AEW Dynamite 3/15/2023 Match Ratings and Commentary
(Credit-AEW)
Here’s how we rated this week’s Dynamite from Winnipeg. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.
AEW Dynamite - 3/15/2023
BCC def. “Hangman” Adam Page and Dark Order: ★★★
Jade Cargill def. Nicole Matthews: to retain the AEW TBS Championship: ★
Orange Cassidy def. Jeff Jarrett to retain or win the AEW International Championship: ★★
House of Black def. The Elite and JAS to retain the AEW Trios Championship: ★★★
Trios main event (Credit-AEW)
Show Highlight—
Darby Allin. He’s gonna be a legend forever for this promo. Someone needed to call out the childish antics of far too many on the roster for their Twitter conduct and he was the perfect guy to do it. His portion of the promo battle killed everyone else. He told a story about why he appreciates AEW, and that he doesn’t feel he’s owed anything because he’s authentically him here. He didn’t do deliver his lines in an over-the-top way, he again, got over because Darby was Darby.
And that headlock takeover line slayed me.
What Worked—
MJF’s Re-Bar Mitzvah Celebration. I was really looking forward to this segment to see what MJF would do with this premise, and while it delivered, was I the only one that wanted it to be totally uninterrupted? MJF, for as dark and as emotionally disturbed as his character is, needs to have these moments where he’s celebrating the wins for when he’s right and get what he wants. Even though in storyline it needed to be interrupted and it would have been self-indulgent, I would have enjoyed it with just him, at least.
And perhaps I’m in the minority here too with this fear, but I’m glad he celebrated his Judaism in front of this crowd, as there’s plenty of markets in America where I wouldn’t trust the audience wouldn’t chant something antisemitic.
Far as I remember this was the first time that all 4 pillars where in the ring together. It’s an artificial yet perfectly organic program for the main event of Double or Nothing that will captivate the AEW audience.
Chris Jericho Day. If they did this every week it would come off like Stand Up For WWE propaganda, but this was cool to see. As stated previously on our site and podcast, one of the saddest things about the wrestling industry is knowing that for so long promoters treated their performers like circus animals. Watching video packages like this, it’s genuinely nice to see wrestlers treated with dignity and respect and get to enjoy the fruits of what the wrestling business is like today.
Orange Cassidy vs. Jeff Jarrett. Imagine in 2019 being told you’d be throughly entertained with this match in 2023! I like what they’re doing with Jeff Jarrett: as opposed to giving Double J championships and having him do the Honky Tonk Man route, they have him lose and thus lose more credibility so that the dread is even more enjoyably petrifying that they’d put a belt on him. Great heat.
Everyone loves The Acclaimed. Much like the Jericho piece, if this was done once a month it would be overkill, but with all the bashing of AEW that AEW characters do on screen and on social media, it’s great to see guys appreciate their spot and enjoy their success.
Hangman and The Elite. Absolutely awesome cliffhanger with The Elite behind Hangman to end the show. The mirroring of their previous positioning in the ring were perfect callbacks.
What Didn’t Work—
Jungleboy’s promo. He was trying to play the, “I had to work hard” card, but isn’t MJFs success even in kayfabe warranted by now? Hadn’t he earned that after the match with Danielson? And unlike WWE where everything is for an audience of Vince, what makes AEW great is it is a meritocracy. You can count on a MJF segment being money more than anyone else on their entire roster, that’s why he’s the champion.
He also tried to make the point that the other three pillars will wrestle on any AEW show (I think) but his execution of that line made it sound like he was relegated to the B, C, and D shows of Rampage, Dark and Elevation. All the while they’re trying to get another show on TV! And re-up their TV deal!
Trios Match. Stu Grayson had his moments and nailed Yuta with an incredible, diving DDT that was acrobatic as hell. But then came the spot where he needed to be momentarily incapacitated. A 3 on 1 spiked piledriver to the floor and he was only momentarily incapacitated! I just can’t with that shit. And that shouldn’t make me feel like I’m Cornette or that the business has passed me by as a fan to think that’s totally ridiculous and completely kills believability. Especially when you have Hangman selling a ringbell shot like it’s death after the motherfucker took shots on a brick at the PPV! I get that Hangman needed to do that to tell the story they were telling, I get it, but that was so absurd and it took me out of what was a hot match for a hotter crowd.
House of Black. Didn't they feel like an afterthought? Brody got his shit in in the beginning of the match, but if the whole match was agented around Kenny and Jericho clashing, just do that match instead. Or do The Elite vs. JAS for the number one contender-ship and have the BCC fuck the Elite. Felt hotshotted to include HOB, even with them getting the win. But perhaps a Jericho program just needed to move quickly without weeks of build to show that he’s not moving in one gear creatively.
Show Cringe—
QTV. I’m not a fan of parodies, especially parodying garbage culture like TMZ here. It’s not the punching down aspect that’s off-putting, it’s that there’s nothing new being said when your comment made by the parody is, haha, isn’t shitty shit shit? Like why TMZ now in 2023? And the comedy itself was broader than TNA or even Mad TV.
If QTV turns into a device to make fun of wrestling journalism that could be something interesting. It’s fresh terrain on a wrestling show at least. Lord knows there’s tons of shit you can make fun of about the ethical shoddiness of some of the bigger names that have spread bullshit narratives and half-truths about AEW. Maybe one week it’s a stylistic parody of TMZ, only to transition into a parody of, say, Joe Rogan’s podcast (QT looks uncannily like him…). As long as it’s not too inside baseball and builds to building someone, you’re good.
And maybe that’s why this also fell flat. How was Hobbs put in the best position to be featured here? Especially after QT making the comment that essentially fans, bloggers, and podcasters can have their opinion, but ultimately their opinion doesn’t carry the weight as someone who knows the industry better. You would have thought in the aftermath of QT’s Twitter activities a fire would be lit under someone so genuinely talented as himself to deliver a segment that was undeniably, objectively great.
It’s worth reiterating that the segment was not even two minutes long. It’s not like Hobbs, QT, and Wardlow aren’t forever fucked for all eternity.
The Elite (Credit-AEW)
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