AEW Dynamite advertised CM Punk vs. Max Caster—who did not disappoint by making a Will Smith slapping reference—Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal, the first qualifier for the Owen Hart Invitational Tournament pitting The Bunny against a surprise opponent (who turned out to be Toni Storm), Adam Cole and reDRagon’s “Championship celebration” and Wheeler Yuta vs. Bryan Danielson.
Last week’s broadcast of AEW Dynamite garnered a viewership of 1.046 million, Dynamite’s first broadcast over one million since February 23.
AEW Dynamite Ratings, Last Five Weeks
- March 23, 2022—1.046 million
- March 16, 2022—993,00
- March 9, 2022—945,000
- March 2, 2022—966,000
- February 23, 2022—1.010 million
AEW Dynamite Ticket Sales
- AEW Dynamite Venue: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, S.C.)
- AEW Tickets Distributed: 4,680
- AEW Tickets Available: 1,246
Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti Must Turn Heel (Pro Wrestling Bits)
AEW Dynamite YouTube Viewership Last Wednesday: 5,465,148 (Up from 4,327,176)
- Most-Viewed: Jeff Hardy Takes Flight (1,713,420 views)
- Least-Viewed: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet (93,209 views)
- Median Viewership: 722,345 views
AEW Dynamite Results | March 30, 2022
CM Punk def. Max Caster
Max Caster more-or-less got the Will Smith reference out of the way before going into much more high-level bars like calling CM Punk the “voice of the moistless.” I guess that’s why John Cena recently told me he thought Caster was a better rapper than he was.
CM Punk has been consistently winning matches by submission. I don’t know why quite yet, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a coincidence.
Judging by audience reaction, this live crowd was more into the idea of CM Punk vs. Hangman Adam Page than CM Punk vs. Adam Cole. Both feel equally as likely.
Jon Moxley def. Jay Lethal
Once again, fans were split between one of AEW’s top stars and Jay Lethal. AEW finally seems to be doing something with Lethal and it’s not coming a moment too soon.
AEW is finally doing something with Jay Lethal and it’s leading some of Dynamite’s best matches on a weekly basis. Who would have ever thought?
FTR def. The Gunn Club
MJF still wants FTR in The Pinnacle, but FTR is none-too-pleased. It feels like only a matter of time before FTR is replaced in The Pinnacle, likely by The Gunn Club.
MJF being effusive in his praise of FTR, saying they’re the greatest tag team of all time, is a tell-tale sign that the man is on the verge of turning on them.
Staying in the spirit of mimicking WWE through his contract with Wardlow, MJF banned anybody from saying the word “Wardlow” on television.
Wardlow went on a rampage backstage, and power bombed a security guard through a table. Unfortunately for the poor security guard, the table didn’t break.
Following this match, as FTR and MJF were having a disagreement, fans engaged in the loudest "FTR" chant I've ever heard. As great as they are, at least 50% of that is because these people despise MJF.
Jericho Appreciation Society Destroys Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz
JAS seemed like they were simply going to cut an entertaining backstage promo, but then they were ambushed by Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz. By the time they got to the ring, the heels laid waste to the babyfaces.
Despite being one of JAS’ most charismatic members, Daddy Magic Matt Minard once again got the short end of the stick with the shortest promos of the five
Bryan Danielson def. Wheeler Yuta
There was a slightly heated debate between William Regal and Excalibur as to whether or not Bryan Danielson was the greatest of all time.
There is definitely a push to get Wheeler Yuta over as a babyface and these fans were here for it. They were so deflated by the time Danielson hit the Busaiku Knee, which tells you their cheers for Yuta weren’t just token cheers for the babyface.
Fans really popped when Yuta spit in Danielson’s face before his demise.
The Undisputed Elite’s Championship Celebration
The Undisputed Era stealing the championships tells me AEW has no reservations about giving away the visual of them with all the titles because there are no plans for this to happen.
Nothing screams Millennial Cowboy like a Tesla with horns on it.
By the end of this segment, all three belts returned to their rightful owners.
Thunder Rosa cut a very good live promo, albeit one week too late.
Toni Storm Debuts in AEW, defeats The Bunny—Owen Hart Invitational
Toni Storm got a great reaction from this audience as WWE Superstars continue to force their way out of their contracts similar to real sports.
This was a very well-wrestled match and Storm won with a fairly stiff Storm Zero. She has to be considered the favorite to win this tournament.
Andrade El Idolo def. Darby Allin
Darby Allin damn-near did a 450 while taking a back body drop.
This match peaked during a highly physical slap fight between Allin and Andrade. Their chemistry is simply amazing.
Andrade El Idolo earned the biggest win of his AEW career, but I can’t help but question why this match wasn’t saved for the Revolution pay-per-view earlier this month.
The pop for Jeff Hardy’s music might have been just as loud as it was for his debut.
