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This week's AEW Dynamite had a strong line-up going in and the show didn't disappoint.
We had some fantastic matches and segments, with honorable mentions like Chris Jericho and his boys' promo battle against Blackpool Combat Club, Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz. This week's show also featured the AEW debut of a former WWE star as well as Maki Itoh's AEW return.
Let's head straight to the best and worst from last night's AEW Dynamite.
#3 Best: MJF whips Wardlow
MJF was back at his dastardly best this week on Dynamite. He whipped Wardlow as part of the first of his stipulations before giving the latter a match at Double or Nothing later this month. Mr. Mayhem was led down to the ring in handcuffs and surrounded by security.
He didn't flinch, or even move, as MJF whipped him with his belt, with the big man even smiling back at his former boss. The Salt of the Earth lost his cool at one point, whipping Wardlow five times in a row and had to be held back by Shawn Spears.
With one shot left, loud Wardlow chants broke out in the arena. MJF ended up hitting him with a low blow instead, taking the big man down. The heels laid into the helpless Wardlow, who was still handcuffed.
This segment was just about perfect. It both built up Wardlow as a monster as well as his upcoming matches against Shawn Spears and then at Double or Nothing against MJF (if he beats Spears).
#2 Best: Johnny Elite's AEW debut
It looks like John Morrison is All Elite. He made his AEW debut as the Joker in the Men's Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament. The former WWE star had a tough match in store for his debut as he wrestled Samoa Joe in the first round and it was a stormer. Joe and Johnny Elite tore the house down and it was the perfect way to kick off AEW Dynamite.
Elite put up stiff resistance and came close to winning the match with a 450 Splash. He went to finish off the former NXT Champion with the Starship Pain, but Joe got his knees up in time. It was all Samoa Joe after this as he finished Johnny Elite off with Palm Strikes and the Muscle Buster for the win.
The post-match angle was pretty good too, with Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt attacking Joe. Best Friends and Rocky Romero came out to make the save.
#1 Worst: Britt Baker vs. Maki Itoh disappointed
There was a lot of speculation heading into Dynamite about who the two Joker's were. While Johnny Elite's reveal was a pleasant surprise, the reveal for the Women's Joker ended up being Maki Itoh, which came as a slight disappointment.
While it was great to see Itoh back in an AEW ring, there was a lot of speculation before the match that the Joker could be former WWE star Ember Moon.
The bout itself was slightly disappointing because Britt Baker and Maki Itoh didn't seem to gel that well inside the ring. Baker is one of the best in the business right now and her match against Toni Storm in the next round will be one to keep an eye on.
#1 Best: Hangman Page and Konosuke Takeshita tore the house down on AEW Dynamite
AEW World Champion Hangman Page was in action on Dynamite last night against Konosuke Takeshita. The latter has been in action on Dynamite previously as well as Dark.
Although he did impress on those occasions, he was on a different level tonight and both men tore the house down. There were a number of great matches on last night's Dynamite, but this was the clash that stole the show.
The cherry on top of a fantastic bout was the finish. After hitting Takeshita with the Buckshot Lariat, Page wasn't done. He finished his opponent off with the GTS as the fans exploded.
Punk, who was on commentary, couldn't help but break into a smile. Their match at Double or Nothing will be spectacular, and this feud keeps getting better every week.
Let's also not forget Takeshita's performance in the match. This guy can go. He's definitely one to keep an eye on going forward.
