AEW Dynamite Review - September 11, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tony Schiavone Interviewed Christian Cage

Christian attempted to cash in the contract for an AEW World Championship opportunity at any time of his choosing at All Out but was thwarted by Blackpool Combat Club (before the breakup angle), so this simply existed to remind viewers that Christian has that title shot in his back pocket. The promo was short, sweet and straight to the point. I don't think he'll ultimately become champion, but it's the perfect gimmick to keep him busy for a bit.

AEW TNT Champion Jack Perry def. Lio Rush

Yes, this was very much a random match because I couldn't tell you the last singles match Rush won on AEW TV to earn himself this shot. They had a nice, well-wrestled match that clearly only existed to give Perry a rebound win after losing to Bryan Danielson at All Out. All of the belts The Elite hold have felt like props in recent months, so I'd like to see the AEW TNT Championship get more focus going forward.

Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir and AEW World Trios Champions Pac and Claudio Castagnoli Attacked Private Party, Komander, Jon Cruz and Others

Private Party and Komander were set for a six-man tag team match with Cruz and two local losers before Moxley and his crew showed up and attacked everyone. From a storyline standpoint, why would that six-man tag team match have happened, anyway? The attack was fine and Pac was along the same lines as what Moxley's vignette that started the show. I imagine we'll get a new name for the faction soon since it feels like Blackpool Combat Club (at least how we once knew it) is dead.

Ricochet def. ROH World Tag Team Champion Sammy Guevara

For those who don't pay attention to Ring of Honor (and I don't blame you whatsoever if so), Guevara has been there teaming with Dustin Rhodes and The Von Erichs for the past two months. This actually marked his first Dynamite match since January. I was surprised he seemed to be on offense more than Ricochet, but on the whole, it was the fun spot-fest you'd expect from them. The Beast Mortos attacked Ricochet afterward before Guevara helped Ricochet fend him off, so Mortos looks to be Ricochet's next opponent.

Jon Moxley Confronted Darby Allin

Moxley has been calling out Allin for weeks, yet Allin didn't appear despite nothing happening that would've kept him off the show. I know he lost that Coffin match at All In, but Sting immediately made the save. Either way, this was a solid segment that set up their match for Grand Slam where Allin's AEW World Championship opportunity (the one he earned by winning Royal Rampage) will be on the line because Moxley said Danielson wouldn't be cleared in time to defend against Allin on that show. Remember that for later.

AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May def. Queen Aminata in an AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Match

Aminata saved Skye Blue from May on the All Out per-show. Aminata has had a strong year in ROH, but she hasn't done a whole lot in AEW, so it was difficult to view her as a serious threat to May here. It was a good match while it lasted, though. Post-match, May said someone's been missing and named Mina Shirakawa, so we'll see if Shirakawa joins her or takes exception to her actions as of late.

"The Learning Tree" Chris Jericho, Big Bill and Bryan Keith def. Iron Savages (Boulder, Bronson and Jacked Jameson)

This was a standard squash for Jericho's group, but I didn't care that it was brief because I don't care about anything involving Jericho at this point, regardless. The post-match nonsense was even worse with Jericho pulling a framed picture out of Orange Cassidy's backpack (that he stole) before The Conglomeration dumped $7,000 in coins on Jericho's car in the parking lot. This was genuinely terrible television.

Nigel McGuiness Challenged Bryan Danielson to a Match at Grand Slam

Even after McGuinness returned to the ring at All In, I still didn't think we'd get him vs. Danielson again with Danielson winding down his full-time run, but I'm stoked it's finally happening. Danielson wasn't there to accept the challenge, but McGuinness's promo was excellent. You could tell it meant the world to him to be able to say all of that. The only issue is that it was mentioned earlier in the episode that Danielson vs. Allin wouldn't be happening at All In because Danielson likely wouldn't be cleared (in storyline), yet he'll probably be facing McGuinness (albeit in non-title action) instead. That completely lacks logic, but it's hard to complain that we're getting Danielson vs. McGuinness.

AEW International Champion Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher Won an AEW World Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match

This is the fourth Casino Gauntlet match we've gotten in AEW since April, but it was the first tag team Casino Gauntlet. It was the weakest one yet and the company is running a real risk by doing these so often and ruining the excitement level they still have. This had its moments, but most of participating teams simply do not matter. It didn't feel like the showcase for AEW's tag team division that it should it have been, especially when a makeshift tandem went over. At least The Young Bucks vs. Ospreay and Fletcher at Grand Slam should be a banger before Fletcher predictably turns on Ospreay.

Overall Show

The stuff with Moxley was all over this edition of Dynamite, which made sense given the angle from All Out. The quiet crowd was very noticeable throughout and didn't give the episode any energy, but I appreciated that there was an ample amount of build for Grand Slam in two weeks with three matches being officially announced. Otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot that I cared about on this show. AEW needs to do a better job of following up on their hot pay-per-views and maintaining that momentum.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews