AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 1
All Elite Wrestling celebrated 100 episodes of Dynamite Wednesday on TNT with the go-home episode to its biggest pay-per-view of the year, All Out, this Sunday.
CM Punk had a few final words for Darby Allin before their showdown, and The Elite battled Jurassic Express and The Lucha Bros in a big eight-man tag to round out a card that put a bow on all of the top feuds and stories ahead of the extravaganza.
What went down and who has momentum ahead of All Out? Find out now with this recap of the September 1 broadcast.
Santana and Ortiz vs. FTR
Santana and Ortiz wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry with FTR in the night's opening match.
After a hot start by the babyfaces, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood isolated Santana, cutting him off from his partner. Several moments of quick tags and expert ring awareness by the heels gave way to a hot tag to Ortiz that sparked the comeback.
Back-and-forth action led to FTR delivering the Big Rig to Ortiz, only for Santana to break up the pinfall. Moments later, the Inner Circle teammates put Wheeler away with a combination cutter/codebreaker, followed by a reverse flapjack for the win.
Result
Santana and Ortiz defeated FTR
Grade
B+
Analysis
This was the match these two teams deserved the first time before Wheeler's injury forced an abrupt conclusion.
Intense and action-packed with a great final stretch and emphatic finish, this was a PPV-quality contest that saw the right team go over to set up a rubber match between the two teams.
For someone nursing a serious arm injury, Wheeler looked great and the in-ring chemistry between the teams was evident. A great start to an important show for AEW.
CM Punk Addresses the AEW Fans
CM Punk made his way to the ring to address the fans in Chicago, days before his scheduled match with Darby Allin. Before he could talk, Danny Garcia and 2.0 hit the ring for a 3-on-1 beatdown of the hometown hero.
Sting and Darby Allin made the save, culminating in a Coffin Drop, Scorpion Death Drop and Go To Sleep to the heels.
Afterward, Sting hyped up the All Out match to a thunderous ovation.
Grade
A
Analysis
As the last opportunity to hype a main event-quality match between two babyfaces, this was great. They all shined by taking out three heels who lose nothing from bumping for two icons and the brightest young star on the roster.
By sharing the ring with Punk and Sting, Allin was elevated by proxy. Most importantly, the segment didn't give away the first physicality between Sunday's combatants. It kept fans intrigued by what they might see, rather than handing it over on free TV.
That is key for a go-home show: Keep fans hungry rather than giving away the whole meal.
Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans
Matt Hardy jumped Orange Cassidy prior to his bout against Jack Evans, putting Freshly Squeezed on the defensive early against the Hardy Family Office member.
Evans controlled the contest, cutting off a mid-match comeback and dominating throughout the commercial break. It was during that same break that Cassidy caught Evans with a quick small package for the win.
Hardy attacked after the match, leading to Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta making the save. Hardy Family Office's Private Party, Angelico and The Blade hit the ring, necessitating the arrival of Jurassic Express. A skirmish ended with the babyfaces standing tall.
Result
Cassidy defeated Evans
Grade
C-
Analysis
Ending the match during the picture-in-picture was an interesting choice. The contest was merely OK before the finish, never really achieving what you would expect given the talent involved.
The post-match brawl was a mess but should lead to a fun multi-man tag team match if nothing else.
Prior to the contest was a stellar promo from MJF, putting over his upcoming match with Chris Jericho at All Out and what it means to his career moving future. It was one of the best of his young career and put over the significance and urgency of the bout.
Jim Ross Interviews Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho joined the man who recruited him to WWE, Jim Ross, for an in-ring promo.
The 50-year-old put over the history of AEW, applauded Dynamite on 100 episodes, and said he could not continue his career knowing he couldn't beat MJF.
Jericho said his career isn't over and he doesn't want it to be, and MJF will have to be the best he has ever been come Sunday. Even then, he added, it wouldn't be enough because MJF isn't man enough to take him out.
Grade
A
Analysis
There are few performers more skilled at high-pressure, big-match promos than Jericho. He was great here, putting over the stakes of his match with MJF before explaining why the scarf-wearing sycophant cannot make it 4-0 against him Sunday.
The emotion was there, with the crowd hanging on his every word. He fed off their energy and the result was a much more memorable promo than it otherwise would have been.
Despite the repetitiveness of their feud to this point, both Jericho and MJF delivered in hyping their "final" fight, which is one of the marquee bouts on Sunday's card.
Brian Cage vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
Team Taz's Powerhouse Hobbs overcame an early, pre-match attack by "The Machine" Brian Cage to seize control throughout the commercial. Cage fought back into the match, sending his opponent to the mat with an exploder suplex.
The former FTW champion overcame a spinebuster from Hobbs to deliver a deadlift suplex from the apron and back into the ring.
Taz's son, Hook, provided a distraction, and Hobbs sent him face-first into the FTW title held by Ricky Starks before finishing him with Town Business.
After the match, QT Marshall and The Factory called Paul Wight out to the ring. The giant dominated the heels before being joined by Billy, Austin and Colton Gunn.
In a surprise move, Billy blasted Wight with a steel chair to the hip. Marshall reentered the ring and dropped him with cutter to drum up some heat for their match Sunday.
Result
C
Analysis
This was a solid-if-unspectacular match between two immensely talented big men.
The match quality and flow was hurt by the break and the finish was almost identical to Cage's loss to Starks a few months back, as called out by the commentary team.
The biggest issue was that it did nothing to propel the feud forward. It is in the same exact spot it was prior to the contest.
The segment involving Wight and Marshall could have included six heel turns and it wouldn't have done anything to make the upcoming PPV match any more appealing. That it was a nonsensical turn without any real rhyme or reason did not help matters.
Marshall's facial expressions really are quite excellent, though.
Tay Conti vs. Penelope Ford
Now aligned with The Bunny, Penelope Ford battled Tay Conti.
Seeking revenge following a loss to The Bunny Friday on Rampage, Conti attacked early. Ford downed her, though, and wrestled the upper hand away from her opponent heading into the break.
Conti found her way out of a submission and delivered a top-rope crossbody for a near-fall. She countered a Muta Lock from Ford into a calf crusher. When The Bad Girl fought to the ropes, Conti answered with consecutive pump kicks.
The action broke down late, with The Bunny attempting a distraction. Conti thwarted it and pinned Ford with a roll-up.
After the match, the heels beat down the victor until The Dark Order’s Anna Jay made her return and chased them off.
The commentary team revealed Jay will compete in Sunday's Casino Battle Royale for a shot at the women's title.
Result
Conti defeated Ford
Grade
C+
Analysis
Conti and Ford were having a fun match before the distraction finish, the second of its kind on this show. However, this one worked because it led to the return of Jay and helped hype Sunday’s Battle Royal.
Conti is a likable babyface who is connecting with audiences. Her performances improve with every match, and it is reasonable to believe she may be holding gold in AEW at some point over the next 12 months.
As for Jay, her return generated a nice pop from fans, an indication that they had not forgotten she was making her own strides in the women's division prior to her injury.
Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Lucha Bros and Jurassic Express vs. The Elite
Ahead of their Steel Cage match for the AEW Tag Team Championships Sunday, The Lucha Bros and The Young Bucks found themselves on opposite sides of an eight-man tag team match as Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix partnered with Jurassic Express' Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus to battle Matt and Nick Jackson and The Good Brothers' Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows.
The heels beat down Jungle Boy and cut the ring off from the rest of his team as they worked him over in their corner. A ferocious comeback and hot tag to Fenix sparked a comeback. After Fenix's flurry, Luchasaurus took the fight to the opposition, including a standing moonsault to Anderson for two.
Brandon Cutler got involved and nearly cost the babyfaces the win but a well-timed save by Luchasaurus saved the match. A late comeback attempt by Fenix fell short as the Bucks put him down with the Meltzer Driver for the win.
AEW world champion Kenny Omega made his way to the ring, stomping Fenix and Jungle Boy before instructing The Good Brothers to drive Luchasaurus through a table. Christian Cage hit the ring to make the save but quickly found himself on the end of a beatdown.
Omega ordered the steel cage to be lowered, and The Elite proceeded to beat down their All Out opponents. Babyface reinforcements attempted to make the save, but the heels held them off to close out the show.
Result
The Elite defeated Jurassic Express and The Lucha Bros
Grade
B
Analysis
If you hated The Elite's dominance over AEW leading into All Out, you likely despised this segment.
Why the creative called for the heels to win the match and the beatdown to the close the show is a question that could use some explanation, especially when they are expected to retain their titles at the PPV. There is such a thing as too much dominance by the bad guys in any story, as the history of WCW tells us.
The New World Order obliterated the competition to the point that people grew tired of the repetition. That there has been little in the way of comeuppance outside of Cage's victory over Omega for the Impact title on August 13 only enhances the need for the heels to get a bit of what they deserve.
For now, though, they will enter All Out seemingly unbeatable.