Here’s how we rated this week’s Dynamite from Washington DC. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.

Show Highlight—

MJF vs. Adam Cole. Dynamite match of the year (so far). Another cementing-his-legacy performance by MJF. Some of his finest heel antics ever in-ring to get the crowd fully invested in Adam Cole and Adam Cole as possible AEW Champion. You may feel the stalling at the start took away from the match’s greatness, but that was masterfully done to draw heat and, from the look of it, the Hardy Boyz giving-the-shocker T Shirt Guy didn’t seem to mind getting targeted.
Everything MJF does has a reason. He worked on the arm non-stop and the announcers did a great job of telling the story that Cole my have needed to pop his arm back in its socket after the top rope elbow through the table. Clearly, what did the most damage was the ol’, dreaded Jerk Off Armbar. Loved how they did an inversion on the Eddie DQ belt shot spot. This match was full of clever twists and spins to make you incapable of knowing what the finish was. It effectively wrapped you up so you totally forgot that the time limit would expire and thus save this rematch for a later time and protect both guys. MJF and Adam Cole came out of this match better than they entered it. This was pro fucking wrestling.

What Worked—

CM Punk Collision promo. Bizarre how it’s bizarre to see him on AEW TV again. It’ll be a tightrope act for sure on how he’s reintroduced when he’s back on the mic (which the video package implied he’d get mic time) and back in the ring. I loved the gritty visuals of CM Punk training contrasted with the Chicago streets and trains.
SANADA vs. Jack Perry. Maybe not the dream match we all envisioned for the IWGP Championship but SANADA needs a win and Perry needs a little loss so it’ll work.
Brian Cage. I didn’t catch initially that Cage’s faceprint and ring gear was a heeling cosplay towards Sting. That could work as his permanent look! You stand Brian Cage between Warlord and Barbarian and he’d fit in visually.
Sting. Wrestling history clearly matters to Tony Khan, and giving Sting prominent TV time and a win in the same arena as his Starrcade ’97 win was a nice gesture.
Trios Main Event. Classic AEW clusterfuck where everybody got their shit in and looked awesome doing it. Add all the surprise run-ins post match and you leave the audience stoked for AEW’s summer television. This was the kickoff to a great couple of months AEW needed for momentum.

What Didn’t Work—

Sammy, babyface daddy. Look, they tried. And having faces show basic human decency towards Sammy in wishing him good luck as a father is a fine route to make the audience want to give him the benefit of the doubt again. But if you want to flush the douche from his persona, try showing a picture of him without his tongue flapping from his yap. It was still SO premature to have Darby proclaim that the people loved him again, especially to that groaning response.
How will this Jericho storyline differ from the one with Garcia last year? Chris Jericho’s Dorthy’s ruby red slipper platforms were impeccable cheese, though.
Tanahashi. I loved MJF’s dismissal of him and threatening to miss Forbidden Door, that was great. And I get that Tanahashi is a New Japan legend and all, but dammit if he doesn’t look so banged up he’s getting hard to watch. Tanahashi’s mobility makes Matt Hardy look like Ricochet.

AEW Dynamite 6/14/2023 Match Ratings and Commentary

AEW Rampage 6/16/23 Match Ratings