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AEW Dynamite ended its run on TNT with the final episode of 2021. During its two-plus years on the network, the weekly Wednesday night show has become a staple for fans every week.
The company started the year off dealing with the uncertainty of the pandemic. As the summer months approached, AEW welcomed fans back in attendance at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, before returning to live touring on the road.
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The energy around AEW events has been unmatched since their return to the road. 2021 saw many classic matches and significant moments that will live on in everyone's memory. In this article we take a look at the ten best AEW Dynamite episodes of 2021.
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10) AEW Dynamite: Halloween Special - 10/27/21
The best description of the Halloween special of AEW Dynamite would be silly fun. The main event featured a match between The Super Elite consisting of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs. The Dark Order's John Silver, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson and Colt Cabana. It was a Halloween-themed eight-man tag team match with both teams coming out dressed up.
The Dark Order came out dressed in a variety of costumes, including Silver as Bambi and Cabana as Brandon Cutler. The Elite were dressed in Ghostbusters parody outfits with Cutler in their corner as the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man. It was a blast to watch with non-stop action throughout until Hangman Adam Page was revealed as the Marshmellow Man to help Dark Order win.
The AEW Dynamite episode also featured a rematch between Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb in the first round of the TBS Championship Tournament. The match was even better than their first meeting with the women stealing the show in Boston. There was also a solid match between CM Punk and Bobby Fish which kicked the show off nicely.
Another quality bout on this episode of AEW Dynamite saw Sammy Guevara retain the AEW TNT Championship against Ethan Page. There were a bunch of intriguing angles as Darby Allin returned to challenge MJF, there was an intense Bryan Danielson/Eddie Kingston promo and Cody Rhodes addressed his polarizing reaction from the fans.
9) AEW Dynamite (Full Gear 2020 go-home show) - 11/10/21
Something that AEW Dynamite has been nailing is the art of the go-home show. It's a different beast to typical episodes as its goal is to push the pay-per-view card. The go-home show before Full Gear was particularly spectacular. The main event of Full Gear between Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page was promoted with a rare contract signing that saw Don Callis return.
A lot of the Full Gear lineup was highlighted via vignettes and brief segments. The wrestling was quality with a very good Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero opener, Dante Martin and Lio Rush beating Matt Sydal and Lee Moriarty and an excellent PAC vs. Dax Harwood showdown. This episode of AEW Dynamite brought the goods and promoted an all-time great major event on the following Sunday.
8) AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash 2021 - 12/22/21
The second to last episode of AEW Dynamite for 2021 had most thinking that it would be a throwaway following the Winter Is Coming special. The show surpassed all expectations and ended up being one of the best episodes of the year. The main event combined wrestling nostalgia and entertaining in-ring action, with CM Punk, Darby Allin and Sting (all with Sting-inspired face paint) defeating The Pinnacle's MJF and FTR.
The Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite in Greensboro, North Carolina, was also the site of Kyle O'Reilly's debut. O'Reilly helped his former Undisputed Era stablemate Adam Cole defeat Orange Cassidy. This reunited the biggest NXT stable in history in an AEW ring.
Ruby Soho also beat Nyla Rose to advance to the TBS Championship Tournament Finals. There was a compelling angle as Bryan Danielson challenged AEW World Champion Hangman Page to a rematch. The holiday episode captured the spirit of the season and provided a fun night of wrestling.
7) AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Night 1 - 7/14/21
AEW Dynamite made their return to live touring in July with The Road Rager episode in Miami. The following week, the company visited Texas for their Fyter Fest 2021 Night 1 special. The evening provided incredible entertainment with the show being headlined by Darby Allin defeating Ethan Page in the company's first Coffin Match.
The main event had one of the most memorable endings in AEW Dynamite history, with Allin doing a Coffin Drop on Page through the coffin. The show kicked off with a fiery Jon Moxley beating Karl Anderson to retain the IWGP US Title. Ricky Starks also defeated Brian Cage to win the FTW Championship.
The episode featured the first face-to-face of Kenny Omega and Hangman Page since their contest at Full Gear 2020. Sammy Guevara started his rise up the card against Wheeler Yuta and Christian Cage defeated career rival Matt Hardy. This is a complete show that displayed how much the fans added to AEW.
6) AEW Dynamite: Fight For The Fallen 2021 - 7/28/21
Just two weeks later, AEW Dynamite presented Fight For The Fallen 2021. The show opened with The Super Elite of Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and the Good Brothers vs. Hangman Page and the Dark Order in a ten-man elimination match. The entrances showcased the spectacle that was to follow as Omega denied Page's attempt at the gold with a win for his team.
The main event saw the AEW in-ring debut of GCW's Nick Gage against Chris Jericho in a No Rules Match. This was the second of the Labors of Jericho and was a bloody war that the Demo God won. Christian Cage and Jurassic Express beat the Hardy Family Office, while FTR overcame an injury to Cash Wheeler to defeat Proud N Powerful. It was a special that stood out in multiple ways.
5) AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash Night 1 - 1/6/21
AEW Dynamite kicked off 2021 with their New Year's Smash Night 1 special. The show will always be remembered for its sensational main event of Kenny Omega defending the AEW World Championship against Rey Fenix. The post-match was just as noteworthy with IMPACT Wrestling's Good Brothers debuting to help Omega beat down Moxley.
The show also featured a fun match between The Young Bucks and SCU vs. The Acclaimed and TH2, Cody Rhodes with Snoop Dogg beat Matt Sydal, and Hikaru Shida retained AEW Women's World Title over Abadon.
4) AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming 2021 - 12/15/21
The Winter Is Coming 2021 special of AEW Dynamite was defined by its most high-profile matchup. Hangman Adam Page defended the AEW World Title against the winner of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament, Bryan Danielson. It was the opener to the show and delivered a marvelous 60-minute time limit draw.
Both men laid it all on the line for the longest match in AEW history. The AEW Dynamite episode also featured MJF defeating Dante Martin to win his third straight Dynamite Diamond Ring and Hikaru Shida winning the third meeting between herself and Serena Deeb. This lived up to the legacy set by the first edition of Winter Is Coming.
3) AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam - 9/22/21
AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam at New York City's Arthur Ashe Stadium was always going to be legendary. It was the most attended event in the company's history and a dream match was announced for the show. AEW World Champion Kenny Omega faced Bryan Danielson in the latter's in-ring debut for the promotion.
What followed was a 30-minute professional wrestling clinic. Two of the greatest wrestlers of their generation had an outstanding bout with callbacks to Danielson's past, amazing storytelling and a molten hot New York crowd. It was magical to watch unfold and the finish felt right in protecting both men.
The evening closed with the second women's main event in AEW Dynamite history as Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. retained the AEW Women's World Title over Ruby Soho. Cody Rhodes returned to lose to his rival Malakai Black, and FTR fell short against Sting and Darby Allin. The event was historic.
2) AEW Dynamite: Brodie Lee Rochester Tribute - 9/29/21
The week after Grand Slam, AEW Dynamite emanated from Rochester, New York. This was the hometown of the late great Brodie Lee. The company decided to pay tribute to the greatest TNT Champion of all time with a show that showed love to him and his fans.
The headliner saw Sammy Guevara put on a phenomenal underdog performance as he beat Miro to win the TNT Championship. The show opened with a terrific clash between Adam Cole and Jungle Boy. The real tribute on this AEW Dynamite episode was The Dark Order reuniting and getting past their differences thanks to Brodie's wife and son, to defeat the H.F.O. in a beautiful and emotional moment.
1) AEW Dynamite: Second Anniversary Show - 10/6/21
In a year like 2021, trying to identify the best AEW Dynamite episodes is a difficult endeavor. The quality of the programming means two dozen episodes were great and deserve recognition. Over the course of two years, the company has developed a reputation for providing arguably the best wrestling show of the week. This made their second anniversary show feel special heading in.
The company didn't have clips or a compilation to celebrate, but they showcased what has been the basis of AEW Dynamite: awesome in-ring action. There were moments of memorable and intricate storytelling as the main event displayed all these factors with a seven-man Casino Ladder Match.
This was the second iteration of this match type and far exceeded the first match. The AEW Dynamite: Second Anniversary headliner saw Jon Moxley, PAC, Andrade El Idolo, Lance Archer, Matt Hardy and Orange Cassidy all vie for a poker chip that signified a shot at the AEW World Championship. The six men entered with the Joker card remaining.
After plenty of speculation that a former WWE Superstar would fill the open spot, it was none other than the returning Hangman Page who was revealed. It was an unforgettable moment with the Philadelphia crowd greeting him with a massive pop. The energy in this encounter was incredible as Page hit an insane Deadeye off a ladder onto PAC through a table in the ring.
It came down to Page and Moxley with the two men fighting on top of the ladder. Hangman won the strike exchange and retrieved the chip to win the Casino Ladder Match. The sight of the Philadelphia fans on their feet with Hangman Page on top of the ladder with the chip in hand was one of the best closing visuals to AEW Dynamite all year.
The show opened with the Super Elite of Kenny Omega, Adam Cole and The Young Bucks defeating Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage and Jurassic Express in a tremendous eight-man tag. The women once again delivered on this Second Anniversary special of AEW Dynamite. Serena Deeb denied Hikaru Shida of her 50th win in a sublime technical wrestling gem.
Sammy Guevara made his first defense of the TNT Championship, defeating Bobby Fish in his in-ring debut. Darby Allin beat Nick Comoroto to close out a night of good in-ring action. From entertaining wrestling to a fabulous return at the end of the night, the Second Anniversary followed two superb episodes and was the best AEW Dynamite episode of 2021.
