This week saw the first AEW Dynamite of the Max era. This was the first show that is simulcast on both Max streaming and TNT (with Collision being simulcast on Max and TBS on Saturday nights). This means it was important to get things off to a big start.

Here are the match results:

  • Hangman Adam Page def. Orange Cassidy by pin (Buckshot Lariat)
  • The Hurt Syndicate def. The Acclaimed by submission (Hurt Lock)
  • Julia Hart def. Jamie Hayter by pin (Mist)
  • Jay White def. Swerve Strickland & Roderick Strong by pin (Blade Runner on Strong)
  • Powerhouse Hobbs def. Jon Cruz & Rob Killjoy by pin (Spinebuster)
  • Rated FTR def. Death Riders (Shatter Machine)

The Matches

This was the first AEW Dynamite of the Max era, so it was important to showcase how good the wrestling in AEW is compared to the competition. What resulted was some interesting decisions and some average matches with a few squashes thrown in. Nothing went overly long, and everything seemed to serve a purpose, so that worked out well.

Adam Page cleanly beating Orange Cassidy was a surprise. Orange was last seen as a genuine threat to Jon Moxley, and now he is losing clean. However, this is likely playing into a longer-running storyline (see below), so building up Adam Page as a threat again after a lackluster 2024 is a good thing. It was a good match, though.

Having Julia Hart win her return match was a good decision. However, Jamie Hayter is also losing more than expected, considering her meteoric rise before an injury took her out for a year. The match was average, but the mist win worked for Hart.

Powerhouse Hobbs winning a squash match was good since he needs to rebuid himself into the major threat he deserves to be seen as. The Hurt Syndicate squash of The Acclaimed was all about the fracturing of the former tag team champions and works from that point of view.

Jay White’s win in the triple threat match was also nice, but that match was more about what was happening around it (specifically with Ricochet bludgeoning Swerve with scissors to cost him the match). It was nice to see White winning, though.

The main event was a strange one. Rated FTR was great, but there was lots of outside interference, and it is always weird to see Jon Moxley just hanging out on the floor rather than standing on the apron waiting for a tag. It was a good match, but it just felt off.

Match Of The Night: Adam Page vs. Orange Cassidy

The Angles

For a lot of fans, it is just about the matches. However, I want to see good angles and storytelling as well. So, how did this first AEW Dynamite of the Max era do?

Orange Cassidy: First up, we have Orange Cassidy. He led the troops against Jon Moxley and said he needed to end Mox’s reign of terror in AEW. He failed more than once. Last week, he said he didn’t know what was next for him and took aim at Adam Page. Orange lost. This is smart storytelling, as Orange is now on a losing streak, and this looks like it will test his resolve as he questions himself. Nice story to start 2025 for Cassidy.

Adam Page: Adam had a terrible 2025, disappearing for much of the year and then showing up to feud with Swerve Strickland as an evil heel and then take on Jay White and, finally, a world title match with Jon Moxley. This is the time for AEW to rebuild the Hangman, which they seem to be on their way to doing with the win over Orange. However, feuding with Christopher Daniels won’t do much other than delay his rise.

The Acclaimed: The Acclaimed are breaking up. This loss is another step in their self-destruction. While it makes sense for Max Caster to turn heel, they could always pull a swerve and have Anthony Bowens turn bad. How will Billy Gunn play into this? Stay tuned.

The Hurt Syndicate: They are hurting people and have caused more secondhand damage (The Acclaimed breaking up and Ricochet turning heel). I’m not sure what they are doing for themselves right now.

Julia Hart & Jamie Hayter: Julia Hart winning her first match back makes sense. Jamie Hayter losing a lot does not. This was the first match in what will probably be a multi-match feud.

Mercedes Mone – Mercedes Mone cut a promo about how great she is. There is no word on what is next for her, though (she wrestles Mina Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty).

The Undisputed Kingdom: They are all back together, but will one of them turn on the other?

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet: I was a little surprised to see Ricochet interfere in the triple threat by stabbing Swerve Strickland in the head with scissors. It was a brutal moment for the Max premiere, with lots of blood. This feud will have some big matches that might rival the Swerve vs. Page feud from 2024. Ricochet could become a bigger star thanks to the heel turn, which brought out a new side of him.

Jay White: Jay winning the triple threat was needed to keep him at the top of the food chain. It sucks that just as White returned from his injury, the rest of Bullet Club Gold all got injured.

Jeff Jarrett: Jeff wants to win the AEW World Championship and signed a new AEW contract to get that chance. It won’t happen, but he did get a lot better at the end of 2024.

Powerhouse Hobbs: He’s a monster and hopefully he will get a huge push in 2025.

MJF: He had a small promo in the show where he said he was coming for Jon Moxley, which is pretty shocking. MJF isn’t turning babyface, and Mox is a pure evil heel, so not sure how MJF fits into the title picture.

Death Riders: The Death Riders have been losing a lot lately. It seems weird that they are supposed to destroy everyone, but they can only win by cheating and have been losing more than they have won lately. They seem much less dangerous now than last month, but that can all change with one brutal beatdown. Also, will Marina Shafir attacking Adam Copeland finally bring Beth Phoenix into AEW?

Rated FTR: This was a nice start for Rated FTR and I like them better than I liked FTR and CM Punk when they were together. This team needs to capture the trios title from the Death Riders, but I don’t think Copeland needs to win the world title (it should be Darby Allin). Either way, they seem to be more on the level playing field with Death Riders than anyone fighting them to this point.

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed the first AEW Dynamite of the Max era. I watched it on Max and thought the picture and quality looked better than it did on cable. However, the matches were mostly average. The storytelling was more important here, but there was a lot of filler. Hopefully, things will start to take form in the new year with the rise of Rated FTR and the rebuilding of people like Hangman Page and Powerhouse Hobbs. I am also interested in seeing how Orange Cassidy develops from here. This was a solid “B”.