AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From April 17
AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From April 170 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s live coverage of AEW Dynamite on April 17.
This is the final Dynamite before Dynasty on Sunday, so All Elite Wrestling booked a lot of non-wrestling segments to hype the pay-per-view.
Here’s the advertised lineup for Wednesday’s show:
Will Ospreay vs. Claudio CastagnoliWillow Nightingale and Adam Copeland vs. Julia Hart and Brody KingThe Elite vs. PAC, Penta and Daniel GarciaDeonna Purrazzo vs. Mariah MayWe will hear from Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, Mercedes MonĂ© and Jon MoxleyTaz sets up a meeting between Hook and Chris JerichoLet’s take a look at what happened on this week’s Dynamite.
Jon Moxley Promo; Copeland and Nightingale vs. Hart and King1 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Jon Moxley brought the IWGP world title to the ring as “Wild Thing” played inside the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. He told a story about winning one of his first titles 20 years ago in the same city and how it has been an uphill battle ever since.
He spoke about having heart, working for AEW and the Don Callis Family. He called Callis “a creep” and said he was feeding his clients lies. He dared anyone from the group to come find him and he challenged Powerhouse Hobbs to a match.
This was a good promo and helped open the show with some energy. Mox is beloved by AEW fans, but his theme song may be just as popular.
Grade: B+
We got a quick backstage promo from Mercedes MonĂ© about being attacked in the dark and put the entire women’s division on notice.
Adam Copeland came to the ring and we saw a shot backstage of Willow Nightingale being looked at after an assault. The lights went out and Brody King attacked Copeland from behind.
Julia Hart watched on with a smile as King decimated the TNT champion. The match ended up starting with Copeland already hurt and by himself just as the show went to a break. We returned right as he was beginning to show some life.
The Rated-R Superstar began to build a little momentum with a series of clotheslines. He signaled for a Spear and got into position, but King turned him inside out with a lariat. Willow eventually made it to ringside and made a tag before taking King down with a crossbody and a cannonball.
Hart knocked her out with a chair wrapped around her hand and got the win with her signature submission when the ref realized Willow was knocked out. The save was predictable, but the finish was a good way to protect Hart and set up Nightingale as an underdog despite her power advantage.
MonĂ© came out with a chair and drove House of Black away. She dropped the chair and shook Copeland’s hand, but she and Willow did not seem happy to see each other.
This was a decent mixed tag match that pushed three different storylines at once.
Result: Hart and King defeated Willow and Copeland
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Moxley took a little extra time to interact with the crowd during his entrance. Mox is pretty good at rah-rah speeches.Hart has gotten so good at all of the facial expressions and body language to make her character believable. The Elite vs. PAC, Penta and Daniel Garcia2 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Matthew and Nicholas Jackson teamed up with Kazuchika Okada to take on Penta El Zero Miedo, PAC and Daniel Garcia in a trios bout.
FTR were referenced before the match by the Bucks in a backstage segment and Okada issued a warning to PAC, so a couple of Dynasty matches were hyped at once.
The Bucks attacked PAC from behind while Okada went after Garcia and Penta on the apron, but The Bastard quickly recovered and unloaded with some fast kicks.
Matt grabbed a mic and taunted his opponents during the middle of the match. He slapped Garcia around until he was taken down with a suplex. PAC and Okada finally came face-to-face and began trading strikes.
This was a fun trios bout with some humor mixed into the high-energy action, but it was also relatively predictable and felt safe in some ways. Everyone worked hard, but you could tell nobody wanted to take too many risks before the PPV this weekend, and rightfully so.
The Elite won but continued to attack everyone after the match with a ladder. They put Garcia inside a ladder for a splash, but PAC saved him with a bell hammer.
Result: The Elite defeated PAC, Garcia and Penta
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
The Young Bucks cutting a video package for FTR was kind of funny. It’s so good to see PAC back in AEW. He has had so many hiatuses for different reasons, but he seems healthy and has been appearing regularly. Penta and The Bastard work well together, but it’s going to be great when Rey Fenix is back. Matt pleading for Garcia to put him down was hilarious. Tombstone piledrivers should be filmed at an angle or from the side so you can’t see how far the victim’s head is from the mat. Chris Jericho Upsets Hook; Mariah May vs. Deonna Purrazzo3 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Chris Jericho and Taz were out first before Hook made his way out for their meeting.
The crowd booed Jericho as he tried to talk to Hook about why he needed to listen to him.
Hook’s reply was simply “No.” When Taz tried to calm Jericho down, he was shut down and the veteran kept ranting at Hook.
Jericho ended up shoving Taz, which angered his son. Hook grabbed Jericho to the corner and said he would show him how good he is anytime before ordering him to get out of his ring.
This could lead to a match being added to Dynasty this week. Most of this segment was rough, but the final minute was intriguing enough to keep some people invested.
Grade: C+
Toni Storm and Luther accompanied May to the ring for her match against Purrazzo.
They locked up, and May backed The Virtuosa into the corner for a forearm strike.
Purrazzo quickly recovered and wrestled her opponent down until she retreated. Storm saved May from a sliding dropkick and helped her get the upper hand.
When your first two matches start with mayhem, it can sometimes be difficult for the next bout to begin in a more traditional way. May and Purrazzo worked a good contest that got some solid reactions from the crowd, but it may have been received better had it been the opening match.
Aside from one clear mistake, they did some decent work. Purrazzo won and Rosa made the save after Storm and May continued to attack her.
Rosa and Purrazzo almost got into a fight, but Rosa still left Storm a mess after covering her face in lipstick.
Result: Purrazzo defeated May
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Hook telling Jericho to get out of his ring was great. Purrazzo’s entrance gear took a moment to get off because it was kind of elaborate. The Virtuosa hit hard when she was knocked to the apron from the top rope. May’s powerbomb counter did not go as planned. Orange Cassidy vs. Shane Taylor4 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Orange Cassidy and Shane Taylor competed in a match this week. Lee Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo were there, but OC was flying solo.
He put his hands in his pockets and did his usual thing, but Taylor eventually caught him and hit a hanging stunner. Moriarty interfered when the ref was distracted to give his teammate an even bigger advantage.
This was the usual OC match. He was dominated for a long time and occasionally made brief comebacks to pop the crowd. Taylor played a great opponent who physically overpowered Cassidy in every way.
After a few close calls, Cassidy won with an Orange Punch. STP attacked Cassidy and Ogogo knocked him down with one shot to the body. Trent Beretta ended up stopping Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels from helping OC.
This was a pretty forgettable match, but the way it furthered OC and Beretta’s feud was effective.
Result: Cassidy defeated Taylor
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
We got separate promos from The Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold. We will see them compete in a title unification match at Dynasty. Taylor’s trash talk is second to none. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Will Ospreay5 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Claudio Castagnoli exploded out of the gate and took Will Ospreay down for a quick two-count as soon as the match started.
The Aerial Assassin tried to hit a hurricanrana, but the powerhouse caught him and hit a backbreaker.
These are two of AEW’s most versatile performers but for different reasons. Both are quick, strong and technically sound, but Ospreay has superhuman agility while Castagnoli has superhuman strength.
This was a highly competitive exchange. Even with a big PPV showdown on Sunday, it never felt like Ospreay was playing it safe even though he wasn’t flying over the top rope all the time.
Despite a predictable outcome with Ospreay scoring the win, this was a fantastic way to end the show. Hobbs, Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita attacked Castagnoli but Ospreay looked on in confusion. Moxley arrived from the crowd and went right for Hobbs.
Ospreay yelled at The Callis Family before storming off while Moxley and Castagnoli stood tall.
Result: Ospreay defeated Castagnoli
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Ospreay has looked so happy during every AEW entrance. He’s clearly having a ball. Callis would be better used as an annoying ringside manager during matches. He doesn’t add much to the commentary. How can you not be impressed by a man catching someone who is the same size as him in midair? The way Castagnoli kicked out of a hurricanrana counter looked great. Ospreay didn’t look like he allowed him to get out. It looked like a real struggle to kick out. The Final Word6 of 6
Dynamite.AEW
Swerve Strickland appeared right after the show would usually go off the air, but TNT aired him calling out Samoa Joe for a fight. The champion arrived and a brawl ensued.
Joe hit a Muscle Buster to win the exchange and ended the show holding up his title.
Being the final Dynamite before Sunday’s PPV meant this show had to push several feuds and feature action good enough for the fans in attendance to feel satisfied with the tickets they bought.
None of the matches were bad in any way, but the only one even close to standing out for the right reasons was the main event.
Ospreay and Castagnoli are once-in-a-generation talents, so getting to see them fight in a random match on a weekly TV show somehow felt more important than usual.
We all knew how it would end due to the Englishman being the one with a match this weekend, but everything from bell to bell was as entertaining as you could want.
Dynasty has a lineup capable of delivering a great PPV. Let’s hope we get a couple of surprises on Sunday to make the first edition of this event memorable.
Grade: B
