Everyone knows about Dave Meltzer's love for AEW, and while he has overrated a number of matches, there are others that could do with more love.
All Elite Wrestling’s weekly edition of AEW Dynamite, Wednesday nights on TBS, has offered professional wrestling viewers spectacular matches, riveting rivalries, and exceptional promos since it began airing in October 2019. Featuring the promotion’s biggest stars and feuds, Tony Khan and AEW have not shied away from giving away incredible matches on free-to-air television.
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While Dave Meltzer at the ‘Wrestling Observer Newsletter’ has shown a soft spot for AEW in his star ratings, there have been numerous match ups which he has both overrated, and underrated. Which AEW Dynamite bouts rank as over glorified, or under hyped, by Dave Meltzer?
A strong match here as Jon Moxley defended his Interim AEW World Championship against the always-enthralling Rush, but nothing spectacular as 4.5* suggests.
Stiff, exciting in-ring action with Moxley being busted open, but ultimately overcame the odds with solid drama and intensity throughout. However, this never quite elevated beyond a very good encounter and certainly did not warrant a 4.5* rating from Dave Meltzer.
A great Women’s World Championship match as Hikaru Shida defended against Tay Conti in a very well-executed championship bout. Although AEW’s women’s division has been underwhelming at times, Shida had numerous enthralling championship defenses, and this was certainly one of them.
Excellent technical work and striking, with an exhilarating closing stretch possessing splendid drama as Shida retained. Surely a match that warranted more than 3.5*.
A very fun, great Dynamite opener with the two tag team specialists displaying their tremendous singles ability. However, far from a 4.75*, borderline classic matchup as Dave Meltzer implies.
Excellent spots and sequences with the crowd hot for the action as the two stars showcased their incredible athleticism, as well as some riveting near falls down the closing stretch. However, nothing truly spectacular and overly memorable unfolded as 4.75* suggests. A great television bout but nothing more.
A spectacular match-up between Kenny Omega and Trent on this April 2020 edition of Dynamite to open the show. The two stars went back and forth for twenty minutes in an incredibly riveting contest, even with the lack of a crowd due to the pandemic.
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Hard-hitting action with exciting spots as the two captured splendid intensity, with a thrilling closing stretch leading to Omega inevitably getting the win. An incredibly well-executed, excellent match that deserved more than 4*, certainly.
A good Ladder match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship as the Young Bucks challenged Jurassic Express, but certainly not an amazing spectacle as 4.75* implies.
This was your typical spotfest formula and while exciting in that regard with a hot crowd, this lacked the exhilaration viewers would expect both from the match and the subsequent rating from Dave Meltzer. A Bucks championship win and post-match heel turn from Christian Cage was exciting but did not add to the overall quality of the bout itself, unfortunately.
A fantastic Dynamite main event as Jon Moxley and Daniel Garcia battled in a fast-paced, highly physical encounter. Building towards Blood & Guts, this was a great showing for Garcia who has only skyrocketed since thanks to his matches with Bryan Danielson.
Moxley did an excellent job of opposing and selling for the younger, scrappier Garcia as the two went back and forth but Moxley would overcome the odds in the end. A tremendous match that warranted more than 4* from Dave Meltzer.
A great Ladder match back in January of this year as Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara battled to determine the Undisputed TNT Champion. However, not close to a 5* classic as Dave Meltzer indicated.
Amazing, death-defying spots here that left viewers jaws dropped, but other than that this lacked the pacing, intensity, selling, psychology, and more to be truly considered an all-time great Ladder match. A Dynamite bout that while fantastic, certainly ranks much lower than 5*.
An amazing Two out of Three Falls match with Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia facing off in their third meeting. The two traded amazing technical sequences with brilliant counters, submissions, and brutal maneuvers to boot. The pacing was superb as was the storytelling with Garcia looking to prove himself once again against his childhood hero, while Chris Jericho watched from commentary.
A fitting use of the stipulation led to Danielson overcoming the odds in a magnificent war here that deserved higher than 4.25* from Dave Meltzer, undoubtedly.
A sensational six-man tag in this Trios Championship tournament semi-final, but not quite a 5* classic as Dave Meltzer suggests. Incredible spots throughout in this spotfest style bout with little psychology surrounding the tag team rules. This did not affect the bout, however, which was a spectacle, particularly when PAC and Will Ospreay went back and forth.
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A scintillating closing stretch and a hot crowd made this an incredibly thrilling main event and a superb match up overall, but this never quite hit the instant classic level of a 5* Dave Meltzer match.
An absolute classic in this highly anticipated rematch between Adam Page and Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship, as the two stars went to war in a brutal bloodbath. Top-notch storytelling with Danielson playing the role of the heel, with great use of the judges at ringside.
Unbelievable in-ring action once the violence escalated as the two traded bombs throughout, with spectacular drama in the final third. The crowd were roaring throughout as Page would emphatically retain in a war of attrition, that surely deserved the full 5* from Dave Meltzer.
David French is a journalist of professional wrestling who is highly knowledgeable of the WWE, AEW and NJPW promotions and their products.