AEW Dynamite Hits & Misses (3/20/24)

This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite went down at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. The show featured tons of hard-hitting action, some surprise title changes, and a good dose of drama.

Adam Copeland, Mercedes Mone, Kazuchika Okada, and Christian Cage among others worked the show this week. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest hits and misses from the March 20, 2024, episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite.

Miss – Adam Cole’s message to Wardlow

AEW should’ve given a huge push to Wardlow following his face turn at Revolution 2022. They really dropped the ball when they had the opportunity to make a star out of the big man. One might blame MJF for halting his former enforcer’s momentum as well.

Wardlow failed to beat Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship at AEW Big Business. This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a pre-taped promo by Adam Cole. The mastermind behind Undisputed Kingdom sounded off on his associate.

Cole said Wardlow needs to make sure Mike Bennett and Matt Taven hold onto the ROH World Tag Team Championship. I feel at this point AEW is attempting to recreate the MJF-Wardlow feud with Cole in MJF’s place.

Hit – Tension between Willow Nightingale & Mercedes Mone

Willow Nightingale inadvertently injured Mercedes Mone during their match at NJPW Strong Resurgence 2023. The pair teased a feud during their less than cordial interaction on Dynamite.

Nightingale and Kris Statlander made the save for Mercedes from Julia Hart and Skye Blue. Nightingale teased hitting Mercedes with a chair. The two women gave each other a cold shoulder during their backstage segment later on during the show.

Miss – Okada’s cheap tactics against Eddie Kingston on AEW Dynamite

I think I won’t be used to seeing a heel Okada on national television for quite some time. The Rainmaker spent the major run in NJPW as a babyface. New Japan’s Okada would never rely on cheap tactics to win a match. I believe that’s what AEW is trying to tell fans in the states that this is a completely different side to the Rainmaker.

For those unaware, Okada squared off against Eddie Kingston for the Continental Championship on AEW Dynamite this week. Both men put on a hard-hitting match-up. Okada, at one point, tried to gouge Kingston’s eyes to further solidify his heel character. The distraction allowed the challenger to plant the champion with a Rainmaker for the win.

As I mentioned, I would probably need some time to get used to this heel side of Okada. Plus, I think Kingston dropping the title to Okada felt kind of rushed, considering the tremendous obstacles he had to overcome to the win the championship in the first place. Okada versus PAC seems to be the first challenge for the Rainmaker’s newly won title.

Hit – Swerve Strickland & Samoa Joe trade shots

Swerve Strickland may have failed to beat Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship in his previous attempt, but he still has his eyes locked on the champion. The two men entered into a war of words this week on AEW Dynamite.

Swerve called out Joe following his win over The Butcher. The former AEW tag team champion cut a solid promo inside the ring. Don Callis interrupted to announce a match between Swerve and Takeshita, with the winner likely to face Joe for the title.

Miss – Chris Jericho’s proposition for HOOK

HOOK continues to show his potential inside the ring. The FTW Champion took on Chris Jericho this week on AEW Dynamite. The outing saw Jericho take a barrage of suplexes from the former Team Taz member. HOOK picked up the win with a cradle pin.

Backstage, Jericho told Renee Paquette HOOK earned his respect with win. The former AEW World Champion said he’ll present HOOK with a proposition next week on Dynamite. I’m all for rising stars learning from the veterans but have a feeling HOOK will become another one in the long list of Y2J’s protégé next week.

I do not want that to happen.

Hit – Adam Copeland wins TNT Title on AEW Dynamite

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage had one of the better matches at AEW Worlds End 2023. The Rated R Superstar won the TNT Championship, only for the Patriarch to regain it by cashing-in Killswitch’s open contract. The former best friends met again in the main event of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

The Canadian natives collided in an “I Quit” Match to decide the fate of the TNT Championship. This match featured some brutal spots and multiple interferences. Copeland finally convinced Cage to utter the two humiliating words by threatening him with “Spike.”

It was a fitting end to a great storyline between two men whose careers have been intertwined with each other for the longest possible time. Copeland got his big moment in his home country to cap off a solid edition of Dynamite.

Also read: Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Strickland vs. Takeshita, More Set For 3/27 AEW Dynamite