AEW Dynamite - 4/22/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 We Loved

The first "AEW Dynamite" of the Darby Allin Era has come and gone. Allin took center stage for the show, not only being the subject of MJF's ire, but also defending his title against Tommaso Ciampa, and being challenged by his friend, Brody King. Yes, it was a Darby-tastic episode of "Dynamite," which you can read about on the results page.

As always, it is now time for the Wrestling Inc. Staff to talk about their feelings. It's time to live and time to hate.

There was plenty to love, like the crackerjack main event, or The Death Riders kidnapping Will Ospreay, and there was plenty to hate, like Copeland's sweaty stipulation or the fact that MJF's issues with Darby Allin have neutered every other challenger.

Enough of my pontificating, it's time to get into the best and the worst from Darby Allin's "AEW Dynamite."

It's only been a week, but so far Darby Allin's reign as AEW Champion has been all about MJF. Allin had a killer match with Tommaso Ciampa in the main event, and he's set to have another likely-killer match with Brody King, but until MJF gets his rematch, I'm not too worried about Darby's chances.

It has a certain deflating effect on these challenges that people are making, while MJF raises a stink.

Considering how much of Darby's title reign feels like making up for time lost on Everest, it also feels like AEW isn't quite ready to commit, instead making sure MJF is in the wings, ready to take the title off the little guy the second he falters.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope Brody King dethrones Darby and forces MJF and Darby to work out their issues without the title. It would at least be the most narratively interesting choice, as we are currently on a deathmarch to MJF's likely rematch in NYC at Double or Nothing.

Again, I hope I'm wrong.

Written by Ross Berman

This week's "AEW Dynamite" saw Will Ospreay taking on Aussie Open and the Don Callis Family's Mark Davis in what was always going to be a very good match between wrestlers who understand each other very well.

And during that match, Ospreay suffered a neck injury and couldn't continue the match, a neat little way to give Davis the win in a logical way that doesn't undermine any championship momentum AEW is looking to build with Ospreay. Ospreay is struggling in his return, his very injured neck and back against the wall at the hands of a "Dunkzilla" that sees the end of his career as a statement point. And that provides the groundwork for Ospreay to return and take out Davis at a later date.

What was really interesting about the segment, however, came afterwards. Davis was looking to ensure Ospreay doesn't get up again, but had drawn the audience of the Death Riders and Jon Moxley. Ospreay challenged Moxley for the Continental title at Dynasty and fell short, but Moxley wasn't here to see any further damage done to his challenger.

He stood, stared, and watched Davis retreat from the Riders, like the leader of a pride come to acquiesce to what another lion had killed. From there, Ospreay was at their mercy. And mercy was exactly what he got. Well, I think it was mercy. On Moxley's order, the Riders took Ospreay up, Claudio Castagnoli putting him on his shoulders, and left the venue without ceremony.

I have no idea if this is supposed to indicate Ospreay will be working with the Death Riders going forward, though this is the time of year that Anarchy in the Arena or a Stadium Stampede occurs with two groups against one another; Mark Davis and the Don Callis Family against Will Ospreay and the Death Riders does sound like a worthy proposal.

But for the time being, at least it was something that hooked me in for the next show, a reason to want to tune in and find out what on earth was actually happening. Moxley and Ospreay had one of the better matches on an exceptional Dynasty card, so anything they've got cooking up is likely to yield something exciting. That's pretty much all you can ask for from a wrestling segment.

Written by Max Everett

I do need to preface this by saying that I am over the moon that Samoa Joe is back in AEW. He's one of the greatest of all time and should be treated as such, and when he was taken off of TV earlier this year after suffering a concussion, it was a real shame considering he was firmly established in the main event scene once again.

On this week's episode of "AEW Dynamite," Joe returned at the last minute to face Cody Chhun in what was, in short, a squash match. There's no problem with that. Joe did his walkaway spot, he hit the Muscle Buster, the fans were super happy to see him back, it served its purpose, and that's completely fine. However, there has been a common theme running through AEW this year, particularly in the main event scene, where everyone wants their shot at the AEW World Championship, a title Joe held less than four months ago. You would think that after his win, he'd get on the microphone and do what Tommaso Ciampa, Kevin Knight, and Brody King have done in the past seven days: call out the AEW World Champion.

Did that happen? No, it didn't. What happened instead? Joe walked up the ramp and reunited with Hook, who, as the interim leader of The Opps, had tried to recruit Anthony Bowens, and that's about it. Will that story go somewhere? Probably, but Joe was one of the many people gunning for the richest prize in AEW at the turn of the new year, so you would think that he would want to get that back almost immediately. But nothing was said by the man himself. There were a few mentions in the commentary, but you need to hear it from Joe that he wants what is rightfully his back around his waist, especially now, since it's around the waist of Darby Allin who Joe has a long history.

Joe would be a perfect opponent for Darby as well, given their late 2022/early 2023 series fighting over the AEW TNT Championship. Darby has already said he wants to defend it as much as possible, so there is an easy way to get Joe back into title contention. However, it seems like we're going to have to see Joe clean up whatever mess Hook made with The Opps before anything goes further, and no disrespect to Bowens, but Joe doesn't have time to waste on recruiting new members to his group.

He's only been back for a week. I just hope that Joe keeps his eye on the prize, rather than what Hook has been doing since he's been gone.

Written by Sam Palmer.

Kevin Knight has been on an ascent since arriving in AEW and stepping in for an injured Jay White to make his pay-per-view debut days after his arrival. Since then, he has formed a beloved tag team with Speedball Mike Bailey. They won the Trios titles with both Hangman Page and Mistico. At Dynasty, Knight won his first singles gold ever by capturing the vacant TNT Championship (and robbing Bailey of the win).

A few weeks ago, Swerve encouraged him to step up and do something big. Knight has done just that. Tonight, he stepped in the ring with MJF and called him out for being a "whiny b****". He reminded MJF that he nearly beat him a few weeks ago and should probably be "Kevin 2 Belts." He told MJF that with the TNT title lineage, it's no wonder MJF has never held it. His pride in his title made it more appealing to the former World Champion. Knight challenged him, and they nearly had an impromptu match on the spot, until MJF chickened out and left. They'll face off next week in Hangman's home state.

Knight has been a favorite of mine long before he stepped foot in an AEW ring. He has always had the in-ring talent and charisma. He lives up to his moniker of "2 Flyy". Since arriving in AEW, his confidence has skyrocketed and made him a good promo. Knight is putting it all together, and if he is booked properly, he should not only be a huge star but also a World Champion. He is "the 1 you look up 2."

Written by Samantha Schipman

After beating C+C at Dynasty, FTR said on last week's "Dynamite" that as long as they're champions, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage will never get a shot at the tag titles again. They also requested a moment of silence for them. The following night on "Collision", Copeland said Christian was getting an MRI on his arm. He said it wasn't just about the titles, and they aren't just walking away.

Tonight, Copeland said he knows that FTR said they couldn't get another title shot, so he was trying to come up with an offer that would entice them to let them have one more shot. That offer? A street fight. But then he upped the ante. If C+C lose, they will retire as a team. I don't like FTR's stip that C+C won't get another title shot as long as they are champions, but I don't like Cope's either. C+C just came back after months away. Perhaps it's a way to let them chase singles titles or even tag titles with other people.

It's been rumored for several months that there is a potential TLC match between C+C, FTR, and the Young Bucks brewing. While a New York Street Fight is safer than a TLC match, it's interesting that they'll have a street fight in New York. The state athletic commission doesn't allow bleeding, so a street fight seems questionable. Where does that leave the Bucks? They also weren't able to get revenge on FTR after the champs attacked their family members. With Double or Nothing being a month away, there's still time to add the Bucks. Even if they don't get added, C+C could win the titles and be on their way to the dream match of C+C and the Bucks. I would hate to see them retire before finally facing off against the best modern tag team in wrestling.

Written by Samantha Schipman

When Darby Allin won the AEW Men's World Championship from MJF last week on "AEW Dynamite," there were obviously a few question marks as to why the title switched hands. MJF was doing such a good job as champion that it just seemed weird to take the belt off him, and while Darby is a fan favorite who can be relied on to have a good match with basically anyone, it did seem like more of a move to grab people's attention during a week that would be dominated by WWE WrestleMania 42 coverage.

With that said, if we get matches like this every week, Darby can keep that belt for as long as he wants.

This match absolutely rocked from start to finish, and not just because of Darby's frantic pace that all of his matches seem to have, but also because Tommaso Ciampa is tailor made for a company like AEW. He was able to go out and have a match that some fans thought were reserved for his "WWE NXT" black and gold days. We've already seen him have great bouts with Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher, but this was another level even for Ciampa. He beat the snot out of Darby (as everyone loves to do), but things were taken up a gear when he donned the crimson mask after the insane dive Darby did off the ring post and through the timekeeper's table.

Ciampa seemed like he wanted to kill Darby at certain points. The running knees, the Project Ciampa, the utterly bonkers Psycho Driller from the second rope to the floor. With the blood rushing down his face, he looked like the "Psycho Killer" he always claims to be and it was wonderful to see.

As for Darby, it's his willingness to go the extra mile with virtually every spot imaginable that makes him so entertaining. You can do things with Darby in a match that you just can't do with anyone else, which doesn't just make you want to scream at the TV in horror at times, but it makes him so rewatchable. This match is one of those matches that you can stick on at any point in time, understand exactly what the story is, and enjoy each and every time.

On top of all of that, the reliable formula of Darby trying to slay a beast twice the size of him will return next week when he faces Brody King in what should be another fantastic match between two men who know each other so well. He's only been champion seven days, but main event Darby putting on matches like this every week? Sign me up.

Written by Sam Palmer.