AEW Dynamite returned to Washington last night. The show emanated from Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena. The Elite, Swerve Strickland, Mercedes Moné, and Adam Copeland among others worked this week’s episode.
From a red-hot opener featuring Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley to a surprise return in the main event, these are the biggest hits and misses from the May 15, 2024, edition of Dynamite.
Hit – Tag team action kicks off AEW Dynamite
Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley started things off on Dynamite. The BCC members took on Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis’ hired help, Jeff Cobb. All four men put on a great opener to set the tone for the rest of the night.
Mox hit a brutal Death Rider on Fletcher for the win. After the match, Konosuke Takeshita took out Mox with a suplex. Claudio Castagnoli arrived to even the odds. We might get a six-man tag team match featuring these competitors in the near future.
Miss – Eddie Kingston out with an injury
The injury bug has put another wrestler on the shelf. We learned on this week’s AEW Dynamite that Eddie Kingston is out of action. Kingston was supposed to team up with Bryan Danielson and FTR against The Elite at Double or Nothing.
Matt Jackson referenced Kingston’s injury during The Elite’s backstage segment. For those unaware, Kingston apparently suffered a knee injury at NJPW’s Resurgence event. He confirmed his injury through social media.
Hit – Toni Storm’s promo on AEW Dynamite
Toni Storm cut another terrific promo on AEW Dynamite this week. The Women’s World Champion verbally eviscerated both Harley Cameron and Serena Deeb. Storm went on to pick up the win over Cameron in their singles match later during the show.
Miss – The Young Bucks ‘fire’ Christopher Daniels
The Young Bucks defeated Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal in their world tag team title eliminator this week. Matthew Jackson ‘fired’ Daniels from his position as AEW’s Head of Talent Relations. Jack Perry, who was on commentary, proceeded to empty his drink on Tony Schiavone’s head. He then did a victory lap.
I didn’t like this segment for two reasons. First of all, why did Matthew and Nicholas bother to have a tag team match against Daniels when they had planned on firing him in the first place. They could’ve just fired him on the spot during their backstage segment on Collision last week. Second, Jack Perry looked like a spoiled kid with his antics.
This segment made The Elite looked like a couple of man-children than power-hungry egomaniacs. Okada looks like the only adult in the group. Of course, this is until they give him a goofy spot. That’s just my opinion.
Hit – House of Black takes out Adam Copeland
Adam Copeland didn’t even get the opportunity to call out Malakai Black. The House of Black attacked the Rated R Superstar on his way to the ring. Buddy Matthews and Brody King then removed Cope’s wedding ring from his finger. The heels then took out the TNT Champion.
Kyle O’Reilly tried to make the save but also fell to the House. Black then announced a Barbed Wire Steel Cage match featuring him and Copeland for the TNT title at AEW Double or Nothing.
Miss – HOOK’s segment
It appears AEW is trying to build HOOK all over again following his loss to Chris Jericho at Dynasty. The former FTW Champion made his AEW Dynamite return this week. HOOK squashed Sebastian Wolfe in their singles match. He then called out Chris Jericho for a shot at the FTW title. The Learning Tree arrived with Big Bill by his side. Jericho acknowledged the “retire” chants from the crowd.
HOOK said he wanted a shot at the FTW Championship. Jericho told him he had to earn his title shot. The former FTW Champion hit Jericho with a mic on the hit, which apparently busted him open. Big Bill intervened and would’ve destroyed out if it wasn’t for Shibata. It looks like we are getting a tag team match between all four men.
My thoughts: HOOK doesn’t look intimidating at all, yet he’s been built to look that way. He’s not good on the mic. In all fairness, he looks like a child with all his yelling and screaming on the mic. Jericho carried this segment. I do believe Big Bill will come out a lot better than HOOK from this storyline we’re seeing on AEW television.
Hit – Samoa Joe returns on AEW Dynamite
Samoa Joe is back after weeks of absence from live television. The King of Television made a surprise return during a backstage segment with HOOK and Shibata. Joe said he thought HOOK was special. He then left the space to HOOK, Renee Paquette, and Shibata, who took a cheeky jab at the former AEW World Champion.
I’ve always been a fan of Samoa Joe. The guy has an unbelievable aura. Joe was last seen in action at AEW Dynasty. I was wondering if maybe we could get Joe versus Shibata before they teased Joe versus HOOK II.
Miss – Darby Allin isn’t at his hundred percent
Darby Allin made his surprise return to AEW Dynamite this week. The former TNT Champion helped FTR and Bryan Danielson fend off The Elite. AEW confirmed Darby had replaced Eddie Kingston as the fourth member of Team AEW at Double or Nothing.
Darby had previously injured his foot and hit by a bus while recovering. He revealed he was not at his one hundred percent after Dynamite went off the air. I appreciate Darby’s commitment to his work, but do not want him to compete at Anarchy in the Arena just for the sake of his health.
Honorable Mentions
- Will Ospreay’s promo was a hit and miss. I liked how he brought his past working relationship with Strong into their feud. That said, bruv got to stop mentioning bruv after every five seconds.
- Swerve Strickland versus Brian Cage was okay. The post-match angle was great. Christian Cage, once again, got the upper hand on Swerve. The feud has become extremely personal.
- AEW did nice job with the build-up to Moné vs. Nightingale. The TBS Champion cut a solid babyface promo. Moné pivoted when she noticed the crowd chanting for the champion. She ended up on the table with a powerbomb.
- Dax Harwood vs. Kazuchika Okada was my favorite match of the night.
Also read: Multiple Matches Added To 5/18 AEW Collision/Rampage Block
