AEW made their debut in Wales on Wednesday in the last stop on the road to All In.
For the first time ever, the Utilitia Arena in Cardiff was the host of tapings of AEW Dynamite and Collision. Fans were treated to four hours of wrestling, including a fantastic match between Kazuchika Okada & Claudio Castagnoli.
British stars like Toni Storm, Saraya, Will Ospreay and Tommy Billington all appeared at the show. Undisputed British Champion Michael Oku even wrestled in a dark match, in what was an all-time great episode of Dynamite and Collsion.
In this article, we’ll go through the star ratings for the matches from AEW Dynamite from Cardiff and AEW Collision from Cardiff.
These include Dave Meltzer’s star ratings, the user-voted rating from Cagematch, and our own match rating here on BritWrestling.
AEW Dynamite August 21st 2024 Star Ratings
These are the star ratings for the August 21st, 2024 episode of AEW Dynamite. This episode took place in the Utilitia Arena in Cardiff, Wales, with over 4000 fans in attendance.
Chris Jericho vs Dynamite Kid (3 Stars)
A very good match kicked off the show after Mercedes Mone and Britt Baker’s contract signing.
Jericho repeatedly mentioned “Cardiff, England”, infuriating the Welsh crowd. Luckily, Tommy Billington did his best to beat some sense into him.
The nephew of the original Dynamite Kid continues to improve every week. He looked eerily similae to his uncle in the ring, showing the same passion and intensity in everything he did.
It was a great match. Jericho gave Billington everything, making him look like a star. While some are down on “The Learning Tree”, there’s no denying he can work a great match when needed.
He countered Dynamite Kid’s famous diving headbutt into a Codebreaker to win a good match, which is probably Tommy Billington’s best AEW match so far.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Released 23/8/24
- Cagematch Rating: 5.32
- BritWrestling Rating: 3 Stars
Toni Storm vs Saraya – AEW Women’s Championship (2 Stars)
This was probably the worst match of the show, but it was still a passable title defence.
Saraya has struggled since returning from her retirement, and her matches haven’t been on the level of the other women.
However, she held her own against Toni Storm. The match was well paced, with minimal mistakes. It wasn’t the best match in the world, but it also wasn’t the worst.
After the match, Mariah May attacked Toni Storm. This continued the build to their world title match at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Released 23/8/24
- Cagematch Rating: 4.11
- BritWrestling Rating: 2 Stars
Kazuchika Okada vs Claudio Castagnoli – AEW Continental Championship (3.5 Stars)
Claudio Castagnoli vs Kazuchika Okada on AEW Dynamite is the match most likely to earn a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer.
Fans were high on both men, cheering and booing in equal measure. They were particular impressed by Okada’s impressive drop kick, as he clattered Castagnoli in the face with it beautifully.
It was a really great match. Everything was excectured perfectly, and it showed how good the former Cesaro is to be Okada’s equal in the ring. This match reminded fans how good he is, and why he needs a title reign in AEW, ASAP.
20 minutes was simply not enough time for these two, in a good way. Hopefully it sets up for a longer clash in the future, potentially at AEW All Out 2024 next month.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Released 23/8/24
- Cagematch Rating: 7.49
- BritWrestling Rating: 3.5 Stars
Darby Allin & FTR vs Young Bucks & Jack Perry (2.5 Stars)
This was the fourth and final match of a promo-heavy show, and did exactly what it needed to help further all six men’s stories and characters.
I’m not a big fan of six-man tag team matches. However, there’s no denying that all six men put on well executed, exciting match that the fans were heavily into.
This match furthered two stories. One was the Jack Perry vs Darby Allin coffin match at AEW All In, while the other was the tag team title match on the same show.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Rating: Released 23/8/24
- Cagematch Rating: 6.71
- BritWrestling Rating: 2.5 Stars
