AEW Dynamite Review - December 7, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ricky Starks Won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale to Challenge MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring

Starks was already set to challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship at Winter Is Coming next week, but by virtue of his victory here, I believe the bout will now be contest for both the title and the Dynamite Diamond Ring. No, the ring doesn't really mean anything, but it does raise the stakes for their upcoming clash. It was smart to open the show with the Battle Royale because the crowd was into it and they told a few stories. Even better was the post-match verbal exchange between MJF and Starks. I'm really happy they had a chance to rip it up on the mic because this was stellar stuff and Starks came across like a total star. I know he isn't winning the title, but even a strong showing in defeat could do wonders for him.

AEW TNT Champion and ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe def. Darby Allin (ROH World Television Championship Was Not Defended)

This was a match I was looking forward to seeing when Joe joined AEW earlier this year and they did not disappoint. They had fantastic chemistry and told a terrific story with Allin having to fight from underneath. He battled until the very end, only to pass out in Joe's signature submission choke. My only nitpick was that this didn't get a bigger build, but of course, they can always go back to this down the road. Joe now shifts his focus to Final Battle where they'll defend the ROH World Television Championship against Juice Robinson.

Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta) def. Jericho Appreciation Society (Jake Hager and ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia)

I'm beyond ready for the rivalry between Blackpool Combat Club and Jericho Appreciation Society to be over, and I'm relieved that Jon Moxley mentioned afterward that it will be come Final Battle. The tag team match itself was well wrestled and had a nice energy, but I can't say I'm any more excited for Saturday's ROH World Championship and ROH Pure Championship matches than I was previously. The pre-taped William Regal promo afterward attempted to explain his actions from Full Gear, and as convoluted as it sounded, I appreciated that his alliance with Blackpool Combat Club got some closure before his contract expires at the end of the month. Moxley, Castagnoli and Yuta appear to be a cohesive unit, so I'm curious if they'll end up ditching the group or just the name and stay together, anyway.

The Baddies (AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill, Red Velvet and Leila Grey) def. Madison Rayne, Kiera Hogan and Skye Blue

This is nothing new, but Cargill has peaked in her current role as AEW TBS Champion. She's spinning her wheels and can't grow as a character until she finally loses or drops the title without being pinned (which would be a mistake). This match didn't serve a purpose other than to extend her undefeated streak. It was fine while it lasted (which wasn't long), but The Baddies' opponents weren't interesting enough to get me invested. I don't think splitting Kiera Hogan from The Baddies and making her Cargill's next challenger of the month will be the answer, either.

AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed def. ROH/IWGP/AAA World Tag Team Champions FTR (ROH, IWGP and AAA World Tag Team Championships Were Not Defended)

This is the biggest match AEW can possibly do over the tag titles right now (other than FTR vs. The Young Bucks III), so I was happy they got the main event slot. Even with the babyface vs. babyface dynamic, the crowd was loud for both teams throughout and they had the excellent outing I was hoping for from them with plenty of suspenseful nearfalls and awesome drama. Acclaimed retaining in clean fashion without any outside interference was a pleasant surprise and FTR can obviously endure the loss. Gunn Club revealed afterward that it will be FTR vs. The Briscoes in a Double Dog Collar match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Final Battle. Don't get me wrong, that should be good, but it's very random and should have been announced a while ago. The fact The Briscoes are still banned from appearing on AEW TV at this point is ridiculous.

Overall Show

I really, really liked the pacing of this show. They took the "less is more" approach while also doing significant storyline stuff in between the matches. The two title matches delivered and there was some solid hype for both Final Battle on Saturday and Winter Is Coming next Wednesday night. The six-woman tag team match felt like filler and didn't really accomplish anything, but I thoroughly enjoyed this episode otherwise. Props to the crowd for being loud and lively all night long.

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