AEW Dynamite 200 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights from 200th Show

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling celebrated the 200th episode of Dynamite Wednesday with an episode headlined by the latest in Chris Jericho's moral dilemma involving Don Callis.

The Ocho partnered with Konosuke Takeshita to battle his own Jericho Appreciation Society teammates, Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia.

Elsewhere on the show, Dynamite originals The Elite and Jon Moxley were in action while the always engaging MJF had plenty to get off his chest.

Announced in advance for the August 2 show are:

• Anything Goes: Jon Moxley vs. Trent Beretta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
• The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs. Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh
• Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (c) vs. Komander and El Hijo del Vikingo
• AEW Women's World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Hikaru Shida
• Chris Jericho and Konosuke Takeshita vs. Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara
• FTW champion Jack Perry face-to-face with Jerry Lynn
• MJF Promo
  

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Chris Jericho found himself on the winning end of the night's opening match, a tag bout that saw him and Konosuke Takeshita defeat Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara.

However, The Ocho did not appear to be overly happy with the way it went down.

Don Callis interjected himself late in the match, blasting Garcia with a baseball bat and setting up the finish, but not before an irritated Jericho questioned his longtime friend's actions.

Of course, the egotistical former world champion still took a moment to score the pinfall victory, but his displeasure with the way it happened was apparent, especially considering the team he conquered was made up of Jericho Appreciation Society proteges.

It remains to be seen whether Jericho fully commits to the Don Callis Family, but after "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard interrupted an interview attempt by Renee Paquette and ordered him to attend a mandatory JAS meeting next week, the decision may not be his to make.

Result

Jericho and Takeshita defeated Guevara and Garcia (Jericho pinned Garcia)

Grade

B

Top Moments

• The commentary team did a fantastic job of setting the stage for this one and explaining why it was a big deal for Guevara and Jericho to be squaring off given a long history that dated back to the debut episode of Dynamite on October 2, 2019.
• Garcia is going to get the dancing shtick over with audiences if the crowd in Tampa's Yuengling Center is any indication.
• There was a nice bit of narrative continuity as Garcia does not have the long history with Jericho that Guevara does, so did not hesitate to take him down and pound away, something The Spanish God was not quite as quick to do.
• Callis delivered a shot to Garcia with Floyd the baseball bat, leaving Jericho dismayed, but not enough to prevent him from scoring the victory in typical Ocho fashion.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jerry Lynn may never have had any intention of going face-to-face with FTW champion Jack Perry, his age and health not allowing for it, but a debuting Rob Van Dam had no problem hitting the ring to confront the disrespectful young star.

Perry, as he has been prone to do since his change in attitude, ran away rather than face the wrath of a veteran defending the honor of Extreme Championship Wrestling and the FTW title itself.

One would hope Van Dam was not brought in just to clear the ring and point to himself. Assuming that is not the case, a one-off match with Perry could be a great way to build further heat for a character that is striking a chord with fans early on in his run.

Despite knowing exactly what was coming, the crowd's reaction for the 52-year-old RVD was strong and proved that he will always be over, thanks in large part to his natural charisma and athleticism that was way before its time.

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Tony Khan ponied up for Pantera's "Walk" for RVD and longtime ECW fans, and it was euphoric hearing that theme accompanying the heart and soul of that promotion's final days.
• Perry jumping the guardrail and using a young girl as a shield against a potential attack from RVD was a nice bit of heel work from the FTW champ.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

The action between Jon Moxley, Trent Beretta and Penta El Zero Miedo was nonstop, and it was apropos to see three guys who have been with AEW since Dynamite's debut episode on the 200th edition.

However, the match itself was bogged down in the same tiresome hardcore wrestling that we have seen way too often of late.

That is not an indictment of that style because it certainly has its place, but when it occurs so often, it loses its meaning and stops mattering as much as it would if used in moderation.

Beretta scoring the win was a nice touch because that guy, whether it was in WWE, New Japan Pro-Wrestling or AEW, has long been one of the most underrated workers in the business.

The challenge laid out by his partner, Chuck Taylor, for a Parking Lot Brawl against Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli, should be fun if for no other reason than it changes things up and creates fresh opportunities for the chaotic style favored by its participants.

Props to Penta, too, who looked to be in his best shape in years and showed out here.

Result

Beretta defeated Moxley and Penta

Grade

B-

Top Moments and Takeaways

• If you book an Anything Goes match two weeks after fans watched a Blood & Guts bout that included glass, thumbtacks and a bed of nails, everything that happens in it is going to ring really hollow.
• And...there's the thumbtacks. The hardcore stuff with Moxley is beyond repetitive at this point and means nothing beyond a few "ohs" from the crowd in the moment.
• Beretta won in a nice upset for one of the most underrated workers on the roster, but he sported a nasty laceration on the top of his head that was clearly not intended.
• Orange Cassidy and Best Friends vs. Blackpool Combat Club is quite the direction for both factions, but at least it's fresh. The Parking Lot Brawl challenge laid down by Taylor for Friday's Rampage will likely drum up viewership and should be a ton of fun if Best Friends' classic battle with Santana and Ortiz in the same match type is any indication.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

MJF will defend the AEW World Championship against Adam Cole at All In on August 27 at Wembley Stadium, a main event made official by the champion himself after keeping his word and offering his new friend a title opportunity.

This was great stuff, with MJF really playing up this new babyface persona, complete with a personal story of vulnerability. If there was ever a moment when it appeared MJF may be genuine in his words, this was it.

He came across more likable than ever before, to the point that you almost expected The Devil to rear his ugly head having suckered the fans into believing in him. But he didn't.

Instead, MJF made good on his promise, setting up the main event for a show that will likely be the most significant in AEW history to that point.

The question now becomes whether it is MJF that we should be worrying about or if it is Cole who will execute a shocking betrayal.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• MJF was on fire in this promo, showing vulnerability by reliving a traumatic moment from his past and using it to tell the story of a youngster scared of rejection who allowed that fear to turn him into the type of scumbag who taunted him as a child. It's a relatable story that makes him sympathetic. Whether this is a babyface turn or another example of his manipulative nature, it is something AEW can build on.
• "You people taught me that you have sympathy for the devil," he said.
• "Don't get me wrong, I'm still a scumbag, but I'm ready to be your scumbag!" 
• Backstage, Roderick Strong threw production equipment out of pure rage over Cole's intensifying friendship with MJF. The Kingdom's Matt Taven and Mike Bennett interrupted and claimed Cole was always forgetting about his real friends.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On the same day they inked extensions to remain with All Elite Wrestling for the foreseeable future, The Elite's Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks defeated Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh in a fun, energetic trios match.

There was interference from Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Brandon Cutler and, ultimately, "Hangman" Adam Page, before the babyfaces scored the victory following a One-Winged Angel from Omega to Lethal.

The reveal that The Elite will stick with AEW moving forward was a longtime coming and will certainly make their fans happy. Where they head from here, with All In and All Out rapidly approaching in short order, is the question.

Right after the match, Excalibur threw to a video package featuring Mogul Embassy's Swerve Strickland and AR Fox, who invaded the Buddy Wayne Academy and attacked Nick Wayne in a vicious message to Darby Allin.

Result

The Elite defeated Jarrett, Lethal and Singh

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The Elite wore down Singh with superkicks and a V-Trigger in a nice bit of logical psychology. Work over the big guy, take his legs from under him and level him. Cut him down to size, and that is exactly what Omega and the Bucks did here.
• After the match, Page announced that The Elite had re-signed with AEW before Omega teased that the trio would be seen across AEW programming. Yes, even Collision.
• The Strickland-Fox beatdown of Wayne, and a taunting phone call to Allin, was well done and should add a ton of heat to that program. This was, arguably, the best thing on the entire show to this point.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Ring of Honor world tag team champions Aussie Open successfully retained their titles Wednesday night in a strong match that saw them counter the frenetic pace of El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander with physicality, power and technique.

The champions simply outwrestled their opponents, took advantage of Komander's reliance on flashy offense and put him down to escape with the gold.

There will be some who argue against ROH titles being defended on Dynamite when the brand has its own show and could benefit from a high-profile championship match like this, and they would mostly be right.

But anytime you have the opportunity to get a team that has momentum on its side and is developing into one of the best in the industry, as Aussie Open is, you find ways to get the pair in front of the biggest audience possible.

Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher are that, and they made the most of their opportunity here.

Result

Aussie Open defeated Komander and Vikingo

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Vikingo and Komander are going to make for a hell of a tag team if that is the intention. Lightning-quick with a flashy offense and a high-flying arsenal matched by none, they are markedly different than the other teams in Ring of Honor right now.
• Excalibur cited Ring of Honor's influence on AEW but based on what that promotion was at its core, it is becoming more and more difficult to immediately recognize that influence outside of the stars who competed in it.
• Perhaps Komander would actually execute the shooting star press if he didn't feel the need to add in the silly rope walk first.
• Aussie Open are red-hot right now and staking their case for consideration among the elite tag teams in the industry with every passing match.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On the heels of online criticism surrounding AEW's treatment of its women's division, arguably the greatest women's champion in the promotion's history, Hikaru Shida, battled the first two-time titleholder in company history, Toni Storm, in the main event of Dynamite 200.

They delivered on their end of the bargain, producing a quality wrestling match. Shida, a resilient babyface, overcame every attempt to derail her and outwrestled Storm to net her second championship.

That moment was well-deserved as Shida is among the most underrated talents in the industry and has repeatedly proved her excellence for AEW.

There were still issues with this, though, mostly centering on the heels.

The Outcasts started as a rebellious group meant to shake up the women's division and cause headaches for the AEW originals.

Yes, the ill-timed injury suffered by Jamie Hayter threw a wrench into the creative plans, but AEW's inability to adapt and advance the story resulted in a relatively hot heel group becoming one-dimensional, relying on incessant interference to define them rather than their original purpose.

They became stagnant and unable to sustain momentum, to the point that Wednesday's loss almost felt like the swan song for the faction rather than any substantive development.

That is a shame because the pieces were there for a strong storyline that could finally help the division realize its potential. Now, even with a great champion at the helm, it feels as though the status quo remains for the women's roster.

Result

Shida defeated Storm to win the title

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The Outcasts interfered, giving Storm the advantage throughout the final commercial break of the night.
• Storm scored a solid near-fall off the running hip attack following interference by Soho.
• Shida answered it with one of her own following a jumping knee strike and a Falcon Arrow for two.
• Kudos to Taz for doing the heavy lifting on commentary, explaining (or attempting to) the official's disregard for rules by allowing Shida to use the kendo stick by citing the championship match conditions.
• Shida overcame incessant interference, and green spray paint to the face, to score the win and title.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

The 200th episode of AEW Dynamite was a fun show.

It wasn't the blow-away event from an in-ring perspective that some might have hoped for, but it had quality work and developments across its two-hour run time, with the latest in the rivalry between Mogul Embassy and Darby Allin standing out as an exemplary angle.

MJF's promo was great and the RVD appearance was a nice surprise. And Chris Jericho's moral dilemma and its effect on the Jericho Appreciation Society has made for some of the most interesting work The Ocho has delivered in years.

If there was a down note, it was the Anything Goes match, which felt unnecessary in the wake of Blood & Guts and was really just another excuse to get Moxley and weapons in the same ring. That needs to stop before it becomes another running gag around him.

It is a shame, too, because the effort was there from those involved, but it was undermined by the reliance on the hardcore shtick that has been well overdone in AEW of late.

Still, that could not take away from what was a quality celebration of AEW's first 200 episodes of Dynamite at a time when the company is entering what may well be the most important stretch of its entire existence.

Grade: B+