AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After All Out

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On the heels of partnering with Adam Cole to retain the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship at All Out and then finding himself in a brawl with ROH Television champion Samoa Joe, MJF spoke to the fans Wednesday night on Dynamite.

His address of his partnership with Cole and the teased feud with Joe headlined a show that also saw Jon Moxley defend his newly won International Championship while Kris Statlander defended her TBS title.

How did those titleholders fare and what went down when MJF had a live mic in his hand?

Find out with this recap of Wednesday's explosive broadcast.

Announced in advance for the September 6 broadcast were:

• TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Emi Sakura
• AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. AR Fox
• Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament quarterfinal: Trent Beretta vs. Roderick Strong
• Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament quarterfinal: Darby Allin vs. Nick Wayne
• MJF promo
  

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Orange Cassidy kicked off his first episode of Dynamite since losing the International Championship by promising to show up every week, regardless of whether he has a title.

Jon Moxley interrupted his exit, with the new champion taking to the ring for his defense against AR Fox.

An exchange of glares with Cassidy suggested the rivalry between them is far from over.

From there, Moxley proceeded to eat up Fox, overwhelming him early and cutting off any attempts of a comeback. He dropped him with a King Kong lariat and finished him with the Death Rider for the win.

The match was a showcase for Mox, but one thing is becoming apparent: The tough guy who rarely loses and almost never sells the effects of anything long enough for it to matter has gotten old.

There are ways to preserve the badass persona without beating it into the ground, a position Moxley is dangerously close to. Change things up, show off a new side because we are in the fourth year of the same old, same old, and he could use some freshening up that does not involve another title.

With that said, another match with Cassidy would hardly be a bad thing, especially if the story is there to support it.

Result

Moxley defeated Fox to retain

Grade

C+, mostly for everything before the match

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "Championship or no championship, I will be here every week because I am Orange Cassidy and I do not have a catchphrase."
• For someone who appears to be unbothered, the intense stare from Freshly Squeezed back at the man who beat him at All Out clearly said he is bothered by the defeat.
• Oh, look, tough guy Moxley won again.
• Allin hit the ring to check on Fox, while a confused Nick Wayne watched from the backstage area. Christian Cage and Luchasaurus confronted him, insulted the late Buddy Wayne and warned him against buying into Allin as a mentor.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

After successfully defending her title against Ruby Soho at All Out, TBS champion Kris Statlander made it 2-0 this week, fending off the challenge of a determined Emi Sakura to hold onto her title.

The veteran challenger fought with a sense of urgency, but Statlander weathered the storm and was able to put her opponent down with Sunday Night Fever for the pinfall victory.

There was a great deal of physicality and intensity here, but the match was so short that it was never able to establish itself. There were moves and strikes, strung together with little in the way of a story or structure, that ended abruptly before it ever got going.

Considering this is likely to be the only women's match on the show based on the stacked lineup, that is yet another indictment on the booker and the creative team for their use of the women's division.

Statlander and Soho had a great match at All Out, but their efforts—and those of the division as a whole—were met with more of the same on Dynamite.

Result

Statlander defeated Sakura to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The commentary team put over the urgency of Sakura.
• Statlander exclaimed, "anyone, anywhere, any time!" after the match, selling the idea that the open challenge will continue.
• A pre-taped interview with Roderick Strong, surrounded by The Kingdom's Mike Bennett and Matt Taven, revealed the veteran's tough upbringing with his flawed parents. "I grew up alone, but Adam knew that." 

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Don Callis insisted throughout Wednesday's match that Chris Jericho is a self-centered narcissist. While his words did not come to fruition on the night, the veteran and partner Sammy Guevara endured a few miscommunications.

Still, Le Sex Gods managed to pull out the victory over former Ring of Honor world tag team champions Aussie Open in a very good match that featured lightning-quick offense and the aerial assault of Guevara.

Even in defeat, Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher impressed, again proving they can hang with top-tier competition. While their win-loss record is so-so thus far in their AEW run, Tony Khan has done a solid job of positioning them as top stars.

Their time will come, sooner or later.

After the match, Guevara expressed frustration, leading to a pull-apart spat between the victors.

Might the partnership between them be nearing an irreparable schism that drives The Spanish God into the waiting embrace of Callis, who would love to have the former TNT champion in his family?

Result

Jericho and Guevara defeated Aussie Open

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Guevara popped the crowd with a picture-perfect torneo.
• The Judas Effect from Jericho to Fletcher was wicked, turning the young Aussie inside out.
• Backstage, Lexy Nair caught up with Callis and Konosuke Takeshita. The insufferable heel promised that he and his associate will reveal their next target next week. Callis also took a second to knock Jericho and Kenny Omega.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

MJF and Samoa Joe came face-to-face for the first time since Sunday's brawl at All Out, with both firing verbal barbs at one another before a cheap shot by the latter instigated another physical encounter.

The self-proclaimed "Devil" rocked Joe with a low blow, but the Ring of Honor Television champion recovered and set MJF up for the Muscle Buster, only for Adam Cole to rush the ring and chase him off.

Cole checked on his fallen partner, who insisted that his left arm was numb and let out some wails of pain and fear.

This was a great segment that intensified the issues between Joe and MJF, with the latter looking to prove he is anything but a kid to the physically imposing heel.

The added element of the injured neck and everything with Cole and Roderick Strong hanging over it like a dark cloud, makes this the single most interesting story in AEW. Not to mention one of its best and most expansive ever.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "What seems to be the problem, kid?" Joe asked MJF in response to their brawl from All Out.
• "I can only imagine you came out here so fast because you mistook my theme music for an ice-cream truck," MJF said. 
• "The last time I had anything to do with an ice-cream truck, I was busy being the biggest star on the other company's network," Joe responded in reference to his role on Peacock's Twisted Metal. 
• Strong confronting Cole as he headed up the ramp, taking exception to his former friend caring more about MJF, earned the disgust of the commentary team and furthered the downward spiral of the once-beloved in-ring veteran.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Roderick Strong worked his first match after a neck injury Wednesday night, defeating Trent Beretta to advance to the semifinals of the Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament.

The match was as good as you would expect from two guys who have been long underrated despite their success in the industry.

The outcome was never really in question, despite Toni Schiavone reminding the viewers that Beretta earned a big win over Jon Moxley and Penta El Zero Miedo at Dynamite 200.

Strong was the focal point Wednesday, and Schiavone emphasized that the former ROH world champion is milking the injury to his neck. That is the first time that has really been pushed on the show and is an interesting development in the story as he longs for the attention of his friend, Adam Cole.

From a heel perspective, it allows him to get heat in the same way "Cowboy" Bob Orton did in the 1980s by feigning injury when it benefits him.

Despite the presence of Joe in the tournament bracket, Strong remains the favorite to win the whole thing and challenge MJF at Arthur Ashe Stadium for Dynamite Grand Slam.

Result

Strong defeated Beretta

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Strong lost the neck brace early but continued to sell his injury.
• The heel delivered a quality release side suplex on the ring apron, allowing him to wrest control of the match away from his opponent.
• Taz put over Strong as one of the most credible guys on the roster, a nice reminder after the "Adam!" shtick that has become comedic in recent weeks.
• Backstage, Toni Storm pleaded ignorance over costing Ruby Soho the TBS Championship at All Out and promised a look at her everyday life next week. Also, "Watch for the shoe!"

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

If you had "Hangman" Adam Page feuding with Swerve Strickland and Mogul Embassy after eliminating Toa Liona and Brian Cage to win the Over Budget Battle Royal at All Out, you were right.

Page hit the ring Wednesday night with the intention of joining Tony Schiavone for an in-ring promo. Instead, he found himself on the receiving end of a verbal assault by Swerve Strickland...and a vicious powerbomb by Cage.

Strickland cooked Page here, criticizing his perceived weight gain and accusing the former world champion of riding in the backseat while The Elite drive, all too happy to get by on his relationship with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

It was an interesting direction to take, but it's one that adds immediate gravity to a fresh feud. Both men are great in-ring competitors and can spit on the mic when motivated.

This was as great a performance from Strickland as we have seen on the mic, while Page's response in the coming weeks should make for intriguing television. He recognized the enormity of the moment and did not leave anything to chance.

This was the best thing on the show to this point, which is quite the statement given some of the quality segments that preceded it.

Grade

A+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Page shouted out teachers, showing respect for an underfunded profession he once called his own. "Teachers, thank you very much. You are underfunded. You are underpaid. You are underappreciated."
• "Being in a coffin for almost two weeks you get a little clarity," Strickland said, selling his loss to Darby Allin and Sting at All In.
• "You haven't got any new wrestling gear in almost a year now; you haven't got any new merchandise on the website in almost a year. You got a whole new contract extension, so you've been eating good, and it's been showing," Strickland told Hangman.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Mentor battled protégé in the main event, as Darby Allin squared off against Nick Wayne in the Grand Slam World Title Eliminator Tournament quarterfinal.

Allin dared his trainee to hit him like he wants to win the match. When Wayne did, he weathered the storm, trapped him and stomped away at the back of his head until referee Bryce Remsburg called for the bell and awarded the match to the former TNT champion.

It was a perfect example of tough love and, at the same time, an example of Allin toughening his own trainer's son up for the world of professional wrestling in AEW.

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus attempted to throw both competitors off their games by appearing mid-match and joining the commentary table, but it was unsuccessful.

What it did was ensure that viewers at home understood the feud between those involved would continue, with Cage even hinting that Allin may not make it to Saturday's tournament semifinal against Roderick Strong.

Who knows what that means and how Captain Charisma may affect his pursuit of the title, but given the entertainment value of the heel, anything that keeps him an active part of the show while making life miserable for babyfaces is a good thing.

Result

Allin defeated Wayne

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Allin relentlessly stomped at Wayne in a great spot that proved the chase of championship gold supercedes even the most unbreakable of bonds.
  
• Cage on commentary should be a regular thing. Just let him insult everybody all the time.

This was the strongest episode of Dynamite in weeks. Months, even.

After All Out, AEW introduced new rivalries, kicked off a high-stakes tournament and highlighted the world champion in a feud with a recognizable and influential veteran competitor.

The promo between Joe and MJF was fantastic, but it was quickly eclipsed by what Strickland and Page accomplished with their in-ring segment.

This was a heavier promo show than normal, but that resulted in the escalation of known and effective programs or the introduction of new ones, making them integral parts of the overall success of the broadcast.

With the eyes of the wrestling world on AEW after an acclaimed All Out and the controversies that have engulfed it in recent weeks, Tony Khan and Co. scored a win here.

How it follows it up will determine the immediate future of the promotion.

Overall Grade: A