AEW Dynamite is the premier All Elite Wrestling TV Show, broadcast every Wednesday night on TBS.
The event has played host to multiple five-star matches since its inception in 2019.
In fact, it has had more five-star matches from Dave Meltzer than both Raw, Smackdown and NXT have had in their entire existence.
In this article, we’ll take you through all the best matches from the history of AEW Dynamite, discussing what makes them so good and why they were ranked so highly.
We’ll also provide you with our own rating for the bouts, as well as the ratings from both Dave Meltzer (from the Wrestling Observer), and the user ratings from Cagematch.
10. Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Thunder Rosa (AEW Dynamite St Patrick’s Day Slam 2021)
Britt Baker’s battle with Thunder Rosa is one of the best matches in AEW history, let alone on AEW Dynamite.
In the first hardcore women’s match in AEW Dynamite history, the long-time rivals battled each other in a heated blood feud.
Thumbtacks, ladders and tables were on the menu, causing untold harm to both women in what was a first for AEW Dynamite.
The match is currently the highest rate women’s match in AEW history, and you’d struggle to think of any that comes to close to this classic encounter.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.76
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
9. Nick Jackson vs. Rey Fenix (AEW Dynamite 20/11/19)
A rare singles match from Nick Jackson ended in one of the best matches in AEW Dynamite history.
After an injury to Matt Jackson, his brother Nick was forced to go it alone, battle against Rey Fenix on AEW Dynamite in 2019.
This match showcased just how good this Young Buck was, hinting at a future singles run for the star.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 7.95
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
8. Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay vs. PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix (AEW Dynamite 24/8/22)
In the Quarter-finals of the AEW Trios Championship tournament, United Empire vaulted the Forbidden Door to take on Death Triangle in a huge trios match.
Anything with Will Ospreay is always going to be fantastic, and the fast-paced nature of a trios match suited all six men in the match.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.58
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
7. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kenny Omega (AEW Dynamite 22/3/23)
One of the best AEW Dynamite main events ever saw Kenny Omega vs El Hijo Del Vikingo, in a rare singles match for the Best Bout Machine.
The match saw some incredible moves done by El Hijo Del Vikingo, bringing some of the incredible talent seen in AAA over to AEW.
He hit moves nobody had ever seen before, bouncing off the ropes and spinning in the air, mesmerizing the fans.
The highlight was when Vikingo hit Omega with a springboard 630 splash through a table on the outside, something never seen before in an AEW ring. This match deserved a five-star rating just for that.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.14
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
6. Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara (AEW Dynamite Beach Break 2022)
The first Undisputed Championship match in AEW gained a full five-star rating from Dave Meltzer.
Record breaking three time TNT Champion Cody Rhodes took on interim TNT Champion Sammy Guevara to decide who truly was the man to hold the coveted championship.
The pair faced off in a ladder match. It was the first singles ladder match in the company history, and they pulled out all the stops to make it the most memorable.
The spots in the match were ridiculous. If the delayed superplex off the top of a ladder wasn’t crazy enough, then Sammy Guevara’s cutter on Cody from one ladder to another, then watching the pair fall 15 feet onto the mat will surely make you think again.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.51
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
5. Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming 2021)
Only the first of the two Page vs Danielson matches gained the five star rating from Dave Meltzer, with the match on AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming being the better of the two.
The match for the AEW Championship opened the show. This wasn’t uncommon in AEW, who have put their biggest matches as the opening to draw in the fans.
However, fans knew something special as the clock ticked past 20, then 30, then 40 minutes.
An AEW match had never before gone a full 60 minutes, and this match looked like it wouldn’t.
Danielson had cardio for days, and it looked like Adam Page was done when it came to late in the match. However, Page hit a desperate Buckshot Lariat on Danielson.
He was down for the count, but as he scrambled to cover the former WWE Champion, the bell rang and the 60-minute time limit had run out.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.55
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
4.Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega (AEW Dynamite Grand Slam 2021)
Never before have we seen an AEW match start with a standing ovation as soon as the bell rang.
Well, that was until Bryan Danielson fought Kenny Omega in a five-star debut match on AEW Dynamite.
The match was Danielson’s first in AEW, and went a long way to showing fans that he was still one of the best wrestlers in the world.
This non-title match went every second of its thirty-minute time limit, and left fans with a need for a rematch between the pair at some point down the line.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.57
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
3. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. PAC & Rey Fenix (08/04/2021)
After winning a tag team Casino Battle, two thirds of Death Triangle earned a tag team title shot against The Young Bucks.
The Bucks’ title reign had been legendary, and they only added to the legend with this iconic match against Pac and Rey Fenix.
With the four men involved, the match of course was filled with some incredible high-flying and action and electrifying sequences.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.68
- Atletifo Rating – 4.5 Stars
2. Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix (AEW Dynamite 6/1/22)
While it was seemingly just a standard title defense by Kenny Omega, he battled Rey Fenix is one of the best matches in AEW history.
Two elite workers put it all on the line in this match, pulling out Lucha Libre moves that you’ve never seen before in your life.
Fenix’s selling of Kenny Omega’s incredibly dangerous-looking offence was a sight to behold, and added even more to this incredible match.
While Omega walked off the match as the winner, it gave fans renewed hope for the Rey Fenix singles run at some point in the future.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.89
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
1. Best Friends vs Santano & Ortiz – Parking Low Fight
Dave Meltzer gave the match between the Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz the first five-star match in AEW Dynamite history.
It was a brilliant hardcore match, that took place in a car park behind the arena.
It put two of AEW’s most underrated tag teams against each other in a grudge match, with hilarious origins
Santana & Ortiz destroyed Trent’s mom’s car backstage, leading to the thematic match between the four men.
The match came full circle when, after Orange Cassidy was found lying in the back of a car’s boot, helped the Best Friends beat Santana & Ortiz and ride off into the sunset in the back of Sue (Trent’s Mom)’s new car.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.99
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars