent, which was damaged when Bowens sent him into the guardrail earlier in the match, but Page continually halted his flurry.
Bowens slid Caster his chain at one point, and the heel used it to flatten Page. The resilient Cowboy kicked out at two, much to the dismay of his opponent. Page recovered, wiped Bowens out with a moonsault from the apron and finished Caster with the Buckshot Lariat for the win.
Result
Page defeated Caster
Grade
C+
Analysis
This was an energetic opener that allowed Page to continue his recent roll and inch closer to an AEW world title match with former tag team partner Kenny Omega.
That is a match with a ton of backstory and one that could well make Page the franchise player many expected him to be when he signed with the company in January 2019.
Caster continued to impress early in his career, hanging with one of the elite performers in AEW, and is clearly poised for big things. While he didn't earn the win, the more reps he gets against established stars, the easier it will be for fans to accept him in whatever role he fills when his inevitable push comes.
Best Friends Interrupt Death Triangle
Tony Schiavone introduced Death Triangle's PAC, Rey Fenix, and Penta El Zero Miedo for an in-ring promo. Before they could say much, Orange Cassidy, Best Friends and Kris Statlander interrupted.
Cassidy aired video from last year reminding the heels of their repeated attacks on him before Trent warned them that Best Friends are back in town, insinuating they will be a problem for Death Triangle and any desire they have to dominate the tag team division.
Grade
C+
Analysis
Short, sweet and to the point.
This was a nice little taste of things to come, the start of a rivalry that will keep both teams busy while the titles are tied up with The Young Bucks.
Recalling Cassidy's match with PAC and the subsequent beatdowns that followed was a nice touch and the sort of thing AEW does well. Its attention to detail is something the company does not get nearly enough credit for.
The Inner Circle Speaks
The Inner Circle returned to Dynamite, hitting the ring for a promo segment.
Chris Jericho addressed MJF while Santana, Ortiz, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara stood imposingly behind him.
Jericho criticized MJF’s spray-tanning and scarf-wearing, telling him he has a clipboard backstage if he wants to keep stealing Le Champion’s gimmick. He called the youngster a mark for himself and said he will never be better than him.
Jericho said Tully Blanchard is a third-string horseman, FTR is totally interchangeable ("We don't know their names!") and Shawn Spears doesn't have the upside everyone seems to think he does.
The former world champion wrapped up his scathing promo by challenging The Pinnacle to a Blood and Guts match.
Grade
A+
Analysis
This was Jericho's best promo in years.
The veteran was intense and pissed off—and it showed. He was nothing short of fantastic as he ripped The Pinnacle apart, verbally decimating the group as only he can. He was pointed in his attacks, poking fun at each member of the group but doing so with just enough malice to never come across as too jokey.
The look in his eyes was that of a vengeful bastard, a man who will stop at nothing to inflict pain on those who betrayed him. He was every bit as annoyed as he needed to be, spitting fire at his enemies and setting up what has the potential to be a defining match in AEW's short history.
Godzilla vs. Kong Match: Jurassic Express vs. Bear Country
Jurassic Express' Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy battled Bear Country's Bear Bronson and Bear Boulder in a specially titled "Godzilla vs. Kong Match."
Boulder and Bronson seized control of the match heading into the break, cutting off an early flurry by the babyfaces. They dominated throughout the picture-in-picture commercial, but Jungle Boy created separation and tagged Luchasaurus into the match.
The big man exploded into the bout, working over his opponents and rocking Boulder with a headbutt. The heel recovered, set Luchasaurus up on the top rope and delivered a superplex.
The action broke down and Jurassic Express earned a near-fall, only for Bronson to break up the pin. Moments later, the babyfaces sent the massive Boulder to the floor, and Luchasaurus put him away with the standing moonsault for the win.
Result
Jurassic Express defeated Bear Country
Grade
D
Analysis
This match was "bowling shoe-ugly" at times.
When Jim Ross breaks out "bowling shoe-ugly," it was a rough night at the office for the guys in the ring. That was the case here as the match never really clicked.
Jurassic Express moved at a pace their opponents could not keep up with, while Bear Country was trying to work a totally different match than Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. The two teams constantly appeared to be on different pages and the result was an uncharacteristically subpar match.
TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin vs. J.D. Drake
Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship, battling the largely unknown JD Drake, who was accompanied at ringside by "The Hollywood Hunk" Ryan Nemeth and Cezar Bononi.
Despite an early onslaught by the champion, Drake overpowered him and beat the smaller opponent down. He dominated the action throughout the commercial break and appeared to have him exactly where he wanted him when he scaled the ropes for a moonsault press.
Allin moved out of the way, igniting a comeback that saw him deliver the avalanche Code Red, followed quickly by the Coffin Drop for the win.
After the match, The Hardy Family Office attacked from out of nowhere. The Butcher and The Blade threatened to put Allin through the announce table at the urging of The Bunny, but Dark Order and Sting made the save.
Tay Conti and The Bunny brawled to end the segment.
Result
Allin defeated Drake
Grade
C+
Analysis
Drake seized his opportunity to shine, controlling the majority of this match and coming within one missed moonsault of defeating Allin for the title.
In the end, the resilient TNT champion scored the hard-fought win, as he has done numerous times throughout his AEW career.
Allin will face one of his inspirations, Hardy, in his next big defense. The feud has been teased for weeks now, and this segment reaffirms this is the direction things are heading.
While there are certainly flashier matches for Allin, Hardy is a surging heel with a faction seeing increased television time. He is going to stick around for awhile, especially as his Big Money Matt persona gains traction.
There are worse options to go with as Allin's next opponent.
Mike Tyson for the Save!
Backstage, The Pinnacle attacked Chris Jericho, beating him all the way to the ring. The heels brutalized him as Alex Marvez revealed backstage that Inner Circle had been locked inside their dressing room.
As Wardlow teased powerbombing Jericho through a table at ringside, Mike Tyson's music played and the former world heavyweight boxing champion arrived, unloading with jabs about the body of Shawn Spears.
The Inner Circle finally hit the ring and stood tall with Iron Mike to close the segment.
Grade
A
Analysis
Now, that's how you utilize a celebrity without overshadowing the talent involved.
Jericho and Tyson had history and in order to demonstrate that Le Champion is a changed man, he embraced the boxing champion instead of antagonizing him.
The beatdown was great, the imagery of Inner Circle breaking through the door of their locker room with a baseball bat was great stuff, and the inclusion of Tyson by playing off his previous issues with Jericho was a nice touch.
Kudos to AEW for everything it accomplished with this feud Wednesday night because all of it was superb.
Tay Conti vs. The Bunny
The Bunny and Tay Conti erupted with a flurry of fists early before things settled down and the former gained control of the match.
The artist formerly known as Allie dominated during the commercial break, grounding Conti and looking for a submission but failed to put her opponent away.
Conti fought back momentarily but again found herself on the defensive.
At ringside, The Bunny attacked AEW women's champion Hikaru Shida, sparking a brawl between Dark Order and The Hardy Family Office. The distraction allowed Bunny to rock Conti with the champion's kendo stick, but Shida interfered and prevented her from using it again.
Conti seized an opening and delivered a superplex, holding on and transitioning right into the hammerlock DDTay for the pinfall victory.
Result
Conti defeated The Bunny
Grade
C+
Analysis
Imagine being Triple H and NXT: Having Tay Conti on your roster and not knowing what to do with her.
She has evolved so much in such a short time that it isn't out of the realm of possibility that she could end Shida's reign as women's champion and fans would buy it. She is a dynamic, charismatic performer who is making the most of her opportunity to shine.
The Bunny, for as little in-ring opportunity as she has had in AEW, turned in a solid performance here and likely won herself some increased exposure in the coming weeks.
Throw in the continued hostilities between HFO and Dark Order, and you had a segment that accomplished a ton while highlighting a women's division in a much better position now than it was a year ago.
Trios Match: Jon Moxley and The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega and Good Brothers
The biggest trios match in AEW history saw tag champions The Young Bucks and Jon Moxley battle world champion Kenny Omega and Impact Wrestling tag titleholders The Good Brothers.
Early back-and-forth gave way to Moxley and Matt and Nick Jackson diving onto Omega, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to seize control heading into the break. During the picture-in-picture, though, Gallows hammered away at Matt, wresting control of the match away from the babyfaces.
Matt fought his way out of the clutches of his oppressors and made the tag to Moxley. The former world champion erupted like a ball of fire, delivering a German suplex to Anderson, then Omega and finally to Gallows.
Anderson wisely hung Moxley up on the top rope, and Gallows wiped him out with a big boot to regain the upper hand.
Moxley tagged Nick into the match and the dynamic Jackson exploded into the match, double-stomping Anderson and crumbling Gallows with a backstabber. Anderson delivered the spinebuster to slow his opponent.
Moments later, with Matt Jackson and Omega the legal men, the babyface showed compassion for his friend. The insulted Cleaner slapped him, and Jackson responded by hammering away at the world champion.
Omega delivered consecutive snapdragon suplexes and set up for a V-Trigger, only for Moxley to deliver a lariat from out of nowhere. A piledriver to Omega followed, but Moxley could not keep him down. Jackson again checked on the well-being of Omega, appearing torn even as he joined Nick for More Bang For Your Buck.
Anderson broke up the pin, but Nick wiped him and Gallows out with an Escalera. Back inside, the Bucks remained torn over the idea of hurting Omega. They ultimately betrayed Moxley, super-kicking him as he set up for a third Paradigm Shift.
The Good Brothers wiped out Eddie Kingston on the stage, then added a Magic Killer to Moxley before dragging a limp Omega over to make the pin.
After the match, the still-reluctant Bucks rocked Moxley one last time before embracing Omega, Anderson, Gallows and Don Callis to close out the show.
Result
Omega and The Good Brothers defeated Moxley and The Young Bucks
Grade
A
Analysis
Not only was this a great tag team match, but the storytelling was also top-notch.
The Bucks were reluctant to inflict pain on longtime friend Omega. We knew that. But we didn't know they would risk incurring the wrath of Moxley by knocking him out and costing him the win. The post-match blow suggests a more willing Matt and Nick Jackson, though the looks on their faces as the reality of their situation hit home insinuate it may not be a blissful reunion.
The uncertainty demonstrated by the Bucks breeds intrigue, which will only intensify in the weeks to come as Hangman Page enters the title picture and they face the consequences of their actions, most likely in the form of Moxley and Kingston challenging for the tag titles.