AEW Dynamite Review - May 31, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Blackpool Combat Club (Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley and ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli) def. Bandido and ROH World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers

Bandido and Lucha Brothers interacted in the 21-man Blackjack Battle Royale at Double or Nothing and that was how their alliance came to win. Blackpool Combat Club winning coming off their Anarchy in the Arena victory at Double or Nothing was a given, but the babyfaces gave them quite the fight and it was an enjoyable opener. Yuta scoring the win for his team yet again after pinning Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing was a nice touch.

Ricky Starks Saved AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR From Bullet Club Gold

Jay White and Juice Robinson had a backstage altercation with FTR at Double or Nothing because FTR are apparently cool with Starks. That means there are three babyfaces and two heels in this program, indicating Bullet Club Gold is getting a new member next week and whoever that person is will aid White to victory. This was a solid segment to set that up and it was refreshing to hear from White in the ring for a change.

Swerve Strickland def. Trent Beretta and Big Bill in a Three-Way Match

This stemmed from the aforementioned AEW International Championship Battle Royale. This honestly felt like it belonged on Rampage with nothing substantial at stake and none of them getting consistent television time, but I did like that Strickland and Bill in particular were showcased. The three of them worked well together and had a quality contest. Strickland winning by pinning Beretta (protecting Bill in the process) was the right call as he prepares to challenge for the International title next week.

Renee Paquette Interviewed The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn

The Acclaimed and Gunn just fell short of becoming AEW World Trios Champions at Double or Nothing, so with them teasing here that they want gold, I have to assume they're going to get another shot against House of Black soon. I'd rather see them challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship because Gunn has been wrestling way too much lately. This was fine but could have been relegated to a backstage segment.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita Addressed the Audience

Man, this was Dominik Mysterio-levels of heat, and it was quite the sight to see (and hear). As likeable as Takeshita is, I really like the move to make him and Callis a heel combo, especially if it means a Takeshita vs. Kenny Omega program is imminent. This gave Callis a chance to explain his actions from a few weeks ago and I thought Takeshita handled his lines wlel. This was great stuff.

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin def. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Gates of Agony

I know it's been mentioned on the show before that Cassidy and Allin are buddies because of how they've teamed on the house shows, but I wish that alliance was more established on Dynamite so this match would've made more sense. That said, this was damn good. Allin and Cassidy are excellent babyfaces and Gates of Agony were impressive. I appreciated that they were made to look credible in defeat. Sting returned afterward to help the babyfaces fend off The Mogul Embassy, so a tag team match could be coming.

"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry Saved FTW Champion Hook From La Faccion Ingobernable

This whole segment was very random. First of all, the reaction to Hook was much quieter than it has been in the past, and I blame the fact he hasn't had much direction in many months other than the one-sided feud with The Firm. He and Perry were partners briefly months ago, but I assume they're only reuniting because Perry will turn on him after they team up to take on Preston Vance and Dralistico soon. I thought we might be get the Perry heel turn here, but no such luck.

AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander def. Nyla Rose

Rose is notoriously the first person many new women's champions in AEW defend against. She hasn't been a threat in years, mind you, but I like how no time was wasted in getting Statlander back in a Dynamite ring. They had a well-wrestled match in the time they were allotted, but nothing spectacular. Taya Valkyrie was shown watching from backstage, so she'll apparently be Statlander's first real rival. Heel Valkyrie should be fun and it makes sense because she can blame Statlander for stealing her moment.

Adam Cole and Britt Baker def. Chris Jericho and Saraya

I didn't think this match was necessary after Cole and Jericho seemingly finished their feud at Double or Nothing with Cole winning, and I feared Jericho might pick up the victory here to extend it, but I was very happy that was not the case. This was an entertaining main event, perhaps even more so than the overbooked Unsanctioned match at Double or Nothing. Some of the stuff that Baker and Saraya were doing looked weak, but this was a worthwhile main event otherwise.

Overall Show

In addition to everything else, Tony Khan also officially announced CM Punk's return on the Collision premiere in Chicago on June 17th. That should be interesting, to say the least. Double or Nothing was hardly a home run of a pay-per-view, but I thought this was a thumbs-up follow-up show. It didn't look overly important on paper, and there was virtually no build for Forbidden Door at the end of June, but it had a nice flow and I was left satisfied once it was over.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews