AEW Dynamite Review - April 26, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy def. Bandido

From an in-ring standpoint, Cassidy is the strongest champion AEW has, especially with how frequently he defends his title. His matches are always top-tier and this was no exception. Bandido has barely been used by AEW since signing last year, but hopefully that will begin to change. He actually would have been a perfect fit as International champ, so the outcome wasn't so obvious. This was a very entertaining openeer.

Jeff Jarrett def. AEW World Tag Team Champion Dax Harwood

For as much as I feel that Jarrett and his group are overexposed (and do not need to be back in the AEW World Tag Team Championship picture so soon), he and Harwood had a good match here. The crowd wasn't electric for it by any means, but Jarrett has more than held his own in the ring since coming into thee company and Harwood is always a treat to watch in singles competition. Cash Wheeler will face Jay Lethal on Rampage, but it's clear we're headed for a tag title match between the two teams soon.

AEW TNT Champion Wardlow def. Ariel Levy (Non-Title)

Levy's name was never actually announced. I had to go to the Dynamite results on AEW's website to find it. It didn't matter much anyway because Wardlow squashed him quickly and decisively. It was a Wardlow squash of old, but I'd argue we're past that point and he should be facing legitimate competition. I know a match like this is designed to heat Wardlow back up, but the tame reaction he received from the crowd here spoke volumes. Arn Anderson explained his alliance with Wardlow afterward, but I still don't think it's necessary. Christian Cage and Luchasaurus also emerged but again didn't do anything other than stare at Wardlow.

Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin by Disqualification in the Finals of the AEW World Championship No. 1 Contender's Four Pillars Tournament

It was hilarious seeing these two doing dumb spot-fest stuff when MJF literally tweeted the other day (before deleting it) about how wrestlers shouldn't be doing so many high-risk spots for no reason, but perhaps that was the point. These two have always worked well together. It's match we've seen at least five times in the last three years, but at least their encounters are always enjoyable. The disqualification finish was lame and didn't even make sense because the referee didn't see Allin do anything (which contradicts the usual rules), but this was done to set up next week's tag team match where the AEW World Championship match at Double or Nothing will become a four-way if Allin and Jack Perry win (and they will). It's a convoluted way of getting to the same destination, but I guess that's one way of killing television time.

Roderick Strong, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Bandido Saved Adam Cole From Jericho Appreciation Society

Cole again looked like a moron for calling out Chris Jericho without realizing he'd be outnumbered, and I don't think he was expecting Cassidy and Bandido to make the save. Those two coming out was quite random, but whatever. Obviously, the top takeaway was the AEW debut of Strong, who no one knew was no longer under WWE contract. Props to AEW for keeping that under wraps because it was a genuine surprise. This was a well-done segment to set up next week's eight-man tag team match, and I like reuniting Strong with Cole right off the bat.

AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill def. Taya Valkyrie

This feud has been furthered almost entirely on Rampage since it started, so I can't say I blame the crowd for not caring much. It's a shame because this was actually one of Cargill's better matches in recent memory as they had nice chemistry together and Valkyrie is very experienced, but it was hindered by the dumb stipulation that Valkyrie couldn't use her own finisher because Cargill has the same one. It was a wonky finish, so hopefully we haven't seen the last of them against each other.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and Konosuke Takeshita def. The Butcher and The Blade

This hardly felt like a Dynamite main event because it's impossible to take Butcher and Blade seriously against most notable opponents, but it was a well-worked main event. The main focus was on the post-match angle with Bryan Danielson attempting to recruit Takeshita into Blackpool Combat Club, only for Takeshita to align with The Elite. BCC's screwdriver attacks continue to be silly, but this was a solid development of the storyline otherwise.

Overall Show

Dynamite has largely felt cold in recent weeks and that was once again the case this week. That isn't to say it was a bad show necessarily, but nothing felt must-see outside of the surprise Strong debut. The quiet crowd was proof of that, but at least several storylines moved along as we get closer to Double or Nothing, which they'll have to start announcing stuff for next week. Speaking of announcements, Tony Khan declared that the men's and women's Owen Hart Cups will be returning this summer and culminate in Canada in July as opposed to Double or Nothing like last year.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews