AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 8
On the heels of a monumental All Out pay-per-view, AEW hit the TNT airwaves with an episode of Dynamite promising the fallout from Sunday's extravaganza.
What went down when new signees Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson made their first appearances on the flagship show? To whom would CM Punk turn his attention in the wake of his victory over Darby Allin? Would Cincinnati's own Jon Moxley survive the onslaught of New Japan Pro-Wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki in a star-studded main event?
Find out now with this recap of the September 8 broadcast.
Dustin Rhodes vs. Malakai Black
Malakai Black weathered an early onslaught by Dustin Rhodes in the opening contest of this week's show and drove him through the timekeeper's table to halt his momentum. From there, the cerebral competitor targeted the lower limbs of his opponent, cutting him down and negating the size advantage.
Fueled by the lack of respect Black showed him, Rhodes fought back and downed Black with a big clothesline. Black retrieved the boot Cody Rhodes took off during his teased retirement and taunted his older brother with it. Dustin responded with a Destroyer suplex that nearly ended his opponent's unblemished AEW record.
Black, though, sent Rhodes into an exposed ring post and just barely caught him with Black Mass for the win.
Result
Black defeated Rhodes
Grade
C+
Analysis
It was rarely pretty, but this was a good, hard-fought, physical wrestling match to kick off the show.
It could be argued that Dustin got too much offense in on Black, but he is a future Hall of Famer with tons of credibility, so the idea that he would give Black his toughest challenge yet makes sense. The physicality of the match, including the blood evident on both bodies, helped put over the intense dislike between the competitors.
The outcome was the right one and further supports the idea that Black will combat Cody at some point in the near future. Theirs is the logical conclusion to this story. Hopefully, it does not go the predictable route of The American Nightmare getting his win back.
CM Punk Speaks to the AEW Fans
CM Punk hit the ring, still beaming following his victory over Darby Allin in his first match in seven years, and hyped up the additions to the AEW roster from All Out. He spoke about his victory over Allin, thanked him and Sting, and said hello to Linda Pillman in the front row.
When he turned his attention to what was next for The Straight Edge Superstar, Taz interrupted. After a contentious back-and-forth, Punk dared The Human Suplex Machine to send Ricky Starks, Hook and Will Hobbs. "Beat me if you can. Survive if I let you," he said, playing on Taz's career-long catchphrase as he ended the confrontation.
Grade
A
Analysis
A stellar in-ring promo that created even more excitement for the recent developments in the company and shined a light on what's next for Punk in his journey up the card in AEW, this was the epitome of a multitasking segment.
Punk remains as engaging and energizing as he ever was and appears to be having as much fun inside a ring as he ever has. The product benefits, the fans remain invested and Punk has the opportunity to write the next chapter of his career the way he sees fit.
All while being the face and spokesperson for wrestling's hottest promotion.
Dante Martin vs. Will Hobbs
Moments after being challenged by CM Punk, "Powerhouse" Will Hobbs battled Top Flight's Dante Martin. The massive competitor overpowered Martin at every turn, catching him during a tope suicida attempt and sending him into the ring post. He controlled the pace, grounding his smaller, high-flying opponent throughout the break.
Martin exploded back into the match, dropping Hobbs with a shotgun dropkick and adding a standing senton. He flew over an interfering Hook and wiped his larger opponent out on the floor. Hobbs, though, caught his opponent and drove him into the mat with a spinebuster for the emphatic victory.
Result
Hobbs defeated Martin
Grade
C+
Analysis
Short and sweet, this was a nice showcase for two young stars with a boatload of potential and bright futures in AEW.
Hobbs is such an unstoppable force, with a mix of athleticism and punishing power that would make him seemingly unbeatable if he were more experienced. We saw how quickly he can end a match here, plucking Martin out of the air with a spinebuster. The placement of his match and the challenge by Punk moments earlier suggests he might be next up for the Chicago native. That's a hell of a spot for him if that's where things are going.
Martin has made the absolute most of every opportunity he has been granted since he was forced into singles competition following his brother's injury. He has been great, maximizing his minutes with show-stealing performances. He did that in short order this week, mixing his aerial assaults with an intensity needed to succeed at the next level.
Martin will be a future star. Performances like this and his showing against The Elite will make it difficult to see him back in the tag team division.
MJF Talks for the 1st Time Since His Loss at All Out
An infuriated MJF made his way to the ring alongside Wardlow and wasted little time making excuses for his loss to Chris Jericho on Sunday at All Out and talking trash on the Cincinnati fans. He insulted Linda Pillman and other members of the Pillman family before Brian Jr. interrupted.
A vile verbal assault by the heel, including some emphatic orders to Wardlow, gave way to an assault by Pillman. Wardlow saved his loudmouth associate, driving Pillman down with a German suplex and flattening Griff Garrison with a lariat clothesline.
The heels stood tall to close out the segment while the ringside doctor checked on the babyfaces.
Grade
A
Analysis
There are definitely some things said by MJF that probably crossed a line and may even warrant an email from TNT to Tony Khan in the morning, but there is no denying he garnered a ton of heat.
The segment may not have worked without it.
Suddenly, the Varsity Blonds have direction and momentum via their teased feud with MJF and Wardlow. Meanwhile, the schism between the scarf-wearing sycophant and his massive muscle grew as the former disrespected his bodyguard. Their eventual implosion will make for great television and leave MJF on his own, forcing him to fend for himself.
Ruby Soho vs. Jamie Hayter
Ruby Soho made her in-ring Dynamite debut, just three days after a stunning debut that saw her win the Casino Battle Royale and earn a shot at the AEW women's title. Her opponent? Champion Britt Baker's hired muscle, Jamie Hayter.
The Brit dominated the action throughout the commercial break, putting Soho on the defensive. That ended with a DDT. A modified facebuster had Soho rolling, but Hayter delivered a backbreaker across the knee. Soho answered with Eat Defeat and scored the hard-fought victory.
After the match, Baker attacked Soho and tried for the stomp onto the AEW women's title. Riho made the save but quickly found herself outnumbered. Kris Statlander ultimately made the save with a steel chair before checking on her fellow babyfaces.
Result
Soho defeated Hayter
Grade
C
Analysis
This was a solid match and a great taste of what is to come from Soho. One of the more talented wrestlers who, for whatever reason, could never get momentum on her side during her time in WWE, she has a wealth of experience to bring to a relatively young division. All while building her own star.
There is a reasonable argument to be made that Hayter should not be losing matches like this if she is to be taken seriously as Baker's backup. Soho is a credible enough star that Hayter losing to her does little to hurt Hayter's legitimacy. Too much more, though, will call into question her booking.
The creative here would suggest a six-woman tag match is on the horizon, perhaps as soon as Rampage. Given the talent involved, that would be a welcome addition to any card. That is, as long as measures are taken to protect those who need it.
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Dark Order vs. The Pinnacle
Dissension within The Dark Order defined Evil Uno, Stu Grayson and John Silver's match against The Pinnacle's Shawn Spears and FTR.
Never on the same page throughout the contest, the babyfaces had momentum on their side late as Silver uncorked a series of kicks to the body of Dax Harwood. A tag to Grayson, though, led to a Death Valley Driver by Spears for the win.
After the match, The Dark Order came to blows, shoving each other in disagreement while Anna Jay and Tay Conti watched from the ramp.
Result
The Pinnacle defeated The Dark Order
Grade
C
Analysis
The schism in Dark Order continues but will eventually be resolved by the return of Hangman Page, who should come back just in time to save the group from implosion. That story is one of the more interesting in the company and should culminate with Page's return to the main event.
The Pinnacle winning means little, as one cannot help but think the team has fallen out of favor, even as MJF continues to take on his prominent role as one of the top heels in the company.
The match itself was fine, if uneventful, with the typically solid work you expect out of these guys. It felt like a placeholder for all involved.
Bryan Danielson Interrupts The Elite
Tony Schiavone welcomed The Elite to the ring, and almost immediately The Young Bucks introduced Adam Cole. The former NXT and Ring of Honor world champion threatened Schiavone over his friendship with Britt Baker and ordered him out of the ring before cutting a braggadocious promo about the dominance of The Elite over the sport.
Bryan Danielson interrupted the proceedings and came face-to-face with Kenny Omega. The AEW champion asked for the ring, but The American Dragon snatched the microphone from him and laid down the gauntlet for a match between them. He grabbed hold of an armbar before The Elite jumped him.
Jurassic Express, Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian hit the ring, fended off the heels and beat the hell out of Brandon Cutler to close out the segment.
Grade
A
Analysis
The Elite is already established as a faction, and after nearly nine months of dominance, it has met its match in a collection of babyfaces with one common goal: halt the heels' momentum.
Danielson vs. Omega is a dream match between two of the best wrestlers in the world and a match that is a total no-brainer for AEW to promote on a major pay-per-view. Jurassic Express benefits from sharing the ring with Bryan and Cage and will be better off for having worked with The Elite.
The matches containing this collection of talent will be extraordinary, the crowd will be red-hot for all of it and AEW will have its latest, potentially greatest bit of team warfare to date.
Jon Moxley vs. Minoru Suzuki
Cincinnati's own smashmouth antihero Jon Moxley sought revenge for the attack he suffered at the hands of Minoru Suzuki at All Out, battling the legendary competitor in Wednesday's main event.
The double-tough former world champion threw punches, exchanged breathtaking clotheslines and withstood a targeted attack by Suzuki on his arm. In the end, Suzuki, his eye bloodied from the intensely physical battle, succumbed to the Paradigm Shift as Moxley earned the grueling victory in front of his Cincinnati fans, friends and family.
Mox celebrated in the stands to close out the show.
Result
Moxley defeated Suzuki
Grade
B-
Analysis
Like the Black-Rhodes match that started the show, this was a physical battle that saw blood drawn the hard way and the right guy go over. It was a treat to see Suzuki in AEW as part of the crossover of wrestling companies, but there was no argument to be made in which he went over Moxley here.
Some may forget amid the debuts of so many big-name competitors that Moxley was the first star to choose to join AEW upon his contract coming to an end. He necessitated the paradigm shift in professional wrestling. He is still a huge name with a ton to offer AEW, and no incoming legend should take priority.
Moxley earned the spotlight this week and delivered, sending the people home happy.
His people.