AEW gave us one big reason to be excited for "AEW Dynamite" — the main event match between Swerve Strickland and Ricochet.

If that wasn't enough, tag-team action unfolded involving Brody King and Buddy Matthews vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher, and "Timeless" Toni Storm had a match for the first time since revealing her "role of a lifetime." The Death Riders were also on, but it's funny how the less screen time they get, the better the show tends to be.

Anyway, we love ourselves a party here at Uncrowned. Especially when it's a...

🩸Violence party!

AEW holding "AEW Collision" on Saturdays was never a great idea, and going head-to-head with WWE PLEs like the Royal Rumble this past weekend was a prime example of why. A lot of great wrestling still unfolds on "Collision," and Saturday's segment between Strickland and Ricochet was an incredible appetizer to this week's big headliner match.

Even if you missed it and already saw tonight's match, it's well worth a watch.

From the build to the match itself, everything about this feud has been awesome. I'd watch these two go at it 10 times straight if I could.

You could tell Strickland and Ricochet couldn't wait to get back in the ring together for a proper match — and Ricochet practically proved that by hitting Strickland with a chair mid-entrance. Everything about Ricochet's turn has been such a stiff reminder of how lost WWE was with him. Simply by embracing his inner heel, his promo work has improved significantly. The guy can't speak as a good guy and that's OK.

But this? This is it, Rico. Let's keep this going for as long as we can.

Wednesday's match was loaded with sickeningly awesome spots and sequences. As soon things kicked off, Richochet wasted no time hitting a Vertigo to almost sneak in a surprise quick win. That's always a nice touch, but I'm so glad it didn't happen.

Strickland's back was the focal point of Ricochet's attacks thanks to a chair assault early on, but the spot of the night was undeniably when the duo were out on the LED barricade. Presumably seeking a hurricanrana, Ricochet was countered with a nasty powerbomb that hurt me just watching it. Shortly after, Strickland got launched with a ridiculous drop kick. I audibly reacted to many portions of this one — that's always a good sign.

I wasn't sure who would win — or should win — this one. Ultimately it felt like too soon after his turn to hand Ricochet a loss, despite Strickland taking Ls of his own lately. And that was indeed the case, as Ricochet countered the Swerve Stomp with a somewhat weird low blow followed by a Spirit Gun for the win. Outside of that and a saved apron botch, this was A+ work — and Ricochet stole the embassy jacket afterward, meaning we'll certainly see this program continue.

💃 Role Play of the Night

If the storyline between Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" headliners wasn't enough, Toni Storm and Mariah May's brilliant rivalry continues.

Set for her first match since reemerging as her "Timeless" self, Storm took on Queen Aminata.

Or I guess I should say Aminata took on Mariah May, because Storm decided to pull another fast one and hilariously stole her rival's persona for the match while she was ringside. This was just incredible stuff.

May was visibly seething throughout the whole match, playing her own role very, very well. Storm was on point with every aspect, mocking the AEW Women's Champion. Aminata was a low-key gem as the b-side in this whole thing as well, but Storm, of course, got the job done with May's Mayday finish.

(For a moment, I thought it could've been a clever swerve for Storm to intentionally lose while she pretended to be May, further digging under her skin.)

After the match, Storm got on the microphone to keep the mocking going, and May nearly attacked her but ultimately refrained. The layers were great with all of this, because as May mentioned on commentary, she acted like Storm first when they were together.

May has been such a phenomenal heel champ that I'd hate to see her drop the title at Grand Slam. If it's to anyone, though, Storm is the perfect person to take her character to an even deeper level of ruthlessness. I'm torn, and that's a good thing.

🧑‍🏫 History lessons

As I awaited MJF to appear in the ring and on my screen Wednesday, I thought, "Man, I want to see this guy wrestle more." Thankfully, we're getting that next week as he's leaving Jeff Jarrett in the dust so he can pursue the world title again.

It won't be so easy, though. After AEW continued to tease a Hangman Adam Page vs. MJF program, Dustin Rhodes came to the ring and spat some volcanic fire at the former champion. The 37-year veteran was the definition of fired up, telling MJF that he's not the devil and to shut up with any personal insults to wrestlers.

MJF returned fire with digs at Rhodes' family members, father Dusty and brother Cody. This was exceptional. A brawl broke out, and MJF didn't shy away. They'll have a match next week, and this was overall a very pleasant surprise when you consider MJF's history with Cody — if the Owen Hart dig that Rhodes mentioned wasn't enough incentive.

🃏 Harley-Queen 👸

Harley Cameron is the best. Harley Cameron is the best. Harley Cameron is the best. Say it with me now!

We must congratulate the wrathful one for her first AEW win on "Collision" this past Saturday against Taya Valkyrie. Cameron television time is mandatory for a good show, and we got that once again tonight, as she still wants that Mercedes Mońe shot.

Cameron's middle finger to Mońe after her interference was as gold as all those belts Mone wears. (The more I think about it, it's pretty funny seeing her wear those around casually.) We have to get a match out of all this sooner or later.

Since Cameron is the forever-gem here at Uncrowned, we have to share the love with our tag team banger from Wednesday's show.

👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑

I'm not sure how I feel about Brody King and Buddy Matthews now being the Hounds of Hell after Malakai Black's departure. They're so great alone that I still want to see them shine in singles, and the upcoming Matthews vs. Kazuchika Okada match will be awesome. At the same time, they are still one of the best tag teams in all of wrestling.

Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher made for a wicked pairing, and I need to see a Takeshita vs. King series. They meshed incredibly when getting solo opportunities in the match. I was saddened — but not surprised — to see King take the pin in this one. It was mandatory with the timing, but that guy needs to get on a streak, stat.

🔫 Gunns Hurt people

As teased last week, Colten and Austin Gunn are back, and they received an epic presentation with their entrance. It's one of the cooler entrances in AEW, if I'm being totally honest.

The Gunns weren't here to play around, immediately getting back into the title scene by interrupting the Hurt Business as confidence dripped from their pores. They answered MVP's open challenge and the match is on for next week.

As confident as The Gunns are, there's no chance they're winning. I love their confidence, especially against Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. We'll get a good match out of it as this title reign gets going properly.

The most interesting thing about this whole segment was MVP putting all champions on notice. Hurt Business becoming a belt collector faction would be badass and very fitting. Although it might feel like somewhat of a Main Event Mafia ripoff, I'm here for it. Lashley felt out of place in the tag-team scene when approached by former champions like The Gunns. Regardless, I've made up my mind about the S-tier booking possibility that can come from this.

👍 EXPLOSIVE 👍

1. Will Ospreay defeated Mark Davis (representing The Don Callis Family) in the show opener. Davis turning like this is completely random, but commentary teased an explanation potentially coming. I'm curious about that, but an Ospreay match is always good, so here we are.

2. Samoa Joe and Hook barged into Christian Cage's locker room and beat up Nick Wayne and Kip Sabian. Cage hilariously witnessed his boys getting abused before scurrying away. Let the man cash in his contract and get the title off Jon Moxley ASAP, please.

3. The Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs and Bandito video package was awesome. Hobbs interrupted the New York Minute afterward and the chaos continued. Please, AEW, let Bill and Hobbs fight each other for the rest of forever.

👎 DUDSVILLE 👎

1. Jay White opened the show with Renee Paquette outside the arena. Can you guess what happened next? If you said he and Rated FTR brawled with the Death Riders, you would be correct.

Rinse and repeat. There's nothing more significant to say about this group. It needs to end.

The only positive was Marina Shafir picking up Paquette and carrying her out of the shot as the brawl ensued. That was brilliant.

👑 The bad was outweighed heavily on this "AEW Dynamite." No Jarrett and minimal Death Riders? That's a recipe for success. I give this show a Crown score of: 8.5/10 👑