AEW Dynamite 1/11 from Los Angeles kicks off with a red hot west coast crowd for the opening bout, featuring “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Jon Moxley. Live crowd is loud for this. Big fight feel, a PPV-quality match to start off tonight’s show. This is already on my 2023 Match of the Year Candidate list. This looked like an absolute war, seen in some of the old school NWA or Memphis Wrestling where lariats and huge slams and suplexes were staples of matches. Mox and Hangman successfully enacted a hard-hitting war. Hangman was a Lariat Machine, while Mox crushed him with a massive piledriver. Lots of close finishes, many too close to call. The match concludes clean when Page ends Mox with the Buckshot Lariat.
Interesting finish, where it appears Mox is rattled or possibly injured himself.
This was a perfect way to bring Hangman back from injury, with a clean win too. I worried about a shady finish, thankfully not the case. Mox doesn’t lose anything with a clean loss. Hangman, however would have if he lost.
Hey Mox, time to take some time off.
Tony Schivaone in the ring, announcing he has to bring back…. ADAM COLE BAY BAY!!!
He cuts a passionate babyface promo about being doubtful he would ever return from injury, questioning his own resolve, which transitioned into a passionate promo about his love of professional wrestling. He then announces the “bad news” for the AEW locker room, as he is now medically cleared to compete!!
Jungle Hook defeated The Firm (Lee Moriarty & Big Bill)
I’ll give credit to Moriarty where it is due. Given the right opponents, he can shine pretty brightly. Big Bill, he’s the token lumbering big man. Hook and Jungle Jack had some sharp double-team moves. The heel dominated parts, but Hook and Perry rallied back, Hook lobbing Bill with a T-Bone while Perry trapped Lee in the Snare Trap submission for the win.
Bryan Danielson defeated Konoske Takeshita
After Takeshita entered the ring, MJF interrupted and cut a scathing promo. Always top notch work on the mic. Inevitably Danielson ran down and chased off the AEW World Champion. The bell rings and we get my second pick for a 2023 Match of the Year Candidate. This is comparable to a NJPW and/or DDT styled match. We get the obligatory chop-and-forearm-fest, which is interspersed with some of the best, fluid wrestling I have ever seen. While Konoske absolutely crushed Danielson with a package tombstone, followed by a wheelbarrow suplex, Danielson did not give in, and would force a submission victory via Regal Stretch.
Great job. What a match.
Backstage with Renee Paquette, Juice Robinson challenges Darby Allin for the TNT Championship
AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker, DMD defeated Saraya & Toni Storm
This one got topsy-turvy quickly as Hayter and Baker were the clear fan favorites. Saraya and Storm broke babyface and slid into somewhat heel territory, but it would be the heel tactics of Baker to gain the victory, after Hikaru Shida, in the corner of Saraya and Storm, slid in the kendo stick, which was quickly scooped up by Baker. This is an obvious one to me, Shida is slowing turning heel and this “oopsie” is going to be the first strike.
JAS Segment – Boy this was funny. Jericho and company are interrupted by Ricky Starks and Action Andretti who manage to verbally put the JAS in their place, even forcing Jericho to step aside as Starks addresses Jake Hager and his purple hat which he likes very much. Hager seems to botch his promo, unless it’s intentional to play up the village idiot gimmick. Andretti isn’t bad on the mic, can deliver some good one-liners. He’s got a good look, I think he may really be a potential wrestling star in the future.
AEW Dynamite 1/11 Main Event: The Elite defeated Death Triangle to become AEW Trios Tag Team Champions
What a demolition derby. Tables, ladders, craziness everywhere. Non-stop action and non-stop wrestling. Yes, plenty of wrestling moves here. Superkicks, snapdragons, Fear Factors, and more. This was a shot of adrenaline which never slowed down for an instant. After a chaotic series of moves, Kenny Omega scored a one-winged Angel on Rey Fenix, and was able to climb the ladder to grab a title for the win.
Yes, Twitter will light up tonight in likely disdain for The Elite to book themselves as champions. But if you didn’t notice, they’re booked as faces, to the point where even the announce team rooted for them as well. Death Triangle made good champions, but with The Elite as champions, we could have some more heel team challengers.
Solid episode of Dynamite, which easily could have been booked as a supercard show. The return of Adam Cole was a fantastic shocker of a surprise. Lots of hype for Rampage, my guess is Rampage will be bumping up their stock with more loaded shows in the future, starting with this Friday.
