Every Match Ranked & Reviewed

A very special and emotional episode of AEW Dynamite took place on September 9, 2026, in the form of the “Rebel Heart” edition of the show, dedicated to former wrestler Rebel amidst her fight with ALS, and all others who suffer with the disease. The show also paid tribute to the late Andy Williams (better known as The Butcher in AEW).

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look across every match on the Rebel Heart edition of AEW Dynamite, which emanated from the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, to determine the best match of the night, the weakest on the card, and how everything else stacked up in between.

6

Andrade El Idolo Vs. The Beast Mortos (AEW National Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.25/10

The latest defense of the AEW National Championship from Andrade El Idolo saw him matched up with The Beast Mortos. The crowd were hot behind the champion in the early stages as the pair traded shoulder tackles, power moves, and entertaining lucha libre offense.

It was a predictable affair but one delivered at a good pace that ensured the crowd remained invested (coming unglued when Andrade took his pants off), ending when Andrade nailed The DM in a solid TV showdown.

5

Darby Allin & Steven Borden Vs. Josh Alexander & Mark Davis

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.5/10

The AEW Dynamite debut of Steven Borden saw him team up with Darby Allin to take on the Don Callis Family of Josh Alexander & Mark Davis, with him hoping to make a strong impression and escape the shadow of his legendary father, Sting. Borden displayed strong and sound fundamentals throughout, holding his own in a simple but effective tag team match. The heels beat down Allin for a portion of the bout, allowing Borden the spotlight of a hot tag, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Davis & Alexander found their way back into the matchup, but a Coffin Drop/Scorpion Death Drop combo secured the win for Borden & Allin. Borden’s strength and athleticism was mightily impressive.

4

Will Ospreay Vs. David Finaly (AEW World Championship Eliminator)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.5/10

After the pair met in a multi-man tag team match last week, David Finlay stepped up to take on Will Ospreay in a World Title Eliminator on AEW Dynamite. A pre-match brawl ensured that this bout kicked off with a good level of intensity and a hard-hitting nature, each dishing out their fair share of offense.

The two men went back-and-forth with some terrific counters, reversals, and sequences, but it proved to be a by-the-book win for Ospreay, who stood tall after a Styles Clash. This served a good purpose of making Ospreay look strong ahead of his AEW All Out title defense against Jon Moxley.

3

The New Level & Swerve Strickland Vs. The Conglomeration (AEW World Trios Championships)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

The second AEW World Trios Titles defense for new champions The New Level & Swerve Strickland, taking on the trio of Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong of The Conglomeration. The early stages saw some fun exchanges between Cassidy & Kofi, some hard-hitting strikes between Creed & O’Reilly, and plenty of infectious character work in between. The Conglomeration played the de facto “heels” in slowing down the action and taking control of Creed, all leading to Kofi’s crowd-pleasing hot tag (leading to a unique triple team backbreaker on the outside).

The match broke down (in a great way) when everyone got involved in the match, with several impressive sequences that got the crowd on their feet. It was the Daybreak from The New Level that scored a title defense, winning in a fast-paced bout that got better as it went on.

2

The Young Bucks Vs. Kevin Knight & Kyle Fletcher (Tables)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

The main event of AEW Dynamite was a tag team tables match pitting The Young Bucks against the Don Callis Family members of Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight, who both lost their singles titles at All In: London 2026. As expected, there was plenty of high-quality in-ring work on display between these two duos, and they masterfully managed to work around the stipulation in a manner of creative ways.

Kevin Knight and Matt Jackson were each sent through tables, leaving Fletcher and Nick Jackson to go back-and-forth in the latter moments… until FTR arrived to run interference, allowing Fletcher to suplex his opponent through a table to win a fun bout.

1

Britt Baker, Persephone & Hikaru Shida Vs. Maya World, Thunder Rosa & Hyan

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

Britt Baker’s first match back on Dynamite since her return at All In: London 2026 saw her team with TBS Champion Persephone & Hikaru Shida, taking on the trio of Thunder Rosa, Maya World & Hyan. Following an early flurry from the babyfaces, the heels slowed things down and took control of proceedings, all leading to Thunder Rosa’s eventual hot tag.

The history between Baker & Rosa was touched upon with some face-offs here and there, adding more depth to the matchup. In the latter moments, Rebel emerged to bring Baker her signature glove in a throwback to their partnership with one another, allowing Baker to secure the Lockjaw on Hyan to win the match, resulting in a very emotional post-match celebration.