Ranking the 10 Greatest Moments in AEW Dynamite History Ahead of 200th Episode

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling will air the 200th episode of its flagship show, Dynamite.

Over the course of those 200 episodes, the company has produced unforgettable matches and moments that have helped to define it as the No. 2 promotion in the wrestling world and a true alternative to sports entertainment.

From extraordinary in-ring content featuring the likes of Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, MJF and Chris Jericho, to memorable moments that include CM Punk, Sting and Cody Rhodes, the show has set the tone for the company over its first four years.

In celebration of its milestone broadcast, relive these 10 defining moments and find out which ranks as the greatest in Dynamite's history.

Have a favorite you don't see? Sound off in the comment section and let your voice be heard!

What better way to address the clear influence Chris Jericho has had on MJF's heel persona than by producing a musical number to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Me And My Shadow?"

That is exactly what Tony Khan and AEW did on the October 21 episode of Dynamite. The result was one of the most unconventional, ridiculous, over-the-top segments of pro wrestling television in recent memory.

It was something right off of Broadway or out a variety show, but it at least made sense as MJF weaseled his way closer to Jericho before the inevitable betrayal that led to a feud between the Jericho Appreciation Society and The Pinnacle.

More on that in a moment.

Wrestling purists likely hated the bit, and even some who are not traditionalists probably did not understand why or how it made air, but it was such an odd, curious little segment on the show that one could not help but have an opinion of it.

It got fans buzzing across social media at the time so it did its job if nothing else, and remains one of the more surreal segments in all of AEW history.

Thunder Rosa and Dr. Britt Baker DMD developed an intense rivalry leading into the March 17, 2021 episode of Dynamite and settled it in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match.

A violent, brutal battle with hard-hitting action and a multitude of weapons, the bout was the first taste of what AEW's women's division could do when they were given time, the ability to think outside the box, and the opportunity to compete in a high-profile position.

Baker spoke to Busted Open Radio about the match.

"It added legitimacy to the women's division that was just so under fire. To say not only it was the best match of our women's division or women's of wrestling. But all of wrestling, that's pretty freaking cool," (h/t WrestlingInc for the transcription).

At that time, it was a huge boost for a women's division that was woefully underrepresented and had not found its place within the AEW product.

Two years later, the division still faces issues with its booking, from a lack of television time to lackluster character development and a wealth of talent unable to consistently get on the air.

Still, despite the issues that remain, Baker and Rosa sent a message loudly and clearly that women in the company can deliver the same type of physicality and hardcore content that the men can and, at least in this case, do it better.

There is something that happens to a promotion's credibility when a respected legend like Sting agrees to sign on. That is what happened on the December 20, 2020 "Winter Is Coming" episode of Dynamite.

The face-painted Hall of Famer paid off several pre-taped vignettes promising one of the most important moments in AEW history by stepping through the curtain amid artificial snowfall and making his way to the ring, where he rescued Darby Allin, Arn Anderson, Dustin and Cody Rhodes from Team Taz.

The surprise, the excitement from the fans in attendance, the presentation and Tony Schiavone's famous, "It's STIIIIIIIIING!" made the moment. Here was an iconic figure in the world of professional wrestling being treated like one. He was not just some guy with a new contract.

AEW is a promotion that has made a reputation off of surprise debuts. Sting has always been treated like a legend and has been loyal in his partnership with Allin since day one.

The respect shown to him by his peers and fans alike, but most of all Tony Khan and the creative team, has helped enhance his initial arrival and make it one of the great and unforgettable moments in all of AEW history, let alone Dynamite's 200 episodes.

On the same episode in which Sting made his shocking arrival, Kenny Omega stunned the wrestling world with a heel turn and alliance with Impact Wrestling' Don Callis that netted him the AEW World Championship.

Omega defeated Jon Moxley through nefarious means, ending his longtime foe's championship reign and igniting a run for himself that would see him compete around the globe, for multiple promotions, all with the slimy Callis by his side.

It was a major deal for AEW for Omega to win the title on Dynamite because a championship switch of that magnitude had been saved for pay-per-view offerings to that point. It gave the air of "anything can happen" to the promotion's flagship show and wrapped a tumultuous 2020 for both pro wrestling and society in general with a moment that created buzz entering the next year.

It was a banner moment for Omega in the promotion and started what may very well go down as his greatest championship reign.

His only run with the world title in AEW to date.

When Hangman Page and CM Punk took center stage for the go-home promo ahead of their AEW World Championship bout at Double or Nothing in May of 2022, few could have imagined that it would have the far-reaching consequences that it did.

A shoot comment from Page referencing Punk's real-life relationship with former best friend Colt Cabana, and assumptions made about his role in that particular wrestler's lack of presence on AEW TV, ignited a fire in Punk that would burn all the way to September 4 and the media scrum following that night's pay-per-view.

There, Punk would berate Page and AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in a now-infamous rant that would give way to a very real backstage brawl that ranks as the darkest day in company history.

Not a pleasant moment for Dynamite at all but given its place in the history of the promotion, the promo segment has earned its place among the most significant moments of the show's first 200 broadcasts.

MJF has a way of making babyfaces go through hell to get their hands on him and after a betrayal of his then-friend Cody Rhodes in November of 2019 at Full Gear, he put The American Nightmare through hell for the right to battle The Salt of the Earth at Revolution in February 2020.

That included 10 lashings on the February 6 episode of Dynamite.

Rhodes removed his shirt and allowed MJF to mercilessly whip him with a leather belt, each one harder than the one before. Wardlow, still loyal to the silver-tongued Satan at that point, got in on it, too, with a blow that drove Rhodes to the mat.

It was an uncomfortable segment to watch but it highlighted two very different characters fans could invest in emotionally.

There was the cold, calculated, manipulated, despicable MJF and the resilient, double-tough Rhodes who endured the punishment for the sole purpose of getting his hands on the man who betrayed him and his family.

The welts on Rhodes' back grew larger and redder with every strike and fans could feel his suffering, making it resonate with them more than any other traditional heel beatdown segment would have.

A great bit of television due to the way both competitors make fans feel and emote, this is arguably the best non-wrestling segment on television produced on Dynamite, even three years after it initially aired.

Blood & Guts is a match type that has become an annual spectacle for AEW, an ode to War Games that has become a staple of Dynamite and the battleground for the company's hottest, faction-based rivalries.

After having its debut in 2020 canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially shut the entire world down, it finally made its debut on the May 5, 2021 episode of Dynamite and featured Chris Jericho's Inner Circle (Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz) battling MJF's Pinnacle (MJF, Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Wardlow and Shawn Spears) in a brutal, violent, old-school battle.

It was a traditional war of attrition competed inside two rings, encapsulated by two steel cages that concluded with a big bump that saw MJF send Jericho off the roof of one of the steel structures and to the entrance ramp below.

The first of its kind, it was applauded for the content itself, even if the Jericho bump earned criticism for the very obvious crash pad that The Ocho fell into.

The contest would spawn two sequels, with the most recent upping the level of violence to almost cartoonish levels, but the original remains the truest to its predecessor and a reminder of what a good, old-fashioned grudge match can still accomplish, even in modern pro wrestling.

AEW Dynamite debuted on Wednesday, October 2 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, and changed the wrestling landscape forever.

Not only was this a new, weekly cable TV show from the first legitimate contender to the pro wrestling crown since WCW went out of business nearly two decades earlier, but it was a damn good show that highlighted a clear direction for the promotion moving forward.

Cody Rhodes kicked off the show as one of the hottest stars in the industry at the time (funny how things stay the same), battling young Sammy Guevara in a match that was as much a showcase for The Spanish God as it was to highlight The American Nightmare.

Jon Moxley attacked Kenny Omega, driving him through a glass table backstage and further setting the stage for their bloody rivalry, while MJF seized the spotlight by way of his victory over Brandon Cutler.

The biggest development from that show was the formation of The Inner Circle, Chris Jericho's heel faction that would remain a major cog in the AEW machine for years. Guevara, Santana, Ortiz and the debuting Jake Hager joined the AEW World Champion in beating down The Young Bucks, Cody and Dustin Rhodes to close out the show.

On top of it all, the show garnered 1.4 million viewers, a feat so impressive that WWE issued congratulations to the upstart promotion in the wake of the ratings success.

It was a tone-setter, a loud and clear message to the wrestling world that AEW was here to stay and regardless of what the future held, would provide an alternative for fans who were tired of the stagnant product turned out by WWE for what had been, to that point, far too long.

On the heels of the massive acquisitions of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole, and with business as hot as it had ever been, AEW made its stadium debut with Dynamite: Grand Slam, a broadcast of its weekly Wednesday night show from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.

The Sept. 2021 show featured a loaded card, with an appearance from Punk, Sting and Darby Allin squaring off with FTR, and an AEW Women's Championship defense by Dr. Britt Baker DMD against No. 1 contender, Ruby Soho.

It was the dream match between Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega, though, that was the real draw for the 20,177 fans that jam-packed the home of the US Open tennis tournament for the night's event.

Kicking off the show, the two celebrated in-ring competitors delivered a roller coaster ride of a match that featured hard strikes, expert technical skill, dramatic near-falls and a time limit draw that felt like a downer at the time but was apropos given how evenly wrestled the instant classic was.

A brilliant match that we have not quite seen repeated to this point between them, it was a rare dream bout that lived up to expectations and left the wrestling world buzzing in its wake as AEW truly felt like a comany hitting its stride.

The saddest moment in AEW Dynamite's history is also its best and most important.

The wrestling world was shaken to its core on December 26, 2020 with the news of the great Brodie Lee's (real name: Jon Huber) untimely passing.

Wrestlers from around the world, regardless of company affiliation, expressed their heartbreak and condolences. Fans recalled their favorite moments from his career and paid homage to a man who was known to some as Lee, others as Luke Harper, but all as one of the best and most athletic big men in modern wrestling history.

At the time, he was the leader of AEW's Dark Order faction and a significant part of the promotion's creative. Beyond that, he was a beloved member of the locker room and on the December 30 episode of Dynamite, the company memorialized its friend and brother in the single most emotional broadcast in its history.

The men and women who entered the ring that night were visibly shaken, their emotions pouring out as they performed as Lee had so many times over the course of his career. They did the best they could given the circumstances while showing love and admiration to a man they had ridden up and down roads with over the years.

Cody Rhodes, the reigning TNT champion and the man who defeated Lee for the title, presented his son, Brodie Jr., with the title to close out the show while Tony Khan embraced Amanda Huber in the ring.

It was an emotionally devastating episode of Dynamite for all involved, but it was handled with the grace and respect of a company far older and more experienced than AEW was at the time. It was a watershed moment, one that showed growth, maturity, and the close-knit bond within the locker room.

That moment demonstrated the familial bond that existed in the AEW locker room and helped all grieve while also honoring the memory of a man that was so important to them all.

There have been and will continue to be moments that are more important narratively or historically, even financially, in Dynamite's history, but none will ever carry the gravity that Brodie Lee's Celebration of Life broadcast did.