3 things that went right on the Aug. 24 episode of AEW: Dynamite

As we get closer to the All Out pay-per-view on Sept. 4, it seems as though the rumored backstage turmoil in All Elite Wrestling has overshadowed a mostly decent build to the show. It certainly hovered over the Aug. 24 episode of AEW: Dynamite, but it didn’t adversely affect the show’s quality.

In addition to the seismic AEW World Championship unification match, we also saw the continuation of the trios championship tournament and several angles that set up matches for All Out.

Whether you enjoyed the show or not depends on your tastes, but this episode of Dynamite featured a lot of good stuff.

These three things went right on the Aug. 24 episode of AEW: Dynamite.

Jon Moxley squashes CM Punk to become the Undisputed AEW World Champion

Given what happened on the Aug. 17 episode of Dynamite and the online chatter that proceeded it, fans conjured up plenty of theories for how the AEW World Title unification match between interim champion Jon Moxley and lineal champion CM Punk would end. Few of them likely anticipated a squash.

While Punk got a couple of moves in early, Moxley dominated the rest of the three-minute affair, finishing Punk off with two Death Rider DDTs to score the pin and become the undisputed world champion.

Even with this being a quick blowout win for Moxley, this accomplished so much for him and Punk. For Moxley, this obviously cements him as the top guy after spending months fortifying his Wrestler of the Year case and maintaining the prestige of the belt while Punk recovered from a foot injury.

As for Punk, the wrinkle of him returning too soon from the injury (he sold the ailment early in the match) protects him in defeat and sets up some intrigue for what he’ll have to overcome when he returns.

The fight for the soul of Daniel Garcia

Dynamite opened with Chris Jericho looking to uncover who’s side Daniel Garcia is on after Garcia kept Jericho from assaulting Bryan Danielson the previous week.

First, Jericho commanded Garcia to apologize for showing him up on Aug. 17, and Garcia responded by reaming Jericho out for ruining his moment with Danielson. Garcia showed great intensity and emotion while telling Jericho how much that classic match with “The American Dragon” meant to him and how much it would mean to a kid that wants to wrestle like Danielson and Garcia.

This and the “you’re a wrestler” chants directed at Garcia incensed Jericho, who then ordered Garcia to say that he was a sports entertainer. This drew out Danielson, who continued the wrestling vs. sports-entertainment tug-of-war and remind Garcia who he is.

This effectively built more friction between Jericho and Garcia while setting up Danielson vs. Jericho for All Out.

Ricky Starks calls out Powerhouse Hobbs

After hearing Powerhouse Hobbs run down Ricky Starks for losing the FTW Championship last week, we heard from Starks via an in-ring promo.

Starks unloaded on Hobbs in this promo, talking about how he viewed Hobbs as a true friend and that he should’ve known that Hobbs would eventually turn on him based on Hobbs turning on Cody Rhodes (“a nightmare”, as Starks said) to join Team Taz back in 2020.

As the crowd latched onto every word Starks said and watched as every bit of heartbreak and anger poured out of him, Starks finally challenged Hobbs to a match at All Out. Given how talented both men are and the emotion behind this feud, that match could steal the show.