AEW Dynasty Review - April 21, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Zero Hour: Trent Beretta def. Matt Sydal

I'm glad they didn't rush into Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy. It should be saved for Double or Nothing. Beretta hasn't even explained his actions yet. Sydal can always be counted on for a quality contest and was an easy opponent for Beretta to beat. Chuck Taylor came to Sydal's aid afterward and Beretta ran away when Cassidy started to make his entrance. I'm skeptical that Beretta's heel rush will last beyond their eventual one-on-one encounter.

Zero Hour: Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata def. Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor)

I assume the only reason this existed was to get Cassidy on the card. Otherwise, it served no purpose. Yes, Shane Taylor Promotions did lay out Cassidy on Wednesday's Dynamite and Shibata has had his own issues with the group as of late, but this was a basic television match and was not needed on the pay-per-view pre-show. It was serviceable but could been cut short by a few minutes considering the outcome was never in doubt.

Zero Hour: ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns) def. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn in a Winners Take All Match to Win the AEW World Trios Champions

The ROH six-man tag titles have been unnecessary for a few years now, so unifying them with AEW's trios titles was overdue. This storyline has been pretty lame, so it was smart to position this on the pre-show. I hated how Billy Gunn was made to look so strong in defeat, but otherwise, this was a perfectly fine for what it was. White deserves better than to be relegated to the trios division, but at least this was a step in the right direction.

AEW Continental Champion Kazchika Okada def. Pac

This was a great way to kick off the show. I never saw Pac as a legitimate threat to the title, but he once again reminded the world how talented he is with the showing he had here and I had no issue with them receiving as much time as they did. As pointless as the AEW Continental Championship is, I'm okay with it being a thing for the simple fact that we can get more matches like this with Okada as champion. Fingers crossed he holds it long enough to defend against Kenny Omega eventually once he's ready to return.

House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews) def. AEW TNT Champion Adam Copeland, NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston and ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe

I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I had a few issues with it. First of all, there was nothing at stake, so it could have benefited from being slightly shorter. Secondly, I don't see why this couldn't have happened on Dynamite so Copeland could defend against Brody King here instead. Copeland vs. Black is the Double or Nothing match, so at least Black pinned Copeland to pick up what was his biggest win in ages. It was a solid six-man tag team affair.

Willow Nightingale def. Julia Hart to Win the AEW TBS Championship

Hart's shoulder injury must be significant enough that this contest had to be kept brief. I was disappointed by the length, but if that was the reason, then it's understandable. It never got out of first gear as a result and the finish felt abrupt, but the important thing is that Nightingale is finally champion. Unfortunately, it might be short-lived with her already confirmed to be facing Mercedes Mone at Double or Nothing.

AEW International Champion Roderick Strong def. Kyle O'Reilly

Strong and O'Reilly are two of the best technical wrestlers in the entire company, so of course, this was extremely well-wrestled. The crowd wasn't too lively, but it seemed like they were invested in the action. Strong just captured the title and it was too soon for him to lose it, but will the feud continue? Adam Cole not only appeared afterward but walked down to the ring without his wheelchair, so that's positive news regarding his recovery from injury.

Chris Jericho def. Hook in an FTW Rules Match to Win the FTW Championship

This whole storyline with Jericho and Hook has been one of the worst parts of AEW programming for the last month, and I fully expect it to continue for at least another match or two because it's Jericho. How Hook gets anything out of it, I have no idea. This was your typical AEW brawl and it overstayed its welcome. The FTW Championship is a pointless prop and Jericho holding it does nothing to change that.

AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm def. Thunder Rosa

I thought these two had more matches than just the one from Forbidden Door 2022 but apparently not. I didn't think this would be as good because of how limited Storm has been with her Timeless shtick, but they ended up having a top-notch match with the usual Storm shenanigans being kept to a minimum. Deonna Purrazzo counteracted Mariah May at ringside but didn't factor into the finish as I figured she would. That Purrazzo heel turn is imminent, though.

Will Ospreay def. Bryan Danielson

Yep, this was indeed the dream match that it was advertised as. I'm not sure what else to say about it other than the fact it was phenomenal and an early contender for Match of the Year. Ospreay is outstanding, Danielson is a treasure, and they are undoubtedly two of the very best in the world. The crowd being electric throughout only added to the magic. Danielson's scary sell at the end was clearly part of the plan and sets up the need for a rematch because Ospreay put him away not knowing he was hurt.

The Young Bucks def. FTR in the Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament in a Ladder Match to Win the Vacant AEW World Tag Team Championship

These guys were put in the unenviable position of having to follow Ospreay vs. Danielson, but to their credit, they did what they could and busted their asses. It's difficult to not get excited about a Ladder matches, and they sure delivered their fair share of awesome spots. Jack Perry interfering and aiding the Bucks to victory was predictable yet logical. We'll probably find out on Dynamite whether he's a full-fledged member of The Elite or if he just wanted to ensure FTR didn't win.

Swerve Strickland def. Samoa Joe to Win the AEW World Championship

The crowd was obviously exhausted from everything that preceded this match, but they rallied behind Strickland down the stretch when it mattered and came alive for the nearfalls. I knew they weren't going to top the last two matches, but they developed terrific chemistry and had a hard-hitting main event. Strickland becoming champion was the only outcome that made sense and I'm happy they pulled the trigger. He absolutely deserved that moment. Now the Swerve era of AEW can begin.

Overall Show

I feel like I say this more often than not, but this was one of AEW's most stacked pay-per-view cards to date. In this case, it ultimately lived up to the hype. The final three matches were all excellent. I was spot-on with every single one of my predictions, so it wasn't a shocking show by any means, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Strickland's title win was a must, Ospreay vs. Danielson was a spectacle, the tag team title Ladder match was wild, and the undercard more than held up. Dynasty could very well go down as AEW's top pay-per-view of 2024.

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