AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from November 17
On the heels of an eventful Full Gear pay-per-view that saw the crowning of a new AEW world champion, Dynamite hit the TNT airwaves with the promise of a celebration befitting "Hangman" Adam Page and his self-proclaimed "Cowboy S--t Day."
Beyond that was a card full of title implications and the All Elite Wrestling debut of "The Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii.
Who advanced to the semifinals of the TBS title tournament, what went down when new No. 1 contender Bryan Danielson battled The Dark Order's Evil Uno, and was Jay Lethal able to put an exclamation point on his signing with the company by capturing the TNT Championship?
Find out with this recap of the November 17 episode.
Hangman Page Celebrates His Championship Victory
"I didn't deserve it, I F'N earned it,” new AEW world champion Hangman Page corrected the fans in his home state of Virginia as he kicked off the show with a special in-ring celebration of Cowboy S--t Day.
Page said he would like to celebrate all night long but knew the title carries weight and up next for him is Bryan Danielson. The new No. 1 contender made his way to the ring and interrupted the promo.
Danielson said he was surprised and disappointed that it's not Kenny Omega he will be challenging for the AEW title, to which Page responded by reminding him that he beat The Best Bout Machine and did it in less than 30 minutes.
Danielson took exception to Page "flapping his gums" instead of wrestling, then exclaimed that he wrestled the very next night after he captured the world title at WrestleMania. When Hangman issued the challenge for a match Wednesday night, Danielson backed down.
"I don't want you to have the excuse that you're not ready," Danielson said.
Dark Order separated the two men. Page then rushed across the ring and took The American Dragon down, forcing him to the sanctuary of the floor heading into the break.
Grade
B
Analysis
From a heat perspective, this had the fans in Virginia ready to see Page kick Danielson's ass, but it made little sense from a storyline viewpoint.
Danielson suddenly and inexplicably switched gears, transitioning from a respected babyface into a clear, antagonizing heel who loves wrestling. There was no covering up for or suggesting he had any other explanation. He is a villain.
Where that came from or how and why we got to that point are questions that should have been answered with a bit of character development. Instead, he became a heel just to facilitate the first title program.
The match will be extraordinary. Hopefully, the creative leading to it can shine some light on Danielson's sudden switch in attitude.
Evil Uno vs. Bryan Danielson
Coming out of the commercial break, Danielson and Dark Order's Evil Uno battled in singles competition. The former dominated early and often, outwrestling his opponent and flashing hints of arrogance while doing so.
When Uno dared his rival to bring it, he did, unloading a flurry of forearms to the chest. The masked competitor managed to down him and attempt a swanton bomb, but Danielson got the knees up and followed with a running knee to the face.
The American Dragon stomped at the head and face of his opponent before applying a triangle choke. Referee Aubrey Edwards called for the bell immediately.
After the match, Danielson told Tony Schiavone he will not stop kicking Dark Order members' heads in until he gets his match with Page, with Colt Cabana up next week.
Result
Danielson defeated Uno
Grade
B+
Analysis
Was this a match that warranted a B+ grade? No, but it was a strong first appearance for Danielson in the role of a heel. He outclassed Uno, taunted him, embarrassed him and physically punished him en route to sending the first of many messages to Page.
The post-match promo set up weeks of television, with The American Dragon promising to unleash his ire on every one of the champion's friends until he gets what he wants. It was a solid heel promo from a guy who hasn't had to cut one of those in three years.
It would still be nice to know why he suddenly made this change in character, but heel Danielson is a character that has never been seen on a grand scale. This was a solid introduction.
Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii vs. The Butcher and The Blade
MJF cut an intense promo in which he teased future plans, motioning to his midsection in reference to championship gold.
Elsewhere, Eddie Kingston got into a confrontation with 2.0 and Danny Garcia, suggesting a match with them in the near future.
The never-ending feud between Best Friends and Hardy Family Office wrote its latest chapter when Orange Cassidy and NEVER Openweight champion Tomohiro Ishii of New Japan Pro-Wrestling battled The Butcher and The Blade.
After a brief glimpse of Ishii vs. Butcher, the heels cut down Cassidy and isolated him from his partner throughout the commercial break. Ishii finally made his presence felt after the timeout, unloading on Blade before coming face-to-face with Butcher.
Ishii got the best of his opponent, then took him off the top rope with a superplex for two. Blade made the save, bringing Cassidy back into the ring. Freshly Squeezed delivered a big tornado DDT for two before running into the waiting arms of Butcher, who joined Blade in a double-team powerbomb/neckbreaker combo.
Ishii made the save and resumed his war with Butcher. Blade tried to use the brass knuckles but Rocky Romero made the save, giving way for Cassidy to dive on the heel and Matt Hardy at ringside. Back inside, Ishii delivered the teardrop brainbuster to Butcher for the win.
Result
Ishii and Cassidy defeated Butcher and Blade
Grade
B-
Analysis
It was beyond cool to see Ishii on national television, but one has to wonder how much better received by fans he would have been in a bigger wrestling city. With that said, he was presented as a big deal, received the hot tag and scored the win.
The match was very good, but the emotional impact was nullified by the fact that we have seen Cassidy battle Hardy Family Office in so many different matches that the program has long outlived its usefulness. Hopefully, the outcome here is enough to bring the feud to an end.
Kudos to The Butcher and The Blade, who remain one of the more underrated teams in AEW. Blade is quietly consistent, a strong worker who can work any style; and Butcher hung in there with one of the most physical wrestlers on the planet and never backed down. A great showing for both heels.
TBS Championship Tournament: Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose
Backstage, Britt Baker discussed her victory over Tay Conti at Full Gear and vowed to take the spotlight off herself and put it on future TBS champion Jamie Hayter. The AEW women's champion talked trash on Thunder Rosa to wrap up the segment.
Speaking of the TBS title, the latest match in the tournament to crown the first champion continued with Hikaru Shida battling Nyla Rose in a quarterfinal match.
The Native Beast dominated the babyface and when Shida started to mount a comeback, she wiped her out with a clothesline to the back of the head. An ill-advised senton off the ring apron resulted in Rose crashing through a chair. Shida whacked Vickie Guerrero with the kendo stick at ringside but paid for it as Rose slammed her off the top rope ahead of the break.
Serena Deeb attacked Shida at ringside, clipping her leg out from underneath her. Despite a spirited effort by the babyface to continue fighting, Rose forced a tapout with a stretch muffler.
A pre-taped promo from Malakai Black then promised retribution against Cody Rhodes.
Result
Rose defeated Shida
Grade
C+
Analysis
Shida and Rose may have the top rivalry in the short history of AEW, dating back to their many clashes for the women's title over the last year. They have experience as opponents and have developed strong in-ring chemistry, which was on full display here.
What started a bit choppy really picked up with Shida's comeback spot, Deeb's interference and a refreshing old-school finisher from The Native Beast.
Considering Ruby Soho or Kris Statlander await the winner in the semifinals, it makes sense that the heel went over. Beyond that, it continued the Shida-Deeb feud, which should result in a great match.
Dante Martin and Lio Rush vs. The Acclaimed
MJF, Wardlow and Shawn Spears made their way to the ring. The group leader touted his win over Darby Allin and again hinted at AEW world title aspirations before CM Punk interrupted.
As excitement built, though, Punk said nothing. He just chuckled and walked off, leaving MJF with his hand extended for an unfulfilled shake.
Backstage, The Gunn Club interrupted a Darby Allin promo, with leader Billy issuing a challenge for a match.
Back in the arena, Dante Martin and Lio Rush battled The Acclaimed in a tag team match set up by Martin declining an offer by the heels to join them during Saturday's Full Gear Buy-In show.
Anthony Bowens and Matt Caster shook off an early dive by the young babyface and proceeded to overwhelm him with quick, tandem offense as they cut him off from his partner. Following a brief commercial, Martin used Bowens and Caster as stepping stones before making a diving tag to Rush.
Rush exploded into the match, using his speed and agility to fend off his opponents. When The Acclaimed countered him, Martin delivered a massive missile dropkick that downed Bowens.
Caster delivered the Mic Drop to Rush and Martin made the save for his opponent. Dante delivered the Nosedive springboard moonsault, and Rush added a picture-perfect frog splash for the win.
After the match, Team Taz made their presence felt and again urged Martin to join them.
Result
Martin and Rush defeated The Acclaimed
Grade
B
Analysis
Punk disrespecting MJF by rendering him unworthy of a verbal beatdown was great stuff and only further plays on the heel's need for attention.
The Salt of the Earth has an unquenchable thirst to prove he can get in the head of his opponent. Instead, it was Punk who got into his by barely acknowledging him.
That feud and the ensuing promos will be straight fire, and we are in line for a phenomenal run of television.
Martin and Rush continue to make a dynamic tag team that captivates audiences with their ability to do things in the ring that no one else can. The Acclaimed, conversely, has back up in a great gimmick with ever-evolving in-ring abilities.
The two teams meshed well here in a fun, energetic match that led right into the Team Taz cliffhanger.
TNT Championship Match: Sammy Guevara vs. Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal made his in-ring debut with AEW Wednesday night, challenging Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship in the night's main event.
A back-and-forth opening sequence, filled with counters and reversals, gave way to chants of "This is wrestling" out of respect for the competitors' abilities. During the break, Guevara nursed his previously injured ribs, almost having to end the match prematurely as a result.
The defiant Spanish God flipped his opponent the bird and dared him to bring the fight, and Lethal did. The desperate champion pulled a Spanish Fly from out of nowhere to halt his challenger's onslaught.
When Lethal sent the champion to the floor and set up for a tope suicida, Guevara delivered a suplex on the floor. He rocked the former face of Ring of Honor with a knee strike that left him sprawling on the timekeeper's table. Guevara launched himself off the top rope, only to crash and burn.
Back inside, Lethal looked for the top-rope elbow drop but Guevara countered into a roll-up for two. Another back-and-forth exchange gave way to a Figure Four from the challenger. He refocused on the ribs, but Guevara fought out and delivered another knee strike.
He added two more strikes and the GTH for the successful title defense.
Result
Guevara defeated Lethal to retain
Grade
B+
Analysis
This was a gutsy performance from Guevara, who looks double-tough for beating a world-renowned star on just four days of rest and despite a severe rib injury. He has repeatedly performed up to the moment throughout his career and this was no different.
That The Spanish God consistently sold the ribs—something he may not have done two years ago when he first arrived in AEW—is an indication of how much he has grown as a performer.
For Lethal, this was a strong introduction for AEW fans. Precise, smart and physical, he knocked his first showing with the company out of the park.
If there is one complaint, it was the lack of attention paid to the obviously injured body part of Guevara, with Excalibur covering for the questionable Figure Four.
Still, this was a very good match that highlighted the participants and wrapped up a solid episode on a high note.