AEW Dynamite Recap & Review — 1.25.2023 — Mark Briscoe Debuts, Tribute To Jay Briscoe
After Being Forbidden From Tributing The Late Jay Briscoe Last Week, AEW Pays Honor To The Fallen Wrestler
I didn’t do a review for AEW Dynamite last week. Jay Briscoe passed and it was just a weird time, but the show was a strong one. This week, the review is back as per the usual as Dynamite returns. Tonight’s show would also feature the AEW Debut of Mark Briscoe, taking on one of Jay Briscoe’s biggest rivals from Ring of Honor, Jay Lethal. Let’s talk about the show.
So sit back, and enjoy this review of AEW Dynamite from January 25th, 2022! SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE OF AEW DYNAMITE AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Before this review begins, if you are interested in New Japan Pro Wrestling and/or other wrestling in general, be sure to check out the latest review from The Deep Six Wrestling Podcast, covering NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17:
Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs Action Andretti & Ricky Starks
Coming off two major losses, the first back-to-back losses of his entire AEW Career, against Ricky Starks & Action Andretti, Chris Jericho would seek to put this behind him, teaming with Sammy Guevara in the opening bout of the show tonight. This would start very fast, with Guevara & Andretti getting into a quick exchange of quick pin attempts and counters, though Guevara would cut it off with a swift superkick to the face of the new AEW signing. With Sammy controling much of the early outing here, the crowd would come to life begging for Starks to enter the match, though they would get back behind the young Philly native following a great counter off the top rope and a beautiful Spanish Fly! Starks & Jericho would get the respective hot tags, with Ricky really feeling like one of the hottest stars in the company right now, a testament not only to Starks’ ability, but to his booking since the AEW World Championship Eliminator in November 2022. After getting cocky and walking the ropes, Old School style, Sammy Guevara would fly back into the ring with a huge springboard cutter to free Jericho.
Andretti would catch the hot tag, lighting up Jericho and Sammy with a hot flurry of offense, scoring big with a pair of backbreakers and neckbreakers before taking flight with dual suicide dives onto Jericho & Guevara! Ricky would score big with a Springboard DDT, allowing Andretti to land a moonsault out of the corner for a two count on Sammy. After taking Andretti out on the outside, Jericho would eat a massive Spear from Ricky, with him accidentally taking out Sammy in the process. A Roll-Up from Jericho would get countered by Starks into a huge powerbomb for a nearfall, with Action Andretti nailing the former AEW World Champion with a springboard enzuigiri before looking for a split-legged moonsault out of the corner, only to eat Jericho’s knees. Huge jumping knee from Sammy, looking for the GTH, but Andretti escapes and connects with another Enzuigiri. Brutal Poisonrana lands from Andretti, with him following up with the Hanging Neckbreaker… only a two though! On the outside, Starks would take out Jericho with the Roshambeaux… Garcia takes out Andretti with the bat shot, allowing Sammy to land the GTH. Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho win, ending Action Andretti’s Undefeated Streak!
Match Rating — Very Good. It was a fun time here in the opener, and Sammy Guevara was the MVP. Felt like the right ending too, with Andretti & Starks having the upper hand throughout this feud, it took Garcia cheating for his mentors to get the win.
A beautiful video package is shown here, dedicated to the life and career of Jay Briscoe with it being announced that Mark Briscoe vs Jay Lethal is the Dynamite main event tonight.
Darby Allin vs Buddy Matthews — TNT Championship Match
OKAY I SADLY MISSED THE FIRST HALF OF THIS MATCH FOR REASONS, but I came back and was informed that Ortiz came out to fight off the House of Black. Upon return, Darby would spike Buddy with a Poisonrana before slamming Matthews into the barricade. Big Crucifix Bomb from Allin for a two count lands here, with both guys being laid out after the kickout. Knee Strike gets attempted by Buddy, but Darby evades and looks for the Code Red, which Buddy dodges, dropping Darby in the corner with the Buckle Bomb into a curb stomp for a nearfall!
I AM VERY UPSET I MISSED THE FIRST PORTION OF THIS!
Murphy’s Law is looked for, but Darby gets out with the Code Red for his own two count as the champion goes high. Both men go to the top rope, with Matthews looking for a superplex… Darby counters with a Scorpion Death Drop off the top rope! Matthews somehow kicks out here at two, with Darby setting up for the Coffin Drop again, Buddy makes it out to the apron, but gets draped over the middle rope… DARBY FLIES AND DELIVERS THE COFFIN DROP IN BRUTAL FASHION. Darby Allin Retains!
After the match, Samoa Joe returns, appearing on-screen and stating that he is coming for what is his. The King has Spoken, and he is coming back for the TNT Championship. SIGN ME UP!
Match Rating — Very Good! I didn’t see the full thing, so this could have been great, but from what I saw this was just awesome stuff. We also got a shoutout to THE FINAL BYE BYE from over the weekend. Very excited about Darby’s reign so far, and a third and final match between he & Samoa Joe sounds incredible.
Ethan Page & Matt Hardy vs JungleHOOK
Off the bat, I really love Ethan Page and I think that while this pairing of Matt Hardy, Private Party, & The Firm started off wack, they’ve all found pretty great chemistry with one another. This starts fast, with Ethan Page looking for Ego’s Edge on HOOK on the floor, but Jungle Boy soars to break it up. Matt Hardy takes control here, with him & All Ego dominating Jack Perry. Back from commercial break, Jack Perry would fly off the ropes only to be caught in the Side Effect, with Hardy teasing the Twist of Fate… only for Ethan Page to demand the tag. Ethan would come in for his own Twist of Fate, only to get locked in the Snare Trap! Matt would look for the tag, only to be taken off the apron by HOOK, forcing Ethan to tap out.
Match Rating — Good! This wasn’t anything blowaway, but it was a fun showcase for two younger stars in the form of HOOK & Jungle Boy while also furthering the storyline between Ethan Page & Matt Hardy. Makes sense to me.
The Acclaimed, Billy Gunn, and The Gunns go to Family Therapy. Austin & Colten raise valid points here about Billy being a bad father during their childhood, and raising a valid point that they helped Bowens when he was in a wheelchair last year. The Acclaimed say that The Ass Boys are pieces of shit, and Billy is determined to resolve this. The Gunns say all they want are the tag team titles and walk out.
Back from break, Renee Paquette & Hangman Page appear, bringing up that this all started in Ohio and next week, they are in Dayton. Page says that he wants to knock out Jon Moxley. Wheeler Yuta appears and challenges Hangman for Friday! Jon Moxley vs Hangman Page III is set for Dynamite next week, and Yuta vs Page is set for Rampage!
Bryan Danielson vs Brian Cage
A match I was looking forward to quite a bit would see Brian Cage take on Bryan Danielson here, with Bryan looking to take down The Machine with quick offense and strikes, but being out-powered by the ROH 6-Man Tag Team Champion. Danielson would eventually get Cage down, unloading with elbow strikes to the head, but Danielson would escape and lock in The Lebel Lock, teasing a tap, though Cage would get his bottom foot on the rope. Baseball Kick through the ropes before diving, sending Cage into the barricade. Danielson goes high, coming off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody to the floor! Finally, after eating offense after offense, Cage would destroy Danielson with a press slam in the corner, coming back with kicks and a massive German Suplex out of the corner before both would head out onto the apron, with Cage slamming Bryan back-first on the apron into the break.
Back from commercial, Brian Cage would have a Bear Hug locked in, locking the arm of Danielson up as well. Bryan would get out, lighting up the big man with big kicks to the leg to get free. Cage would rebound with a lariat before catching Danielson mid-air with a Shoulderbreaker. With Danielson on the apron, Cage would climb the ropes, suplexing Danielson back into the ring with ease. Bryan slides to the opposite apron, allowing Brian to suplex him for a second time for a nearfall.
Cheeky Nandos Kick from Brian Cage connects in the corner, with the Big Man going up top to meet Danielson, looking for an Avalanche Powerbomb, though Danieslon manages to fight it off. Bryan gets sent back into the ring, flying into the corner with a flying kick before bringing Cage back down with a Superplex! With Cage downed on his knees, Danielson begins unloading with kicks to the chest of The Machine, finishing with a kick to the head for another two count… The American Dragon then grabs the arms, stomping the head of Cage before looking for a Triangle Hold. Cage escapes and looks for a powerbomb, buy Bryan gets out into an ankle lock! Rolling Elbow from Danielson, Discus Lariat from Cage, Buckle Bomb from Cage! Powerbomb from Cage… ROLL-UP FROM DANIELSON! Bryan Danielson wins another great match in his run this year!
Match Rating — Great! I had no doubts about this one. Cage rules, Danielson is an all-time great. This ruled and both guys looked great. With news of Cage’s contract being up soon, I really hope he re-signs. Dude has been super impressive since his return in September.
After the match, Brian Cage and Prince Nana attack Bryan Danielson, with Cage laying out Danielson with a power move, attacking the arm of Danielson as MJF makes his entrance. With Bryan being laid out and brutalized by MJF & Cage, Konosuke Takeshita arrives to clear house, likely setting up a match between Takeshita vs Cage and possibly MJF vs Takeshita!
Danielson is shown backstage in the trainer’s room, with Doc Sampson saying he shouldn’t wrestle, but Bryan fires up with a huge fire as he states that he wrestled for 60 minutes with a torn shoulder. He is going to expose MJF as a fraud.
Toni Storm vs Ruby Soho
Originally scheduled to be a triple threat between Toni Storm, Ruby Soho, & Britt Baker, D.M.D. would be pulled from the match earlier today due to injury. Before the match, we’d get promos from Ruby Soho and Toni Storm, with Toni calling a lot of the AEW women “homegrown idiots” and saying that Ruby has become a misfit. This is also apparently a first-time singles match, so, cool! Ruby & Toni would lock-up to start, with Toni reeling to the floor. Commentary would play up the battle lines being drawn here between the AEW Originals and AEW Homegrown talent. It’s clear what is happening. Toni would get back into the ring, nailing Ruby with a huge boot to the face. A nasty hip attack lands to Ruby on the apron, sending Soho to the floor for the break.
Back from the break, Ruby controls with an attack in the corner, sending Toni face first into the bottom buckle before delivering a Saito suplex, another suplex, and a strike to drop Storm. Destination Unknown gets looked for, but Toni rolls her up and grabs the tights. No Future from Soho gets a nearfall, with Storm kicking out at the last second.
Ruby comes off the top with a senton, but corrects, seeing Toni move out of the way. Storm appears to tease her nose being reinjured, crying and covering it as the ref checks on her. Ruby backs off before Storm drops her face first onto the bottom rope, with Toni clearly faking before murdering Soho with the Sweet Cheeks Music and the Swinging DDT for a nearfall. Britt Baker’s music hits as Toni taunts, with Britt appearing, allowing Ruby to hit the Destination Unknown, as Ruby Soho picks up the win over Toni Storm.
Match Rating — Very Good! I’m sure this will be lower for some people, but I quite enjoyed this a lot. Ruby looked great as usual, but Toni looked excellent as a heel to me. She just adapted as a a heel so well here and I loved that for her.
MJF appears backstage, saying that unfortunately he has to speak to the fans backstage saying that he wasn’t the first Jew to have to hide from a man with blue eyes. MJF bullies Takeshita for his name, but says that he thinks he’s great before warning him to stay out of his business.
AEW RAMPAGE — FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023:
- Jamie Hayter vs Emi Sakura
- We Hear From Powerhouse Hobbs
- Hangman Page vs Wheeler Yuta
AEW DYNAMITE — WEDENSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2023:
- Bryan Danielson vs Timothy Thatcher
- Hangman Page vs Jon Moxley
- Samoa Joe vs Darby Allin — TNT Championship
- The Acclaimed In Tag Team Action
Mark Briscoe vs Jay Lethal
A special main event match tonight would see Mark Briscoe honor his fallen brother, Jay Briscoe, in a singles match against AEW’s Jay Lethal. Caprice Coleman & Ian Riccaboni would serve on commentary for this as well. Before the match, Jay Lethal was weeping and seeing Mark come out with he and Jay’s ROH Tag Team Titles, coming out to “Reach For The Sky”, man this was brutal but so sweet to see. An absolute shame that Warner Bros prevented The Briscoes from ever being on TV before this, but Tony Khan and AEW getting this to happen was truly amazing.
Briscoe & Lethal would wrestle to a standstill to start here, with Mark eventually scoring with a neckbreaker. Back from break, Mark and Jay would be trading chops in the ring, with Mark firing up with his Redneck Kung Fu to a good reaction, coming off the top with an elbow. Pele-style kick from Mark connects with Jay Lethal, as he catches Lethal with an uppercut in the corner and the Iconoclasm out of the corner. Lethal Combination lands for a two count, as Jay drops Briscoe with a facebuster before landing the Lethal Injection, but Mark rolls to the floor! Jay teases putting Mark through a table at ringside, but Mark comes back to life, flying off the apron with a running blockbuster to the floor! Lethal gets laid out onto the timekeeper’s table, with Mark Briscoe climbing to a huge reaction as Mark comes down with the FroggyBo through the table!
Mark tosses Jay back into the ring, but Lethal kicks out after the time spent on the floor. Mark teases the Jay Driller but Lethal gets out. Lethal Combination looked for again, but Mark gets him with a lariat. Jay Driller teased again, but he drops him again with the lariat. JAY DRILLER! MARK BRISCOE WINS!
Match Rating — Great! This was bittersweet to watch, with it being a genuinely great match tonight, though it put a spotlight on the fact that The Briscoes should have been allowed in AEW since ealier this year. That was not the case, and it sucks. Still, Lethal & Mark put on a great main event and delivered a strong tribute to Jay Briscoe. It was nice to see the roster pour out onto the stage as well, following up on the ROH Tribute Show that was taped last week.
Overall, it may sound redundant at this point, but AEW is off to a truly incredible start in 2023. Week in, week out Dynamite has been nothing but great since the start of the year with some great wrestling and compelling stories to boot. The Women’s Division is heating up with all-out war amongst some of the girls, Toni Storm is a compelling heel, Jamie Hayter is a compelling champion, Britt Baker, Ruby Soho, & Willow Nightingale rule. Bryan Danielson is having a great run of matches on TV, and we get him in a violent technical match against Timothy Thatcher next week! The main event was emotional and bittersweet, but it was genuinely great stuff between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. This was definitely not an episode to skip!
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