AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 2
The hottest rivalry in AEW came to a head in Chicago Wednesday night on Dynamite as CM Punk battled MJF in a grudge match months in the making.
The product of verbal warfare that turned physical a week ago when MJF left the Second City Saint lying in the middle of the ring, the match headlined a broadcast that also featured The House of Black battling Death Triangle in an intensely personal tag team showdown.
What went down on the explosive episode and who emerged from the much-anticipated showdown with their arm raised in victory, bragging rights theirs?
Find out with this recap of the special Groundhog's Day episode.
Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta and Bryan Danielson's Propsal
Jon Moxley kicked off Wednesday’s show, tearing through the crowd in Chicago and hitting the ring for an opening match against Wheeler Yuta, accompanied by Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy and newcomer, the very nice, very evil Danhausen.
The last time these two competed against each other, Moxley won dominantly and definitively.
Wheeler delivered a shotgun dropkick on the floor but Mox dominated, grounding him, then answering a defiant chop to the chest with a simple eye poke. He added a modified DDT on the ring apron but a momentary distraction from Orange Cassidy and a “curse” from Danhausen allowed Yuta to catch him with a crossbody from the top rope.
Back inside, Moxley would weather the storm of his young, hungry opponent and put him away with the Paradigm Shift for the win.
After the match Bryan Danielson confronted Moxley and after a standoff, asked fans if they wanted to see the two of them wrestle against each other. The American Dragon said that had Moxley had a little support, he would still be the AEW champion. He pitched the idea of working together, denouncing the current crop of champions.
“What if we…trained the future of professional wrestling together?” Danielson proposed. He told Moxley to think about it before dropping the mic.
Result
Moxley defeated Yuta
Grade
B+
Analysis
Yuta fared so much better in this one than he did the first time he squared off with Moxley, but the biggest takeaway from this one was the post-match promo.
The idea of Moxley and Danielson presenting a united force, mentoring the young stars of AEW and raising hell is super appealing. Two grizzled veterans who know what it takes to perform at the highest level possible, bringing along stars like Yuta, Lee Moriarty and Daniel Garcia would do wonders for those competitors and help reinvent Moxley and Danielson rather than letting them float by on being viable world title contenders every six months.
The inevitable feud between them, be it more imminently should Mox turn him down or in the future after an initially successful partnership, will result in the badass match(es) that fans desire from them.
Either way, anything involving Moxley and Danielson in the same ring is something wrestling fans can get behind.
Death Triangle vs. Knights of the Black Throne; Lambert and Rhodes' Verbal Spar
Another overly long verbal spat between Brandi Rhodes and Dan Lambert culminated in the return of Paige VanZant, who hit the ring and drove the Chief Brand Officer into the corner. The women’s locker room emptied and broke them up.
Backstage, Matt Hardy revealed that Isiah Kassidy will battle Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship on Rampage in an attempt to make up for Private Party’s loss to Jurassic Express on last Friday’s show.
Back in the arena, the newly renamed Knights of the Black Throne (Malaki Black and Brody King) took to the ring to battle Death Triangle’s Penta El Zero Miedo and the returning Pac in tag team action. The Bastard removed a blindfold to reveal to perfectly functioning eyes.
After a fiery offensive to start, Pac soon found himself on the receiving end of a concentrated attack by King and Black, who worked him over and kept him isolated from Penta. The Brit capitalized on a flurry from his partner, who wiped out King at ringside, to mount a comeback.
The revitalized babyfaces tried for Fear Factor but Black blew black mist into Penta’s eyes, setting him up for Dante’s Inferno as The Knights of the Black Throne scored the win.
Result
Black and King defeated Pac and Penta
Grade
B
Analysis
Thankfully, the match ruled. Hard. Otherwise, this stretch of the show would have gone down as one of the worst in recent Dynamite history.
Black and King work incredibly well together and the chemistry between the former and Pac creates a desire to see those two tear the house down on a future episode of Dynamite, Rampage or even pay-per-view. Give us all of that goodness.
It is difficult to take sides in a feud between Dan Lambert and Brandi Rhodes when both characters come across as so incredibly unlikable. Rhodes has that star quality, as does the returning Paige VanZant, but even a match between the two of them fails to inspire interest in the program.
How Isiah Kassidy has possibly done enough to earn a TNT Championship match against Sammy Guevara is a question best saved for the convoluted ratings system that is sure to be touted as the reasoning.
Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose
The rivalry between Ruby Soho and Nyla Rose wrote its latest chapter Wednesday when The Native Beast attempted to avenge her loss to The Runaway in the TBS Championship Tournament, targeting the arm and shoulder that has plagued Soho for weeks before switching the focus of her assault to the lower back.
Rose dominated the action, grounding her opponent and working her over throughout the commercial break, going as far as to bite the fingers of the orange-haired babyface.
Soho fought out of an attempted top-rope Beast Bomb but found herself face-down on the mat. Rose delivered a senton onto the lower back of her opponent. The aforementioned Beast Bomb in the center of the ring earned Rose the victory.
Result
Rose defeated Soho
Grade
C+
Analysis
This was a surprisingly one-sided, dominant victory for Rose. The Native Beast and former AEW women’s champion never really found herself in any danger, just systematically beating down Soho en route to an impressive victory.
With each woman holding a victory over the other, it would seem this feud ends with a rubber match. What the does for the winner, if anything, is the real question given the fact that neither appears to be in imminent contention for the AEW Women’s Championship.
Maybe a shot at Jade Cargill and the TBS title would be an option, though it might be too early for a Soho rematch and the idea of a heel vs. heel showdown between the current champ and Rose seems like a longshot.
Hangman Page Speaks
A pissed-off “Hangman” Adam Page hit the ring to discuss his AEW Championship defense against Lance Archer on next week’s show, live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Not content to wait for the Texas Death Match, he challenged Archer to hit the ring for a fight in Chicago.
Dan Lambert (again?!) and Jake “The Snake” Roberts appeared before Archer rushed the ring. The No. 1 contender drove Page into the steel stairs with a chokeslam, then delivered the Blackout through the timekeeper’s position.
Backstage, Chris Jericho called for an Inner Circle Team Meeting in regards to the recent dissension between him and Santana and Ortiz.
Grade
C+
Analysis
Imagine how much cooler and more effective the feud between Page and Archer would be if fans had any reason to think The Murderhawk Madman had a chance in hell of actually winning the title.
As it is, the Texas Death Match will kick copious amounts of ass and Page will get another signature win that puts over his toughness and grit before moving onto the program that will carry him through Revolution next month.
Hopefully, that does not involve Lambert in any shape or form.
As for the Jericho-Inner Circle team meeting, it will probably be a fine segment but the money at this point is in the match between The Demo God and Eddie Kingston.
CM Punk vs. MJF
The long-awaited main event between CM Punk and MJF headlined Wednesday’s show, a red-hot crowd awaiting the combatants.
Punk dominated the opening moments, fighting his opponent through the crowd and back down to the ring, punishing him for months of torment and frustration. The cerebral heel cut him off and drove his own knee into Punk’s left wrist, effectively taking the injured limb out of his arsenal.
After a one-armed Punk fought back, MJF rolled to the apron, looking to create separation from his foe. The hometown hero responded by bodyslamming the loudmouthed heel on the edge of the ring. Punk delivered a Pepsi Twist but MJF recovered and used his wrist tape to choke Punk, unbeknownst to referee Bryce Remsburg.
Ultimately, Punk became unresponsive and the official called for the bell. When MJF accidentally dropped the tape that had aided him, Remsburg called for the match to continue.
A rejuvenated Punk unloaded on MJF, pounding away with rights and lefts before adding an inverted atomic drop and lariat clothesline.
Back from the break, MJF recovered long enough to try for the Heat Seeker piledriver, only for Punk to counter. He tried for the Go To Sleep, but MJF fought out and bailed to the floor. Back inside, he applied the Texas Cloverleaf, twisting his opponent’s body enough to have pressure on both Punk’s left arm and knee.
Punk rolled out of an ankle lock, sending MJF face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Moments later, The Straight Edge Savior delivered a desperation reverse rana that left both men searching for the moxy to fight their way back into the match.
As the match advanced, Punk delivered a Pepsi Plunge from the top rope but was unable to capitalize due to his previously established knee injury. A top-rope elbow drop earned Punk a close two-count before MJF rolled to the arena floor, avoiding further punishment.
Wardlow appeared, providing a distraction that allowed MJF to produce his Dynamite Diamond Ring and lay out Punk. Three seconds later and the scarf-wearing villain scored his biggest win to date. After the match, it was revealed that Wardlow had passed his charge the ring.
Result
MJF defeated Punk
Grade
B+
Analysis
Make no mistake about it, this was a really strong wrestling match between one of the best of his generation and a guy poised to be the face of the next. Punk sold like a pro, making everything MJF did look great. In return, the young phenom put over all of Punk’s late-match offense and really appeared to be reeling.
Having Wardlow provide the ring that would prove the difference was a nice touch. The post-match facial expressions suggest he did so reluctantly, which continues the dynamic between him and his associate that will eventually culminate in a massive babyface turn for the big man.
MJF winning in Chicago was a nice touch and gives him carte blanche to brag about beating an industry icon in his hometown. It also sets up a rematch for Revolution that should see Punk silence his rival.
If there was one issue with the match, it was the ever-present idea that every major match needs to be of epic length. This would have been just as excellent with even 8-10 minutes shaved off of it. As it was, there was clearly a moment or two throughout where there was some biding of time going on before the finish.
Sometimes less is more and that is something AEW, still early in its run, will learn overtime.
Or risk some of these long-awaited matches overstaying their welcome.