The John Report: AEW Dynamite 05/22/24 Review
This week’s AEW Dynamite featured a Bryan Danielson main event match against Satnam Singh, plus some big matches on the road to Double or Nothing.
It’s the final Dynamite episode before AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday night in Las Vegas, which is also AEW’s five-year anniversary. According to WrestleTix, they only sold about 2300 tickets for this show. That’s rough.
This was AEW Dynamite episode #242 from Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
It’s Wednesday and you know what that means. Excalibur was on commentary with Taz and Tony Schiavone.
Will Ospreay & Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong (w/Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) & Trent Beretta
Don Callis was on commentary to support Ospreay and Cassidy. Strong is the AEW International Champion. At Double or Nothing it’s Ospreay vs. Strong and Cassidy vs. Beretta.
Will took out Strong in the ring while Orange and Trent fought on the floor. Orange hit a suicide dive on Trent on the floor. Orange jumped off the turnbuckle with a forearm smash. Orange was distracted, so Strong hit a backbreaker on Will. Strong hit a jumping kick to knock down Will. There was a back body drop from Will on Strong. Orange got the tag with a punch for Trent on the apron and Orange sent Strong into the turnbuckles multiple times. Orange went up top, but Trent tripped him up on the turnbuckle. Strong slammed Orange’s ribs into the turnbuckle with a gutbuster. Will saved Orange from a piledriver. Strong dropkick Will into the barricade. Strong with a backbreaker on the apron. Trent with a Spear on Orange on the floor.
(Commercial)
The match returned with Will hitting a running forearm on Trent. Strong went in illegally so Will did a flipping kick to knock both guys down. Trent came back with a half-n-half suplex tossing Will across the ring. Will got a sunset flip on Strong for two. Strong hit running forearms along with a lifting slam to send Will to the mat for a two count. Will nailed a superkick and a slam off the shoulders. Will hit a twisting dive off the ropes and Orange did a falling elbow drop off the top for two. All four guys were in the ring because it’s AEW as Will hit a boot while Orange jumped off the top with a DDT. Will hit a step up enziguri on Strong and Orange hit a DDT on Strong for two because Trent tackled Will onto the pile to break up the pin. Callis helped Orange by holding his leg to prevent a move from Strong. Orange hit Stundog Millionaire and Will hit an Oscutter on Trent. Will hit a somersault dive onto Taven & Bennett on the floor. Wardlow clotheslined Will from behind on the ramp. Trent hit a knee strike on Orange followed by Strong hitting the End of Heartache for the pinfall on Orange. It went 14 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Roderick Strong & Trent Beretta
Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match that was fast-paced from the moment the bell rang and ended in controversial fashion. I believe that is Ospreay’s first loss since signing with AEW, but he wasn’t the guy that got pinned in this match. The numbers game helped the heels here thanks to Wardlow delivering a clothesline while on the ramp. That took out Will on the ramp while Orange was isolated in the ring and that was it. I like that it wasn’t a predictable match.
After the match, The Undisputed Kingdom attacked some more. Strong hit Will with the International Title to the head. Trent locked in a submission on Orange on the ramp. Strong trash-talked a bloody Will. Strong hit End of Heartache on Ospreay, who was bleeding a lot from the head.
Analysis: A simple way to get heat on the heels. It’s simple and it works.
The Young Bucks were backstage with The Elite security group. Nicholas Jackson said that Darby Allin was not allowed in the building and they had papers with his face on them. Matthew Jackson told security to not let him in the building. Sonjay Dutt talked to The Young Bucks saying his Indian giant Satnam Singh will destroy Bryan Danielson. Matthew wanted Singh to hurt Danielson. Dutt said that Satnam was going to break Bryan like a pencil.
Let’s Hear From The Bang Bang Gang
Jay White and The Gunns aka the Bang Bang Gang made their entrance with their collection of Trios Tag Team Titles. They are no longer called Bullet Club Gold so let’s call them BBG I guess.
White did the promo introducing the team while doing the “Gunns Up” salute as well. White talked about Pac getting involved in their business. White recapped Pac’s mistakes over the last few weeks. It was a bunch of rambling without saying much.
Pac appeared on the video screen admitting that he did provoke him. Pac said that 3-on-1 isn’t exactly fair, so allow him to introduce his amigos – it’s Pac with Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix. The Death Triangle trio is reunited.
The Death Triangle trio went into the ring to beat up White and The Gunns. Death Triangle had the upper hand with some stomps. The Bang Bang Gang trio left.
Pac did a promo challenging the Bang Bang Gang for the Unified Trios Tag Team Championships at Double or Nothing.
Analysis: It was pretty obvious that this story would lead to Death Triangle reuniting to set up a Double or Nothing title match. That’s fine with me because it should be an awesome match.
(Commercial)
Chris Jericho made his entrance as the FTW Champion waving to the fans and he was joined by Big Bill. Jericho was on commentary for this match.
Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bryan Keith
This is called an FTW three-way Eliminator Match meaning the winner gets a shot at the “coveted” FTW Title.
Hook took down Keith with a toss and Keith hit a jawbreaker to get out of a submission attempt. All three guys hit overhead suplexes. Hook hit another suplex followed by Shibata hitting an STO trip on Hook. They went to a picture-in-picture break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Shibata hitting running kicks on both opponents. Jericho did his sarcastic voice complimenting all three guys in the match. Hook went for Red Rum by the ropes, but Keith headbutted him. Keith hit Diamond Dust on Hook and Shibata hit a kick to the chest. Shibata slammed Keith’s back/neck onto the knee. Shibata applied the Figure Four Leglock with a heel hook. Hook applied a Red Rum submission on Keith at the same time. Keith tapped out. It went about eight minutes.
It was announced that Shibata and Hook were both the winners of the match.
Winners by submission: Hook & Katsuyori Shibata
Analysis: **3/4 An average match. Booking a double finish in a triple threat doesn’t feel that fresh to me since I just saw it on NXT yesterday, but that’s what happens when you watch too much wrestling sometimes. Anyway, Keith was obviously there to lose and I thought it would be just Hook winning, so having Shibata win as well was an interesting decision. The match felt average to me.
Chris Jericho did a promo after the match saying that two winners make his match tougher at Double or Nothing. Jericho said that he’s proud of both guys for learning from The Learning Tree. Jericho claimed he was the longest-running For The World Champion in history at 33 days. Jericho said that it will be a three-way For The World Championship match and he’ll walk out of Las Vegas as the winner.
It’s official for AEW Double or Nothing: Chris Jericho defends the FTW Title against Hook & Katsuyori Shibata.
A video package aired about the rivalry between TBS Champion Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone, who is making her AEW debut in the match at Double or Nothing.
(Commercial)
There was a short video about IWGP World Champion Jon Moxley facing Konosuke Takeshita at Double or Nothing.
Konosuke Takeshita (w/Don Callis) vs. Matt Sydal
Matt Sydal loses so much in AEW that they didn’t put his stats on the screen.
Takeshita hit a sheer drop brainbuster. Sydal countered a move leading to a headscissors and a DDT. Sydal went up top, jumped off with nothing because Takeshita charged at him and Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. Takeshita nailed an elbow smash to the face for the pinfall win after less than two minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Konosuke Takeshita
Analysis: * A squash win by Takeshita. Good job AEW booking a match that short instead of making them go five minutes. It’s important to book squashes to put people over in a big way.
After the match, Takeshita shook hands with Sydal and then Takeshita hit a German Suplex.
Jon Moxley made his entrance from the back part of the arena and got in the ring with Takeshita. Moxley looked like he was going to talk, but instead, he punched Takeshita with a microphone. That led to “Moxley” chants. Moxley: “I’ll see you at Double or Nothing.” That was it.
Analysis: Simple enough. It should be a great match at Double or Nothing.
The Young Bucks were backstage talking about Darby Allin being banned. Swerve Strickland was sitting in their seat with the AEW World Title. Swerve said that he hadn’t seen him. Swerve told Matthew to hit the music, so Matthew told somebody to hit the champ’s music.
Swerve Strickland vs. Nick Wayne
This was not for Swerve’s AEW World Title. Swerve had a bandage on his head after bleeding heavily last week. Swerve worked over the youngster Wayne with a whip into the barricade. Swerve took his belt off leading to Swerve whipping Nick a few times. The fans chanted “one more time” so Swerve did a belt shot to Nick’s butt. Back in the ring, Swerve slammed the younger followed by a running dropkick. Nick sent Swerve into the steel part of the turnbuckle and a running kick on the floor. Nick jumped off the top onto Swerve on the floor, Swerve caught him and Nick hit a DDT on the floor. That was impressive. They went to a PIP break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Swerve getting sent out of the ring, but then Swerve came back with a belly-to-back suplex on the apron. Swerve jumped off the apron with a stomp on the floor. Back in the ring, Swerve tried a leap off the top, but Nick got his feet up to block. Nick got a rollup for two. Nick hit a Code Red for two. Swerve blocked a House Call kick followed by a backbreaker and a powerslam. Swerve said “I am sorry” and he hit a House Call kick for the pinfall win after about nine minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Swerve Strickland
Analysis: **3/4 A decisive win for Swerve Strickland just like it should be in a match like that. Nick Wayne is very athletic and has a bright future, but right now he’s not in a spot to show what he can do in the ring.
After the match, Killswitch nailed Swerve with a clothesline to the back. Christian Cage and Shayna Wayne arrived to check on Nick. Swerve did a low blow to Killswitch and dump him out of the ring. Swerve chased after Christian Cage, who ran around the ring and went running backstage. Swerve kicked Killswitch at ringside (that was funny) and went running to the back after Christian. They showed Christian running backstage, then Christian ran out to the parking lot, jumped into a car and Christian tried to drive away. However, Prince Nana was in another car and Nana blocked Christian from leaving. That was funny.
Swerve got a hold of Christian in the parking lot. Swerve threw Christian into a truck that was backstage. Christian climbed up a car to get away, so Swerve followed him on top of the SUV car. Swerve gave Christian a DDT on the SUV. Nana handed Swerve a chair. Swerve went for a chair shot, but Christian ran away. Swerve laughed about it with Nana.
Analysis: That was very good in terms of an out of the ring segment being creative. We have seen Swerve Strickland get his ass kicked numerous times in recent weeks so at least this week Swerve got some revenge. I think Swerve winning at Double or Nothing is a sure thing.
(Commercial)
Malakai Black vs. Kyle O’Reilly
At Double or Nothing, Malakai Black will challenge Adam Copeland in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match for the TNT Championship.
They are both skilled martial artists so they each delivered kicks, elbow strikes, and knees to the ribs from both guys. Black went for a springboard move, but Kyle kicked the leg to knock Black down. Black did a sweep kick. Black hit a jumping knee that knocked Kyle out of the ring. They went to a PIP break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with black hitting a back elbow. Kyle hit a knee to the head, kick to the leg, and an arm wringer sending Black to the mat. Kyle hit a snap German Suplex along with a stomp to the back of the head and a rolling elbow for two. Kyle and Black exchanged strikes that included kicks to the legs along with body shots. Kyle tripped up Black leading to an armbar attempt, but Black blocked it. Kyle applied an Ankle Lock submission. Black got out of it, elbowed Kyle in the head and Black hit a brainbuster for two. Kyle came back with kicks to the body, Black hit a back elbow and then they hit kicks to the head. Black faked a kick, Kyle reacted to that and Black hit The End spinning kick to the head for the pinfall win after ten minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Malakai Black
Analysis: ***1/4 A different kind of match between two talented strikers who did a lot of cool moves in that match and a lot of counters from them as well. It was booked like an even fight most of the way with both guys getting offense. I liked the finish with Kyle reacting to the fake kick, which led right into Black hitting the spinning kick that he uses as The End to win matches.
After the match, the lights went out and then there was some red light in the arena. There was a bloodblath in the ring, which is a nod to Adam Copeland’s history as part of The Brood in WWE.
Adam Copeland appeared on the video screen walking in some hallway. Adam told Black to be careful what you wish for. Adam laughed. Adam said he would see him soon. Malakai Black walked away slowly with his body full of “blood” all over him.
Analysis: It was payback for Copeland since Black has been playing mind games with him for weeks, so the Bloodbath was payback. We know Copeland used to do that with The Brood in his early Edge days. Younger fans might not know, but that’s why us old guys can fill them in.
(Commercial)
A video package aired about the Anarchy in the Arena Match at AEW Double or Nothing. It featured comments from Bryan Danielson talking about his love for AEW and threatening The Elite as well.
There was a rundown of the AEW Double or Nothing card.
* Anarchy In The Arena Match: The Elite (Jack Perry, Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) vs. Team AEW (Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)
* TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Mone
* AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Christian Cage
* TNT Championship Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Malakai Black
* AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay
* Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy
* FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata
* Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita
* AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Serena Deeb
“Timeless” Toni Storm & Mariah May (w/Luther) vs. Saraya & Harley Cameron (w/Zak Knight)
May nailed Harley with a forearm. Harley came back with a kick to the head. May tripped up Harley leading to a running dropkick. May hit a spinning sidewalk slam. Saraya exchanged forearms with Storm. That led to Storm hitting a Thesz Press along with punches. May tagged in, so Storm slammed May onto Saraya. Storm slammed May onto Saraya (very lightly) for a two count. May was back in with a running knee on Saraya. Harley attacked May from behind illegally and Saraya took over with stomps. They went to a PIP break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Harley doing a jawbreaker and then a double hair pull takedown. Storm tagged in with a backstabber on Harley. Storm hit Saraya with punches along with a headbutt for Harley. Storm gave Saraya a drop toehold onto Harley. Saraya broke up a pin with a light kick. Storm and May each set up both opponents on the turnbuckles. The small crowd was chanting “this is awesome” and Harley & Saraya each hit Powerbombs off the top. The four women remained in the ring. May and Storm each blocked kicks. Storm and May each delivered kisses. Storm hit a Storm Zero while May hit May Day. Storm hit Storm Zero on Cameron for the pinfall win after about nine minutes.
Winners by pinfall: “Timeless” Toni Storm & Mariah May
Analysis: *** A solid tag team match between four women that brought the intensity. I don’t remember the last time Saraya was in a match on Dynamite, but she did fine in her role. Cameron getting pinned wasn’t a surprise. Storm and May winning was the right call to give Storm momentum going into her Double or Nothing title match.
After the match, a barefoot Serena Deeb ran into the ring and hit Luther with a chair. Deeb knocked May out of the ring. Deeb had a high-heeled shoe and hit Storm in the head with it. Deeb applied a half crab submission while using a chair for leverage and Storm was tapping out. Referees made Deeb let go.
Analysis: It’s some good heel heat for Serena. This feud started with Storm as the babyface while Deeb told a story about how she battled an illness, the fans didn’t care about it and they ended up turning Deeb heel while Storm became a babyface again.
The Bang Bang Gang trio of Jay White & The Gunns were backstage for a promo. The Gunns challenged the Lucha Brothers to a tag team match on Collision.
A graphic was shown to set up the Bang Bang Gang against Death Triangle at AEW Double or Nothing. It’s non-title for now, but it could become a title match if Lucha Bros beat The Gunns on Collision.
Analysis: I assume the Lucha Bros beat The Gunns on Collision so that it becomes an AEW Trios Tag Team Title match.
Bryan Danielson made his entrance for the main event. Satnam Singh made his entrance with Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt.
Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Sigh (w/Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt)
They had a big staredown to emphasize Satnam having a huge height advantage since he’s 7’4” and Bryan is about 5’9” or so. Satnam knocked down Bryan with a boot. Satnam smacked Bryan in the chest with a hard chop. Satnam hit a delayed vertical suplex. They left the ring leading to Satnam throwing Bryan into the steel steps. Dutt cleared the commentary table and the table, broke, so that was comical. Bryan worked over Satnam with kicks and two running knees. Bryan hit a running dropkick while Satnam was on a chair. Satnam caught a charging Bryan and gave him a Chokeslam on the ring apron. Satnam took the top turnbuckle pad off. The referee was distracted by Dutt, so Bryan did a low blow kick and a Busaiko knee. Bryan did an eye gouge followed by kicks to the chest. Satnam chopped Bryan hard in the chest. Bryan went for the LeBell Lock, but he was attacked by Jarrett and Lethal so it was a DQ finish. It went about five minutes.
Winner by disqualification: Bryan Danielson
Analysis: ** I don’t think anybody can get a great singles match out of Satnam, not even somebody as good as Danielson. It did tell the story of Bryan taking a beating from the big man before they went to DQ ending to put a stop to this. The story was that The Elite wanted this group to beat up Danielson, so when Bryan was about to win, that’s why Jarrett and Lethal attacked.
After the match, Jeff Jarrett nearly cracked Bryan with a guitar, but Bryan broke free. Bryan hit a running knee on Lethal followed by a running knee on Jarrett as well. Dutt hit Bryan in the back and then Satnam punched the guitar that Bryan wanted to use. Bryan was attacked by all four guys in the ring.
The Young Bucks appeared as the AEW Tag Team Champions. Nick Jackson had an envelope with him that we assume is the payoff for Jarrett’s group. The envelope was handed to Dutt. That led to Lethal, Jarrett, Singh & Dutt leaving the ring.
The Young Bucks were alone in the ring with Bryan, who avoided an EVP Trigger double knee. Bryan worked over the Bucks with punches. The AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada entered and then Jack Perry attacked Bryan from behind. Okada nailed Bryan with a Rainmaker clothesline. The Elite had a table set up by the side of the ramp.
There was a parking lot shown where Darby Allin was driven up to the arena by Tony Khan, who gave Allin a fist bump. Allin appeared in the arena and he had a Flamethrower in his hands. Bryan Danielson was back up and tossed Nick Jackson through the table by the ramp. Allin was holding the Flamethrower while standing beside Bryan. The Elite retreated at that point. The announcers shilled upcoming shows like Double or Nothing. Allin & Bryan celebrated to end it.
Analysis: There was a show long story that Darby Allin was banned from the arena by The Elite, so having the boss Tony Khan bring him to the arena makes sense because Tony has more power than The Elite guys. They also said that FTR were taken out on Collision, which meant Bryan had no other backup in terms of the Team AEW guys. Allin having a flamethrower looks badass and teases the idea that it could be used for the Anarchy in the Arena Match.
Tony Khan commented on his Dynamite return.
Yes I do have a valid driver's license!#AEWDynamite on TBS
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 23, 2024
What a nerd.
===
Three Stars of the Show
- Will Ospreay & Orange Cassidy. I know they lost, but I thought they were great as a team.
- Roderick Strong & Trent Beretta
- Malakai Black
===
The Scoreboard
This Week: 7.25 out of 10
Last Week: 7.25
2024 Average: 7.43
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Final Thoughts on AEW Dynamite
A good show overall that wasn’t that heavy on in-ring action. However, they did a very nice job of building the Double or Nothing matches. Some of the DON matches were featured in just video packages, but a lot of them were on the show with angles that were done to continue the stories. There were brief interactions like Adam Copeland giving Malakai Black a bloodbath and Jon Moxley saying one sentence to Konosuke Takeshita before leaving.
I thought the matches were okay. The opening tag team match with Strong & Beretta beating Ospreay & Cassidy was very well done. That was an action-filled match with a cheap ending due to the numbers game. A rare loss for Ospreay, but he wasn’t pinned in the match.
The ending was booked well because The Young Bucks were controlling the whole night until Tony Khan made his return by driving Darby Allin to the building. We heard that Darby was banned all show long, so having the boss Tony bring him back makes sense. Allin with a flamethrower is certainly a unique way to end it.
The next AEW pay-per-view is Double or Nothing on May 26th in Las Vegas with this lineup announced so far.
* AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Christian Cage
* Anarchy In The Arena Match: The Elite (Jack Perry, Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) vs. Team AEW (Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)
* TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Mone
* TNT Championship Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Malakai Black
* AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay
* Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita
* AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Serena Deeb
* Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy
* FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata
* Bang Bang Gang – Jay White, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn vs. Death Triangle – Pac, Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero Miedo
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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Blue Jays. You can contact me using any of the methods below.
John Canton
Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X: @johnreport