AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Analysis from October 5
All Elite Wrestling celebrated three years of Dynamite Wednesday, live from the city where it all began: Washington, DC.
Ring of Honor world champion Chris Jericho teamed with Sammy Guevara to battle Bryan Danielson and ROH Pure champion Daniel Garcia in a blockbuster tag team main event, while No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship, "Hangman" Adam Page, squared off with Rush.
Find out what went down in those two bouts as well as the rest of the show with this recap of the October 5 broadcast.
Wheeler Yuta vs. MJF
After three weeks of rapid escalation, the rivalry between MJF and Wheeler Yuta culminated in Wednesday night's opening contest.
A hotly contested bout saw Yuta hang with MJF, fighting from underneath to stay in the match. He absorbed and had an answer for everything the heel threw at him. When the silver-tongued snake flipped him the bird late, seemingly daring Yuta to come off the top rope at him, he did.
Late in the match, Yuta tried for the Seatbelt, but MJF countered into the Salt of the Earth armbar, tweaking the injured arm of his opponent and leaving him no choice but to tap out.
After the match, Lee Moriarty jumped Yuta, breaking up an attempted show of respect. William Regal broke up any further assault on Yuta, teasing walloping MJF with his trademark brass knuckles before the self-proclaimed Devil walked off.
The match was good, as expected. No one has doubted Yuta's abilities between the ropes, and MJF has repeatedly proved himself to be one of the best workers in all of AEW.
With that said, a match like this would have meant so much more if the heel was working with someone fans believed could actually beat him.
As talented as Yuta is, he is not yet a star, no matter how hard AEW attempts to push him as one.
The 25-year-old is clearly a step below MJF and it showed late, hurting the drama they were hoping to build. No one really thought the former ROH Pure champion had a chance of beating the man poised to make a world title run in the coming weeks.
Still, it was an excellent wrestling match.
Result
MJF submitted Yuta
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- MJF strutted past Yuta and drew chants of his name from the audience.
- Yuta sold his arm after MJF spent time working on it, with the injury preventing him from fully executing an Irish whip.
- A series of roll-ups ensued, with referee Bryce Remsburg counting several two-counts along the way, but neither man was able to keep the other down.
- For the third time, MJF rolled out of the way as if to prevent Yuta from executing a big splash. This time, he added a middle finger. Yuta jumped anyway, crashing on MJF and scoring a near-fall.
Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal
Darby Allin and Jay Lethal continued the night's action with a singles match.
Lethal sought to cut his opponent's speed and agility off, grounding him by working his left knee. Allin fought his way back into the match but wasn't able to mount a strong enough comeback to leave the outcome in doubt.
After several minutes of back-and-forth, Lethal became momentarily distracted by the appearance of Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt on the entrance ramp, allowing Allin to apply the Last Supper for the pinfall victory.
The match was perfectly acceptable wrestling from two guys who can deliver it with their eyes closed. There was nothing dynamic or explosive about it, but it did feature some good leg work from Lethal and the post-match teased a breakup with Singh and Dutt, which is probably in his best interest.
Result
Allin defeated Lethal
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- After the match, Lethal showed Allin respect, to the dismay of his associates.
TNT Championship: Wardlow vs. Brian Cage
In case you forgot Brian Cage still worked for AEW, the self-proclaimed "Machine" challenged Wardlow in a battle of the big men for the TNT Championship.
Each competitor showed deceptive athleticism for guys of their size, but it was Cage who seized control heading into and throughout the break.
Wardlow fought back, leading to an intensely physical heavyweight clash. The brutes through everything they had at one another before the TNT champion unloaded the Powerbomb Symphony on his opponent (times three) for the impressive pinfall victory.
After the match, Cage's Ring of Honor teammates, The Gates of Agony, hit the ring and beat down the victor. Samoa Joe and FTR made the save, chasing the heels off to close out the segment.
Cage has been absent from AEW television for a long time. He has been criminally underutilized by the company and, like him or not, he is an immensely talented competitor. That was on full display here Wednesday as he showed up and showed out against Wardlow in a match that should earn him more looks from management.
The post-match was fine but it highlighted a major issue with AEW booking: The complete misuse of FTR, who continue to be one of the most popular acts in the company but are being woefully underused in key positions.
Why aren't the most decorated tag team in the industry competing for the AEW tag titles again?
Result
Wardlow defeated Cage
Grade
B-
Top Moments
- Wardlow caught Cage during a 619 and delivered a powerslam.
- Cage delivered a suplex from the apron into the ring.
- The crowd's eruption for Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler was special. Hopefully, the right people were listening backstage.
Trios Match
AEW women's champion Toni Storm, Athena and Willow Nightingale battled Jamie Hayter, Serena Deeb and Penelope Ford in a Trios match Wednesday, with Saraya and Britt Baker accompanied their respective teams.
Deeb grounded Storm, and the heels worked her over during the commercial break, isolating her from her partners and ensuring she would fight from underneath if she had any chance of influencing the outcome.
A hot tag to Nightingale sparked a babyface comeback as the young star pounced on Deeb. Ford cut things off with a cutter for a two-count, but Nightingale answered with a Doctor Bomb, a la the late "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Saraya finally got physical in an AEW ring, throwing fists with Baker and rocking Rebel with a superkick.
There was so much talent involved here, and the crowd was red hot for both Deeb and Hayter, but this still felt like more of the same from the women's division. There is so much talent but all of it is directionless.
Saraya and Baker are over, but neither was actually in the match. And although it was beyond exciting to see Nightingale score the win, the division still appears to be as messy and unfocused as it has ever been.
Result
Nightingale, Storm and Athena defeated Hayter, Deeb and Ford
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Saraya getting physical on a wrestling show for the first time since 2017 is, understandably, going to get the most attention.
National Scissoring Day
AEW world tag team champions The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn hit the ring for National Scissoring Day.
A fun, spirited promo segment, it highlighted the charisma of the young champions and why they have been able to become genuine breakout stars for the company.
The arrival of Strickland, his music perfectly interrupting the babyfaces, was done well. Booking him against Gunn? Not so much, but the layout and execution of that match will determine its effectiveness.
This was unapologetically fun. It was also proof that The Acclaimed can carry an entire segment, despite being relatively inexperienced in spots like these. They were great, and those in power have to be very confident with positioning Anthony Bowens and Max Caster in this position.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- "Scissoring...is a handshake!" Bowens said.
- "We're gonna do the first bipartisan scissor to unite this country!" Caster said before Strickland's music interrupted.
- Strickland congratulated Gunn on another top-selling T-shirt that kids can wear and get suspended from school for in a new generation.
Hangman Page vs. Rush
Former Ring of Honor world champion Rush took the fight to Hangman Page from the outset, looking to gain the upper hand and avoid another devastating defeat in AEW.
He beat Page around ringside and back in, controlling the pace of the match.
The former AEW world champion fought back and setup for a Buckshot Lariat, but a distraction from Jose at ringside allowed Rush to counter with a headbutt, jumping knee and straightjacket piledriver.
Page survived it, delivered the Buckshot Lariat and scored the hard-fought victory.
After the match, Private Party teased an attack, only for world champion Jon Moxley to warn them against it.
Moxley cut a promo on Page regarding their match for the AEW title on a special Tuesday edition of Dynamite on October 18. When Hangman responded, Mox warned him about his mouth getting him into trouble and left through the crowd.
The match itself was fine. Page and Rush didn't have the in-ring chemistry that El Toro Blanco had with Moxley, but it was still an uber-competitive clash that highlighted the top contender but also gave Rush another loss he could not afford.
The post-match promo from Moxley was great, and his words of wisdom to Page about young kids in the locker room saying stupid stuff was a nice nod to the real-life goings-on behind the scenes.
That match is going to be fantastic, and this was a nice little tease for it.
Result
Page defeated Rush
Grade
B
Top Moments
- "In 13 days, I'm gonna leave my house, I'm gonna walk down Vine Street and I'm gonna show up at Heritage Bank Center. And I'm gonna break your face," Moxley warned Page.
- "If you've been waiting for this for so long, where the hell are you going right now?" Page said.
- Moxley warned Page about his mouth getting him in trouble and vowed to beat him in Cincinnati.
Luchasaurus vs. Fuego del Sol
Luchasaurus squashed Fuego del Sol in a singles match that was secondary to what occurred afterward.
"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry hit the ring with a steel chair and chased the big man off. From there, he issued a challenge for a match, giving Luchasaurus and Christian Cage the opportunity to pick the time and place.
Cage, the master manipulator, teased doing it right then but opted for next week's show in Toronto instead.
This was yet another segment in a feud that has lost considerable steam since All Out but should be appropriately heated up with the clash of former tag team partners next week.
Result
Luchsaurus defeated Fuego del Sol
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Cage is an unflinching heel. However, it does beg the question: What would have happened to The Un-Americans back in 2002 if this fearless version of him had been at the forefront of that group.
Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
For the majority of Wednesday's main event, Ring of Honor Pure champion Daniel Garcia proved himself to be as good a wrestler as any of the three men he shared the ring with.
With partner Bryan Danielson, he took the fight to Ring of Honor world champion Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, seemingly putting an end to his association with the Jericho Appreciation Society.
The back-and-forth, action-packed main event saw Garcia in the right position late, trapping Guevara in the Dragonslayer and seemingly having the match won...until Jericho blasted him with the ROH title.
With Garcia knocked out cold, Guevara was able to score the pinfall victory and build heat for the heels to close the show.
Guevara picking up the fall despite a very real hatred for him from the fans was a tone-deaf way to close out the show. There were ways to get the heels the win without having to go there, and it felt like a giant middle finger to the audience, who did not dislike Guevara for anything he did on screen.
The match itself was very good, as should be expected given the participants.
Danielson was great, Garcia continued to shine under the big lights and Jericho was...there. If nothing else, he continues to put in the work to prove he belongs with today's best, and he deserves some acclaim for that.
Result
Jericho and Guevara defeated Garcia and Danielson
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- A loud, unflattering chant rained down on Guevara early, undoubtedly the result of the TMZ Sports report of a backstage altercation with Andrade El Idolo earlier in the day.
- Danielson exploded into the ring off the hot tag and unloaded on both opponents.
- The crowd responded to a moonsault plancha by Guevara with chants of "You still suck!"
- Danielson and Garcia trapped the opposition in stereo submissions.
- Jericho attempted a powerbomb to Danielson through the timekeeper's table, but The American Dragon landed back-first on the edge. Jericho delivered a suplex to complete the spot.