Top 10 moments in AEW Dynamite's first year
This month, AEW Dynamite celebrates its one year anniversary. The company are commemorating the occasion throughout October.
In just 12 months, AEW Dynamite has become a hugely popular and highly-successful show.
The popularity can be judged by the impressive numbers they get each and every week, which sometimes reaches the million viewership mark.
The reason for its popularity stems from their ability to create new and exciting matches and feuds. AEW's tag team division might just be the best tag team division in the history of wrestling.
The wealth of talent at their disposal is astonishing, from invaluable veterans like Chris Jericho and Christopher Daniels to the future of the business such as MJF, Jungle Boy, and Ricky Starks.
The first year has not been without its faults, but the good had by far outweighed the bad. This is mainly due to the company's ability and eagerness to listen to the fans. When angles were received poorly, AEW will change and alter it for the better.
AEW Dynamite has revolutionized the wrestling business. For the first time in decades, WWE has some serious competition on their hands.
AEW Dynamite is a genuine alternative to WWE. Fans who have been dissatisfied by WWE's product can watch and enjoy a new and different wrestling show that tailors to their particular fandom.
With AEW's arrival, WWE and NXT specifically have to make drastic changes to their format and programming. NXT changed from a one hour pre-recorded show on the WWE Network to a live two-hour presentation on the USA network. The change was to counter-program AEW Dynamite on TNT.
AEW Dynamite has gone from strength to strength. Even during the pandemic, AEW has managed to innovate and continue to put out consistently great and entertaining programming every Wednesday night.
Throughout their first year, AEW Dynamite has provided us with a plethora of unforgettable moments. To celebrate Dynamite's first birthday, I have put together my top ten moments in its one-year history.
#10 Cody's Moonsault from the top of the cage in AEW Dynamite's first-ever steel cage match
MJF had double-crossed Cody a month earlier. Pretending to his friend, MJF accompanied Cody to ring for his AEW World Championship match against Chris Jericho at Full Gear last year. MJF would turn on Cody towards the end of the match by throwing in the towel, ending the latter's only chance of winning the title.
Cody sought revenge on MJF and called him. After dodging the call multiple times, MJF would grant Cody his wish, but he must first complete three challenges. They were:
1. Cody cannot touch MJF until the PPV; otherwise, the match will never happen.
2. Cody must face Wardlow inside of a steel cage.
3. MJF gets to lash Cody with his belt ten times on a future episode of AEW Dynamite of his choosing.
Cody readily accepted, and on the February 19th episode of Dynamite, Cody would meet Wardlow inside a steel cage.
The match was everything a company's first-ever steel match should be. Intense, violent, and brilliant.
A simple story was perfectly executed. Cody, as the mega babyface, was destroyed by the monster heel, Wardlow. But Cody's passion, drive, and heart battled against the odds to defeat his enemy. Cody would do this by climbing to the top of the cage and performed a death-defying moonsault onto Wardlow for the hard-fought victory.Â
Incredible, thrilling, and captivating stuff.
#9 So Cal Uncensored become first-ever AEW Tag Team Champions
One thing that makes AEW stand out from WWE is their stellar tag team division. On the fifth episode of AEW Dynamite, SCU's Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian became the first tag team champions after they defeated Lucha Bros in the finals of a thrilling and exciting tag team tournament.
SCU was extremely popular as both a tag team and as characters on Being the Elite. SCU is a highly-talented and well-respected trio of wrestlers. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are veterans of the business, and Scorpion Sky is a talented yet often overlooked wrestler.
En route to the finals, SCU had beaten Best Friends, Trent, and Chuck Taylor in the first round. In the second round, they would defeat Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of The Dark Order,
It was a great moment for two reasons. Firstly, AEW crowned their inaugural tag team champions, and secondly, it marked the career breakthrough for Kazarian and especially Scorpion Sky.