AEW Dynamite recap & reactions (Oct. 12, 2022): Jericho’s little brother

AEW Dynamite (Oct. 12, 2022) emanated from Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. The international debut featured Chris Jericho defending the ROH World Championship against Bryan Danielson, PAC defending the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Orange Cassidy, Renee Paquette as All Elite, and much more.

Get caught up on all the Dynamite details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.

Jericho’s little brother saves the day

The primo bout of the evening had Chris Jericho versus Bryan Danielson in a rubber match with the ROH World Championship on the line. Jericho brought the power of Lionheart to the ring, but it was his little brother that saved him in the end.

Prior to the bout, the Jericho Appreciation Society had a message. Even though they served Daniel Garcia a slice of humble pie last week, it hurt them a lot more than it did Garcia. JAS was upset at Danielson for tearing their family apart. Jericho views Garcia as a little brother, and it torment him to hurt Garcia like that. Garcia hasn’t even returned Jericho’s calls or texts. Le Champion plans to outwrestle and outfight Danielson. All honor the Ocho. That set the mood for what was to come.

As a champion of (dis)honor, Jericho adhered to the Code of Honor handshake. Danielson kicked Lionheart’s hand away in disgust. That was not very sporting of the American Dragon. He deserved to lose by any means necessary after not honoring the ROH tradition.

Hot moves early were a super hurricanrana from Jericho and a butterfly superplex from Danielson.

Each man landed signature hits with savvy escapes and reversals mixed in. Down the stretch, Danielson landed two consecutive flying knee strikes. On the third, Jericho shot up for a Codebreaker. The two tangoed with counters, and that led to a ref bump when Jericho shoved Danielson into Paul Turner. Referee down!

Daddy Magic honorably passed the ROH title belt to Jericho as a foreign object. That’s when Garcia ran in. He snatched the gold away from Jericho. The JAS brothers jawed and shoved each other. Danielson took advantage to strike with a running knee. Victory was within Danielson’s grasp, then boom! Garcia struck the dragon with the title belt. Jericho made the easy cover to retain.

The match quality was as enjoyable as expected. Jericho and Danielson know how to put on a show. The bigger talking point is Garcia’s actions. I can’t say I found it shocking when Garcia hit Danielson. The hints seemed to be telegraphing that way. While AEW is pushing the idea of Garcia back with JAS, I’m not completely sold. Garcia didn’t appear to be enjoying himself in the celebration. I suspect that Garcia has become untrusting of Danielson’s trifling. Danielson always butts in to his benefit in the family drama. With both Jericho and Danielson using methods of manipulation, it would be cooler if Garcia stood on his own to veer away from JAS and BCC. He’s going to take a backseat in both groups, so the way to truly break out will be forging his own path.

New champion

Rivals collided in the main event when PAC defended the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Orange Cassidy. Ring the bell! You might have trouble with that since PAC stole the bell hammer on a few occasions.

The hits were hard early when PAC executed a Falcon Arrow slam on the floor and a tombstone piledriver on the ramp. Cassidy rolled down the stage to barely beat the ten-count back into the ring.

Cassidy rallied with DDT’s on the floor and inside the ring. Superman punch! PAC kicked out. PAC tried to steal Cassidy’s strategy of rolling under the ropes. OC gave chase to hit a Beach Break on the apron.

Hammer time! PAC previously attempted to cheat with the hammer, but referee Bryce Remsburg was on the spot with anticipation to prevent dirty dealings. Later, PAC went for the hammer again. Remsburg was also ready. And so was Danhausen. OC’s pal cursed PAC.

This time was a ruse for PAC to grab a hammer from under the ring. Cassidy saw it coming and smashed a superman punch. OC had the urge to whack a mole, but cooler heads prevailed as he handed the object to the ref. Two more superman punches sealed the deal for Cassidy to win gold in AEW.

Cassidy is an acquired taste, which I find to be sour. Despite that, this match was set up well to get the crowd humming for the title change. The comedy blended sweetly into the hard-hitting moments. AEW revisited their past history to produce much drama teasing finishes. PAC took a boatload of offense to be put down for the three-count. On the plus side for PAC fans, AEW can now focus on Death Triangle as superstar trios champions. It would be nice for them to peak with momentum by the time the Elite returns for an epic clash.

A cowboy and his word

Hangman Page challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship next week on a Tuesday edition of Dynamite. The two exchanged words one final time to hype the title fight.

Technically, this was a Moxley segment. He spoke about how being world champ isn’t easy. Many crumble under the pressure. There is no luxury of fear or doubt. The champ has to be ruthless to stay on top. Mox loves the job.

Moxley turned his attention to Hangman, so the cowboy moseyed down to the ring. Mox handed over the mic. Hangman shares respect for Moxley, but one thing irked him last week. Hangman did not appreciate being called a kid. He’s a man, damn it. Mox doesn’t think Hangman has the guts to pull the trigger if the opportunity arises. Hangman admitted that he hesitated in the past, and that cost him success. He won’t make the same mistake. Hangman doesn’t care if he has to beat Moxley within an inch of his life in front of family and hometown friends next week. Page gave his word that he will be the next AEW world champion. MJF was in the box seats observing this exchange play out.

That was a decent hype job. I’m already sold on the title fight, but Hangman’s promise adds an extra layer of drama. How far is he really willing to go? And could he live with himself if he takes it too far? How emotionally damaged will Hangman be if he loses? Most assume Moxley will retain to rumble with MJF down the line. Those questions add a little bit of doubt to the scenario. I believe it is a very real possibility that AEW throws a wrench into the situation with a Hangman win. Or it could be setting up Hangman to pummel Mox so badly in defeat that MJF can reap the benefit with a quick cash-in en route to winning the world title.

Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite.

Renee is All Elite. Renee Paquette was announced as the newest member of the AEW broadcast team. She opened the show and handled a few interviews.

Renee blended into the background when on screen. This addition isn’t necessarily a needle-mover for me personally, but I am curious how AEW chooses to maximize Renee’s versatility. AEW revealed the news prior to the show, but the moment was still cool. It was nice to see Renee back in the world of professional wrestling.

Luchasaurus defeated Jungle Boy. JB fought with fire, and the dino staved him off with a power advantage. The big wow spot came when Jungle Boy leaded over the ropes for a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron through a table on the floor. Ouch!

Christian Cage guaranteed victory, so he had to make sure his bet paid off. Jungle Boy landed a crucifix bomb then went for Christian’s Kill Switch finisher to send a statement. Luchasaurus countered to lift JB in an electric chair position, but JB countered back for a reverse rana. Jungle Boy transitioned to the Snare Trap submission, which Luchasaurus escaped via rope-break. Jungle Boy peeped Christian trying to cheat, so he confronted his former mentor. That was JB’s mistake. The delay allowed Luchasaurus to recover and chokeslam Jungle Boy off the top turnbuckle. The dino finished with an inverted Death Valley Driver for victory.

Enjoyable match that told a story through the action. I liked the little details of JB working Luchasaurus’ right arm to prevent a chokeslam, so Luchasaurus used his left arm to execute the maneuver. Lacking full force with the weaker arm, JB was able to kick out on the cover. This was an important win for Luchasaurus. If Jungle Boy beat him here clean, then the dino would have little future as an imposing threat in AEW. Luchasaurus was able to earn the pin, and that will benefit his aura down the line. Jungle Boy was protected by looking the fool going after Christian. The way JB lost adds more fuel to the raging fire of desire to dish out an ass-kicking once Christian is cleared to compete.

Wardlow & Samoa Joe defeated QT Marshall & Nick Comoroto with the return of Shawn Spears. Showcase win with power moves from the winners. Joe cinched a rear naked choke on Comoroto for victory.

Business picked up in the aftermath. QT backed into a powerbomb symphony. The Embassy interrupted. Brian Cage questioned if FTR was in the building. They were, and thus they arrived on the scene at the mention of their name. Dax Harwood proposed a trios bout for Rampage. The Embassy versus FTR and... Shawn Spears!

Wardlow and Joe took care of business to pop the fans with their beefy hits. Wardlow tossing Comoroto on overhead belly-to-belly suplexes was an impressive visual. Spears was nice to see again to receive the home country cheers, however, there is one big question mark. It’s odd that Wardlow was cool with him after the treachery in the MJF feud. Spears and Wardlow did share a tense stare before hugging it out in the ring. I’d still keep my eye on Spears. It wouldn’t surprise me if he turns on FTR to join the Embassy. Spears like money, and Prince Nana has plenty of it. Plus, Spears now stacks the odds 5 versus 3 in favor of the babyfaces. Doing FTR dirty would even the playing field.

Swerve Strickland defeated Billy Gunn. The Acclaimed accompanied Daddy Ass for his entrance. Max Caster’s rap included references to Justin Trudeau, hosers, and Auston Matthews.

Billy muscled Swerve early, so sneaky Swerve went low to attack the knee. Billy powered up for momentum to scissor Swerve on a Fameasser, but Swerve shed the move to strike back. A flying Swerve Stomp only earned a two-count on the cover. The two rolled on the mat exchanging top position. Swerve gained the upper hand by grabbing the ropes for leverage on the winning pin.

After the match, the Acclaimed ran in to check on Billy. As they geared up for a scissor party, Mark Sterling interrupted. He stole their gimmick by legally trademarking ‘scissor me’ from the Acclaimed. Sterling threatened lawsuits, but he was open to negotiation with the implication of a tag title shot for Tony Nese and Josh Woods. Sterling scissored Nese on the way out.

Swerve versus Billy was fun. Billy had the crowd amped with excitement, and Swerve gleefully rained on the parade. Swerve’s mission was to take Billy out of action, so we’ll see if Daddy Ass misses any time in the event of a rubber match between the Acclaimed and Swerve & Keith Lee. Mark Sterling continues to shine using weasel tactics to reach his goals. His angling is consistently creative to create a nuisance worth booing. I’m impressed in the variety of ways Sterling can be annoying.

Toni Storm & Hikaru Shida defeated Dr. Britt Baker DMD & Jamie Hayter. The match broke down into chaos for the finish when Shida reversed a roll-up to pin Baker.

This bout had an exciting vibe. The threat to finish was persistent throughout. Color me shocked that Baker took the pin. Of all the ways for this match to finish, I would have said that was the least likely. That should bode well for Hayter, in theory. It leaves the door open to push her toward a title shot. Shida is already benefiting with a championship challenge of Storm next week.

Notes: The Firm acquired the contracts of Private Party from AFO. Matt Hardy wanted them free to unite with him. Ethan Page proposed a deal. If Isiah Kassidy beats him on Rampage, then Private Party is cut loose. If Page wins, then Hardy’s contract will be controlled by The Firm. Hardy was hesitant initially, but he quickly agreed due to his confidence in Kassidy’s ability. Even though I’m not intrigued in the idea of Hardy working against his will, this stipulation does make me curious to see the match play out. For that reason, this segment was a success.

MJF was asked about almost shaking Wheeler Yuta’s hand last week. Stokely Hathaway interrupted again. MJF issued a stern threat to the Firm. He won’t tolerate them interrupting him. MJF dismissed Hathaway out of the screen. Back to issues with the Blackpool Combat Club, MJF has a dark past with William Regal. He’s not afraid to tell that story. About Yuta, MJF doesn’t know if he would have followed through to shake his hand. MJF did self-reflection the past week. He learned the hard way at an early age that nice guys finish last. He has no choice to be the bad guy. That’s what it takes to become a world champion. At times MJF doesn’t like himself either. This is the second week in a row that I am perplexed why AEW is planting seeds to feel compassion for MJF.

Nyla Rose was proudly wearing the TBS Championship around her waist. Anna Jay proposed a title match for Rampage. The Native Beast will whoop that ass. It’s amusing that these two are making matches when neither is the real champ.

News flash, slick. Butcher and Blade are ready for tag team action against Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli on Rampage. Ass with be kicked.

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Stud of the Show: Orange Cassidy

Freshly squeezed isn’t my cup of juice, but I can’t deny that Cassidy tore the house down in victory to win the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.

Match of the Night: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson

Lionheart and the American Dragon engaged in three high-profile singles duels in a short period of time. The rubber match maintained the same energy as the first dance. Jericho and Danielson sustained my attention throughout with slick action.

Grade: B+

Entertaining matches, engaging hype jobs, intriguing story advancements, and a sprinkle of surprises made for an evening of hot action.

Share your thoughts about Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show?