On the heels of her monumental return to All Elite Wrestling, new TBS champion Kris Statlander sought to retain against Nyla Rose Wednesday night on Dynamite.

The show, featuring all of the fallout from Sunday's explosive Double or Nothing, also featured the first public words from Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita following the latter's shocking betrayal of The Elite during the Anarchy in the Arena match.

What did they have to say and was Statlander able to make it 2-0?

Find out with this recap of the final episode of May 2023 at the Viejas Arena in San Diego.

Match Card

Announced in advance for Wednesday's Dynamite:

• Adam Cole and Britt Baker vs. Chris Jericho and Saraya
• Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. Gates of Agony
• TBS Championship Open Challenge: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Nyla Rose
• Trios match: Lucha Bros and Bandido vs. Blackpool Combat Club
  
• Trent Beretta vs. Big Bill vs. Swerve Strickland
• Jay White and Juice Robinson promo
• Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita promo
• Tony Khan's special announcement regarding AEW Collision
  

Lucha Bros and Bandido vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Following their victory over The Elite in Las Vegas, the Blackpool Combat Club continued their winning ways to kick off Wednesday's show as Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli defeated Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix and Bandido.

On commentary, Bryan Danielson told the story of Yuta redeeming himself at Double or Nothing, and the former ROH Pure titleholder paid it off by brutalizing and pinning Bandido.

It was a statement win, one that continued to present the heels as the most dominant force in the company and one of the most dangerous stables in the industry.

Yuta looks to be heating up, presumably for a high-profile match at Forbidden Door on June 25, and that is a good thing as it allows him to inch closer to the credibility his teammates already enjoy.

A good, action-packed start to the show.

Result

Blackpool Combat Club defeated Lucha Bros and Bandido

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Danielson repeatedly put over Yuta making amends for losing on last week's Dynamite by putting in the work, getting better and pinning Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing.
• Bandido held Yuta in a delayed vertical suplex for 60 seconds as the crowd counted along.
• Yuta brutalized Bandido with a barrage of elbow strikes before pinning him with the Seatbelt.

An Elite Tease, Bullet Club Gold Promo and Tony Khan's Latest Announcement

Jay White and Juice Robinson of Bullet Club Gold may not have emerged victorious from Sunday's 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal, but they wasted little time targeting two competitors who did: AEW world tag team champions FTR.

When Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler hit the ring to respond, the heels jumped them and a beatdown ensued. Ricky Starks made the save and issued a challenge to White, but "Switchblade" did not immediately respond.

FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold should be a great contest and the sort of championship encounter fans deserve after months of watching the AEW world tag team champions battle Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in a feud that was less about the titles and more about comedy, followed by the friendship drama involving Mark Briscoe.

AEW president Tony Khan announced the return of CM Punk for Collision on June 17, which confirmed the worst-kept secret in professional wrestling.

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Backstage, The Young Bucks and "Hangman" Adam Page spoke about their loss at Double or Nothing when Dark Order interrupted. Page told them that Kenny Omega left the country but did not go back to Canada, teasing a return to Japan and possible reinforcements in the battle with BCC.
• Khan's announcement regarding Punk's appearance at Collision drew a noticeably mixed reaction, which is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future.

Trent Beretta vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Big Bill; The Acclaimed's Future Revealed

Trent Beretta, Big Bill and Swerve Strickland all figured in the 21-Blackjack Battle Royal at Double or Nothing, and they renewed their recent tensions in a three-way dance Wednesday.

Just as he did Sunday, Strickland got the best of his opponents, scoring the pinfall on Beretta and further building momentum for himself.

Strickland has long been stuck in undercard feuds on Rampage, so it's nice to see him enjoying high-profile exposure, both in the closing moments of Sunday's Battle Royal and with Wednesday's big win.

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass joined Renee Paquette on the stage and revealed they are chasing the World Trios Championships in the name of giving Billy Gunn one more title run.

While the idea of Max Caster, Anthony Bowens and Gunn being the guys to defeat House of Black for the titles is not necessarily the most appealing, it at least provides fans with a storyline they can easily invest in, especially given the immense respect they have for the WWE Hall of Famer.

Result

Strickland defeated Big Bill and Beretta

Grade

C+ for the match; C+ for the promo segment

Top Moments

• Members of The Mogul Embassy surrounded Swerve as he entered the arena but did not accompany him to the ring, instead allowing their leader to win on his own.
• Caster calling himself the best wrestler alive is apropos given the number of guys in AEW who enjoy referring to themselves by that label.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita Promo

People do not like Don Callis.

That was readily apparent in the deafening boos that drowned out his attempts at addressing his recent actions toward Kenny Omega and The Elite.

Still, despite those attempts to muffle the villain, Callis was able to blame Omega and his friendship with The Young Bucks for fracturing their relationship and forcing him to look elsewhere for family.

He found it in Takeshita, who he claimed was better than several Japanese legends including Rikidōzan and Antonio Inoki, before vowing to create a new family to cut The Elite from AEW.

And that is how you segue from The Elite's feud with BCC to something different, with the emphasis now on Callis and the slow-burn intro of the men who will make up his "family." We have Takeshita, but who will join him in battle against The Cleaner and the Bucks?

Is this where Omega recruits Kota Ibushi to make his AEW debut and join The Elite in battle?

It would seem that way. How long we have to wait to get to that point—and how strongly AEW books Callis' merry band of heel fodder—will determine the success of this angle.

For now, this grades out well if for no other reason than the red-hot crowd that accompanied the venomous words of the company's most hated character.

Grade

A+

Top Moments

• "I sincerely hope those boos are for Kenny Omega. I am the real victim here," Callis said before taking credit for all of his former friend's accomplishments.
• "Maybe I lost a nephew, but I gained a son," he added, motioning toward Takeshita.
• "Kenny, you destroyed my old family so I'm gonna create a new one, and my new family is going to cut The Elite out of All Elite Wrestling."

Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. Gates of Agony

The Gates of Agony's Toa Liona and Kaun sought to avenge the loss of Swerve Strickland to international champion Orange Cassidy in Sunday's Blackjack Battle Royal by battling Freshly Squeezed and his partner, Darby Allin, in tag team action.

An action-packed contest featuring two of the most popular guys in AEW culminated with Cassidy and Allin scoring a competitive victory over the physically imposing heels, despite selling the effects of their matches from Sunday night.

This was the second segment on Wednesday's show to feature Strickland and his Mogul Embassy faction, suggesting they are about to take on a major role on AEW television in the coming weeks.

Considering how much Dynamite could use freshening up, it's a creative decision that should strengthen the show while highlighting a guy who should have been a focal point ages ago.

Result

Allin and Cassidy defeated Gates of Agony

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Kaun manhandled Cassidy, sending him into the guardrail repeatedly as the heels kept control of the bout.
• Strickland, Brian Cage and Prince Nana watched from atop the entrance ramp, taking great interest in Freshly Squeezed's latest match.
• Cassidy delivered Stundog Millionaire to Kaun, Allin added a sunset flip bomb and the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory.
• As Strickland, Cage and Nana stalked toward the ring, Sting joined the babyfaces in the ring and stood tall to close out the segment.

Jungle Boy Saves Hook; TBS Championship Match

A mid-ring promo from FTW champion Hook was interrupted by Jose, Preston Vance and Dralistico. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry made the save, clearing the ring of the heels and standing side-by-side with the second-generation star.

While it's nice to see the callback to Perry and Hook's previous partnership, this felt like a considerable step down for the former, who just competed for the world title Sunday.

Back from the break, new TBS champion Kris Statlander defended against Nyla Rose in an Open Challenge match.

Rose overwhelmed Statlander, working on the left knee that had kept the champion out of action for over a year. It was for naught as the titleholder barely sold it, mounted a comeback and won with a 450 splash.

The action was fine and the effort was there from both women, but Statlander barely selling the left knee that had been the focus of her opponent's attack was distracting. That she kipped up and delivered a top-rope maneuver demanding strength in both legs only enhanced it.

Chalk that up to ring rust, hopefully, as Statlander gets back into the swing of things. One of the best wrestlers in the AEW women's division, she should be hugely beneficial to a division that has only known Jade Cargill as TBS champion.

The tease of an unhappy Taya Valkyrie watching on appeared to set the stage for a match between the two.

Result

Statlander defeated Rose to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Statlander kipped up despite having a knee that had been targeted repeatedly by her opponent for the majority of the match; a lapse in continuity.
• Statlander delivered a 450 splash for the win.
• A dismayed Valkyrie watched from backstage, clearly unhappy about Statlander celebrating a successful title defense that she likely believes should be hers.

Adam Cole and Britt Baker vs. Chris Jericho and Saraya

To say Adam Cole and Chris Jericho underwhelmed at Double or Nothing would be an understatement. For whatever reason, their contest did not click Sunday, and the result was one of the more disappointing matches on the PPV card.

Wednesday, Cole teamed with Britt Baker to battle The Ocho and Saraya in a star-studded main event.

The bout was not nearly as off-point as the unsanctioned one in Las Vegas and really benefited from having Baker and Saraya carry the middle section of it before the guys bopped in late to wrap things up.

That format allowed the women's feud to take center stage, thanks to the arrival of Toni Storm, Ruby Soho and Hikaru Shida, before highlighting the latest chapter in the Cole-Jericho saga. A chapter that, hopefully, concludes the story.

Cole and Jericho are both skilled professional wrestlers, but not every great performer has chemistry with every other great. Sometimes, their styles just don't mesh, and it appears that is the case with Jericho and Cole.

Move Cole onto MJF, find something different for Jericho to do, and hopefully it all hits in a way this program never quite did.

Result

Cole and Baker defeated Jericho and Saraya

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• During the break, Saraya controlled the action for the heels and beat Baker down. After the commercial, Toni Storm and Ruby Soho appeared and beat down the good doctor until Hikaru Shida made the save.
• Jericho countered a Panama Sunrise attempt and applied the Walls of Jericho. Baker broke it up with the Lockjaw, but Saraya broke it up. 
• Cole put Jericho down with the Boom for the win, and the victorious couple celebrated to close out the show.

Overall Grade

While Sunday's Double or Nothing often felt like a step back, Dynamite was a really solid show that laid the groundwork for the next several weeks of AEW television.

Mogul Embassy is a force to be reckoned with and Swerve Strickland could easily, and believably, dethrone Orange Cassidy next week to win the AEW International Championship.

The stuff with Callis and Takeshita was extraordinary and reflective of the hatred fans have for them and should continue to into the near future. The tease of a new family bears watching and should prove hugely significant to AEW television overall.

Statlander's return, Yuta's sudden momentum and the feud between FTR and Bullet Club Gold should all make for intriguing narratives to keep an eye on as AEW moves into one of the most significant summers of its existence.

Oh, and that Punk fella is coming back, too.

Not a perfect show, but it was an above-average one, thanks to the introduction of new stories and the conclusion of old ones. This grades out accordingly.

Overall grade: B-