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AEW, unlike their WWE counterparts, hold just 4 pay-per-views every year. These events include Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out and Full Gear. They compensate for the small number of PPV events with special themed episodes of AEW Dynamite that often have high stakes matches between the biggest stars in the company.
This policy not only ensures that pay-per-views feel like massive occasions but also adds a degree of unpredictability to every Dynamite episode as a lot of high quality action takes place on a weekly basis. Since their inception, AEW has produced numerous special Dynamite episodes.
While most of them have been good to great, some have been a bottomless pit of entertainment from start to finish. The very recent AEW Road Rager was testament to that as AEW managed to pack a lot of action inside two hours to leave fans desperate for the next episode.
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With Road Rager in the history books and Fyter Fest Night One looming, let's take a look at the 5 best special AEW Dynamite episodes.
#5. AEW Dynamite: Bloods and Guts
AEW had to delay their Blood and Guts match by a year, and when it rolled out, it was between the Inner Circle and the Pinnacle. Matters became very personal as MJF betrayed Chris Jericho and formed his own faction. Numerous fiery promos and backstage attacks meant the hype for this match was through the roof.
The undercard for Blood and Guts was solid. Cody Rhodes faced QT Marshall, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston took on Kenny Omega and Michael Nakzawa which further established Omega as a cowardly heel champion.
We saw a 4-way tag team eliminator match between The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster), Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus), Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison) and SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels) for a shot at the Young Bucks' tag team titles. Dr. Britt Baker also won a squash match.
The episode also furthered championship storylines as Miro laid down a challenge to Darby Allin for the TNT Championship and Kenny Omega addressed his challengers for Double or Nothing.
The main event was a violent and bloody affair in the double-ring cage match as both teams left no stone unturned to inflict punishment on the other. Pinfalls and submissions didn't count as the only way to lose was to surrender. Sammy Guevara was forced to throw in the towel after MJF threatened to throw Jericho off the top of the cage.
This episode ranks slightly lower because the undercard was solid, but unspectacular and the entire show was centered around the main event, which, of course, delivered in spades.
#4. AEW Dynamite Homecoming Edition
The January 1, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite was dubbed the Homecoming Edition. The show featured a highly anticipated rematch between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin, a four-way tie for the AEW Women's Championship and a huge 6-man tag team match in the main event. Inner Circle tried to convince Jon Moxley to join the Inner Circle and MJF laid out the stipulations for Cody Rhodes.
The opening match was between Allin and Cody. Allin wanted to prove he belongs in the same ring as the EVP of AEW after a time limit draw at Fyter Fest. Despite his best attempts, Allin could not win after Cody countered a Coffin Drop into a rollup for a hard fought win. Riho retained her title against Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida in a stellar match that showed why AEW needed to put in more effort in their women's division.
After defeating Trent, Jon Moxley continued to tease the Inner Circle as he said he would announce his decision regarding joining the Inner Circle next week. The Inner Circle promised him a Ford GT with a custom license plate as well as co-ownership of Inner Circle LLC. In another major segment, MJF revealed Cody Rhodes would have to defeat Wardlow in a steel cage and get lashed 10 times onn national TV if he wanted to face MJF at AEW Revolution.
The main event was a barnburner as Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks took on the Death Triangle. The match was a spectacle from start to finish as Kenny Omega put Ray Fenix away with a One-Winged Angel to pick up the win. After the match, Adam Page didn't join the Elite during their celebrations in the ring, as he did at AEW Full Gear, furthering the story of his deteriorating relationship with the group.
AEW, after a hot start, had lost a bit of direction and momentum towards the end of 2019. With this episode they bounced right back and set the tone for the rest of the year with a fantastic show from start to finish.
#3. AEW Dynamite Road Rager
Last week's AEW Dynamite was the first show on tour in over 1.5 years. Fans were back and in full voice. AEW promised a spectacular show and delivered it.
A number of matches were advertised ahead of the show as well as major segments. Longstanding storylines were furthered and a jaw-dropping debut took place in a jam-packed show.
The show opened with a South Beach Strap match between Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall that Cody won. The crowd was raucous for Rhodes and he played to the crowd perfectly. After Kenny Omega was interrupted by the Dark Order, The Elite attacked the faction. Hangman Adam Page made the save to a thunderous ovation as he teased the Buckshot Lariat on the AEW World Champion.
The Pinnacle's FTR and Wardlow faced the Inner Circle's Proud-n-Powerful and Jake Hager in a huge 6-man tag match that saw Wardlow pick up the win for his team following a Big Rig on Hager by FTR. Konnan was subjected to a post-match assault to add more heat to the feud.
Continuing the feud between the two factions, MJF asked Chris Jericho to fight four opponents of MJF's choosing back-to-back and beat them in order to get a fight with him. The promo work was exceptional as the segment ended with Jericho laying out MJF with the Judas Effect.
In the in-ring portion of the night, Andrade 'El Idolo' made his AEW Dynamite debut with a comfortable win over Matt Sydal and the Young Bucks defeated Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo in a highly entertaining Street Fight in the main event for the AEW Tag Team Championship.
The highlight of the show occurred during an Arn Anderson promo. The veteran was cut off as the lights went out. The commentary team was discussing probable technical glitches, but when the lights came back, Malakai Black fka Aleister Black was in the ring and delivered a Black Mass to the wrestling legend. Cody Rhodes met the same fate as Black left the ring.
All the matches delivered. The main event was a car crash in the best way possible and an exhilirating debut in front of loud, returning fans made this a memorable episode.
#2. AEW Winter Is Coming
What can top a stunning debut and a big title match in the main event? An even more stunning debut and an even bigger title match in the main event. That's exactly what we got at AEW Winter Is Coming.
The show opened with the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal. It was a standard battle royal but had some interesting developments. Miro went on an absolute tear, scoring elimination after elimination.
It took the entire Inner Circle to eliminate him. MJF and Jungle Boy were the last two remaining and set up a match for the $50,000 prize the following week.
Chris Jericho defeated SCU's Frankie Kazarian as the dissension among Inner Circle members increased. Leyla Hirsch and Britt Baker battled in a fun match that saw The Dentist emerge as the victor.
The first major highlight of the show came in the aftermath of the tag team match featuring Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs of Team Taz and Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin. Allin pinned Starks following the Coffin Drop and a post-match beat down ensued as Brian Cage entered the ring.
Just as the heels were going to attack Cody with the FTW Title, the lights went off and an unknown theme song played. Out came Sting, in a scarcely believable moment. He came face to face with Arn Anderson before heading back amidst falling snow. The imagery was amazing as Sting appeared on TNT for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The main event saw Jon Moxley defend his AEW World Championship against long-time foe Kenny Omega. Don Callis of IMPACT Wrestling joined the commentary team as the match got underway. The match was fantastic, as expected. Don Callis made his way to the ring and hopped on to the apron with a mic in his hand.
Moxley decked him with a right hand, allowing Omega to hit Mox with the mic, strike him with a barrage of V-Triggers and finish him with the One-Winged Angel to become the new champion. Alongside Don Callis, the new champion exited the building and Callis told the cameras that they'll be hearing from Omega on IMPACT.
Sting's debut will go down as an all-time great moment for AEW. The Icon is one of the stalwarts of TNT and will always be a special attraction. What elevates this episode is that we got a world championship change on free TV as well as the confirmation of the working relationship between AEW and IMPACT.
#1. AEW Dynamite: Brodie Lee Tribute Show
AEW and the wrestling community were stricken with grief on December 26, 2020 after it was made public that Jon Huber, aka Mr. Brodie Lee had passed away due to respiratory issues later revealed to be idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Friends, family and colleagues of the Dark Order leader could not contain their sadness as Huber was one of the most beloved personalities in all of wrestling. The December 30, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite was announced as a tribute to Huber to pay homage to a great wrestler, and an even greater human.
All matches featured at least one member of the Dark Order and storylines were partially suspended for the show.
Numerous multi-man tag matches took place, including the main event which was called the "Brodie Lee Jr. Dream Match". Cody Rhodes, Orange Cassidy, and The Dark Order's Preston "10" Vance faced Ricky Starks, Brian Cage and Powerhouse Hobbs of Team Taz.
The show opened with a ten-bell salute for the Exalted One, and throughout the show wrestlers shared stories about Huber. Video packages were aired during the show to honor him.
It was revealed during the show that his eldest son, Brodie Jr. had signed with AEW as "-1" and is an active member of the roster. Brodie Jr. got to strike MJF with a kendo stick to pop the crowd.
At the end of the show, Huber's wife laid out his ring gear in the middle of the ring and Tony Khan retired the original TNT Championship belt after declaring -1 as the "forever champion".
Khan cut a promo after the show went off air as a final tribute to close out one of the most emotional wrestling shows of all time. In what was a difficult time for everyone involved, AEW did a great job preserving Mr. Brodie Lee's legacy.
