AEW Dynamite: Beach Break Review - July 3, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bryan Danielson def. Pac in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

This is one of those matches I'm glad we got before Danielson wraps up his full-time run soon. Pac is rarely around it seems, whether it be for injury reasons or whatever else, so it was smart to do it while it was still possible. They had the top-notch opener they're capable of and Danielson advancing was the expected outcome. I'm still hoping Nigel McGuiness will screw Danielson in the finals to set up a match between them at All In.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn Saved ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe and Kyle O'Reilly From The Elite

Briscoe rarely gets promo time on Dynamite, so I thought someone might debut and attack him or that something more important would happen, but it was just The Elite laying him and O'Reilly out. The Acclaimed predictably made the save and that was it. Although there was nothing exciting about this, it was a logical segment to set the stage for Blood and Guts in a few weeks. The Elite vs. The Acclaimed, Briscoe and possibly O'Reilly doesn't scream marquee match to me, but we'll see how it comes together.

Willow Nightingale def. Kris Statlander in a Women's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

Statlander and Nightingale had strong chemistry together and delivered an enjoyable match here. Even with that said, I'm sure they can do even better and that should be saved for the eventual payoff to their program. I was convinced Statlander would win and go on to face Mariah May in the finals, but Nightingale winning was fine since she won the women's Owen Hart Cup last year. Either way, their feud isn't over since Nightingale didn't win decisively.

AEW TBS Champion and NJPW Strong Women's Champion Mercedes Mone Confronted Britt Baker

It's wonderful to have Baker back after a long layoff. She revealed here that she was dealing with stroke symptoms late last year, which is scary, but it's a relief she's better now. This was one of the best promos (if you can call it that) of her career and the crowd was with her every step of the way. To her credit, Mone was terrific in her role as well. She's infinitely better as a heel, so hopefully she sticks to being a heel this time (unlike after Double or Nothing). Baker flat-out challenged Mone to a match at All In, which is the perfect place for it considering that's one of the biggest women's matches AEW can book right now.

Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata def. Cage of Agony

This was an easy win for Joe's crew after they beat Chris Jericho, Big Bill and Jeff Cobb at Forbidden Door. Unfortunately, Jericho sat in on commentary (replacing Taz, who he had removed from the building), so Jericho's feud with them continues. Hook will probably get another shot at the FTW Championship at some point. This was a standard six-man tag team match. I understand not wanting to squash Cage of Agony, but they were never going to win.

"Hangman" Adam Page def. Jeff Jarrett in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinal Match

Page was the safe choice for the wild card after that vignette aired for him on Collision last week. Despite being The Elite's choice, he distanced himself from them afterward. Jarrett being in a tournament match in 2024 is silly on paper, but that pre-taped promo he cut about Owen Hart a week or two ago was fantastic. This was really well done with Page showing great aggression. Page is immediately the favorite to win the whole thing.

AEW International Champion Will Ospreay def. Daniel Garcia

I appreciated how this was built up with Garcia racking up wins over the last month or so and constantly facing he had his sights set on the AEW International Championship. Unsurprisingly, he and Ospreay had an awesome main event. There was a slight chance Garcia could win now that Ospreay has suffered his first loss in AEW, but Ospreay retaining was the right call. Garcia certainly gained some credibility in defeat. The post-match angle was excellently executed with MJF brutally attacking Garcia, turning heel in the process. I would've liked to see him stay babyface for a little longer, but he's obviously back in his element as a heel and the MJF vs. Ospreay feud will benefit from the updated dynamic.

Overall Show

AEW needed to hit a home run with Dynamite to follow up on the momentum from Forbidden Door and I thought this show was successful in doing just that. Not everything was amazing (less of The Learning Tree, the better), but the vibe was hotter than usual and there was enough going on to make the two hours worthwhile, including a hell of a hook at the end. I love that we're already getting a good idea of what the card for All In could consist of.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews