AEW Dynamite Review - January 1, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cody def. Darby Allin

I loved the hell out of the match these two had back at Fyter Fest and I loved even more that this rematch took place in the same venue. Allin has been very impressive since his arrival in AEW and this was another standout performance from him. As for Cody, he continues to be the most popular babyface in the entire promotion. Arn Anderson played his role well at ringside, but I honestly don't see the point of him serving as Cody's manager. Cody doesn't need one. The move feels forced, but perhaps it's leading somewhere. Either way, this was an excellent opener.

AEW Women's Champion Riho def. Britt Baker, Nyla Rose and Hikura Shida in a Four-Way Match

It's about time Riho resurfaced. I read somewhere she's been touring Japan for the past two months, but if that was going to be the case, AEW shouldn't have put the belt on her. I don't understand why people would criticize Brock Lesnar for not showing up yet completely ignore the AEW Women's Champion being gone for two months. At any rate, she was originally scheduled to defend her title against Kris Statlander, but the bout was changed to a four-way when it was announced that Statlander had a previous commitment and will instead receive her shot at the strap on next week's show. This turned into a very fun four-way with everyone getting their time to shine and the action never slowing down. It was easily among the best women's matches the company has put on to date in my opinion. Riho retaining her title was logical and Rose's post-match beatdown on Riho could set her up to lose to Statlander.

Jon Moxley def. Trent

I've seen complaints from fans regarding Moxley having as competitive of a match as he did with Trent, but I really don't see what the big deal is. I realize Trent isn't on Moxley's level, but lest we forget, Trent owns a victory over Pentagon Jr. from a few months ago and has taken the likes of Pac and Rey Fenix to their limit. This was very well wrestled and was the perfect length. Afterward, Chris Jericho popped up on the big screen to elaborate on his offer to Moxley about joining The Inner Circle. I thought Moxley was supposed to give his answer on this episode, but apparently not. Obviously, he won't accept in the end, but I'm glad they're dragging this angle out as long as possible.

Sammy Guevara def. Dustin Rhodes

I'm sure I've said this before, but for a guy who's 50-years-old, Dustin can definitely still go. He held his own here against Guevara, who is simply an absolute treat to watch. They have history with each other from a while ago, so this match made sense. It was exactly what it needed to be with Rhodes nearly scoring the victory before Jake Hager's interference. Rhodes vs. Hager would seem to be a logical addition to the Revolution card.

MJF Addressed Cody

MJF said weeks ago that he'd face Cody on his terms, and he explained those terms here. They included that their match must take place at Revolution, Cody can't touch him before then, Cody will have to face Wardlow in a Steel Cage matchup, and he'll have to be whipped ten times by MJF's leather belt. That seems like a lot of obstacles for Cody to overcome, but hey, he's desperate and will do anything to ensure MJF gets his comeuppance. This was a solid segment, and like Moxley vs. Jericho, I appreciate how AEW is taking their time telling this story.

The Elite def. Pac and The Lucha Brothers

Talk about a wild first main event of 2020. This was insane! It won't be for everyone (and the lack of selling at certain points bothered me), but the audience ate it up and so did I. These six stars had outstanding chemistry together and did not disappoint, despite being crunched for time. The Elite have returned to their winning ways (for now, at least). Adam Page refusing to join them in their celebration was intriguing, as I'm sure a full-blown heel turn from him is inevitable. I don't know if I want to see him leading The Dark Order as was teased earlier in the episode, but Page vs. Omega at Revolution almost has to be considered a lock.

Overall Show

I haven't been overly impressed with every edition of Dynamite AEW has produced since its debut on TNT, but these two hours were terrific. It couldn't have come at a better time with it being the first episode of the new year, especially with there being no competition over on USA Network (NXT doesn't air live again until next Wednesday). Everything served a purpose, the wrestling was above-average, multiple marquee matches were advertised for next week, and the build to Revolution was well done. Props to AEW for such a strong effort here.