The John Report: AEW Dynamite 09/11/24 Review

This week’s AEW Dynamite featured a tag team Casino Gauntlet Match, Ricochet in action against Sammy Guevara, a Darby Allin-Jon Moxley discussion, and more.

The sixth AEW All Out PPV took place this past Saturday featuring some great matches along with some shocking moments. I liked the show quite a bit, but I know some people didn’t like a few of the controversial things that happened.

This was AEW Dynamite episode #258 from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

It’s Wednesday and you know what that means. It’s Excalibur on commentary with Tony Schiavone and Taz. They had a lot of lights off in the building probably because it was under 3,000 fans in attendance, according to Wrestletix.

A video message aired from Jon Moxley after his shocking attack on Bryan Danielson at AEW All Out. Moxley admitted he didn’t enjoy what he did to Bryan, but he did what needed to be done. Moxley spoke about how two years ago they built something sustainable that they can be proud of. They showed a clip of Moxley leaving with his friends while Bryan received help. Moxley said he sees egos around him and everything is out of control. Moxley said he can’t take it anymore. Moxley said that their mentor called Bryan the perfect because he was always his Lordship’s favorite, but he saw himself in Mox. Moxley said he’s far from perfect. Moxley said that his mentor said that they are what they are and can’t pretend to be anything else. Moxley said he’s no villain and no hero. Moxley claimed he’s the one true king of these lands. Moxley said that they tried Bryan’s way, “diplomacy has failed and today I choose war.” Moxley jumped into a truck and left.

Analysis: I thought it was a great promo from Moxley and a smart idea to start the show off with that. It was only about two minutes, but it was what fans wanted to see after Moxley attacked Bryan, so it was the right call to begin the show with Moxley’s comments. Moxley was referring to William Regal when he mentioned their mentor. Anyway, it should lead to a big Moxley-Danielson match at some point soon.

Darby Allin was shown arriving at the building on his skateboard.

Let’s Hear from Christian Cage With The Patriarchy

Christian Cage made his entrance joined by The Partiarchy’s Killswitch, Nick Wayne & Mother Wayne. Cage has a contract that gives him an AEW World Title shot any time he wants. It’s like Money in the Bank, but they don’t have a cool name for it. They were interviewed in the ring by Tony Schiavone.

Christian told Lexington to shut up while he conducted his business. Christian claimed that his “son” Nick claimed that the word on the street is that Christian has an infinite aura. Christian said that he has carried this company for the last year and a half, so it’s true. Christian said he rallied to win the Gauntlet Match at All In. Christian said that Killswitch grabbed him by the throat in the Gauntlet Match and he saw something that he wanted to see for the last two years. Christian said that Killswitch realized what Christian needs him to be as the most complete big man in the business and he belongs to Christian.

The fans were chanting “Luchasaurus” so Christian said his name was Killswitch. Christian said that AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson’s days are numbered while saying that he will beat Bryan so bad that his wife Brie will wish she was the one with CTE so she couldn’t comprehend how embarrassing Bryan has been as champion. Christian said that not only is he the face of TBS, but he is the reigning, defending, undisputed, next AEW World Champion. The crowd booed that. They showed Kip Sabian watching from the crowd.

Analysis: I don’t know if Kip Sabian watching from the crowd is a way to have Christian Cage join this group because Sabian has had nothing to do in AEW for a very long time. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to grow the group a bit more. Christian could certainly become AEW World Champion due to the contract he has and I can see it happening, but I don’t know when.

There was a backstage interview by Renee Paquette with Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, Don Callis & Konosuke Takeshita standing by. Callis spoke about how Will has won every Casino Gauntlet Match he has been in. Callis wanted Will to team with Kyle Fletcher. Don mentioned how Will owed Don a favor since Don released him from the Don Callis Family. Callis wanted Ospreay to team with Will’s best friend Kyle Fletcher in the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match. Fletcher said he’s so tired of coming so close without getting the job done. Fletcher wanted to team with him. Will said that he couldn’t say no to Fletcher and he accepted. Takeshita wasn’t impressed and stared at Will. Callis said it was fantastic.

Analysis: It was a quick segment to tell the audience that Ospreay & Fletcher will be in the Casino Gauntlet Match. Sounds good to me because Ospreay makes any match better.

Jack Perry was shown driving up to the building in his Scapegoat truck and he had the TNT Title in his hands.

TNT Championship: Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush (w/Action Andretti)

Jack Perry has a 5-1 singles record in 2024 with his only loss coming at All Out against Bryan Danielson. The announcers tried to tell us that Perry almost won at All Out even though 99% of fans watching knew Perry had no chance of winning. I don’t know why Rush is getting a title shot when he barely wins matches in this company. It’s just a guy for Perry to beat.

Perry attacked Rush from behind before the bell and Perry stomped on Rush. There was some offense from Rush with a hurricanrana and a dropkick that sent Perry out of the ring. Perry was on the apron, so Rush knocked him off the apron to the floor. Perry came back with a slam that sent Rush face first into the edge of the ring apron. They went to a picture-in-picture break.

(Commercial)

Perry was kicking at Action on the floor, so Action grabbed Jack’s foot and referee Aubrey Edwards ejected Action from ringside. Remember when Action beat Chris Jericho and they didn’t follow up on it at all? Yeah, I remember. Anyway, Rush got an inside cradle for two. Rush hit a suicide dive onto Perry and Rush hit another suicide dive after that. Good speed shown by Rush, who is a talented guy. Back in the ring, Rush jumped off the top, Perry avoided it and Rush hit a Spanish Fly for two. Perry got a hold of Rush leading to Perry launching Rush face first into the middle turnbuckle for two. Tony called it a “fantastic match.” I don’t think so. Perry hit two Snapdragon Suplexes in a row while the crowd was barely reacting. Rush hit a Reverse Rana spiking Jack on his head. Rush went for a dumb move off the ropes, Perry avoided it and Jack hit a running knee. Perry hit another running knee for the pinfall win after nine minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Jack Perry

Analysis: **1/2 They are good athletes who had a very average match. It was just a way to give Perry a win by saying he was a fighting champion who retained his title. The crowd barely reacted to this match. I don’t blame them.

Excalibur and the announcers hyped up what’s coming up on the show this week.

Jack Perry was shown walking backstage when Alex Marvez interviewed him. Perry talked about how he was crucified in this life so that they can be worshipped in the next and then he drove off into his truck.

A video aired about the AEW All Out main event that saw “Hangman” Adam Page defeat Swerve Strickland in a gruesome match.

“Hangman” Adam Page was interviewed by Renee Paquette, who asked where’s his head at now? Page said if he found 1000 houses that Swerve Strickland called home then he would have burned them all down. Page said that he meant every word he said to him while saying it was payback for what Swerve did to his family. Page said he meant it. Page said if you tried to protect Swerve from him, then he would find you and he would hurt you. Page walked away and knocked down one of the Top Flight guys hanging around. The Dark Order was there and they said they didn’t know who he was anymore.

Jeff Jarrett walked up to Page saying he said that Hangman would be full of guilt, shame, remorse and regret. Jarrett said that Hangman would regret ever touching Jeff’s wife. Jarrett gave Hangman some advice about looking in the mirror, so Page punched Jarrett and threw him onto some chairs. Other people showed up to break it up.

Analysis: I think Hangman Page is one of the more interesting characters in AEW right now. Page was a face for a lot of his AEW run, but now he’s more of a psychotic heel.

Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Mark Quen) and Komander entered for a six-man tag team match, but they were attacked by Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Pac and Marina Shafir. The opponents of Private Party and Komander were in the ring, so they were beaten up too. Moxley’s group cleared the ring while Shafir choked out Komander with a Guillotine Choke while nobody tried to help the guy.

Pac said that this company is broken. Pac said that what happened Saturday was inevitable and they are inevitable. Pac said he was lost for a long time, but not anymore because he has something to believe in. Pac said that diplomacy had failed and this company was theirs. Pac tossed the microphone down. Jon Moxley, who is wearing a white shirt that is too small for him, was looking around the arena with the announcers thinking he was looking for Darby Allin. Moxley left with his group.

Analysis: That match didn’t seem like it was going to happen and then the trio of Moxley, Claudio & Pac beat them up easily. Pac’s promo was interesting in terms of what he said since he said he’s not lost anymore.

(Commercial)

Chris Jericho and his group drove up in a car while Jericho had a “Hi Guy5” (the 5 instead of an S) license plate. Jericho said it was Bentley Convertible while saying it was a great day. Jericho said he was wearing the $7,000 jacket that Orange Cassidy ruined. Jericho spoke about how he stole Orange Cassidy’s backpack and he’ll reveal what’s inside later in the show. Big Bill said that if you don’t pay back your debt, suffer the consequences. Thanks guys.

Ricochet vs. Sammy Guevera

Sammy Guevara is one half of the ROH Tag Team Champions along with Dustin Rhodes. I don’t remember the last time I reviewed a Sammy match since I don’t watch the other AEW shows or ROH, so it’s been a while for him to be in a match on Dynamite.

These guys are both great athletes. They started off with some fast-paced moves where they didn’t connect with most of them and had a staredown. Ricochet did a headscissors followed by a dropkick that sent Sammy out of the ring. Ricochet ran the ropes and did a twisting cross body block over the top onto Sammy. They went fighting up the ramp while the referee wasn’t counting them out because it’s AEW. The referee went up the ramp with them. Sammy superkicked Ricochet to knock him down. Sammy climbed up to the top of the tunnel about ten feet him and jumped onto Ricochet with a moonsault.

Analysis: I understand wanting to do cool moves and highspots, but leaving the ring with the referee joining them is completely unnecessary in a regular match. Don’t do spots like that. You’re insulting the audience that cares about this stuff. I know some AEW fans don’t care and some wrestling observers will never point this stuff out, but it’s about telling stories the right way.

(Commercial)

Sammy was in control as he kicked Ricochet out of the ring. Sammy sent Ricochet into the barricade. Sammy hit Ricochet with a back elbow to the head followed by Sammy doing a twisting cross body block over the top to the floor. Sammy gave a shoutout to his wife Tay Melo and daughter Luna at home. Sammy went for a move on the floor, but Ricochet hit a back body drop on the ramp. Ricochet jumped onto the railing and hit a somersault dive onto Sammy on the floor. That was great. They were back in the ring (no idea if the referee was counting) and Ricochet hit a springboard clothesline. Ricochet hit a running Shooting Star Press for a two count. Sammy avoided a kick and got a rollup for two. Sammy countered a move into a Canadian Destroyer. Sammy kicked Ricochet followed by Sammy jumping off the top with a Cutter for two. Great nearfall there. Sammy went up top, jumped off with a Shooting Star Press, Ricochet avoided that and Sammy hit a knee strike. Ricochet avoided the GTH, Ricochet with a roundhouse kick and an ax kick to the top of the head. Ricochet picked up Sammy leading to a Vertigo slam like a Michinoku Driver for the pinfall win after about 12 minutes.

Winner by pinfall; Ricochet

Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match between two outstanding athletes. It was obvious that Ricochet was going to win, but at least Sammy got some nearfalls to make it look like he had a shot. Ricochet showed off his athleticism throughout the match although he’s not doing that much different than his WWE days. The finisher he did is okay, but also not as spectacular as a top rope move.

After the match, “The Beast” Mortos was in the ring and he nailed Ricochet with a Spear. Sammy Guevara made the save with a steel chair, so Mortos ran away. Sammy picked up Ricochet as they shook hands as a sign of respect.

Analysis: That should set up a Ricochet match against “The Beast” Mortos, who is another midcard guy that Ricochet should beat. They are giving Ricochet wins to build him up for a match with Will Ospreay within the next month or two most likely. Perhaps it will be Full Gear in November unless they want to do it earlier.

A video aired about Kris Statlander beating Willow Nightingale at AEW All Out. That was a very good match with some creative spots and weapon usage.

(Commercial)

Kazuchika Okada, the AEW Continental Champion, was interviewed by Renee Paquette. Okada teased that he had a hard match at All Out, but then he laughed and said it would be easy. Don Callis walked in with Konosuke Takeshita saying Okada won, but he didn’t beat Takeshita. Okada said that Takeshita would be a champion, but not the Continental Champion…Okada left and walked back in to say: “Bitch.” The fans popped. Takeshita got in Okada’s face and Okada left.

Analysis: They are making Okada into too much of a comedy guy with the “bitch” stuff, but it works in terms of getting a reaction. An Okada-Takeshita match would be amazing.

Let’s Hear from Darby Allin…and Jon Moxley

Darby Allin made his entrance with a skateboard in hand. Allin is the Royal Rampage winner who will receive an AEW World Title match soon.

Allin said that somebody had been looking for him (a reference to Jon Moxley) and Allin said he was right here. Allin was looking in the back corner of the arena, so that led to Jon Moxley’s music playing. Moxley walked out to the ring joined by Marina Shafir and they walked out to the ringside area. Moxley said that nothing had changed between the two of them.

Allin said that’s enough. Allin said that they don’t act like superstars. Allin said that they came from nothing. Allin said that everything he owned, he could fit in the trunk of his car. Allin said AEW gave him everything so he doesn’t take it for granted. Allin spoke about how his first year in wrestling, he looked for a hero and people would show how fake they were. Allin said that Moxley didn’t change for anybody so Allin wanted to be like him. Allin spoke about Moxley still wrestling in high school gyms because he loves this stuff. Allin remembered when he got to wrestle his hero Moxley while saying that he lost, but he loved being in the ring with him. Allin yelled at Moxley for what he did to somebody he was friends with like Bryan Danielson and Allin said he would never do something like that to somebody he cared about like Sting, so what was that about?

Jon Moxley mentioned Allin earned an AEW World Title shot at Dynamite Grand Slam on September 25th and said that the AEW World Champion (Bryan Danielson) is indisposed now. Moxley said that it’s a good thing. Moxley told Allin he’s not ready, but he’s going to need Allin to hand over that title shot to Moxley. Allin wondered if Moxley had been dropped on his head or if he’d been drinking again. Allin told Moxley he didn’t earn this because Allin earned it. Allin dared Moxley to do something about it. Moxley said he’ll earn it saying New York City Grand Slam with Allin’s title shot on the line. Moxley said that Allin will be low on the food chain. Moxley said he believes in Allin and loves him while saying that he has always had Allin’s back. Moxley said that he had never lied to Allin. Moxley said that title shot is going to be his and this time he’s going to teach Allin that lesson the hard way.

Allin said he accepts the challenge for AEW Grand Slam. Allin said if you want to burn AEW to the ground, don’t be surprised when Allin pulls him into the fire. Moxley bowed down to Allin in peace and Moxley left. Allin’s music played as the fans cheered him.

Analysis: It’s a big match for the AEW Grand Slam Dynamite show. I think it’s a case of AEW wanting to save the possible Allin match with Danielson for the WrestleDream PPV in October since it’s Washington state where both guys are from. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the Allin-Moxley match is booked. I think Allin beating Danielson for the AEW World TItle in their home state of Washington at WrestleDream would be cool, but it makes sense to do the Moxley-Danielson match based on their history as well. That’s why I’m intrigued to see how AEW books it.

Christopher Daniels, an interim EVP, said that Darby Allin could risk it all by having this match. Nigel McGuinness walked up to Daniels saying he wanted to talk to Tony Khan. Daniels said that Khan was busy, but Nigel said he would want to hear this.

The commentary team was shown as Excalibur spoke about paying respect to those we lost 23 years ago on September 11th. Well said.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

This match is an Eliminator Match meaning not a title match, but if Queen Aminata wins then she gets a title shot.

May and Queen each got quick pin attempts for two counts. May hit Queen with a forearm and Queen fired back with a forearm. They exchanged forearms again. May slapped Queen in the face and Queen came back with a clothesline along with a running kick. Queen charged, May moved and May kicked Queen in the back. May ran the ropes leading to a dropkick to the back while Queen had her arms tied against the ropes. May hit a running knee strike.

(Commercial)

The match continued as May hit a missile dropkick at the top rope. Queen hit a kick to the face followed by a rollup for two. Aminata connected with a snap suplex and a release German Suplex across the ring. Queen hit a running kick to the jaw for two. May connected with a draping DDT off the ropes. Amina hit a forearm to the chest followed by a sitout slam for two. Queen went up top, took way too long and May avoided a stomp. May connected with a dropkick followed by a running knee (with a hard leg slap). May hit Storm Zero for the pinfall win after about nine minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Mariah May

Analysis: **3/4 It was a solid match with May getting the obvious win. Aminata is a good athlete who is talented, but they need to develop her character and give her a storyline or else she’s not going to stand out. May continues to taunt Toni Storm by using Toni’s Storm Zero finishing move to win matches.

After the match, Mariah May did a promo saying she still hasn’t had her AEW Women’s World Championship celebration. May said something was missing and said that someone was missing. May called out Mina Shirakawa and told her to come back.

Analysis: I like Mina Shirakawa from when AEW has used her, so I wouldn’t mind seeing her aligned with May again.

The Young Bucks did a promo backstage saying they wanted to have the greatest tag team division of all time. Matthew Jackson said they were the tag team division. Matt said they are still there doing the heavy lifting. Matt told the fans to be mad at the tag teams that aren’t good enough to replace them. Nicholas Jackson said that Matt was telling the truth, which is why they booked the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match. Nick said that whoever wins the Casino Gauntlet Match will face them at Dynamite Grand Slam in two weeks. Nick said they’ll be out there watching live.

Analysis: The AEW tag team division used to be a major strength of AEW, but it has been weaker this year.

(Commercial)

A video was shown of Jamie Hayter confronting Saraya at AEW All In. Hayter has been on a roll since then.

Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Iron Savages – Boulder, Bronson & Jack Jameson

Jericho was wearing the ruined white/orange jacket. Jericho slapped Boulder, so Boulder slapped him to knock Jericho down. Bill tagged in, Boulder sent him into the turnbuckle and Boulder charged, so Bill avoided that. Bill hit a splash followed by a running kick. Keith tagged in with a kick on Jameson. Keith hit a jumping headbutt on Jameson and Keith hit a Diamond Dust on Jameson. Jericho tagged in, so Jericho did his cocky flex pin for the pinfall win after less than three minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith

Analysis: * A squash match to put over Jericho’s heel trio. Riveting action. Not really.

Let’s Hear from Chris Jericho

Jericho: “Hi, guys.” Jericho made up a fake name saying it was a designer jacket that cost $7,000 and Orange Cassidy ruined it with orange juice. Jericho said that he thinks Orange isn’t going to give him the money, so Jericho will take Orange’s things. Jericho said in the backpack he found a picture of Orang with his former Best Friends. Jericho told Orange there are no friends in pro wrestling and if you think you have a friend, you are probably being used (Big Bill stared at Jericho there, so that’s a rivalry in the future). Jericho told Orange to forget about his friendships and pay him his money. Jericho kept on ranting about how he wanted that cash.

Orange Cassidy appeared on the video screen in the parking lot. Orange said he didn’t have all of his money on him. Orange said his boys are bringing the rest of Jericho’s cash. Mark Briscoe and Kyle O’Reilly were on a forklift. Briscoe dumped a bunch of change onto Jericho’s fancy car. Orange put a dollar bill on the seat as well. Jericho oversold it in the ring saying that’s his car.

Analysis: This storyline is so lame like most of Jericho’s stories with “The Learning Tree” gimmick. I just don’t think it’s working as a midcard act. I guess it will lead to Jericho against Orange in a singles match and Jericho/Bill/Keith against Orange/Briscoe/O’Reilly, but I really don’t think it’s that interesting. That Jericho/Hook story went on for months and I wasn’t interested in that feud either. I’m a Jericho fan, of course. I just think “The Learning Tree” isn’t working that well.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Nigel McGuinness

Nigel McGuinness was in the ring for a promo. Nigel said that with Darby Allin putting his title shot on the line, there won’t be an AEW World Title match at Grand Slam. Nigel trashed the AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson for being injured after what Jon Moxley did to him. Nigel said that the AEW World Championship should be on that show. Nigel had a piece of paper in his hand. Nigel said that Danielson is afraid of the one match that everybody wants to see. Nigel said that Tony Khan isn’t afraid because Tony knows a money match when he sees one. Nigel held the paper out and said that at Grand Slam (in two weeks), it will be Bryan Danielson against Nigel McGuinness. The fans cheered. Nigel said that Oasis will play him to the ring, but will Danielson join him in the final countdown or have we seen the final match of the American Coward? Nigel said that the ball is in your court, Bryan. The fans cheered at the end of it.

Analysis: That’s great. We saw Nigel return to the ring at AEW All In and he did a good job. Bryan Danielson is recovering after Jon Moxley put a plastic bag on his head to make him pass out, so Bryan will likely be selling the after effects of that. Anyway, the Danielson/McGuinness match will be a nice throwback to their memorable ROH rivalry over 15 years ago.

Hook was seated outside with the FTW Title. Hook said that he respected Roderick Strong. Hook complained about Strong’s friends attacking him and Strong having his foot under the rope during a match. Hook said he’s challenging Strong to a match while daring him to take this FTW Title from him.

The Young Bucks made their entrance as the AEW Tag Team Champions to watch the main event tag team match. The Bucks sat on chairs on the stage to watch this match.

Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match

The Casino Gauntlet Match can end at any time and we don’t know how many teams will be in the match. They will enter the ring at random intervals. The winners get an AEW Tag Team Title match.

The first two teams were FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) and Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher. The FTR guys double teamed Will leading to Dax hitting a slingshot Powerbomb for two with Fletcher making the save. Will hit a moonsault onto Dax for two. Cash clotheslined Fletcher on the apron. FTR hit their Powerplex combo ending with a splash from Cash off the top for a two count.

The team of The Righteous – Vincent & Dutch were the third team and they got no reaction from the fans. Dutch hit a Bossman Slam on Cash followed by a Senton Bomb by Vincent for a two count. Will was back in leading to Vincent hitting a short flatliner. Vincent with another flatliner on Dax. Fletcher hit a half-n-half suplexed on Vincent. Fletcher kicked Dutch and hit a Cutter off the ropes for two.

It was The Undisputed Kingdom’s Matt Taven & Mike Bennett as the fourth team in the match. Taven and Bennett hit some tag team moves on Fletcher. Bennett hit a DVD on Will and Taven hit a running kick on Will for a two count.

(Commercial)

The match continued with The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) joining the match. Bowens and Caster went after everybody in the ring. There were guys fighting on the floor as well. Stokely Hathaway was watching in the front row. Caster and Bowens hit some combination offense on Bennett while Caster hit a powerslam on Bennett. Caster jumped off the top with a cross body block on Taven. Caster hit a slam off the shoulders on Dutch for two, but Cash made a save. Caster & Bowens each hit version of the Fameasser on Harwood.

It was the MxM Collection duo of Mase Madden & Mansoor as two guys obsessed with fashion. Mase ran over a few guys with double shoulder tackles. Mansoor hit an atomic drop and a dropkick while Mase hit a sidewalk slam/leg drop combo. They posed for photos after that. They showed some action on the floor as Dax sent Ospreay into the steel steps. There were eight guys in the ring that combined for a suplex spot and somebody got suplexed onto another guy, but it appeared as though they were okay.

(Commercial)

The match continued with the teams out on the floor doing some basic strikes while throwing people into objects. The Top Flight duo of Darius & Dante Martin were next. Dante jumped off the top with an elbow smash, Darius hit a Cutter on Taven and Dante hit a jumping knee on Cash. Darius hit a leaping DDT on Dutch. Ospreay and Dante cleared the ring so the fans cheered these athletic guys. They did a ballet routine where they barely touched eachother until Will hit an enziguri kick. Dante did a headscissors on Ospreay. Taven hit a springboard kick, Fletcher back in with a clothesline and Bowens hit a running knee to the face. FTR hit Shatter Machine on Bowens, but nearly everybody else in the match made the save.

It was The Outrunners duo of Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum up next. They have a gimmick where they are a 1980s style tag team and the fans love it. Truth and Turbo punched everybody followed by body slams. They even did a body slam on the big guy Dutch. The Outrunners hit a double boot to Dax and a double clothesline knocking Dutch out of the ring. The Outrunners hit a double back elbow on Vincent and a combination elbow drop on Vincent as well. There were “Tag Team Wrestling” chants from the fans. The Outrunners jumped onto The Righteous guys on the floor.

The ninth team in the match were the Grizzled Young Veterans duo of Zack Gibson & James Drake. FTR attacked GYV in the aisle and they went fighting to the back, which is a terrible strategy. They did a spot where Floyd superplexed Mansoor off the top rope onto a pile of the guys on the floor. The Outrunners hit a double team powerslam on Mansoor for two because Vincent broke up the pin attempt. Darius Martin hit a dive over the top onto multiple guys. Darius went up top and hit a missile dropkick. Bennett hit a piledriver on Darius. Fletcher hit a brainbuster on Bennett. Dante hit a hurricanrana on Fletcher for two. Dante kicked Fletcher down. Dante jumped off with a Frog Splash, Fletcher got the knees up and Ospreay hit a Hidden Blade elbow on Dante. Fletcher cradled Dante while Ospreay prevented others from making a save, so Fletcher pinned Dante Martin to win. It went about 23 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher

Analysis: ***1/2 It was a fun match like every Casino Gauntlet Match has been in AEW. The singles matches are better because in a tag team match there’s a lot of sitting around and waiting on the floor while guys are doing stuff in the ring. However, I still enjoyed a lot of it even though it was a lot of “hit a move, then go to the floor” and wait for the other guys to do their moves. The finish was booked well with Fletcher getting the knees up, then Ospreay hitting a perfectly time Hidden Blade and Fletcher cradling Dante for the win. I liked that ending a lot.

The winning team of Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher had a staredown with The Young Bucks because that’s the AEW Tag Team Title match at Dynamite Grand Slam in two weeks. That was the end of the show.

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Three Stars of the Show

1. Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher
2. Ricochet
3. Darby Allin/Jon Moxley

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The Scoreboard

This Week: 7.25 out of 10

Last Week: 7.5

2024 Average: 7.49

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Final Thoughts on AEW Dynamite

I thought it was a mostly good show. I liked two of the matches with Ricochet beating Sammy Guevara in a matchup between two athletic guys. Obviously, Ricochet was going to win that. The main event Casino Gauntlet Match saw Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher win an entertaining match that also featured a lot of guys standing around the ring waiting to go into the ring to do spots. Doing it as a singles match is fine. In a tag team match, there’s too much waiting around when you have nine teams in the match. The Chris Jericho-Orange Cassidy thing was lame comedy. It probably sounded good as an idea, but the execution didn’t work.

There were some interesting promos since Darby Allin and Jon Moxley agreed to a match at Dynamite Grand Slam in two weeks. It also makes Allin look dumb since he had a World Title match at that show, but instead, he’s putting the title shot on the line against Moxley. It does make Allin a confident babyface though, so people do like that. We still don’t know Moxley’s group name or why it’s being done, but I think long term the story has a lot of potential.

Even though Bryan Danielson wasn’t on the show, he has a lot of people coming after him. There is Allin, Moxley, Christian Cage with a World Title shot, Nigel McGuinness against Bryan for their first match in 15 years, and so on. It’s fine because it makes the AEW World Champion Danielson a wanted man with so many people going after him even when he’s at home selling an attack instead of being at the show. They have also done a nice job of building up Dynamite Grand Slam in two weeks as well.

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Thanks for reading. Go Los Angeles Rams. You can contact me using any of the methods below.

John Canton

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter/X: @johnreport