AEW Dynamite Review - April 3, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Adam Copeland Addressed the Audience

Needless to say, this was in direct response to the comments CM Punk made on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour show on Monday. Cutting a pro-AEW promo isn't a bad thing, but it definitely makes the company/Tony Khan look "gotten to." I applaud his passion, and perhaps Copeland was the right person for this spot with him being a longtime WWE guy who has nothing against his former employer, but it felt like a waste of television time once it was over.

Will Ospreay def. Powerhouse Hobbs

With this win, Ospreay has now beaten every member of The Don Callis Family, and for the record, he's still a member of the group. The dude is a babyface now, why won't be part ways with the group? Maybe they're waiting until after Dynasty so he can Bryan Danielson can team up against them? Nonetheless, this was a very good match from these two. I just wish Hobbs was doing more than spinning his wheels.

Bryan Danielson def. Lance Archer

It doesn't make much sense that this was longer than Ospreay vs. Hobbs. Yes, both bouts had a David vs. Goliath dynamic, but Archer hasn't meant anything in ages, and that's coming from someone who is a fan of his. How anyone could view him as a threat to someone such as Danielson, I have no idea. They made the most of their time and had a well-worked match, but the outcome was never in question.

Chris Jericho and FTW Champion Agreed to Join Forces

Perhaps the only thing I liked about this segment was that it happened on the stage, which was a nice touch. Otherwise, I can't possibly bring myself to care about this crap. Nothing against Hook, but I had sub-zero interest in him forming a friendship/alliance with Jericho, especially if the idea is to turn Jericho heel again and for them to feud. I'm glad it gives Hook something to do, but most stuff with Jericho is channel-changing material at this point.

AEW World Trios Champion Billy Gunn def. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Jay White by Disqualification

This may have been one of the worst things I've seen on this show in some time (and that's saying something). It wasn't poorly wrestled, but the execution of it was awful. White getting his ass kicked for a majority of the match only to get disqualified was terrible. How has Tony Khan gradually booked White worse and worse? Bullet Club Gold's feud with The Acclaimed and Gunn needs to end as quickly as possible so White can move on and not be damaged further.

Mercedes Mone Interrupted Willow Nightingale

Similar to the segment with JeriHook, I liked that this took place entirely on the stage. I hope they continue doing that going forward. This was much better than what we got from JeriHook, though. Mone was once again not impressive on the mic (her whole run so far has been fairly underwhelming), but Nightingale's promo was strong. Sign me up for Nightingale vs. Mone for the AEW TBS Championship at Double or Nothing.

The Young Bucks def. Trent Beretta and Orange Cassidy in an AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal Match

I can't remember too many (if any) matches the Bucks have had with Cassidy, but I knew this would be a quality contest based on their chemistry with Beretta. Thus, this was fun, even if it was obvious that the Bucks would advance. The real surprise came afterward when Beretta turned on Cassidy. I mean, it's been foreshadowed for a while, but it's been so long that I didn't think it'd actually happen. It's worth nothing that Chuck Taylor didn't really react, so I'm curious if he'll join Beretta or side with Cassidy.

Thunder Rosa def. Mariah May

Rosa already pinned Toni Storm in a tag team match to earn herself an opportunity at the AEW Women's World Championship, so her beating May was a formality. May was undefeated in singles competition in AEW prior to this point, so this did mean nothing. They had a good match in the time they were allotted. Rosa has been ice cold since returning to the ring, so they really need to heat her up before Revolution and this helps.

AEW World Champion Samoa Joe Attacked Swerve Strickland During the AEW World Championship Contract Signing

We got some great mic work from Joe and Strickland here. They spoke with intensity and successfully sold me on their upcoming championship clash (even though I was already excited for it). Joe standing tall to close the segment after putting Strickland through a table was a cool visual. I don't think there can be any debate that Strickland needs to win the title at Revolution. It's time to pull the trigger.

Overall Show

Dynamite went from having a string of above-average episodes in the month of March to dropping off considerably as we enter April. That isn't to say this was a bad show necessarily as there was some stuff I enjoyed, but it didn't feel overly important. That Copeland promo in particular did not need to happen. Dynasty is shaping up to be a must-see show, but this edition of Dynamite didn't do much to move the needle for me, personally.

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