Nov 3, 2022
AEW Dynamite Review — 11.2.2022 — The Last Outlaw Arrives
Jeff Jarrett Debuts, Colt Cabana Returns, Shibata Challenges Orange Cassidy
Following a strong episode of AEW Dynamite last week that ended with a shocking turn of events as The Firm laid out both AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and his challenger for Full Gear, MJF. This week, AEW would load up another Wednesday Night, with Chris Jericho hosting an ROH World Championship Open Challenge, Jon Moxley vs The Firm’s Lee Moriarty, Jade Cargill vs Marina Shafir for the TBS Championship, Samoa Joe defending the ROH Television Championship against Samoa Joe, and Orange Cassidy defending the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Luchasaurus & Rey Fenix! Would this week’s episode be able to live up to some of the best episodes of AEW Dynamite? Let’s talk about it!
So sit back, and enjoy this review of AEW Dynamite from November 2nd, 2022! SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE OF AEW DYNAMITE AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Darby Allin vs Jay Lethal
Following up on Darby Allin’s big win over Jay Lethal a few weeks ago, and a subsequent attack from Lethal, the two men would kick off this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in hot fashion. Brawling out of the gates, Lethal and Darby would take it to each other at the ringside area to start things, with Allin flying over the ropes, getting thrown onto a table, and Lethal getting thrown into the barricades before Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt made their way to the ringside area. Using Satnam as a shield, Lethal would avoid one of Darby’s nasty suicide dives before sending the daredevil into the steel steps and locking the figure four in against a barricade.
Sending the show into its first picture-in-picture break, Lethal would send Darby flying with a brutal release German suplex on the apron. Back from break, the former ROH World Champion would be in control, leveling Darby with a backbreaker before heading to the top for the Macho Man Elbow, though Darby Allin would counter with a crucifix roll-up. Allin would offer a fantastic counter for the Lethal Injection, getting a great reaction from the crowd, as he caught Jay mid-handspring with a sleeper hold! Stungdog Millionaire from Darby would open the door for the Coffin Drop, though Jay would slide out of the ring to evade. In a crazy moment, Darby Allin would go for his violent suicide dive on Satnam who no-sold it as Darby just bounced off the big-man before Singh and Dutt would be thrown out. This would allow for a man dressed as Sting to arrive at ringside to lay out Darby with a bat, as Lethal would pick up the win via a Lethal Injection!
After the match, Lethal’s Sting impersonator would join Jay, Satnam, and Sonjay in the ring, unmasking to reveal himself as… Cole Karter? Sting’s music would hit and as the heels teased being scared for Sting, JEFF JARRETT WOULD BLINDSIDE DARBY ALLIN WITH A GUITAR SHOT! Jarrett gets on the mic and tells him that he just got a lesson from the Last Outlaw, to not worship your idols. Sting is his biggest weakness. Jarrett then lays out the challenge for everyone in AEW and says that he’s here to make an impact. By the time he’s done here, there will be full bodybags and that we, the AEW fans, can choke on that… SLAPNUTS! His TNA theme song is also back!
My Thoughts:
I am probably somewhat bias, but I’ve loved Jeff Jarrett’s heel work for years. His participation in Ric Flair’s Last Match proved that he can still deliver the goods as a heel, and his introduction felt like a fairly big deal here, with him elevating the updated faction of himself, Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, Sonjay Dutt, and Cole Karter. The fact he also had his TNA Theme Song made me very happy. Lethal & Darby have very chemistry together and that was on full display here yet again. This feud finally got some proper heat behind it with Lethal getting the win + Jarrett debuting, so hopefully Sting returns soon to kick things into Full Gear.
A Jon Moxley backstage promo would hype up his bout with Lee Moriarity following the ending of Dynamite last week.
A vignette would air showing the finish to The Elite vs Hangman Page & Dark Order at All Out for the Trios Championship, with the video being edited to remove The Elite and replaced with Death Triangle before showing the graphic of the “Elite” in All Elite Wrestling being erased. It appears that Death Triangle vs The Elite will be happening soon.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs Lee Moriarty — AEW World Championship Eliminator Match
This match would be hurt with an unfortunate picture-in-picture placement early on, but upon returning from break, Lee would get a chance to look pretty good against the World Champion. Ethan Page would hop onto commentary as a representative of The Firm, possibly the new leader. Moriarty and Moxley would trade strikes in the center of the ring, with the younger star getting the better of the exchange, dropping Moxley with a suplex, before Moxley stood up and delivered his own, as Lee stood up out of his and locked in the Border City Stretch!
Moriarty would break the hold, hammering down into the back of the head of Moxley, which would allow Mox to roll him up for two. The Hammer & Anvil Elbows would come out before Moxley locked in the choke as Lee was forced to submit. After the bell, Ethan Page would sprint down from commentary to take out Mox with a Running Big Boot, with he, Lee Moriarty, and Stokely standing over the champ.
Renee Paquette’s sit-down interview with Saraya and Britt Baker would be scheduled, but Baker would not show up. Saraya said that she knows what its like to be a star, but Britt doesn’t know what it is like to truly be a star. In her past, Saraya built divisions everywhere she went. Renee would officially welcome her back to pro-wrestling, asking her why she returned to wrestling and why AEW? Saraya would say that once the timing was right, she wanted to come in to help continue to build up the division. Renee would ask about her injury, and Saraya would state that she’s going to wait till next week because there’s one more doctor she wants to consult on this…
My Thoughts:
I adore Lee Moriarty and it is a serious shame that he hasn’t been on TV much of this year. He seemed poised to breakout after signing with AEW, but 2022 just didn’t really bring much for him. Hopefully with a focus on ROH and The Firm being positioned strongly right now, he can get something going with the ROH Pure Championship or something of the sort because he is a stupendous talent. The final few moments of his match with Moxley was great to see. A very strong aspect of The Firm turning on MJF is the elevation of Ethan Page, a talent that is surely a main-event level star. With him entering the AEW Eliminator Tournament, and MJF possibly dethroning Moxley at Full Gear, it has to be said that Page winning and challenging MJF feels like a strong first feud for Max after the PPV.
William Regal would talk backstage that MJF is not ready for the real demon at Full Gear; Jon Moxley.
Daddy Ass Birthday Bash
The Acclaimed would be out for Billy Gunn’s birthday celebration, with a fairly low-key rap this week making reference to Swerve Strickland acting like he’s on drugs after his kidnapping of Gunn during Rampage, and Elon Musk making people pay to be verified on Twitter. Loud “Oh, Scissor Me Daddy” chants would ring out to kick off the segment as Bowens would share that it was a tough weekend for them all after Swerve injured Daddy Ass on AEW Rampage. Scissoring is taking over the world, including The World Series, and now, they have official Scissoring Foam Fingers! It’s true, AEW now stands for “Acclaimed Every Wednesday”, and it is a fact that everyone loves The Acclaimed and that everyone also loves Daddy Ass! Max would go into the crowd and Scissor a child, taking his giant cut-out scissors to give to Billy Gunn as a Birthday Present. Bowens runs down Billy’s career and to top it off, the boys present Daddy Ass with a trophy for being the World’s Greatest Daddy as the audience would ring out with “Daddy Ass” chants! They joked about Gunn missing the DX reunion which got a big reaction as well, before Bowens would thank Billy for everything that he’s done for their career before revealing the last gift… AN ADOPTION CERTIFICATE!
Before Billy could sign it, Austin & Colten Gunn would arrive to deafening “Ass Boys” chants before questioning where their invite was to his birthday party. Colten says that even though they weren’t invited, they got him a gift as W. Morrissey would hit the ring, leveling Billy with a Big Boot as The Firm woud lay out The Acclaimed. This would prompt FTR to come out to confront The Gunns, with the heels running off as a faceoff would occur.
Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter would be interviewed backstage by Tony, saying that she doesn’t jump for Renee and Saraya. Jamie is sick of the conspiracies and BS, and they both want to wrestle. Baker & Hayter lay out the challenge for Friday, saying they want to wrestle.
My Thoughts:
The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn can do no wrong, they’re just so damn entertaining together! This wasn’t the best segment they’ve done, but it was funny and offered a genuinely heartwarming moment between the three of them as they asked Billy to adopt them. The Firm also feel like they’re being elevated across the board, which is a good thing. AEW has a bunch of teams and factions, but they need more of them to be truly established. Page possibly winning the Eliminator Tournament, the Gunns challenging FTR, Morrissey looking like a beast, it’s very good. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter are a very good tag-team and their matches seemingly always deliver on TV, no idea who they’re facing, but they are a legit draw for at least me to watch AEW Rampage this week. Putting bigger stars on Rampage feels like a very smart idea, and Britt is a big name.
Chris Jericho vs Colt Cabana — ROH World Championship Open Challenge
Jericho cuts a promo before the match, saying he doesn’t care who he faces tonight, whether its an ROH Champion or Lamar Jackson. Everyone needs to honor the Ocho. Colt Cabana would be revealed as the challenger and would be embraced extremely well by the Baltimore crowd. As a longtime Cabana fan, this felt great to see and seems to indicate a very decisive result to the CM Punk/AEW relationship. Cabana and Jericho would shake hands as Cabana would light up Jericho to massive chants of “Welcome Back”! Similar to other Jericho ROH Title defenses, Colt would get control to start, with Jericho selling for his opponent.
A very scary Chicago Skyline would land to send things into commercial break. During Picture-In-Picture, the Champion would take control, just beating down Colt with strikes before Colt would fire up with his own only to get leveled with a forearm and a back suplex in the ring. Back from break, Cabana would take control int he corner with chops before leveling Jericho with a fist and then a body splash! Colt would tease the Moonsault Press, but Jericho would crotch him on the top rope, getting the challenger onto his shoulders, with Colt getting out into a roll-up for two. The Walls would get looked for, but Jericho would get rolled up again for two before Colt would fire off fists. The Judas Effect would be evaded, as Colt Cabana would lock the Billy Goat’s Curse in, but Jericho would get out. Superman Pin from Cabana, only to be broken up at the last second by Hager! Springboard Moonsault to the floor to Garcia & Hager, and Colt would run into a Codebreaker. Chris Jericho wins & retains the ROH World Championship!
Post-Match, The Jericho Appreciation Society would grab Ian off of commentary, teasing a belt shot as Claudio and the BCC would rush out for a massive brawl on the stage.
My Thoughts:
Man, I fucking love Colt Cabana. Seeing him disappear from AEW TV over the last year was a shame. His return seemed like a way to emphasize that Punk is done with AEW, but also a way to offer something to a locker room that seemingly loves Cabana. With The Elite on their way back to TV and Colt now back in AEW, it just feels good. Anyways, the match! The Superman Pin was a great nearfall, and this was yet another strong match in Jericho’s reign as the Ring of Honor World Champion. With his victories over Claudio at Grand Slam, Bandido, Dalton Castle, and now Colt Cabana, Jericho is having a great reign right now.
Renee Paquette would appear backstage with Death Triangle, asking Rey Fenix about possibly becoming All-Atlantic Champion. PAC would cut him off, saying that if he wants real revenge for Death Triangle, using his hammer could be his golden ticket to becoming double champion.
Orange Cassidy vs Luchasaurus vs Rey Fenix — AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match
Continuing Orange Cassidy’s trend of defending the All-Atlantic Championship in random triple threats, the second-ever champion would defend in a very random bout against Death Triangle’s Rey Fenix and Luchasaurus. The two smaller guys would attempt to take out Luchasaurus quickly together, with Cassidy nailing a superkick and the two hitting stereo dropkicks to send him out of the ring before OC would bust out the light kicks. Things would pick up quickly between these two with very, very fast-paced offense from both Cassidy & Fenix, as the champion would get the better of Rey with a huge DDT before both would Kip up.
The big bad dinosaur would storm back into the ring, leveling both guys with a shoulder tackle, and then again with a dual clothesline to take control into the commercial break. Back to the action, Fenix would fight out of a big suplex with kicks before being leveled by the big man, as Luchasaurus would get caught with a Stundog Millionaire from Cassidy and a thrust kick from Fenix. Orange Punch from OC would send the big man back to the floor as the two smaller men would dive to the floor with stereo dives, as Cassidy would be caught by the throat and sent into the steel steps! Fenix would then be chokeslammed through a table at ringside. Cassidy would be killed with a crazy big boot on the entrance ramp, which he sold by flipping fully. Another Orange Punch would be evaded, as Luchasaurus would headbutt Cassidy and tease chokeslamming him off the stage! Jack Perry would arrive to nail Luchasaurus in the back with a chair before launching himself and Luchasaurus off the stage and through a table!
PAC would run out to the ring, sending Cassidy into the ring and handing the hammer off to Fenix, though his partner would refuse to use it, allowing Cassidy to get a roll-up for two! Fenix would get caught mid-air with a sick Orange Punch for the win. AFTER THE MATCH PAC WOULD ATTACK ORANGE CASSIDY, WITH KATSUYORI SHIBATA COMING TO HIS AID AND THE MATCH BEING MADE. SHIBATA VS ORANGE CASSIDY SET FOR THE AEW ALL-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP ON RAMPAGE.
RICK ROSS would appear with Swerve Strickland backstage, co-signing Strickland! Keith Lee would come in to embrace Ross as dissension would be teased between he & Swerve once again. Ross would try to place peacemaker as the group would share champagne.
My Thoughts:
Right, so this was a very fun triple threat with a nuts finish. However, the bigger story, obviously, is KATSUYORI SHIBATA WRESTLING ORANGE CASSIDY THIS WEEK ON AEW RAMPAGE. I do not have tickets to this yet, but this is a huge selling point. Seeing Shibata wrestle live is not something I would have ever expected to have possible, but here we are. I’m just happy that they’re following up on the surprise at Forbidden Door. I’m still not over that I just typed
Jade Cargill vs Marina Shafir — AEW TBS Women’s Championship
As the match got started here, Nyla Rose would appear with Vickie Guerrero at the top of the ramp to do live commentary as a way to try and distract Jade Cargill. Jade would get played for a bit before nailing the nice-looking Pump Kick and then Jaded as she would pick up the win. Kiera Hogan would try to steal back the TBS title, but would be knocked down by Nyla during her escape.
My Thoughts:
I like that Nyla is getting to show her funny personality, but man this was not it. The crowd got really behind Jade after the Pump Kick though, so that’s nice. Jade vs Nyla really needs to deliver, otherwise this will be one awful feud.
The House of Black would have a very exciting vignette play, teasing the impending return of Julia Hart, Buddy Matthews, Brody King, and yes, Malakai Black. You love to see it. Very excited that the group is back and very intrigued about where they go direction-wise.
A short vignette would air with promos from Jamie Hayter and Toni Storm discussing their past together as it was announced Jamie would be facing Toni at AEW Full Gear for the AEW Interim Women’s Championship. Good stuff!
Samoa Joe vs Brian Cage — ROH World Television Championship
Samoa Joe would arrive to a massive ovation though Brian Cage would take control in the early goings of this match. Taz would provide very good commentary here, acknowledging his history as Joe’s manage in TNA and his time as Cage’s manager earlier in AEW. Joe would attempt to fire up with strikes, but he would be leveled with a huge German Suplex out of the corner from The Machine.
As the show came back from break, Cage would fly over the top rope with a huge flipping dive onto the World Television Champion! Back int he ring, Cage would flex for the crowd before eating the jabs from Samoa Joe. Spin Kick from Cage, Manhattan Drop from Joe followed by a senton for a two count! Huge Pumphandle Driver from Cage scores for a nearfall, before he misses with a Discuss Lariat! Side Slam and the Discuss Lariat connects for Brian Cage for yet another big nearfall. Coquina Clutch, but Cage fights out quickly before getting locked back in… Brian Cage taps out! Samoa Joe wins and retains the ROH World Television Championship!
After the match, The Gates of Agony would hit the ring to lay out Samoa Joe at the order of Prince Nana. Wardlow would arrive on the scene to help run off The Embassy. Powerhouse Hobbs would then hit the ring and lay out the TNT Champion with a Spinebuster from behind, standing tall to end the show!
My Thoughts:
Shoutout to Brian Cage, who has only delivered at a very high level since returning to AEW television, first with his singles match against Wardlow at the Third Anniversary Show and again here against Samoa Joe. It was a weird main event, especially with the ending to the All-Atlantic Triple Threat, but it was nice to see Powerhouse Hobbs end Dynamite standing tall while holding a belt. Just please, please give us Ricky Starks back Tony, for the love of god!
Overall Thoughts:
Tonight’s show was far from must-see, and it also featured one of the worst matches/segments in the company’s history with whatever the Jade Cargill vs Marina Shafir nonsense was. Samoa Joe vs Brian Cage was a surprising main event, given that it was the ROH Television Championship main-eventing over the ROH World Championship, but it was a solid match, with Cage once again proving that he is a very underrated commodity in wrestling and does not have bad matches with anyone. Elsewhere, Colt Cabana made a big return to AEW after seemingly being relegated to ROH through CM Punk. This marks a big sign of change in the post-Punk era of AEW, especially with The Elite back. Aside from Jade’s bad angle, the women would get a bit throughout the show, with Renee & Saraya’s sit-down that indicated Saraya is cleared and that it will be confirmed next week, Jamie & Britt’s promo and Rampage challenge, and the pre-taped video for Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter ahead of Full Gear. We also got Jeff Jarrett and Katsuyori Shibata making their AEW Dynamite debuts, which is a wild sentence to tape, as we also know that Shibata will be facing Orange Cassidy on Rampage for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.
Go out of your way to watch the All-Atlantic Triple Threat + post-match, Samoa Joe vs Brian Cage, Colt Cabana vs Chris Jericho, the Jeff Jarrett debut, and the vignettes from the show. If you have time, check out Billy Gunn’s Birthday Celebration as well.
Pros:
- Jeff Jarrett Debuts
- Lee Moriarty Wrestled
- The Elite’s Second Vignette
- All-Atlantic Triple Threat
- Katsuyori Shibata Returns
- Colt Cabana Returns + his match with Chris Jericho
- All of the women’s stuff with Renee, Saraya, Jamie, Britt, & Toni
- Samoa Joe vs Brian Cage
- Daddy Ass’ Birthday Bash
Cons:
- Jade Cargill vs Marina Shafir
- yet another BCC & JAS massive brawl segment
- No Ricky Starks or Eddie Kingston
- The ending felt very abrupt
AEW Dynamite, November 2nd, 2022 Overall Rating: 7 out of 10
AEW Rampage — Friday, November 4th, 2022:
- Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs Madison Rayne & Skye Blue
- “Iron” Mike Tyson Provides Special Commentary
- More Names Announced For The AEW Eliminator Tournament
- Katsuyori Shibata vs Orange Cassidy — AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match
AEW Dynamite — Wednesday, November 9th, 2022:
- FTR & The Acclaimed vs Swerve In Our Glory & The Gunn Club
- More to be Announced on Rampage
AEW Full Gear — Friday, November 19, 2022:
- Jon Moxley vs MJF — AEW World Championship Match
- Toni Storm vs Jamie Hayter — AEW Interim Women’s World Championship Match
- AEW World Title Eliminator Finals
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