AEW Dynamite Review - March 29, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry def. Matt Hardy; Perry and AEW World Champion MJF Exchanged Words

Hardy was hardly a threat to Perry, but he's another notable name for Perry to beat and they had a well-worked match in the time they were allotted. The post-match promo battle between Perry and MJF was much better. I know we're headed for a four-way eventually between AEW's "four pillars," but I'd have no issue with it being MJF and Perry one-on-one at Double or Nothing instead, especially since they have history at the event. MJF's mic work was great as usual and this may have been Perry's strongest mic work to date. This was a hot opening to the show.

Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta) def. Dalton Castle and The Boys

This wasn't going to be anything other than a straightforward squash (it was literally over within a minute), I would have rather three local athletes take the loss. I'm not saying we needed a super competitive match between Blackpool Combat Club and Castle's crew, but they were treated like total fodder here and I have no idea how they can be taken seriously on AEW TV in the future. On the bright side, I do like Blackpool Combat Club showing a more aggressive edge to establish their heel turn.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega def. Jeff Cobb

This is a match I've been looking forward to since it was teased the day after Omega won the U.S. title back at Wrestle Kingdom in January. Watching Cobb work is a treat and I love whenever we get to see him in action on AEW programming. This wasn't on the level of Omega vs. El Hijo del Vikingo last week, but it was still very entertaining. Post-match, Bryan Danielson emerged to reunite with Blackpool Combat Club and cement his heel turn by helping them attack Omega, so Blackpool Combat Club vs. Elite is obviously inevitable.

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy def. The Butcher

Of everyone Cassidy has defended against in the last few months, Butcher was one of his most least threatening opponents because he hasn't been built up at all and doesn't have much credibility as a singles star. Despite that, this was a solid match. The best part was the commentators telling the story that Cassidy's many title defenses might be catching up to him, so we'll see if that leads to anything (or if it's just to make it feel like his challengers have a chance of winning).

Ruby Soho def. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale and Soho teamed briefly before Soho joined The Outcasts. I'm glad this was a competitive contest and not a straight-up squash for Soho since Nightingale deserved to look credible in defeat. It's smart to keep feeding The Outcasts wins right now because they could use them. Riho once again made the save afterward and is headed for an AEW Women's World Championship match with Jamie Hayter.

Adam Cole def. Daniel Garcia

I know Cole's in-ring return was timed to the premiere of AEW All Access (which aired on TBS immediately after this episode), but this feels like it's been forever in the making because Cole originally returned to television in early January. Thankfully, it was worth the wait because it was a quality contest. They told the story that Cole's concussion issues may cost him the win (the same story they told with Danielson last summer), but Cole reigned supreme in the end. Post-match, there was a tease for Cole vs. Chris Jericho and I'd be perfectly fine with that as Cole's first feud back.

Overall Show

I appreciate that Dynamite was once again more promo-heavy this week because more storylines are needed. I like what they're doing with the AEW World Championship picture, Blackpool Combat Club vs. The Elite sells itself, and the stuff with The Outcasts is improving. Cole being back in the ring finally is a plus as well. This show had a good pace and was fun to follow. Let's hope they can keep it up in coming weeks.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews