AEW Dynamite Review - July 12, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Chris Jericho def. Komander

This was an interesting clash of styles and I appreciate seeing Jericho in there with fresh faces. There were a few mistimed spots and stuff that didn't look great, but it was a nice opener overall. I liked the post-match exchange with Jericho and Don Callis and the old footage of the two of them from almost 30 years ago. I'd be down for Jericho joining him if it means Jericho Appreciation Society is no longer a thing.

Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia def. Darby Allin and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match

I still can't get over how ridiculous it is that Guevara and Garcia are teaming in this tournament and now they're headed to the finals, ideally to lose to MJF and Cole. As noted in the previous paragraph, Jericho Appreciation Society seems to be on the brink of collapse and thus I imagine Guevara vs. Garcia is coming at some point. From an in-ring standpoint, this was very well wrestled. Swerve Strickland interfering and attacking Allin gave his team an out for losing.

AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole def. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage and Big Bill in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match

I know Cage and Bill have their own allies right now, but as I mentioned in my Rampage review last week, they work really well together, and that's coming from someone who wants to see Bill on his own. I thought there was a chance MJF would no-show this match and leave Cole to fight by himself, but they were actually quite the cohesive unit. The crowd has gotten behind them as a team and their video package this week was hilarious. MJF turning on Cole (or vice versa) is inevitable, but I'm enjoying this while it lasts. This was fun.

Ruby Soho def. Skye Blue in a Women's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

Blue has had a handful of big matches lately against Toni Storm and Athena in title matches, so it wasn't a stretch that she could have beaten Soho here. Soho winning was the right call, but Blue was made to look credible in defeat. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale will have their semifinal match on Friday's Rampage and Soho will face the winner in the finals on Saturday's Collision.

Swerve Strickland def. Nick Wayne

Wayne turned 18 earlier this week, but he was originally signed by AEW two years ago (despite getting the "All Elite" graphic by Tony Khan tonight on Twitter). I've heard nothing but positive things about him and he definitely delivered here, having a super impressive performance in defeat. Strickland shouldn't have lost, but maybe Wayne can beat him down the road. Now the question is if Wayne will continue to be featured on Dynamite and/or Collision going forward or if he'll disappear to ROH TV or Rampage soon.

Pac and Kota Ibushi Were Revealed as the Final Combatants in Next Week's Blood and Guts Match

I assumed Ibushi would be the final member of The Elite's team given his history with them, but it was still a cool moment when it was made official (though him being there in person would have been better than a video package playing on the big screen). Pac was the selection that surprised me for the heel team because we haven't seen him in six months, but he explained that Omega injured his eye and he wanted revenge, so it was logical. This was well done and served as good final hype for Blood and Guts.

Overall Show

This was the best formatted edition of Dynamite in a while. They took the "less is more" approach a la Collision and it made for an entertaining episode on the whole. There was some strong focus on the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament (including an actual bracket being shown), storyline progression, in-ring action, and build for Blood and Guts. There was a little bit of everything and I wish Dynamite let things breathe more often as seen on this show.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews