Since the very first episode, AEWDynamite has been one of the most consistent weekly wrestling shows in the world, with them very rarely having an objectively bad episode. However, sometimes a subpar edition of Dynamite has slipped through the cracks, and for a company which people hold to such a high regard, a poor episode feels a lot worse.
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When looking at the 10 worst episodes, there are some parts of the show which were strong, with it being quite difficult to choose which ones are the “least good”, due to nearly every show being made to feel unique and special.
10 AEW Dynamite, 29th July 2020
This was a decent episode, but what dragged this down was how much it was hyped up, with the words “PPV-quality” being thrown around, however this was far from it. Best Friends & Jurassic Express vs Inner Circle was fun, and Adam Page & Kenny Omega vs Dark Order was decent, but even they weren’t PPV-quality.
Cody vs Warhorse was a complete let down of a TNT Title Open Challenge match, and the main event felt incredibly rushed, with what felt like filler in between.
9 AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash, 29th December 2021
This wasn’t a terrible episode by any means, but it wasn’t up there with AEW’s best. There were some decent tag team matches such as the opening ten-man match, but it was mainly just solid action overall.
Jade Cargill vs Thunder Rosa was fine, although they were a little off at times, and the main event between the Undisputed Elite and Best Friends felt overbooked. The promo segment between Dan Lambert and Brandi Rhodes was atrocious, and Chris Jericho’s return was botched with a late run-in.
8 AEW Dynamite Anniversary Edition, 8th January 2020
For what felt like the first time in AEW’s short history, the crowd was dead throughout most of the show. Despite this being billed as the “Anniversary Edition”, nothing was done to make it any different from any other show, and in fact, it was worse than usual.
None of the matches were anything other than solid, and there were random matches on the card such as Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs The Lucha Bros. Riho vs Kris Statlander was an awful title match, ruined by the Nightmare Collective. The main event segment between Jon Moxley & the Inner Circle had some fun moments, but the outcome was inevitable. The segment between MJF, DDP, and Butcher & Blade was a mess too.
7 AEW Dynamite, 16th December 2020
If there was ever a “filler” show of AEW, it was this one. Uninspired matches such as Cody Rhodes vs Angelico, Big Swole & Serena Deeb vs Ivelisse & Diamante, and The Acclaimed vs SCU had no place all being on the same show, which made for everything to just feel average.
The main event between Kenny Omega and Joey Janela was a mixed bag, with it being mostly trash talk during its six-minute run time, wasting the main event spot with an angle rather than a match.
6 AEW Dynamite, 6th June 2021
Whilst there was nothing terrible on this show, it was just a lackluster effort overall which screamed of mediocre by AEW’s standards. The MMA Rules Cage Match between Jake Hager and Wardlow split fans, and the handicap match between Men of the Year and Darby Allin was far too long.
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The Nightmare Family vs Factory feud continued despite fans not caring for it, and the main event felt like a thrown together six-man tag team match, despite the talents involved.
5 AEW Dynamite, 20th January 2021
The issue with this show was that every match was far too predictable, which meant for a lack of heat throughout the night. Matches such as Adam Page & Jon Silver vs Chaos Project, and Cody Rhodes vs Peter Avalon didn’t need to last for as long they did due to how easy it was to pick the winner.
The Inner Circle’s inner troubles dominated the top of the card, although their conflict wasn’t very interesting at the time, especially since the match was supposed to decide the “official tag team” for the Inner Circle, although this stipulation wasn’t upheld.
4 AEW Dynamite, 15th April 2020
The impacts of the pandemic were felt across this episode, with it feeling like a filler week of TV. Lance Archer vs Colt Cabana was decent but predictable, but everything else was average at best, with several squash matches.
The main event between Jon Moxley and Jake Hager had no right to last an entire thirty minutes, and despite their best efforts to make the most of the lack of an audience, the match just didn’t click overall. The only real highlight came in the form of the Inner Circle’s “Bubbly Bunch” segment.
3 AEW Dynamite, 28th May 2021
This was the Double or Nothing go-home show, but it felt far from what a go-home should be, and it felt as though AEW had already done everything they’d wanted in terms of build, so hurried together a show to carry them over to the PPV.
Matches such as Darby Allin vs Cezar Bononi, Jade Cargill vs KiLynn King, and Men of the Year vs Dark Order were uninspired, and the Weigh-In segment for the Cody Rhodes vs Anthony Ogogo match is up there with the worst pieces of television in AEW history.
2 AEW Dynamite, 25th August 2021
Although this show had big names, there weren’t enough moments to make it feel special. Promos from CM Punk and Miro were strong, but their stamp wasn’t placed firmly enough on the show overall.
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Jamie Hayter vs Red Velvet was full of miscues, the Gunn Club vs The Factory was very poor, with nothing from an in-ring standpoint really standing out aside from the Lucha Brothers vs Varsity Blondes, which wasn’t anything special in itself. The main event match and segment with Malakai Black vs Brock Anderson was not worthy of the spot it was in and having Arn block Black’s finisher was a baffling creative choice.
1 AEW Dynamite, 4th June 2021
This was a painful episode, and a terrible way to capitalise on a great Double or Nothing PPV. Britt Baker’s title celebration was an awful segment, with burgers being thrown during a weird tweener turn from Nyla Rose, and Andrade El Idolo’s debut fell completely flat due to Vickie Guerrero’s ineligible promo work.
The matches aside from the Young Bucks vs Death Triangle were lackluster, with the Factory vs Nightmare Family feud continuing to the dismay of the audience. There was also no reason for Dustin Rhodes vs Nick Comoroto to main event an episode of TV.
