AEW Dynamite: 2/9/2022

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means! It’s time for possibly the most anticipated episode of AEW Dynamite this year. Debuts were made, the Forbidden Door was swung right open and we witnessed a hardcore main event that was violent yet satisfying in the long. But let’s not waste a single second more and dive into this Dynamite show!

Segment 1: MJF is better than the Best in the World, and you know it!

And what a way to kick off this episode of Dynamite with the man who beat CM Punk in Chicago (twice)! The Pinnacle, minus Wardlow, had their own separate entrance to the ring with Friedman being the last to come out as a king on his throne. The victory against Punk really was well earned to MJF, even if of course he cheated to win. Regardless, Punk putting over this younger star really elevated Friedman’s status as one of AEW’s pillar. Near the end of the segment, Punk came out and wanted a rematch against not MJF, but Wardlow. Punk was going to get the said rematch if he was able to find a tag team partner and face off against FTR later on in the show.

Match 1: Wardlow vs the Blade. (Rating: 3.5/5)

And speaking of the muscle behind the Pinnacle, he competed in the opening match against the Blade in what seemed like, honestly, an even sided match up. Wardlow normally decimates smaller opponents (apart from Cody Rhodes and CM Punk), so seeing him face off against Blade and actually having it last longer than 5 minutes was really something special. This wasn’t billed as a high profile match by any means but seeing the Blade knocking the big man off his feet at several points felt really special and it gave the fans much more reason to cheer for Wardlow. Thankfully with a Powerbomb Symphony, Wardlow got the pinfall victory. Really tight opener.

Segment 2: the Inner Circle Meeting

Has the Inner Circle finally imploded? Are we finally going to see all members doing their own separate things after they went their separate ways? Well, yes and no. Santana and Ortiz want to face Jake Hager and Chris Jericho next week so that seems to be the next major tag team feud going on, but also Sammy Guevara once again quit the group and said that he’d only return once everybody else was able to settle their differences. Honestly after next week the Inner Circle should definitely be finished once and for all. From becoming one of AEW’s top heel factions to turning into a really great babyface group, the Inner Circle really seemed to have lost steam and has officially ran its course.

Segment 3: Forbidden Door kicked wide open.

We cut to a backstage segment where Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero found out that they’d be facing the Young Bucks at Rampage after the match was originally cancelled a few weeks back due to Romero getting sick, and in come the Bucks and Cole to take matters into their own hands and beat down both Romero and Beretta. However, they didn’t come alone. Out comes SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE and laid out Beretta, and wow this was indeed quite the surprise I did not expect. White is the leader of the Bullet Club over in Japan so seeing him reunite with the Bucks and Cole on AEW television was truly amazing to see.

Match 2: Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match; Isaiah Cassidy vs KEITH LEE!!! (Rating:4/5)

Oh Keith, we really missed seeing you on our television screens; and man did he look impressive! This was such the best way to debut this agile behemoth to AEW, having him take on someone smaller than him that’s known to be a high flyer and showing said opponent that Keith Lee wasn’t billed as “Limitless” for nothing. The crowd went absolutely mental as soon as Lee made his way down the ramp and immediately showed off his craft. Though at moments he looked rather off, Lee managed to pick up the win with a really awesome looking high elevated powerslam for the pinfall victory and advances to Revolution! Really am looking forward to see what Keith does in this new environment.

Match 3: Tag Team Match; FTR vs CM Punk and Jon Moxley. (Rating: 4/5)

This was really a night full of fan service and it was fan service done right. FTR first made their entrance, followed by Punk and good god almighty when Moxley’s music hit, it was as if a pin dropped. It was a really awesome and unexpected partner choice from Punk. Back in WWE, both Mox and Punk did feud with one another back when Punk had a feud with all three members of the Shield but he never teamed up with Moxley or really had much one on one matches against one another so seeing them interact with one another inside the squared circle was truly an amazing sight to behold. At several points in the match, it looked as if Punk was actually going to lose due to Harwood and Wheeler also via heel shenanigans such as using one of the tag titles to deck CM Punk in the face or rolling him up and grabbing a handful of tights. Thankfully Punk and Mox won the match via pinfall after both men hit each member of FTR with the GTS and Paradigm Shift respectively.

Main Event: Texas Deathmatch; Hangman Adam Page (c) vs Lance Archer. (Rating: 4.5/5)

It was brutal, it was violent, it was a bloodbath but dammit was it really great. Hangman’s title run definitely needed this match to solidify Page has AEW’s current top guy. Since dethroning Kenny Omega and beating Bryan Danielson in the span of a couple of months, Adam Page truly needed his next feud to be not only quick but also be impactful at the same time; and what better way to get us to support our cowboy than by beating the Murderhawk in an environment Archer was familiar with. The match started off quickly in the back with Archer ambushing Page but quickly the champion got the better of the challenger and IMMEDIATELY lays him out with a Buckshot Lariat. Unfortunately the big man was able to beat the 10 count and the match proceeded. Weapons, blood, barbed wire and high octane offense; these two really work well off that dynamic of little man versus bigger man matches, and with a Buckshot Lariat off the apron through a table, Hangman retains his title and during the celebration ;the new number one contender, Adam Cole (BayBay!) came down and instead of attacking the bloody champion, Cole handed Hangman the title as a reminder that Cole’s next in line for a championship match. And I cannot wait to see that!

Final rating: 4/5