The road to AEW Full Gear on November 23 rolled through Cleveland Wednesday night with a special "Fright Night" edition of Dynamite.

Headlined by a battle between The Young Bucks and Private Party for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, the show also featured the latest in the rivalry between TBS champion Mercedes Moné and Kris Statlander, words from Orange Cassidy and "Hangman" Adam Page, and a showdown between Shelton Benjamin and Swerve Strickland.

Find out who emerged victorious from the night's scheduled bouts and what impact Jon Moxley and his crew had on the show with this recap, including grades and analysis of each segment.

Match Card

Announced in advance of Wednesday's show at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland were:

• AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Private Party
• Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin
• Adam Cole vs. Buddy Matthews
• Kris Statlander vs. Kamille
• Promos from Hangman Page and Orange Cassidy

Orange Cassidy Promo

Orange Cassidy kicked off the show, demanding the production team shut down the latest video package from Jon Moxley and grabbed a microphone.

Hesitant at first, he said he wasn't a leader but he would oppose Mox and company's hostile takeover attempt and issued a challenge to the AEW world champion for a match.

Cassidy walked off to end the segment, which featured some great passion and energy from him. He never treated the segment like he was a seasoned talker and had a moment or two when he appeared uncomfortable, all which makes sense within the context of his character.

Freshly Squeezed standing up to Moxley and essentially sacrificing himself for the betterment of All Elite Wrestling and its future is a great development for someone has seen and done it all and has a high-profile victory over The Death Rider on his resume.

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "I don't come out here for 10 minutes and tell everyone I'm a leader because I'm not a leader."
• "I was surrounded by the future of AEW, and they have no idea the danger they are in. They have no idea how dangerous Jon Moxley is."
• "I don't exist without AEW. There is no we. There is no us."
• "I will do it alone, by myself, to protect everyone."
• "Because I'm 'Freshly Squeezed' Orange Cassidy and I'm your next AEW world champion. And I still don't need a catchphrase."

Adam Cole vs. Buddy Matthews

Adam Cole faced the unenviable task of battling both Buddy Murphy and a previously injured ankle in search of a win on the road to Full Gear and a date with MJF.

After a spill to the floor, the babyface sold his injury, appearing to have aggravated it. For several minutes, Matthews targeted it, looking to punish him en route to a victory.

Showing tremendous resiliency, Cole fought through it all and with a sudden, Hulk Hogan-esque "hulk up," he started his comeback.

Two consecutive Panama Sunrises, including one on the arena floor, and The Boom earned him the victory.

The story of the match for three-quarters of the way through was superbly executed...until Cole set aside selling the injured ankle that threatened his ability to continue and delivered Panama Sunrise with no sign of it adversely affecting him.

He simply launched himself off the turnbuckles (or ring apron) and landed with all of the weight on the same foot that nearly led to him walking out on the contest.

Outside of that glaring flaw, this was a well-wrestled bout that highlighted Cole ahead of his match with MJF. He gutted out the pain and picked up the win over a wrestler who is good enough to beat anyone on any night.

Afterward, darkness overtook the arena and when the lights came back up, Malakai Black stood in the center of the ring, Cole's hand in his, signifying the next test for the Undisputed Kingdom leader.

Result

Cole defeated Matthews

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Cole teased reinjuring his ankle early in the match, setting the stage for the story he and Matthews would tell throughout.
• Kyle O'Reilly watched closely from backstage.
• Cole showed Matthews respect, thanking him for reminding him of who the real Adam Cole is. 

Mark Davis Confronts Kyle Fletcher; 'Hangman' Page Speaks

After nearly a year away from AEW due to injury, Aussie Open's Mark Davis returned to Dynamite and confronted his former tag team partner, Kyle Fletcher, and Don Callis.

He denounced the recent actions of his longtime teammate and walked away from him.

Fletcher issued an ominous warning, telling him he will have to make a decision sooner or later.

This was a short promo that reintroduced Davis and continued to establish Fletcher's new attitude as a villain under Callis' guidance.

It also set the stage for Davis having to choose sides between his longtime championship-winning partner or Will Ospreay, who led United Empire during their time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and international competition.

Backstage, Renee Paquette caught up with Page, who issued a warning to Jay White ahead of their match at Full Gear.

He promised to defeat his rival, no matter what it takes.

It was another great bit of business from the best character in AEW and someone who needs to be back in the fold as a focal point of creative.

This was a solid, story-driven segment featuring two brief but impactful promos.

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Davis criticized Fletcher for "choosing a family" when he "had an Empire." A great line.
• Page promised to leave White as he has so many others: "Hurt and with less than you had before. I will leave you behind."

Jon Moxley Suckers Orange Cassidy In

AEW world champion Jon Moxley, flanked by Marina Shafir, PAC, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, responded to Orange Cassidy's challenge from earlier in the show.

He claimed Cassidy didn't challenge him, he challenged Cassidy.

From there, he threatened sending Yuta to the same fate as Chuck Taylor from a week ago, wrapping a chair around his neck. Cassidy made the save but found himself beaten down by the heels, including Yuta.

The Dark Order evened the odds before Darby Allin descended from the rafters and joined the battle. Finally, Top Flight helped fend off the heels.

The segment easily could have been presented earlier, when Cassidy was in the ring, and would have gotten the show off to a hot start. It was fine as it was, but it advanced nothing in any meaningful way, except for introducing Allin as the Sting to OC's Diamond Dallas Page.

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• So, this is basically the NWO hostile takeover storyline. There are elements that are different but there are parallels, too. Allin in the Sting role makes sense given his close connection to The Icon, and Cassidy as the longtime workhorse who stands up to the invaders in defense of all that he has worked for is a great call. 
• The Young Bucks interrupting a brawl to shine the spotlight on themselves and make their way to the ring was oddly on-brand.
• The Dark Order as avengers of AEW is fine if they actually won a match or three before suddenly becoming a significant part of the show again. 

AEW World Tag Team Championship: Private Party vs. The Young Bucks

Private Party will continue as a team following their victory over The Young Bucks Wednesday night.

Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy absorbed everything thrown at them by the EVPs, surviving a concentrated attack and interference from Kazuchika Okada to collect their first AEW World Tag Team Championship.

A match that thrived on dramatic near-falls and the fans' emotional investment in the challengers, this was another gem in a series of them between the two teams.

After the bell, Matt and Nick Jackson placed the title belts on the shoulders of the victors, hinting at a potential change in character in the process.

Just in time for them to be the saviors for AEW in the face of Jon Moxley and his cohorts' invasion. That may be the least interesting potential outcome.

Result

Private Party defeated The Young Bucks

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Quen blasted Kassidy with a ring bell by accident, busting his tag team partner open and teasing dissension between them.
• Okada appeared and delivered a tombstone piledriver to Quen on the stage while referee Rick Knox...did everything but officiate the match and enforce the rules.
• Kassidy fired up late on, and the crowd roared, clearly ready to see new champions crowned.
• This was the outcome fans deserved at WrestleDream. 

Learning Tree Promo

New Ring of Honor champion Chris Jericho and his "students," Big Bill and "Bad Apple" Bryan Keith, cut a promo from the aisle.

The Learning Tree promised to take Ring of Honor to new levels, the same way he did AEW and Terrifier 3, which he claimed to be responsible for.

It was a short promo that was subdued compared to the regular fanfare from this incarnation of The Nueve. No harm, no foul. How he benefits ROH long-term, if at all, remains to be seen.

Backstage, Daniel Garcia had a brief confrontation with TNT champion Jack Perry, who followed it up by interrupting The Young Bucks, who were caught loading up their belongings and shredding documents.

What those documents were is unknown, but it likely is part of a storyline development that will serve as the next chapter in a story that feels like it lost its direction awhile ago.

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Jericho taking credit as the "quarterback" of Terrifier 3 was a nice touch.
• A strong video package highlighting Anna Jay ahead of her match with AEW women's world champion Mariah May on Saturday night at Collision aired. 

Kris Statlander vs. Kamille

As she continued her path to Mercedes Moné and a shot at the TBS Championship, Kris Statlander squared off with The CEO's bodyguard, Kamille.

A competitive match saw the heel in position to secure the win late following a failed 450 splash from Statlander. Instead, the resilient babyface fought back and scored the victory to the dismay of Moné.

The TBS champion leveled her top contender with the title and taunted her to close out the segment.

The match was solid enough but felt abbreviated from what it could have been. Kamille never felt like a threat to defeat Statlander, and nothing the competitors did changed that perception.

Still, the action was solid, there was some noticeable chemistry and both competitors worked hard.

Unfortunately, the AEW fans continue to show a noticeable lack of interest in Moné and anything she has her hands on in this run.

Result

Statlander defeated Kamille

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself," Moné said after ordering Kamille to the back. Could the relatively new duo be splitting?
• Backstage, Mark Briscoe, joined by Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O'Reilly, issued a challenge to The Learning Tree for a Fight Without Honor on next week's show.
• Also backstage, the Bucks hightailed it out of the arena, leaving Brandon Cutler behind. Moxley and Co. attacked, breaking Cutler's hand with a hammer and leaving him writhing. Seeds planted. 

Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin

Swerve Strickland faced a tough test on his way back to the AEW World Championship in the main event of Dynamite as he squared off against a rejuvenated Shelton Benjamin, seconded by MVP.

A competitive match that took as much care to spotlight Benjamin as it did the former world champion, it was a great way to close out the in-ring portion of the show, with Strickland winning with a Swerve Stomp.

Afterward, a dismayed MVP made a phone call and, seconds later, Bobby Lashley made his AEW debut, attacking Swerve and laying out security to close the show.

This was a hot angle that immediately established Lashley, MVP and Benjamin as a force.

It also begged the question: Would it have had an even greater impact if the Moxley beatdowns had not become such a staple of recent shows?

Result

Strickland defeated Benjamin

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The commentary team put Benjamin over as the best pure athlete in wrestling, the latest in the excellent presentation of the former WWE intercontinental champion. 
• Benjamin threw Strickland into the guardrail, then the ring apron and back again. And again. It's a new addition to his arsenal and a spot that will have a shelf life. With that said, it's a nice new addition to a guy who continues evolving.
• The heel "kicked out" of a 450 splash by grasping Strickland around the waist for a German suplex.
• "Guess who's back in business!" MVP said as the show went off the air.

Overall Grade

A lot happened on this show.

Cole made his in-ring return and earned a big win over Matthews, new tag team champions were crowned in a potentially defining moment, Statlander and Moné moved closer to a high-stakes championship clash, and Lashley arrived on the scene.

The Moxley stuff set up a big match with Orange Cassidy for the world title, so that was a plus even if that particular story does not feel nearly fleshed out enough as the world champion continues to speak vaguely about his group's purpose.

There was plenty to like and not to, but this was a mostly good show that felt a little like the Dynamites that helped define AEW early in its existence.

Grade: B