AEW Dynamite Review - October 23, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bryan Danielson def. Dustin Rhodes in an AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Was the outcome ever in doubt? Not at all. Was this a treat from start to finish? Absolutely. As I've said before, Dustin can still very much go, and when he's in there with someone equally talented such as Danielson, you can expect magic. This was an outstanding opener with both guys excelling. Danielson winning with a variety of moves is a nice touch. He's had a new lease on life ever since signing with AEW.

The Pinnacle Attacked Sting

Sting was advertised to speak, but MJF's music cut him off before he had a chance to. MJF proceeded to cut his usual style of promo (even taking a shot at Sting's longtime friend Lex Luger in the process) before ordering an attack on Sting with Wardlow and Shawn Spears. I thought Darby Allin would save Sting to a big pop, but no such luck. Maybe they're saving that for next week or the week after. Either way, consider MJF vs. Allin a lock for Full Gear. 

Ruby Soho def. Penelope Ford in an AEW TBS Championship Tournament First-Round Match

Soho beat The Bunny last week on Rampage, so it made sense for her to beat The Bunny's buddy Penelope Ford in the first round of this tourney. Ford is still a work in progress, so while this wasn't the smoothest match, Ford will only improve from working with women like Soho. It was pretty good. Red Velvet saved Soho from Ford and The Bunny afterward because she'll be facing The Bunny in a first-round match as well.

Bobby Fish def. Anthony Greene

I have to get back in the habit of calling Greene by that name and not August Grey. It's crazy to think both he and Fish were a part of NXT just four months ago. Grey hasn't officially been signed by AEW (and I don't know if he needs to be), but I love that he's at least getting a look because he's talented. This was a brief affair, and just as I started to wonder why it happened, Fish attacked Greene and CM Punk made the save. Punk vs. Fish is random but sounds fun. Can we please get Punk some direction and put him in an actual feud with someone?

Eddie Kingston def. Lance Archer in an AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Chaos broke out before the bell when Kingston attacked Archer on the ramp. There's no love lost between these two as they traded wins earlier this year. What we got was good, but just as they started to pick up the pace, Archer went for a moonsault and landed right on his head. It could have been worse, but it still wasn't a pretty landing. He was definitely out of it because he rolled to ringside, rolled back in, and was immediately rolled up by Kingston. I hope he'll be okay. Kingston will face Bryan in the semifinals on Rampage next Friday night.

AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara Agreed to American Top Team's Terms

The matches between Inner Circle and American Top Team have been better than expected, but the feud isn't has done much for me. Men of the Year just feel thrown in there, and although they've benefited a bit from being on TV more and the additional mic time, I don't see them going over in the end. I also don't see Ethan Page beating Guevara for the AEW TNT Championship next week on Dynamite, especially if the stipulation is that Guevara must leave Inner Circle if he loses. Seriously, how stupid is that? We found out we're getting another Inner Circle vs. American Top Team match at Full Gear, just with different members. Oh joy.

Jungle Boy def. Brandon Cutler

Cutler is a joke in the ring and stood no chance against Jungle Boy, so I'm glad this was kept as short and as sweet as possible. Post-match, Jungle Boy cut one of the better, more intense promos I've heard from him when he called out The Elite. Adam Cole teased facing him in an impromptu match but ambushed him with The Young Bucks instead. Luchasaurus couldn't make the save because he was taken out last week. If we don't get Cole vs. Jungle Boy II at Full Gear, Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express seems likely.

Cody Rhodes def. Malaki Black

This was the third match these two have had since early August. The feud has been enjoyable and I'm glad Black has had direction since the moment he arrived in AEW, but I'm disappointed none of these matches were saved for pay-per-view where they could've gotten more time. Much like the two other encounters, this was also around 10 minutes but featured way more smoke and mirrors with all of the interference and shenanigans. In other words, it was a classic Cody match. Cody winning was expected, but he needs to read the room and turn heel already. He gets more heat than a majority of the heels on the roster. How can he possibly justify remaining a face?

Overall Show

Full Gear is coming up quick, and with Dynamite being relegated to Saturdays for the last two weeks, AEW had the tough task of putting matches together, booking two tournaments, getting all of the notable names on the shows and moving storylines forward. All in all, I think they did a commendable job. The main event was a mess, but the rest of this show was highly enjoyable on the whole and they kept a consistently electric pace throughout, though Archer's injury was unfortunate. I'll be in attendance for next week's Dynamite and Rampage tapings in Boston and very much look forward to it based on what was announced.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews