AEW Dynamite Review - January 17, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage def. Dustin Rhodes

I was looking forward to this more than anything else coming into this episode because I knew what they were capable of and that they'd work wonderfully together. Sure enough, they delivered. What's amazing is that you could have easily seen this in WWE ECW 15 years ago, and yet both guys can still very much go in the ring in 2024. I'm glad we've been seeing more of Rhodes lately because it feels like he's barely been used in the past two years.

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta def. Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo

I understand this match wasn't about him, but that's exactly the issue: Penta has never felt less important in AEW. Rey Fenix is obviously out injured for the time being, but that doesn't mean more can't be done with Penta in the meantime. This didn't seem to serve much of a purpose, but it was well wrestled while it lasted. Roderick Strong and The Kingdom confronted the babyfaces afterward and Strong confirmed he'll challenge for the AEW International Championship at Revolution.

Mark Briscoe Honored Jay Briscoe

As Mark noted, it was exactly one year ago today that Jay tragically passed away in a car accident, so it was really cool for AEW to dedicate a few minutes of television time to the Briscoe family. All of them appeared to be in attendance at ringside, and the daughters showing up on the stage looking happy and healthy after Mark mentioned that they both suffered serious injuries in the aforementioned car accident was a touching moment. The video package that aired honoring Jay was very well done.

Renee Paquette Conducted a Sit-Down Interview with The Young Bucks

The character change for the Bucks is refreshing, and I appreciate that they attempted to explain their heel turn and why they interrupted Sting last week, but I'm still indifferent toward them being back. They just came off so forced here, and that ridiculous voice Matt Jackson talks in when he's trying to act serious is a personal pet peeve of mine. I'm willing to give this more of a chance and see how it unfolds, but I can't say this sit-down interview left me overly optimistic about the Bucks' new direction.

Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns) def. Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage and The Gates of Agony) to Win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship

As I've said before, there's really no reason for any of the Ring of Honor titles to be defended on AEW TV, especially the incredibly pointless six-man tag team titles. I'm not sure who the crowd was supposed to cheer for here with both trios being heel, but the crowd didn't seem to mind the dynamic because Bullet Club Gold were clearly the fan favorites. This was a solid match, but the title change does nothing for me. The Bucks and Adam Page captured the championship late last year and didn't appear on ROH TV a single time during their reign, so I expect no different from Bullet Club Gold.

Deonna Purrazzo def. Anna Jay

If Jay is indeed a babyface despite never having an actual turn (and she didn't do anything to turn the crowd against her in this outing), then she shouldn't have been in there with Purrazzo, who is also a babyface at the moment. Otherwise, this was a good match and Toni Storm was entertaining as always on commentary. I'd expect Storm vs. Purrazzo for the AEW Women's World Championship will be saved for the next pay-per-view.

Private Party def. Top Flight

I'd like to see more of this sort of stuff on Dynamite. It felt like something you'd see on one of their first shows. Neither team is high up on the totem pole, so this could have easily been relegated to Rampage, but it was perfect for character-building and allowing them to showcase their skills. It was a nice match and they received more time than I thought they would. The commentators questioned Private Party cheating to win. Are they turning heel already? If so, that was fast.

AEW World Champion Samoa Joe def. FTW Champion Hook (FTW Championship Was Not Defended)

Needless to say, this was Hook's biggest challenge and opportunity to date. It also ended up being his best bout yet. They told a strong story with Hook proving he can hang with Joe and enduring all of the punishment he dished out. He even kicked out of the Muscle Buster at a one count and having him pass out was the ideal finish. The outcome was never in doubt, but Hook gained a ton in defeat. Post-match, Page came to Hook's aid while Swerve Strickland looked on from the crowd.

Overall Show

I'd put this show in the same category as last week's in that the two hours were enjoyable on the whole even if they weren't super significant. I loved the opener, the main event was exactly what it needed to be, and I didn't mind most of what we got in the middle. Above all else, I applaud AEW for setting up several matches for Revolution so early. They tend to wait until the last minute to confirm the card, but that shouldn't be the case this time, and based on what's been teased, it's a promising lineup on paper.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews