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This week marked the one year anniversary of AEW Dynamite's debut episode. On Oct. 2, 2019, fans filled the sold-out Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. and 1.4 million viewers watched on TNT for this historic event. The first episode of Dynamite was the first time a non-WWE company to air on national cable television in 18 years.
Over the past year, we have seen many memorable moments and matches from the weekly Wednesday night show. AEW Dynamite has featured the formation of The Inner Circle, the first-ever women's and tag team champions, and the debut of many stars. Some of the matches showcased on Dynamite have been the best in the company's short history.
Fans have seen SCU become the first AEW World Tag Team Champions over the Lucha Bros, Orange Cassidy battle Chris Jericho, Eddie Kingston debut in a No DQ Match against Cody for the TNT Championship, and most recently, Darby Allin finally overcome Ricky Starks. In this article, we will look back at the 10 greatest matches in the first year of AEW Dynamite.
#10. Cody vs. Wardlow in a Steel Cage Match - AEW Dynamite 2/19/20
The Feb. 19 episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta, GA might have been the greatest episode of the series so far. In front of a sold-out crowd inside of State Farm Arena, Cody met Wardlow in a long-anticipated Steel Cage Match. This was the first Cage Match in AEW history here.
The story going in was that Cody had to accept this match to finally get his hands on MJF at AEW Revolution. This match was also Wardlow's in-ring debut. The muscle behind the self-proclaimed Face of AEW went out there and brutalized Cody for most of this contest. Cody sustained a crimson mask that became one of the most gruesome visuals in the first year of AEW Dynamite. However, the climax of this match became one of the top moments in AEW history.
To put his opponent away, Cody climbed to the top of the fifteen-foot high structure and executed a death-defying moonsault onto a standing Wardlow to gain the victory. Cody has gone on to say that to this day he regrets this spot, believing that he had a heart attack doing this insane spot. This made for one of the most emotionally stirring conclusions to an episode of AEW Dynamite yet.
#9 Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage for the AEW World Championship - AEW Dynamite (Fight For The Fallen) 7/15/20
In one of the well-developed matches in AEW Dynamite history, Jon Moxley defended the AEW World Championship against the FTW Champion, Brian Cage, on the July 15 episode entitled Fight For The Fallen. This match was originally supposed to take place on the second night of Fyter Fest on July 8. However, this match was postponed for one week because Moxley was in contact with his wife, Renee Young, who tested positive for COVID-19.
In particular, Taz and Jon Moxley's promo work helped to give this title defense a big fight feel. Before this AEW Dynamite match, Moxley said that he would go after Cage's previously injured bicep, which would become one of the stories in this fight. These two men delivered an intense battle that lived up to the expectations set for this matchup.
Cage beat down the champion using his superior strength. However, once the action went to the outside, Moxley used the guardrail to attack the bicep and wear down his challenger to take control. In the conclusion of this Fight For The Fallen battle, Jon was able to lock on a series of cross armbreakers. Every time Cage would escape one, Moxley would lock on a different variation. Facing the champion who was threatening to re-tear his client's bicep, Taz had no other choice but to throw in the towel to save Cage.
This was a captivating AEW world title match that helped cap off three weeks of pay-per-view quality episodes of AEW Dynamite. Moxley proved that his promos pay off in his matches, and the finish protected Cage.
#8. Young Bucks vs. Private Party in the AEW World Tag Team Titles Tournament - AEW Dynamite 10/9/19
The earliest match featured from the first year of AEW Dynamite on our list comes from the second episode on Oct. 9, 2019. The Young Bucks faced Private Party in the opening match of the AEW World Tag Team Titles Tournament. One year later, this still stands as one of the strongest performances on the show.
Going into this AEW Dynamite contest, many considered the Bucks one of the favorites to become the first-ever AEW World Tag Team Champions. However, this tournament quarterfinals match would become a star-making performance for Isaiah Kassidy and Marq Quen.
The two graduates of HOG in Brooklyn, NY went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world. In the end, the Young Bucks looked to put away Private Party with the Meltzer Driver, but Kassidy grabbed Nick Jackson's leg while Quen rolled up Matt Jackson for the win.
This was a fun, exciting opener that gave us a surprising outcoke and it's still remembered today as one of the best tag team matches in AEW Dynamite history. This was not just a great match, but it also showed that the members of the Elite would work to elevate lesser-known talent. This contest can still be considered the biggest upset in the company's history.
#7 Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship (AEW Dynamite 8/5/20)
Jon Moxley has arguably been the Ace of AEW. Even before he won the AEW World Championship, the Purveyor of Violence could be counted on to give us an unforgettable match on AEW Dynamite every week. His most memorable match before winning the gold had to be his encounter with Darby Allin on the Nov. 20 , 2019 episode. However, their rematch this year for the AEW world title on Aug. 5 was just slightly better.
The story heading in was about the budding respect that had formed after their first matchup and subsequent partnership battling the Inner Circle and Team Taz. Moxley cut anther awesome promo telling the audience how he saw himself in Darby, which would play out in this AEW Dynamite main event. It felt like Moxley didn't want to beat the hell out of Darby. Instead, he just wanted him to give up, but he knew Allin would never do so.
In the conclusion, Moxley overcame interference from MJF and used a piledriver followed by a Paradigm Shift to finally put Darby away. After the match, the episode closed with an amazing visual of the champion cradling his beaten friend in his arms.
This was an enthralling brawl that made for an entertaining world title match and a great ending to this episode of AEW Dynamite. This also put over Darby Allin in defeat once again, showing that he is a future star for the company.
#6. Riho vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women's Championship - AEW Dynamite 2/12/20
The much-maligned AEW Women's division garnered plenty of criticism for the lack of TV time they have received on AEW Dynamite in their first year. However, the one highlight feud for the ladies has to be Riho vs. Nyla Rose. These two women had the best match of the debut episode in Washington, D.C. as Riho became the first AEW Women's World Champion, but their rematch was one of the very best of year one.
On the Feb. 12 edition of AEW Dynamite in Austin, TX, Riho defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Nyla Rose in what turned out to be an enthralling contest that elevated both women. Riho showed off her exhilarating fighting spirit and selling ability, while Nyla highlighted her strength and agility in this top-notch match.
In the end, Nyla Rose was able to finally defeat Riho with the Beast Bomb to become the new AEW Women's World Champion. This was such a fun David vs. Goliath type match. Both ladies came out of this looking stronger and their effort helped the entire division. More matches like this are what the division needs right now with many fans critical of the booking as of late.
#5. FTR & Young Bucks vs. The Butcher, The Blade & Lucha Bros - AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Night 2 7/8/20
The July 8 episode of AEW Dynamite entitled Fyter Fest Night 2 was the better of the two-week event. The main reason was this eight-man tag team match that pith FTR and The Young Bucks against The Butcher, The Blade, and the Lucha Brothers. This bout was not only filled with exhilarating spots, but it was layered with an engaging in match story.
The slow burn between FTR and Young Bucks was the story going into this AEW Dynamite encounter. The question became: could the two teams work together? For the most part, the answer was yes. We saw unique double team maneuvers with mix-matched members of each team and little conflict between the four men. However, the highlight of this match had to be the insane springboard Canadian Destroyer from the ring to the floor by Rey Fenix on Nick Jackson onto the rest of the competitors.
The ending finally saw miscommunication between FTR and the Bucks when Matt hit Dax with a superkick. Then, the Lucha Bros executed a double team package piledriver to gain the victory. This was such an exciting spot and story-heavy encounter that had every fan on the edge of their seat. Everyone knew we would see a great match, but we got one of the very best in AEW Dynamite history.
#4. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Lucha Brothers for the AEW World Tag Team Championships - AEW Dynamite 2/19/20
Hangman Page and Kenny Omega were the longest-reigning champions in all of AEW during their time with the world tag team titles. Their run featured quite a few fantastic title defense on AEW Dynamite. Page and Omega defended the gold against SCU, The Dark Order, and Best Friends, to name a few. However, their best title defense had to be against the Lucha Brothers, Pentagon Jr and Rey Fenix.
On the aforementioned Feb. 19 episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta, Omega and Page defended the AEW world tag team titles against Pentagon and Fenix. This was a simply excellent tag team contest that featured high-risk offense, exciting sequences, and non-stop action. The fans at State Farm Arena loved every single minute of this, making this encounter that much better.
The conclusion came when Omega was able to evade a double team from the Lucha Brod. Then, he and Page landed their V-Trigger Buckshot Lariat combo called "The Last Call" on Fenix for the win. Some fans forget about this phenomenal match because Page and Omega outdid this effort just ten days later at AEW Revolution against the Young Bucks. Still, there is no denying just how spectacular this AEW world tag team titles match truly was.
#3. Rey Fenix vs. Nick Jackson - AEW Dynamite 11/20/19
This is our third match in a row on this list with Rey Fenix in it. Fenix is arguably the most underrated wrestler on the AEW roster and he has been featured in so many great matches in the first year of AEW Dynamite. On just the eighth episode of the Wednesday night series on TNT, he had what still stands as one of the best matches in Dynamite history against Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks.
These two men are known as tag team specialists, but on the Nov. 20 episode of AEW Dynamite in Nashville, TN, they went out and stole the show. The incredible chemistry that they displayed in the Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros feud earlier in the year was elevated here. They went move for move in this spellbinding encounter that had the Nashville crowd rocking.
In the end, Fenix got the victory with a Muscle Buster. However, the real winners were the fans on this episode of AEW Dynamite. We saw two men who delivered an innovative battle that made both look like they should be main-eventers in their own right. Nick Jackson, in particular, showed that he is not just a tag team wrestler and he has all the ability to stand out without his older brother.
#2. Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz in a Parking Lot Fight - AEW Dynamite 9/16/20
The most recent match to make our list was Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz in a Parking Lot Fight. This feud started with Proud N Powerful destroying Trent's mom Sue's minivan. It developed further after a Street Fight between the two teams. This battle on the Sept. 16 edition of AEW Dynamite would end the rivalry.
This was by far the most physically intense fight in AEW Dynamite history. This was a war in every sense with unique spots using the parking lot atmosphere. We saw car doors, hoods, and weapons used throughout. The highlight had to be when Santana and Ortiz slammed Trent onto the windshield of one of the vehicles with a double powerbomb.
The ending of this AEW Dynamite main event came when Orange Cassidy arrived from the trunk of a car to land a chain assisted Orange Punch to Santana. Chuckie T followed with a piledriver on the hood of a car, while Trent gave Ortiz the Crunchy on a wooden table on the back of a pickup truck for the win.
The memorable contest received universal praise from the likes of Mick Foley and others. It was also rewarded with the vaunted five-star rating from Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This gave the fans so many tremendous visuals including the post-match where Sue picked up her boys in a minivan and stuck her middle finger up at Santana and Ortiz to end this episode of AEW Dynamite.
#1. Kenny Omega vs. PAC in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match - AEW Dynamite 2/26/20
The best AEW Dynamite match comes from quite possibly the greatest string of episodes from the series, which came in February of this year. In one month, fans got the aforementioned Riho vs. Nyla Rose, Cody vs. Wardlow, as well as Omega and Page vs. Lucha Bros. They also saw Cody withstand lashes at the hands of MJF. The run of shows ahead of the AEW Revolution may have been the best month of episodic wrestling television produced in quite some time.
The best match of this stellar month of television was the final clash between Kenny Omega and PAC in a thirty-minute Iron Man Match on Feb. 26 of episode AEW Dynamite. The crowd in Kansas City were greeted with this hot opener to the go-home episode ahead of Revolution. Omega and PAC had two previous encounters that both delivered, but this Iron Man Match took was on another level.
PAC forced the first DQ in AEW history when he uses a chair to gain an advantage, losing the first fall. However, he immediately followed with the Black Arrow to even things up.
From that point, the intensity ramped up with the two men holding nothing back in this AEW Dynamite opener. The highlight spot had to be PAC hitting a dangerous Shooting Star Press from the top rope to the floor on Omega who was laid across a table.
PAC and Omega battled to the thirty-minute time limit even though The Best Bout Machine was locked in the Brutalizer in the closing seconds. The contest went into overtime where Omega immediately hit a jaw-shattering V-Trigger followed by the One-Winged Angel for the win.
This was a high impact banger of a match. It displayed amazing wrestling, a captivating story, and two of the very best performers leaving it all in the ring to produce the greatest match on AEW Dynamite so far.
