Ups & Downs: AEW Dynamite Review (May 22)

Our AEW Dynamite review as Simon Miller recaps Hook vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bryan Keith, Malakai Black vs. Kyle O'Reilly, Matt Sydal vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh, Toni Storm and Mariah May vs. Saraya and Harley Cameron, Orange Cassidy and Will Ospreay vs. Trent Beretta and Roderick Strong, Darby Allin's flamethrower and much more.
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[@tomseville2345]

Nana SWERVED when he DROVE! Get it!? 🤣🤣🚗🚘🕺🏿🕺🏿

[@psface22]

I had to click just to see whose head exploded! 🤣 Brilliant thumbnail 💯

[@TheOriginalShredneck]

It looks that scene in Scanners lol

[@dinosaursnstuff4453]

I feel like Simon did a disservice by not mentioning how absolutely JACKED Rey Phoenix got.

[@aintyouthatguy7855]

Those traps

[@leighwilson5238]

Couldn’t agree more. Bring back the brown down for Simon on this

[@Trikkypac]

The back and forth between Excalibur and Taz about the unified titles and the wagon deserves a golden up!

[@shoWbitz]

And Tony Schiavone trying to use Taz's "Jones" language is hilarious too😂

[@nikkih6508]

Their commentary during picture in picture was especially hilarious this week. All three of them were so sassy lol

[@joshmatlock1020]

I really want to see Takeshita v Copeland at some point soon. Takeshita should be a champion. He's fantastic.

[@skyboss4008]

Yup takeshita is like lost right now

[@LHC2112]

I agree. I kinda feel like he's going to beat Mox at DON to set up the title match at Forbidden Door w Takeshita potentially winning that. It's not the championship I wanna see him with, I'd prefer an AEW Championship run but I definitely won't complain.

[@mjohn3126]

Takeshita as TNT champ would be cool.

[@STEPHENisSTEPHEN]

@@skyboss4008everyone is lost the writing is doo doo

[@Aragorn7884]

Juice Robinson at DoN? 👆

[@htimSnaeS]

We need The Juice!

[@Aragorn7884]

@@htimSnaeS 🧃

[@empower5228]

Loved the WCW vibes of this episode ❤ plus, it was fun, exciting, had some solid storytelling, great matches, and had some holy shit moments that made me hyped for Double or Nothing this weekend! LFG!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@covtree123]

Wcw collapsed so idk if thats good vibes

[@SeasideDetective2]

I don't know what it is with me and Simon Miller. I like the episodes he dislikes and dislike the episodes he likes.

[@empower5228]

@covtree123 and? Lots of things that are great aren't meant to last. TNA and Lucha Underground also had amazing runs during their respective times. Just because something doesn't last or whatever doesn't change the fact that it was once awesome imo!

[@jonpoon3896]

The best part of the Swerve’s chase was when he ran off at Christian, he stuck a random kick to Killswitch while running out

[@DeathRobotKailozo]

Brilliant thumbnail. Looks like Malakai’s head has exploded. Very Mortal Kombat of you.

[@foxfire7]

XD Darby showing up with a flame thrower was just an amazing moment.

[@FFP2023]

Real Wrestling Feel, am I right.

[@thewolf01x95]

Was it? He didnt burn nothing

[@RandoDubz]

If he did the iwc would have said he was copying the rock probably ​@@thewolf01x95

[@Jeyapollo]

I don’t think Bryan Keith got buried. It took two submissions at the same time to make him tap.

[@sancatheone6258]

His down was plain stupid. You can't expect a whole roster to be protected. You need mid-carders to balance your roster. Someone who is supposedly watching wrestling should know, but he is forcing some downs because of peer pressure and WWE trolls who have the upper hand in numbers. So basically he has no opinion of his own. His excuse for a draw was silly, this was a refreshing and new way but these experts are used to Vince booking and they don't like new ideas.

[@Sd12sx23]

And Keith is still pretty new to the main roster, so the fact that he was in a championship eliminator match is pretty impressive. Couple that with a loss that makes him look pretty strong, and I would say he's going in the right direction. Have some patience Simon!

[@kimchi2780]

Complete trash take from Simon. How is he buried first off, second off he's brand new, and third I guess Ilya is buried too by that account.

[@STEPHENisSTEPHEN]

@@sancatheone6258Thats crazy that you say that when Simon was defending aew when it was having some of its worst shows he was still giving them ups

[@dannybob42]

I feel like Takeshita is winning for DoN, making it an eliminator gives him the big win, and a title shot for the IWGP World Title and the next ppv is Forbidden Door so it lines up well

[@mystikalmz95]

I don't agree with some of the downs here. Not every match is a 50/50, Bryan Keith is relatively new and only tapped out after being in two signature submissions at the same time and the whole Serena Deeb thing has gotten enough downs already so you should probably get over it by now xD Really enjoyed Swerve being Swerve. I loved his pre match and post match segments. And Darby reaching the arena with TK and entering with a flamethrower was hype

[@InvincibleYoungEmpire]

Nana coming to the aid of Swerve was so amazing. The way he did it too lol. Welcome back, NANA! Also, was great seeing Death Triangle again as well.

[@Sabbathbloodysabbath666]

“He’s a BeeGee” 😂

[@Mike-zx6sl]

That thumbnail goes so friggin hard dude

[@jjenk911]

I do enjoy the fact that Simon is throwing more downs in his review shows.

[@Zombiez4breakfast]

My least favorite thing about wrestling being good and making sense lately is no wizard in the sky 😢 why did he leave us? I can still hear him… halabalee!!… Wizard in the Sky.

[@matth.4179]

Is Simon wearing Brooklyn Brawler’s shirt?

[@danielclark1304]

Loved dynamite this week

[@Mdgeist316]

Toni Storm is the most over woman in AEW, and that promo Deeb cut didn't get the crowd on her side. So they went with the double turn because there's no way crowds are going to cheer for Deeb over Toni. They did the logical thing, so I'm not sure why that's worthy of a down when there have been double turns for this exact same reason over the years. I appreciate you Simon and love your work, but your downs are getting a little nonsensical.

[@nicklikethesoup]

The only downs I'd give the show are the crowd and the number of guaranteed wins on the show. But every pre-determined outcome match makes sense for a go-home show format. Rarely (almost never) do we see the guaranteed winner lose prior to the PPV for any show. It's a formula that's become tropey but is used to enhance the storylines for each match. I give them a little more forgiveness for that. Simon used to as well.

[@gorgusan]

I may be misremembering, but wasn't there a post-match brawl/attack counter at one point? In any case, there should be, because AEW absolutely loves those, and always have.

[@tony6626]

Tony Khan is doubling up as Trents Mum (cost cutting measure!).

[@time502]

Interesting, I don't usually disagree with Simon's negatives but I did every single one, Simon's been feeling more and more critical lately, but to each their own

[@johnathanmcgill5942]

Darby should've been on the crime counter.

[@BigDaddyBland87]

Had the same thought. If Darby had been planning on setting the Elite on fire, that is definitely a crime.

[@warrenwallsjr.2564]

Everytime someone uses the Blue Thunder Bomb (mainly Takeshita and Sami) he sounds like a disappointed dad whenever they kick out of the pin because it is the LEAST DEVASTING MOVE IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING😂😂😂LMAO

[@ryanwaslawski6088]

7 days ago Orange Cassidy got piledrived on the steps and was up running around 15 seconds later.

[@TitusRedwind]

I can't wait to see Adam Copeland vs Malakai Black. A barbed wire steel cake match with Adam's Brood version of himself will be awesome. I can't wait to see if they give him a similar entrance and theme for the occasion

[@gr8daynegb]

Barbed wire steel cake match lol

[@sancatheone6258]

I'll just take the cheesecake if you don't mind.

[@MsIkon226]

Would anyone really try to wrestle in a steel cake match? I would just sit and try to eat the cake/cheesecake

[@lobanaoz7863]

The fact that less than 100% of the comments are talking about the flamethrower is upsetting ngl Banger ep

[@tomseville2345]

Fans in Bakersfield reminded me of WWE crowds in 2013 - 2019, thinking they're so smart and rebellious; now they're chanting *for* Jericho during other guys' matches, and were chanting for Luther during the women's tag match...

[@SeasideDetective2]

What a show! I saw a double tapout, a literal bloodbath, and a half-skeleton with a flamethrower - and in Bakersfield, no less! AEW keeps getting better.

[@TheMaddogmvf]

The "I know who's going to win" complaint is among the dumbest I've ever heard. Unless you want every match ever put on TV to be PPV matches that you just blow through. As long as the match is good, personally, IDGAF if I know who's going to win a free TV match

[@WizKiddAnt91]

Facts, as long the match has a purpose I’m ok with being able to know who’s going to win.

[@kimchi2780]

Also hate that Simon ignores that in WWE it's the same. In wrestling 9/10 you know who's going to win.

[@afp445]

​@@kimchi2780 Exactly 💯 Whenever WWE does something it's either hailed as genius or it's given a pass, but whenever AEW does the same thing it's instantly labeled as sh** and derided ad nauseum I'm not saying it's mainly Simon doing this, it's the ICW/wrestling media in general doing it

[@ScarredCore1]

@@afp445 stop trying to change the reality. He's doing the same thing with WWE, you need to watch his videos you mark! And nobody is praising something that WWE's doing, they are constantly praising AEW for stupid reasons and they are slowly fading away because AEW is shit and they can not deny it anymore. AEW is nothing more than a bootleg WCW with unlimited money glitch because of the walking infant Tony Khan.

[@sancatheone6258]

These experts are like cultists afraid to anger the outspoken guys in the community, so they just go along with the crowd and whine about AEW non-stop. The downs were really stupid, WWE did a massive switch after the Cody backlash and then it was great. Now the crowd reactions are in favor of Tony Storm and it's suddenly a down. Timeless Tony is a hit with the fans and Mariah May has an instant click, instead of acknowledging their great work together they get reactions from the so called expert like this one. Simon recently said he finally sat trough an episode of Dynamite. I wonder how he is sitting trough 3 hours of reruns and fillers on Raw every week. He is looking more like a clown now.

[@winslowcross235]

The problem with less predictable outcomes is often that means fewer real finishes, more roll-ups, DQs, and count outs.

[@LorcanaControl]

Once we got past the terrible first hour it became one of my favorite dynamites ever. Swerve finally being a smart Babyface. Brood bath. Darby flamethrower.deeb destroying Toni.

[@Joe-zs5ms]

So glad Simon still calls it the Black Mass. "The End" isn't as cool

[@tomseville2345]

It's a callback to his early ring name, so it *does* have a double meaning...

[@scionoforion]

Orange is wishing he was a banana because bananas always come in bunches

[@francisco_m7849]

😊 Simon is always I love your reviews. But my big question is why do they always have Swerve come out first in his matches instead of coming out afterwards?

[@TonyBurgess1969]

Harley is a good sleeper performer.

[@DanakinSkywalkerDarkJedi]

I love Simon and What culture, BUT... i am a professional editor and the edits that cut Simons line at the end of some portions is not very good. It has been a thing for a awhile and it is sporadic. IMO it seems to always kill his punchlines. Just my 2 cents. Love you guys. Love Simon. Keep up the great work. Cheers.

[@Dr_1212]

AEW 😎 Good show 👍 F the Haters Just sthu & enjoy wrestling

[@DPowerOfRock]

Looking forward to what you have to say about the ending!

[@SaraBlade]

Me looking at the thumbnail: HOLY SHIT THEY JUST BLEW THAT GUYS HEAD OFF AND BLOOD IS SPEWING EVERYWHERE. I thought I was looking at an upload for one of the horror channels I follow. Lol

[@thesnudge1]

Elements of the Brood's theme music when the lights went red!

[@michaelfrederic7531]

That thumbnail was BRUTAL

[@sniperhawk2]

If I was at the arena, I would've bought the guy who yelled "Who wrote this s***?!" a beer during that God-awful BCG segment 😆

[@cholerik]

I definitely popped at home during that 😂

[@B3NO]

Everyone in the crowd was laughing last night at it

[@sancatheone6258]

Fortunately you were at home, next episode watch Cody Boring crying about his dad for 30 minutes and be cool. In EAW they don't do written promo's. Some work and some are not as great, but at least not the boring stuff you get from the other side.

[@Scooty_Scooty]

​@@sancatheone6258he won't be watching Cody on the next episode given that Cody is no longer in AEW unless for some reason you are actually bringing up WWE on a post that had nothing to do with it?

[@PoeticPoker262]

​@@sancatheone6258only crybaby is you you boring little AEW drone.

[@stephenmorton6764]

Simon give yourself a Golden Up and keep smashing it.

[@erng8955]

I was in the crowd last night. Second row and mannn everyone has a blast. It was awesome still. Tbh we were trying to get louder but security kept telling us to be quiet

[@beerguy177]

that's a waste of Kool aid 😂

[@MsIkon226]

Looked like cherry pie filling/topping, made me want some sort of cherry dessert. Judgement Day Cope is officially ALL ELITE!!!!!

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the review Simon ❤️

[@MyToasterIsMoist]

Really disagree with Bryan Keith being murked - it took TWO badass dudes slapping on a submission at the *same time* to make him tap. All three had solid offense the entire match, plus out of those three Bryan *should* be the one who's losing, not Hook or Shibata.

[@SuperWamJake]

WOW!! This **will** reverse the slight ever so tiny ratings slump Dinomite has been in!!!! This card is so hot!! OMG!! Orange Cassidy and Ospreay!!!! WOW!!!! 🔥

[@PoeticPoker262]

Slight and ever so tiny? Literally down 500k 😂

[@rjgoodman4056]

So we're at the "blood falling from the ceiling" stage of the WCW speed run. AEW is about to 100% the run!

[@wethepeoplewolfpack4233]

Thanks Simon, always excellent as usual, yes, I wrote that within the first minute as I went forward in time and saw how good it was.........don't ask how I managed time travel......or why I didn’t use this amazing talent to win the lottery..........anyway, always enjoy Your shows! Also, please bring back AEW Collision ups and downs, thanks! And if You do, I WILL use My time travel talent to win the lottery and split it with You!! 😅😅

[@bryandaction]

Crazy thought. Put Takeshita over so that he can the title fight at All In

[@gene7887]

13:39 this still makes it look like his head exploded 'Scanners' style

[@jonpoon3896]

They should’ve done the Swerve segment first. Then in between segments, cut to Swerve chasing Christian all over the arena throughout the episode

[@SeasideDetective2]

Nah. Too much of a buildup for a match I'm sure Christian is going to lose.

[@ahmadceasar5484]

I watched that tag opener thinking Don is definitely turning on will at the ppv

[@michelnewcomb9860]

Christian didn't have a vehicle waiting, it was a car jacking. Should have been added to the crime counter.

[@kennyhall9117]

SIMON IS THE BEST, SIMON NUMBER ONE 👏👏

[@MusicTripleThreat]

I believe they should stick with Deeb and stick with her story. Let her win the title and let the crowd be mad. Build more heat

[@ronald-xs7sp]

Good morning, Simon!

[@Viewfromthere]

He's a beegee was a great throw away line

[@bryanbalment7993]

A small thing I liked here was the callbacks. Trent trying for the piledriver on the stairs but Osprey stops him. Osprey takes out Taven and Bennett, then turns his back to the stage. But this time Wardlow jumps him. Christian tried to steal a car to get away - just like he did before - but this time Nana blocks him in. Almost like the wrestlers have actually watched the show before and taken notes.

[@ATL13n]

I was hoping Cope would have had fangs after the blood spot 😂

[@SeasideDetective2]

I think he did - in a sense. His canines were prominently seen, and not capped.

[@carlb5558]

I thought, "What a throw away match for a farewell tour" as soon as Bryan vs Singh was announced. Then the smozh ensued. 🤦‍♂️

[@douglaslankster7545]

Would a gutbuster on Cassidy be a "Pulp" buster? 😂😂

[@blankko84]

I liked the video but I'm still giving it a thumb down for totally idiotic reasons just because

[@pierreolivierlepage664]

Christian fleeing on top of the car is the wrestler version of the girl running up the stairs in a slasher movie. It could not end well.

[@nuttyrockchickart3040]

mr pencil not sure id be a fan of that nickname if i was a guy lmao love ya simon never stop being you!!!!!!!

[@pipepicasso8112]

Satnam needs to be under “The Learning Tree”. The Redwood (Big Bill) and the Giant Sequoia (Satnam) as a Tag-team.

[@tomseville2345]

The first time in his life Tony ever drives himself anywhere (I'd guess), is ferrying an employee to burn his immediate seconds-in-command alive... 🤣🤣🔥🔥🔥 Day at the office!

[@jordancollett7394]

Team Trent

[@FFA441]

Why did they announce the rankings coming back then never do them

[@francisco_m7849]

😊 so now does this mean that since Sting is retired Darby Allen is now back to being completely insane without anybody being able to control him. Reason is, when he was with Sting he was slightly under control. Now this guy is coming out with flamethrowers.😂😂😂

[@theamazingcj2748]

That thumbnail is fucking insane.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

You know AEW isn't firing on all cylinders when Simon throws 5 downs on an episode of Dynamite ! I agree though . And I am NOT an AEW hater by any stretch . But that company has been irking me for a while on all the little things they can easily fix , not to mention the bigger things that will take time to repair . God speed AEW !!!!!! Its not like they dont pull off awesome matches a lot , to me its the booking that lacks . A bunch ! Hopefully things will turn around .

[@reyponce]

Let's get some more match stipulations associated with titles, like the ROH Pure Championship. Start with the FTW Championship always defended in a hardcore rules match.

[@tomseville2345]

"Who wrote this SHIITT!!" Jay White was considered one of the best heel talkers, as was Malakai Black. But their promos the last two weeks have gotten audible Jericho 2024 heat...

[@STEPHENisSTEPHEN]

BAD CREATIVE 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@STEPHENisSTEPHEN cry more

[@Diamondelle84]

13:33 So much better when it's red 😯

[@wisestgenio1812]

After every match for two weeks, the winner or loser is always attacked, every single match

[@higurashianduminekoconnect1702]

Technically it did have a meaning though it was a plot device to have a reason for Darby Allen to come out

[@sicknerf3d837]

Thumbnail is brutal and I like it!

[@jasonlee3759]

Wrestling Jeopardy has been fun

[@monkeymansingsSKA]

If Simon is giving a show 5 downs then there is an issue because he is a 'Positive Pete'. I've been unsure about where AEW is going creatively for quite a few months and it's really beginning to show. There are a few highlights, like Timeless Toni Storm but a lot of it is muddled just going from one match to another with no lead up or backstory. And Simon is dead right with the number of post match attacks. They used to be a rarity, now it's odd if there isn't one.

[@alexnieblas7618]

I don't understand all the kissing in the women's division lately. Is that their version of the attitude era or something? I think at this point it's kinda lame (IMO). But I am pretty sure at least now it's the ladies who decide to do that on their own and not some old creep. Progress...?

[@EnthusiasticDesertCobra-hz1hb]

Come on Team AEW

[@Aragorn7884]

One of those security guards resembled Al Snow 😅

[@rabbitholeguy]

Darby could have burnt the Bucks to a crisp, and they still would have kicked out at two.

[@tomseville2345]

Or stopped the flame with the Superkick, using the soles of their new trainers...

[@richardedwards9044]

My grandma was legit Ne-Ne to me.

[@humanitiessupervillian]

1 more down please because where was Claudio

[@laurenceshelly6932]

The dumbest move a big man can do as a suplex or any move actually where they're falling down. The whole concept of fighting the big man is once you knock him down he stays down so if he's knocking himself down he's killing the illusion before you ever get to knock him down

[@dakotabrandon9632]

I hate to say that Dynamite has pretty much become unwatchable. 😔 These days, I only watch Simon to go figure out what segments to watch and tune in to the PPV's

[@kidwilks]

I kind of miss Hotel America Simon Miller 😆

[@sutherland604]

It's business time

[@johnwessner]

By heavens that have never needed a reason to be so pretty

[@abubacarrjeng5080]

Simon, christian grand theft auto'd that car. Where is the crime counter?

[@riotd.r.8363]

I totally enjoyed the show, but every match except one had a post-match attack (counting the blood bath).

[@Captain_Pudding]

The return of the viscous red liquid!

[@tomseville2345]

TOO viscous, this time! The blobs stuck to Malakai looked like clumped jam/preserves... 🤣🤣🍓🍓

[@andrewclayterman6230]

@@tomseville2345 jello

[@midnightdarkness8730]

🔥🔥🔥