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5 Big Takeaways from AEW Dynamite - Jan 18, 2023

It was a night filled with plenty of action, as AEW Dynamite was presented LIVE from the Save-Mart Center in Fresno, CA


AEW continued their Road to Revolution as Dynamite aired live from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. This week's episode was filled with two dynamic title matches with All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy defending against Jay Lethal, and TNT Champion Darby Allin defending against the debuting Kushida.


Once again, All Elite Wrestling made sure to keep the show packed with many of their biggest names, and 2023 has started off briskly for the promotion. They slumped toward the end of last year, but they have certainly fired back. It's made for a lot more compelling television in the past few weeks, as Tony Khan & Company have seemingly righted the ship - at least for now.



Revolution always seems to set the table for the year, so the build-up and follow-through right now will be critical for the weeks and months ahead. AEW will be dealing with a lot of roster turnover in short order, so it's to their advantage to set their chess pieces now.


They definitely did that again this week, with another strong performance. Here are five things that stuck out on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite.


#1 - A Freshly Squeezed Title Defense opened the show

Even after over three years, Orange Cassidy remains one of the most popular stars in AEW. And for good reason. He's got a fan-friendly gimmick and plays the role of the underdog perfectly. He especially relates to the younger members of the audience, many of whom dress up like the Freshly Squeezed One.


While the All-Atlantic Championship hasn't exactly blown the fans away, it's gaining prestige with Cassidy as the title holder. The 38-year-old star has finally struck gold in All Elite Wrestling after a long climb, and the faithful are loving every minute of him being on top.



Cassidy scored an impressive victory over veteran Jay Lethal, with Lethal's cohorts (Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, and Sonjay Dutt) relegated to sitting ringside for the match. Right now, Orange is ripe for a long