AEW Dynamite Review - June 28, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jon Moxley def. Tomohiro Ishii

I was surprised Moxley didn't bleed during the 10-man tag team match at Forbidden Door, but he did make up for it here by getting color halfway through. I never saw their original encounter from a few years ago, but this was the hard-hitting, highly physical affair I'd expect from them. I appreciated that Ishii was made to look credible in defeat and was able to show non-NJPW fans what he's capable of.

Keith Lee, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo def. Jericho Appreciation Society (Daniel Garcia, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker)

I know they showed the setup for this match from backstage earlier in the day, but this was still quite random. It seems like Cassidy has a different partner or ally every week, and this was basically an excuse to get Vikingo on the show. Despite all that, this was an enjoyable affair. I couldn't care less about Jericho Appreciation Society, but this felt like a showcase for Lee and I can't complain about that. Let's get him going again. Unfortunately, he'll be teaming with his old partner Swerve Strickland in a quarterfinal match in the Blind Tag Teem Eliminator Tournament, so it's clear those two can't escape each other.

The Elite ("Hangman" Adam Page and The Young Bucks) def. The Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno)

It's about time Dark Order finally stood up to Page for ditching them all those weeks ago. They've been on and off for years now, but I'm hoping this marked the definitive end of their storyline. Dark Order haven't been interesting in ages, but to their credit, this was a fun and fast-paced match with all six stars having some time to shine. It was the total chaos The Elite's matches are known for (for better or for worse). Blackpool Combat Club laid out The Elite and Eddie Kingston afterward and challenged them to a Blood and Guts match on the July 19th edition of Dynamite in Boston, so now it's official.

FTW Champion Hook Interrupted "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry

Perry, who was sporting sunglasses and a leather jacket, was announced with his Jungle Boy nickname and came out to his usual entrance music, but he quickly said the fans ruined that song for him and that they won't be hearing it ever again. Here's hoping the nickname will be retired as well. For his first heel promo, I thought he did quite well, especially considering his mic skills have never been his strong suit. The angle with Hook was well done and I'm looking forward to their feud. Perry referencing his girlfriend Anna Jay (though not by name) was notable because they should ideally end up as an act on the air soon.

Ruby Soho def. Alexia Nicole

Soho was supposed to face Britt Baker in a women's Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal match on this episode, but an illness to Baker (likely the same illness that kept her boyfriend Adam Cole off Forbidden Door) led to it being bumped to next week. Soho squashed Canada's own Alexia Nicole and proceeded to cut a great promo about her history with Baker and why she needs to win next week. This was a very effective use of the time and it made their match feel more important.

Sting and Darby Allin def. Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara) in a Tornado Tag Team Match

Sting and Jericho sharing the ring was supposed to be main attraction of this match, but my top takeaway was that Sting really shouldn't be doing dumb dives and high-risk moves at this stage of his career. That's nothing new, but it was especially apparent in this match toward the end when he took a leap of faith and it could have gone much worse. This was a well-worked main event otherwise that the crowd was into. I don't have any desire to see Jericho vs. Sting one-on-one coming out of this. Jericho vs. Guevara would make more sense.

Overall Show

Forbidden Door was an excellent event, but I can't say this was a particularly exciting or eventful follow-up show. It was a solid effort on the whole with some entertaining action, but the main event wasn't my cup of tea personally and that six-man tag team match served no storyline purpose. The six-man tag and Perry's promo were good, but Moxley vs. Ishii was easily the highlight of the night. We also got the confirmation of Blood and Guts, which I'll be in attendance for in three weeks. I appreciated that AEW took the "less is more" approach with this episode, but it didn't translate to a very memorable night.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews