Grading AEW Dynamite (October 2)

It all came down to this. All Elite Wrestling's maiden Dynamite show debuted on TNT last night and lived up to its name from beginning to end. That was all to the good because the historicity of the occasion didn't go unmentioned. Tony Schiavone, a veteran of wrestling's hottest period, pointed out for all to hear that this was the first wrestling show broadcast on TNT since 2001.

But beneath the glitz and glamor, the show needed to deliver. AEW has a pay per view on November 9th, as the improved commentary team was keen to remind us. How effective was the show in debuting its roster and building its next big event?

Cody vs. Sammy Guevara: B

This match felt a little disjointed for the first few minutes. It seemed like Cody and Sammy didn't have chemistry together. Sure, the work rate was good, but there was something missing from it. After Brandi got hit by mistake on Cody's suicide dive, though, things kicked into high gear. Sammy put up a hell of a fight and showed what he's all about, but obviously, Cody wasn't going to lose a match while he's the top contender to Chris Jericho's AEW Championship.

The end result was that Cody got to get a good win and Sammy Guevera got to show to a wider audience what he can do, but his night wasn't over.

Chris Jericho ambushes Cody: A

After a tense handshake between Cody and Guevara, Chris Jericho blindsided the former and laid a beating on him. The camera work here was great, as we heard the crowd roaring, but didn't see Jericho until he actually attacked Cody.

The champion laid out his challenger with chairs and the title belt, among other weapons and maneuvers.

It was a simple, but effective, way to build their rivalry heading into Full Gear on November 9th.