AEW Dynamite Review — 11.23.2022 — Full Gear Fallout
Death Triangle vs The Elite II, House Of Black Returns, Chris Jericho vs Tomohiro Ishii
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Coming off of AEW Full Gear over the weekend, Tony Khan’s company would return to television after one of the best PPVs of the year. Heading into their annual Thanksgiving show in Chicago, all eyes would be on AEW after the event which made waves thanks to MJF and Jamie Hayter being crowned the new World Champions of AEW. This show would have a lot of hype behind it, with William Regal speaking after turning heel to help MJF defeat Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho defending the ROH World Championship against NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii, and a Women’s Tag Team Triple Threat! 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 23rd, 2022! SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE OF AEW DYNAMITE AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
William Regal Speaks…
Kicking things off this week, William Regal, the true villain of AEW, would open tonight’s edition of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite. Regal would let the AEW fans know that MJF will speak, but not tonight, as he is filming a major motion picture. The crowd in turn, would reply with very friendly, “fuck you Regal” chants. He would explain that he sent an email to MJF ahead of Full Gear, and that next week, MJF will be on TV to explain how their partnership came together… Enter Jon Moxley.
Bryan Danielson would play peacemaker, saying that while Regal did a bad thing, both he and Moxley have done plenty of bad things. Danielson invokes his own father and Regal’s past health struggles, and the fact that Regal has been a mentor for both of them, to try and prevent Moxley from attacking the leader of The Blackpool Combat Club. Moxley would struggle to come to turns with this, as the lively crowd would come to life in his favor, booing Danielson and Regal out of the building. Jon would step-up to Regal, saying that all Moxley wants is for William Regal to run and never, ever come back. Listening to Mox, Regal would walk off to the back to a chorus “hey hey, goodbye” chants from the crowd.
My Thoughts:
This was a very hot start to the show, and it certainly did not linger on for too long. Regal got to play a full-on heel for the first time in years, and it was simply delightful seeing him revel in the response from the crowd. I fully expected Bryan to go full heel, defending Regal’s honor, but it didn’t happen… at least not yet. I am very curious to see how things play out next week with MJF’s return from filming, Regal’s email, and the dynamic between Mox and Bryan.
Renee Paquette would be seen backstage with Keith Lee, asking about what happened between he and Swerve at Full Gear, wondering where they stand. Keith would begin to speak… before Strickland would cut him off. Swerve would say they need to talk, but without a camera…
Orange Cassidy vs Jake Hager — AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match
Jake Hager would be backed by 2.0 & Daniel Garcia for this match, and thanks to this super-duper lively crowd, Jake Hager would be seen as a massive heel here. The purple hat would also be very over, and the reaction for Orange Cassidy’s entrance and his lazy kicks would be truly incredible. For anyone doubting the Chicago fans for possibly being burnt out or for the CM Punk drama, this match would showcase a great, great atmosphere on hand. Headed into break, Hager would lock in a bear hug with Cassidy getting out of it by taking the bucket hat away, as Hager would let him loose in order to get his headwear back.
Back from commercial, Hager would continue controlling Cassidy, with the champ having to take the hat off of Hager to once again get the big-man distracted. A roll-up would seal the match in Cassidy’s favor, with Orange Cassidy retaining the AEW All-Atlantic Championship!
After the match, QT Marshall & The Factory would make their way out, cutting the celebration short. QT would seemingly ask for an All-Atlantic Championship match before the lights would go out… JULIA HART WOULD ARRIVE, BASKED IN RED LIGHT WITH THE HOUSE OF BLACK TAKING OUT BEST FRIENDS! The crowd would welcome the group back with open arms, before they would also lay out The Factory, AEW Dark Wrestlers, and security! Julia Hart would take all of this in on the top of the stage, with House of Black getting a monster reaction from Chicago.
Malakai Black would get on the mic, requesting that members of the House of Black please rise.
My Thoughts:
The majority of this one seemed like it happened in picture-in-picture, so the match itself was a bit of nothing for me personally. Alternatively, the live crowd was seemingly VERY into this, with them giving great reactions to Hager and Orange Cassidy. This gave OC yet another solid defense of the All-Atlantic Championship… which he will likely now be losing. The House of Black’s vignettes have been nothing but great as of late, and the reveal of Julia Hart was great. The PPV made it seem like Danhausen would be the one interrupting The Factory, so the return felt genuinely shocking. Julia Hart has such a damn good look. Call me a simp, but she just has the IT factor, something that has become very clear through her role in the House of Black. Malakai, Brody, and Buddy all feel refreshed, and one would assume Malakai may take aim for the All-Atlantic Championship while Brody & Buddy become a tag-team. Regardless, this was awesome.
Ethan Page vs Ricky Starks — AEW World Championship Eliminator Finals
With Ricky Starks coming off an injury, whether real or storyline, this tournament has become a story of him overcoming the odds. First, somehow beating Lance Archer in a brutal match, then facing off against his former tag-team partner, Brian Cage at Full Gear, and now taking on Ethan Page after being brutalized by two hosses over the last week, here in the finals. The crowd would once again be firmly behind Starks and fully against the current head of The Firm. Page would control the early goings, with Starks getting a bit of relief after nailing a Spear out of nowhere, though Ethan would continue to beat the underdog down around ringside, even slamming him shoulder first into the steel steps and throwing him into the crowd.
Back from commercial break, Starks would continue being beaten down before eventually looking for a springboard DDT, only to get dropped over the top rope. The two men would end up on the apron, and Stokely Hathaway would trip Ricky up, causing him to fall onto the floor which would score an ejection for the mastermind behind The Firm. Starks and Page would head up high, with Ricky sending Ethan flying across the ring with a huge superplex. A swinging neckbreaker from Starks would give him an opening, as he would land the springboard DDT for a big-time nearfall. A powerslam from Ethan would get him his own nearfall, with both men trading falls in the late stages here. All Ego would call for the Ego’s Edge, but Starks would escape, going for a roll-up before eating two Karate Kicks from Page, then nailing another Spear! A third Spear from Starks would land, and Ricky Starks wins! Ricky Starks vs MJF is set for AEW Winter Is Coming, with the AEW World Championship on the line!
My Thoughts:
While the booking of this Starks run was a bit confusing, it got the job done. The crowd is still massively behind Ricky Starks as he continues his rise up the card within AEW. He now moves onto the biggest match of his career, facing off against MJF for the AEW World Championship in Ricky’s hometown at Winter is Coming! This was very, very good.
Following her win over Nyla Rose at Full Gear, Jade Cargill’s footage with Bow Wow would be seen before Jade and The Baddies would be seen backstage, with the returning Red Velvet. Mark Sterling would force Kiera Hogan to sign a statement, releasing her from her services from Jade Cargill. For what it’s worth, as a Kiera Hogan fan, she can be a great babyface on her own.
Death Triangle vs The Elite — Match 2, Best of 7 Series
As expected, The Elite would be met with some very loud boos during their entrance from the Chicago crowd, also getting CM Punk chants. “Fuck The Elite” chants would also come out early on. Fenix would offer a handshake to Omega, playing off the finish at Full Gear, with Kenny nailing a knee strike out of the gates instead before The Elite would just all gang up on Rey in the ring, receiving a mixed reaction to say the least. Penta would eat a powerbomb on the apron from Matt Jackson, with Omega nailing a sit-out powerbomb onto Fenix. The crowd would quickly come alive for this, with The Lucha Bros being very over with loud “Ole” chants and huge reactions for nearly every move from either team out of the gates. Omega would taunt the crowd with a GTS pose as well.
Kenny Omega would take control for his team, dominating PAC, who apparently broke his nose. A portion of the crowd would then break out into a “Fuck CM Punk” chant, which is just wild to type seeing that it was Chicago. During picture-in-picture, Matt Jackson would go for the Buckshot Lariat, but would stage a botch in the style of CM Punk. As they came back from break, Kenny Omega would bite PAC’s arm. This match was surely full of Easter Eggs, for any eagle-eyed fans or those just paying attention, and by the end of this, the Chicago crowd would be fully engaged, chanting “This is Awesome” as The Elite lit up Death Triangle. The Bucks & Omega would rip off the face mask from PAC, beating down The Bastard, nailing him with the BTE Trigger for a nearfall. KENNY OMEGA WOULD NAIL THE GO TO SLEEP ON PAC FOR A CRAZY NEARFALL, before being taken out by Fenix! Matt Jackson would then nail a low blow onto PAC while the ref was distracted! Brandon Cutler would slide the hammer to Jackson, though Penta would slide in, using his own hammer on Matt to knock him out as PAC would pick up the win to end a bonkers match.
My Thoughts:
Yea, so this was insane. Death Triangle move to 2–0 in this Best of Seven Series. The call-outs to CM Punk and Ace Steel were fantastic, the crowd was electric from start to finish, booing The Elite out of the building before coming around to them. It was just a great match from top to bottom with six of the best wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling. If you only watch one match from this show, seek this out as soon as you can. It’s seriously that worth it.
Tay Melo & Anna Jay A.S. vs Willow Nightingale & Skye Blue vs Britt Baker & AEW Women’s World Champion, Jamie Hayter
Prior to this match, Renee Paquette would announce that Thunder Rosa has relinquished the AEW Women’s World Championship, and that Jamie Hayter is the NEW AEW Women’s Champion! Hayter would arrive, and before she could tell the fans how it feels to be the champion, Britt Baker would take the mic, saying that they were never considering the word interim. Tay and Jamie would start the match, with Hayter massively over with the Chicago crowd, taking control with a headlock and slam to kick things off.
Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale would get in, getting their hands on Anna & Tay following issues that arose on AEW Dark this week, with Tay eventually slamming Willow into the barricades at ringside to take control of the match. Back from break, Hayter and Britt would take control over Anna Jay before Willow would take out Britt with a DVD. Anna would level Willow with a kick, Jamie would boot Anna, Tay would nail a bicycle kick to Tay, and Skye Blue would drop Tay with the Code Blue! Superkick from Britt Baker, Curb Stomp from Britt Baker to Skye. Britt & Jamie Hayter win!
After the match, it would be announced that Toni Storm’s reign as AEW Interim Women’s World Champion now is an official reign with the belt!
My Thoughts:
This match was a ton of fun and showcased six of the brightest stars in the women’s division! Jamie Hayter is no longer interim champion, Toni Storm’s reign now counts (the second best reign with the belt). All is right in the world and you love to see it! Toni Storm will also be on Rampage this week as AEW continues to improve the women’s division. Big thumbs up all around!
The Acclaimed’s Full Gear Recap
The Acclaimed would arrive to a massive reaction, with Anthony Bowens’ shoulder being healed, Billy Gunn’s fingers are healed… and it appears that the next feud for The Acclaimed is against Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett after Full Gear! We even got Jarrett calling Max Caster “SlapMax” and the AEW roster, “Assclowns”.
AEW Black Friday Rampage — November 25, 2022:
- FTR vs Top Flight — ROH World Tag Team Championship
- Darby Allin vs Anthony Henry
- We Will Hear From Chris Jericho
- Hikaru Shida is In Action
- Toni Storm Speaks
- Dark Order vs RUSH & The Butcher & The Blade
AEW Dynamite — November 30th, 2022:
- Death Triangle vs The Elite — Match 3, Best of Seven Series
- The Baddies Celebration
- We Hear From MJF
Chris Jericho vs Tomohiro Ishii — ROH World Championship Match
Main-eventing this special Thanksgiving Eve edition of AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho would continue his genuinely incredible reign as Ring of Honor World Champion by defending the belt against New Japan’s Tomohiro Ishii! The Stone Pitbull would dominate Jericho out of the gate, though these two would step to one another, with Jericho repeatedly slapping Ishii across the face. Ishii would not flinch at any of these hits, just eating them before firing off his own.
During commercial break, Jericho would be busted open from Ishii’s brutal chops as the two men would continue to ravage each other. Jericho’s chest would literally be burst open, gushing blood down his body as the crowd would chant “Fight Forever”! Speaking plainly, this was an insane visual to see. Chris would slam Ishii in the corner with repeated short armed lariats until Ishii would be leveled, with Chris climbing up the corner, coming down with the 10 fists to the head of Ishii, getting cut off as he would eat a nasty powerbomb for a two count.
Jericho would destroy Ishii with a huge DDT on the apron, with both men falling to the floor, as Jericho’s chest would continue just pouring blood out. A Lionsault from Jericho would score a big nearfall, as would a Codebreaker out of nowhere. Judas Effect gets blocked as Ishii nails a running heatbutt to level the champ! TOMOHIRO ISHII NAILS THE CODEBREAKER TO A NUTS REACTION! RUNNING LARIAT, BUT ONLY A 2 COUNT! Jericho locks The Walls of Jericho in within the center of the ring, but Ishii crawls… Jericho locks it back in, but Ishii flips over, forcing Jericho to lock in the Liontamer… Ishii flips off Jericho and taps out! Chris Jericho retains the ROH World Championship!
My Thoughts:
Anyone who thinks Chris Jericho sucks or his past his prime, please look at this run as ROH World Champion. The man has elevated talent such as Bandido & Dalton Castle, while putting on bangers with Bryan Danielson, Sammy Guevara, Claudio Castagnoli, and now Tomohiro Ishii. Jericho is a GOAT. This was a truly fanatasic main event to an incredible show. Legit, one of the best AEW Dynamite episodes of all time.
Overall Thoughts:
This was without a doubt one of the best episodes of AEW Dynamite from the entirety of 2022, and for me personally, I see this as one of the company’s best episodes of televison ever. Nothing on this show felt filler or unimportant. It opened with a great opening segment featuring William Regal, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson to further the MJF/Regal storyline. Orange Cassidy got another big defense of the All-Atlantic Championship in before The House of Black returned in an all-time great AEW moment. Ricky Starks won the AEW World Title Eliminator in a great match against Ethan Page, with this tournament helping to elevate both men. Jade Cargill would reintroduce Red Velvet (who looked incredible) to the AEW fans, while kicking Kiera Hogan out of The Baddies to give the blue-haired women’s star a new solo, likely babyface direction. The rest of the women’s division got a spotlight in a high-profile tag-team triple threat, with it also being announced that Toni Storm’s reign as interim champion was now fully recognized in the lineage of the AEW Women’s Championship history and that Jamie Hayter is now the AEW Women’s World Champion, with no interim title. The Acclaimed rapped during a fun segment, setting up a feud with Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, Keith Lee and Swerve’s story evolved as they look to talk their issues out, FTR will be facing off against Top Flight in a dream match, Death Triangle and The Elite had one of the most insane TV matches of the year, and Chris Jericho went to war with Tomohiro Ishii in a bloody main event for the ROH World Championship.
Watch this damn show. AEW Dynamite gets a 10 out of 10 Rating this week. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it.
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