AEW Dynamite returned to the Charleston Coliseum in West Virginia for a loaded episode this week. The show featured several solid matches in addition to some noteworthy segments. Samoa Joe, Toni Storm, Will Ospreay, The Young Bucks among others worked Dynamite this week.
Former AEW star CM Punk made a notorious cameo as well. For those unaware, The Young Bucks presented the footage from All In that ultimately led to Punk’s exit from the company. Let’s recap the biggest hits and misses from AEW Dynamite this week.
Hit – A vicious brawl kicks off AEW Dynamite
The opening contest on Dynamite featured Samoa Joe against Dustin Rhodes in their scheduled AEW World Championship Eliminator match. However, Joe’s entrance was interrupted by Swerve Strickland. Both men engaged in a huge brawl until Strickland tackled Joe through a table.
I’m really enjoying the physical approach AEW is taking with Joe versus Strickland. Both men clearly do no want to wait till AEW Dynasty. The bad blood keeps building up with every Dynamite.
Miss – Chris Jericho explains match strategy
LionHOOK (Chris Jericho and Hook) and Shibata joined Renee Paquette for a pre-match interview backstage. Jericho put himself over as the veteran. He then broke down the match spot for spot before putting himself over once again.
Okay. First of all, Jericho is clearly not smart enough to realize he’s revealing his strategy in front of live camera unless he plans to do the exact opposite against Shane Taylor Promotions. This whole promo made Jericho look like the complete opposite of a strategic veteran. (Maybe that’s the point, but it just seems a bit odd.)
Hit – Adam Copeland vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
We go from strategic veteran to the Ultimate Opportunist.
Adam Copeland put his TNT Championship on the line against Penta El Zero Miedo on AEW Dynamite this week. This was a great back-and-forth match that lasted for nearly 20 minutes. Both men pulled some big moves from the artillery.
The powerslam to the apron looked painful. Penta evaded a spear on the outside but had to sacrifice Alex Abrahantes in the process. Copeland ended up retaining his title after a hard-fought match.
Miss – The camera work for Mercedes Moné interview
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a pre-taped Mercedes Mone’s sit-down interview. I don’t have much to say about the interview itself. I’ve never found Mercedes to be a good promo. My major issue is with the camera that kept on changing direction.
There were lots of zoom in and zoom out. This is pretty odd for a sit-down interview. AEW really needs to work on its production quality. The segment ends with the CEO getting attacked by someone after the lights go off.
Hit – The story isn’t finished
Those who’ve watched Samoa Joe versus Dustin Rhodes and read the comments on social media know exactly what I’m talking about. The internet wrestling community is mostly toxic but it can be hilarious as well.
For those unaware, Samoa Joe defeated a bloody and battered Dustin Rhodes in the main event on AEW Dynamite this week. The fans were quick to draw comparisons between this match and the Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns main event from WrestleMania this past Sunday.
Some of these comments are actually funny.
Miss – Young Bucks air All In footage on AEW Dynamite
The All In footage is probably the biggest highlight to come out of AEW Dynamite this week. We saw the tense exchange between CM Punk and Jack Perry that turned physical. The two had to be separated by officials and wrestlers.
The Bucks have turned the actual fight into an angle by blaming FTR for the situation. Everybody knows about Harwood and Wheeler’s real-life friendship with Punk. If I’m being honest, I don’t think the footage needed to make it to national television.
Also read: WWE NXT Hits And Misses (4/9/24)
