AEW Dynamite Review - February 16, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Declared the Stipulation for His Rematch with MJF at Revolution

You can tell Punk is an old school guy based on what he was saying and the way he said it. Revolution obviously made the most sense for where the rematch would take place and the Dog Collar stipulation is interesting. The only other one AEW has done was with Cody Rhodes and Brodie Lee back in October 2020 and it feels fitting given the feud Punk and MJF have had. Personally, I'd give MJF the second straight win so he has the maximum amount of momentum before challenging for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing.

Bryan Danielson def. Lee Moriarty; Jon Moxley Confronted Danielson

Moriarty was one of the people Danielson mentioned in his promo with Moxley a few weeks ago and for good reason. Moriarty is very talented and a star on the rise, as seen in this match. This was a very entertaining affair with both guys having strong showings. Moriarty gained a ton from this. The post-match verbal exchange with Danielson and Moxley may have lasted even longer, but it was great stuff. Moxley and Danielson may end up going on one-on-one at Revolution while also forming some sort of an alliance, so I'm excited to see where this leads.

Wardlow def. Max Caster to Qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match

Wardlow qualifying for the Face of the Revolution Ladder match was a given after MJF said a few weeks ago that he wants Wardlow to win the AEW TNT Championship. Caster put forth a fine effort, but this was Wardlow all the way. It's telling that AEW is starting to put him up against heels, indicating that they want him to get cheered. Shawn Spears didn't save Wardlow when he got attacked by The Acclaimed afterward, so look for that to add to the tension brewing between those two.

The Dark Order Saved AEW World Champion Adam Page From Adam Cole and reDRagon

Was an appearance from Page even advertised in advance for this show? I know he headlined last week and successfully defended the title against Lance Archer, but he still feels like an absolute afterthought to me at the moment. Hopefully, this program with Cole, one of AEW's biggest stars, will help with that. Both guys had some nice lines and left me looking forward to them facing off, likely at Revolution. It's funny that Cole mentioned how Page hasn't appeared alongside Dark Order in months and all of a sudden they come to his aid. They've been booked like such losers that I wouldn't mind that alliance being a thing of the past.

Santana and Ortiz def. Chris Jericho and Jake Hager

This Inner Circle drama needs to end, and thankfully, it appears that it's about to. Santana and Ortiz winning was definitely the right call because they were previously telling the story that Santana and Ortiz needed Jericho to win whenever it mattered most. This wasn't the most thrilling outing, but it served its purpose in furthering the feud between Jericho and the returning Eddie Kingston.

Thunder Rosa def. Mercedes Martinez in a No Disqualification Match

I really liked the initial encounter between Rosa and Martinez and this was even better with the weapons involved. The women never cease to kill it with the stipulations. Martinez is already getting to show more than she ever did in WWE, and Rosa is clearly primed to challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship next. Then again, it's possible we get a four-way instead with Martinez and Jamie Hayter to prolong Baker vs. Rosa a little longer.

AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin

I loved the match these two had at Revolution 2020, so it was cool that they had the chance to run it back here, this time with the AEW TNT Championship on the line. Despite being a big star in his own right, Allin never felt like a true treat to the title, if only because it made sense to hold off on a potential title change until a three-way also involving Andrade El Idolo at Revolution. Speaking of Andrade, his interference at the end made for an underwhelming to what was an otherwise exciting main event, though it was logical and protected Allin in defeat.

Overall Show

Last week's Dynamite was so strong that I wasn't sure how this week's show would measure up, but kudos to AEW for producing another top-notch night of action, promos and storyline advancement. There were three above-average matches, two terrific promo segments, a simple squash, and a ton of build for Revolution. It didn't feel like it when the show ended because the way they went off the air wasn't anything special, but this was an awesome episode from start to finish. There was practically no filler and nothing to complain about. These were two hours of wrestling I thoroughly enjoyed.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews