AEW Dynamite Review - October 25, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW World Champion and ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF def. Juice Robinson to Maintain the Dynamite Diamond Ring (Non-Title)

The Dynamite Diamond Ring means very little at this point, but I did think Robinson had a chance of winning to add heat to Bullet Club Gold and finally get it off MJF. I don't have an issue with MJF holding onto it, even though it's strange for him to be using it in his matches if he's supposed to be a babyface. They had a good opener. Post-match, MJF accepted Bullet Club Gold's challenge to an eight-man tag team matchup but rejected The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn as his partners. Plus, Kenny Omega vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship was made official for Saturday's Collision, and if MJF wins, he'll break Omega's record as the longest-reigning champ to date. That's an awesome attraction for Collision and I'm stoked because I'll be there in attendance to see it.

FTW Champion Hook and Rob Van Dam def. The Dark Order (John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

As far as I know, RVD isn't officially signed to AEW but is working on a per-appearance basis for now. I'm an RVD fan, but that's the way it should be. I have no idea what he'd be doing if he was signed to a full-time deal. The occasional team with Hook is a fine use of him and the crowd ate it up. This was a simple showcase for them against a team I couldn't care less about in The Dark Order.

AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne Interrupted Sting, Darby Allin and Ric Flair

Yes, Tony Khan's grand gift for Sting was Ric Flair. The crowd popped, and it was certainly quite the visual to see Flair in an AEW ring (he probably would have been "All Elite" two years ago if he didn't get "canceled" after the Dark Side of the Ring debacle), but you can be the judge on whether he was worth the hype or not. Is he sticking around? He implied that he would be, but I can't say I care to see him in Sting's corner for the next four or five months. Christian roasting Flair was great, though, and we got the setup for a six-man tag team match at Full Gear (no, not with Flair, but rather with Sting and Allin having to pick their partner and Adam Copeland would make the most sense).

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Elite ("Hangman" Adam Page and The Young Bucks) def. The Hardys and Brother Zay

The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is one of the most pointless titles in any promotion right now and has been for years (including before AEW bought Ring of Honor). They currently exist as props for The Elite and nothing more. I don't think anyone actually thought The Hardys and Zay were winning, but this was enjoyable for what it was. The problem is that The Hardys never win when it matters most these days. The subsequent angle with Swerve Strickland breaking into Page's house was darker than I expected but well done.

AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida def. Ruby Soho

I've said it before, but it's ridiculous how many title shots Soho has gotten over the years and hasn't won a single one of them. That includes her time in WWE, by the way. She must be allergic to gold or something. She and Shida had a quality contest, but I wish this received more buildup beforehand. I also could have done without some of the silly shenanigans down the stretch. At least Saraya wasn't at ringside. Toni Storm emerged afterward, so it looks like she'll be getting the title shot at Full Gear.

Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson) def. AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Kazuchika Okada

Okada making his Dynamite in-ring debut here was definitely random, but you'll get no complaints out of me. It was cool seeing him mix it up with Castagnoli and you know we're getting that rematch between him and Danielson at some point, most likely at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom in January. All four guys worked exceptionally well together and produced a top-notch main event as you had to know they would. I figured Jon Moxley vs. Cassidy was coming (and still could be), so Castagnoli pinning Cassidy surprised me. It was immediately announced that they'll meet for the title on next week's Dynamite. He probably should have beaten Rey Fenix for the AEW International Championship, not Cassidy. The ending was weird with Danielson selling an injury and everyone just staring at each other until the show went off the air.

Overall Show

Aside from Title Tuesday two weeks ago, Dynamite hasn't felt overly important for a while now, but this was a fun and eventful episode. The crowd in Philadelphia was lively, we got a major match announcement for Collision, a star-studded main event, the debut of Flair (for whatever that's worth), and some solid wrestling. I'm glad the card for Full Gear is gradually coming together instead of everything being confirmed at the last minute per usual.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews