We are in for a treat tonight with an exciting, yet short, looking card for tonight’s edition of the All Elite brand’s top show, Dynamite. With a World Championship match slated to main event, a 12-man tag, two promos anticipated to be fantastic, a late-announced tag team match between Proud & Powerful and Best Friends, and the in-ring debut of Matt Cardona, tonight’s show promises to be a great step up from last week’s, for lack of a better term, disappointment. Can they deliver a better show this week? Let’s get into it at 8/7c.
The Elite & FTR vs The Dark Order
We are starting off red hot with the 12-man tag team match. All 12 men were in the ring to start the show and they quickly begin the match. Number 9 has taken 10’s place in this match as 10 and Anna Jay stand by the commentary team.
In the midst of all the chaos, Kenny Omega & Hangman Page help FTR with a “quadruple” team as they perfect a 4-man suplex on three members of the Dark Order. There’s a nice spot for Cash Wheeler as he takes out three members of the Dark Order on his own. FTR & Hangman teased doing three submissions simultaneously, but Stu Grayson cut them off.
FTR performer a double team sidewalk slam on Alan Angels, but, unfortunately, Dax Harwood looks to have tweaked his knee doing the move. As a result, Cash & Hangman help walk him to the back. It is the original Elite left in a 3-on-6 situation against Dark Order.
Colt Cabana hits Matt Jackson with a splash for a two count before tagging in Evil Uno. It has been very intriguing to anticipate what Cabana might do now that he has been affiliated with the Dark Order.
Nick Jackson tries to get the hot tag, but Evil Uno pulls him off the apron and helps double team him with Stu Grayson to take him out on the outside. Suddenly, Matt Jackson goes on a flurry and takes out five members of the Dark Order because coming back to, well, 5 in the ring. Eventually, Hangman Page returns and gets the hot tag to take out everybody and the kitchen’s Cabana.
Hangman Page performs a beautiful moonsault from the ropes to four Dark Order member’s before getting back into the ring as 5 tags in Brodie Lee. The two legal men square off and exchange punches and kicks, but Grayson & Uno dump Page out of the ring to set him up for a tope from Brodie Lee. They then help Cabana get Page into a fireman’s carry position on the second rope and drop him on the top rope. He gets a two count on the cowboy as Kenny breaks up the pin, but Grayson & Uno perform their signature simultaneous 450 splash/cannonball for a two count on Page.
The Youngbucks get into the ring to invite Dark Order to a superkick party and help Kenny hit Brodie Lee with a snap dragon/double superkick combination. As they set up Lee for a Buckshot Lariat, the Dark Order pull the Bucks & Omega out of the ring and Lee ducks the Lariat before hitting his own Discus Lariat on Page to pin one half of the tag team champions for the win. Dark Order defeats the Elite & FTR.
Fun match to watch. Great storytelling throughout. FTR has taken out of the match, and Hangman Page comes back to help only to be the man who gets pinned after his friends are taken away from helping him. Good stuff; a chef’s kiss worth of a match from me and a great +1 from the 10-man tag last week.
After the break, we get an “earlier today” presentation in which the Best Friends arrive at Daily’s Place in what seems to be Trent’s mom’s van because wrestling.
Up next is another Jon Moxley promo because he cannot cut enough of these. He gives Darby Allin a clear message: “When I tell you to stay down, just stay down.”
Proud & Powerful vs Best Friends
Nothing too much of note here to start the match. Best Friend get control of both members of PNP before they “gotta give the people what they want” and do their signature hug before the break.
Ortiz and Trent are in a chopping war coming back from break. Ultimately, Ortiz gets the upper hand and does his own dance to the camera before tagging in Santana.
PNP take the Best Friends to the outside as they through each individual into the guardrails. Santana continues an assault on Trent in the ring and hits a suplex on one half of the Best Friends for a two count.
Chuck Taylor gets the hot tag as he takes out both his opponent and gets a two on Santana following a falcon arrow. Ortiz tags in and also takes a falcon arrow from Taylor for a two count.
Chuck Taylor puts Trent on his shoulders as Trent sets up Ortiz for a superplex and they nail Ortiz with a…super-superplex?…but Santana pulls Taylor out of the ring before a pin could be attempted. Santana & Ortiz then begin a double team assault on Trent.
As PNP set up their finisher the Streetsweeper, Taylor knocks Santana off the top rope and Trent catches Ortiz with a victory roll for the win. Best Friends defeat Proud and Powerful.
Surprising victory from the Best Friends. Far from a bad match, this was just alright since it really had little to no anticipation behind it. It also did not help that Orange Cassidy was held back for his part of the show later in the night. Great that the Best Friends won, but where do they go now? And what do Santana & Ortiz do following this?
Coming back from break, MJF brings us into his campaign room and he berates whoever he can for whatever he wants. He berates Lee Johnson for not having a poster on the wall level with the ground.
Going back to the ring, Matt Hardy is waiting to cut his promo. He says that he wanted a say of what happened with his career when he came to AEW. He says that he could introduce AEW to the multiverse and has done that and enjoyed it. He says that he wants to listen to the audience and be himself, be “Matthew Hardy.” Matt talks about Sammy Guevara not taking his advice and what has happened with Sammy since he arrived to AEW in March.
Just as Sammy sneaks behind Matt, Matt says “Sammy, I knew you’d come” referencing that he knew Sammy would be there. They brawl to the outside and Matt slams Sammy onto the ring announcer’s table.
Matt sets up another table outside the ring, but Sammy takes control and lays out Matt on the table. Sammy goes on stage and takes off this jacket, a move which got a huge pop from this writer, and performs a 630 senton from the stage into Matt through the table. We then get a good visual of Matt with a “crimson mask” on his face, to quote good ol’ JR.
Outside the arena, Santana and Ortiz are vandalizing Trent’s mom’s van. They take out the windows, the mirrors, and the lights on the vehicle. Santana spray paints the word SUE on the hood, then paints an X through the name. Ortiz throws a sledgehammer into the windshield, which sticks into the glass perfectly, before going to break.
John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs Cody & Matt Cardona
Matt Cardona comes out first for his team because of course Cody needs another way to put himself over since he’s not defending the TNT title.
Cody takes the start of the match; presumably, this is to build to the much anticipated in ring showing of Matt Cardona. Cardona tags in early into the match and takes control of Silver with a flapjack that led to a two count before Reynolds gets tagged in.
Cody tags in jumps on the wrenched arm of Reynolds. Both Dark Order members drive Cody out of the ring and hurt Cody’s arm. They continue to double team the TNT champ with a slip and diving double stomp on the apron. Dark Order continue to double team and take advantage of Cody as the show goes to picture-in-picture.
Coming back, Dark Order still have the advantage over Cody, which is surprising considering the two men Cody & Cardona are up against were recently referred to as “jobbers” on Being the Elite.
Cody finally gets the tag to Cardona and cleans house as he takes down Silver and hits a missile dropkick on Reynolds. Both his opponents go out of the ring, and Cardona hits a dropkick to the outside on both men before getting Reynolds up for a sit out powerbomb for a two count. Cody catches Reynolds with Cody Cutter, but Silver spills him to the outside. Dark Order double teams Cardona and roll him up for a very good nearfall.
Silver & Cody spill to the outside, and Reynolds & Cardona are left in the ring. After an attempted O’Connor roll, Cardona hits a “Rough Ryder” on Reynolds for the winning pin. Matt Cardona & Cody defeat John Silver & Alex Reynolds.
Post match, Cody is walking backstage, but has a run-in with Scorpio Sky in the entrance way, who signals to Cody that he wants the next shot at the TNT Championship.
Fun match; good debut for Matt Cardona. Match felt a little long considering the status of Reynolds & Silver, but it was not to the detriment of their opponents. I am anxiously awaiting what AEW has in store for the former Zack Ryder, as I hope they have bigger and better plans for the man going forward.
The cameras catch up with the Best Friends outside the arena by Trent’s mom’s van. It seems that a rematch between PNP & Best Friends will be set soon.
Sammy Guevara is making his entrance as the show goes to another picture-in-picture.
AEW Super Wednesday Debate 2020
This is…wow! The Bisch is back! Eric Bischoff is the moderator for the debate. For those who do not know, this debate is to lead to a rematch between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho that will take place next week.
The first question asked: Why do Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy hate each other so much? Before answering, Jericho pokes fun at Orange’s dress, which is the same as normal, before Cassidy takes out a clip on tie and puts it on.
Second question: Who is the better wrestling, and who is the biggest star?
As with the first question, Orange Cassidy does not respond.
Third question: What are your thoughts on this very serious global situation (that which I do not want to type). Something about rising sea level, and Orange Cassidy surprises us with a good, well thought out, knowledgeable response.
Fourth question: Why is Orange Cassidy so popular? Jericho says that he’s epitome of everything that is wrong with pro wrestling. Says he’s lazy, arrogant, entitled, and overbearing. Jericho says he will beat Cassidy again and Cassidy will have to give Jericho $7,000 to replace the jacket that was ruined in the orange juice dumping segment.
Once again, Cassidy does not response.
Last question: why does this rematch mean so much to both of you? As Jericho goes to respond, Cassidy tells him to “shut up.” Cassidy becomes the smartest man in the room, saying he does not care about Jericho’s schemes with this debate and says that the rematch next week is the biggest match of both men’s lives. Orange then asks “what if Jericho loses to the guy who puts his hands in his pockets.”
Orange Cassidy then takes his shades off and says “I want you to look into my eyes; look at the man who is going to BEAT you.”
Eric Bischoff declares that Orange Cassidy has “walked away with this debate.” Jericho retorts by saying that he will “kick the shit” out of Orange, before sicking Jake Hager on his opponent for next week. Hager forces Cassidy’s hands in his pockets before throwing him to Jericho for a brutal looking Judas effect. Best Friends finally run off Hager & Jericho as Orange Cassidy lays in the ring as if he had just been shot.
Great segment overall. Jericho was Jericho, but Orange Cassidy was peak Orange Cassidy, and I think this has become better than Jericho being Jericho. Not really sure we needed a long segment like this to lead to what we got and what we are getting next week, but we got Cassidy being the funny and real side of himself, so that is a plus.
Back from break, Tony Schiavone catches up with Britt Baker about her choice of opponent for Big Swole. She announces that Reba, actually named Rebel, will be Big Swole’s opponent, to which “Reba” tried to protest. Looks like this match is happening immediately.
“Reba” vs Big Swole
Britt Baker is at ringside as she cheers on her assistant. Suprisingly, Reba is getting a lot of offense in on Swole. Reba attempts to come from the top, but moves to the middle rope for an unsuccessful moonsault. Swole then hits Reba with the Dirty Dancing for the win. Big Swole defeats Reba and earns a match with Britt Baker, presumably at All Out.
Here we go again. Is this all the time that was reserved for the women’s division? A match that was not even announced to take place tonight? I get that they already have the time on Youtube with the tag team tournament, but if this is all the time that was left for a women’s match on Dynamite, why not just have the tournament on Dynamite? This made no sense if this was Britt Baker’s master plan to keep away from a match with Big Swole. As Simon Cowell would say, it’s a no from me.
The Runthrough
Time for the announcements of next week’s card:
- TNT Championship: Cody (c) vs Scorpio Sky
- Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy
- As part of Tag Team Appreciation Night: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus)
- Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) vs The Young Bucks
- Special appearances from Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express
AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs Darby Allin
Darby Allin makes his entrance; doing so, he has a cut out of Jon Moxley’s face over his own face, with a hole cut out where Moxley’s left eye would be on the cut out.
Starting the match, Allin slaps Moxley in the face, to which Moxley responded with a good sucker punch that knocked Allin down. Moxley takes control as the match begins.
Coming back from break, Moxley has Allin in a cross legged STF before picking him up for an X Plex (a suplex followed by flipping the opponent on his back). Allin runs at Moxley to roll both he and the champ out of the ring, then Allin gets back in the ring to perform the “Low-pe” suicida to Moxley.
Back in the ring, both men counter each other’s moves before Allin hits a code red that nearly wins him the AEW World title. Allin goes up for the Coffin Drop, but Moxley gets up to knock his down and perform a super-german from the top that flips Allin onto his feet and to the other side of the ring.
Wardlow comes out onto the ramp to distract the ref, and while doing so MJF runs in with the title belt and nails Moxley right in the face with it. Allin goes up top and nails the coffin drop for a nail-biting nearfall. Moxley is now busted open.
Allin keeps fighting. He hits Moxley with a stunner and a back elbow. He goes for another Coffin drop, but Moxley catches Allin with a sleeper hold. While in the sleeper, Allin rakes Moxley’s eyes, but Moxley hits the gotch style piledriver. This call to Minoru Suzuki gets a two count on Allin, and Moxley cannot believe. Moxley finally picks up Allin for the paradigm shift for the win. Jon Moxley defeats Darby Allin to retain the AEW World Championship.
I’m not sure what to think of this match. I bit so much on Darby Allin’s nearfalls, yet it feels like Moxley’s title defenses on lacking. What they are lacking I’m not sure. The run-in was alright; it presented Moxley as a strong champion, but what did this do for Allin?
Coming off of last week, I’d say this was a much better episode of Dynamite. All it needs is a bit of a cut down on matches that don’t need the time and promos that could be simpler. An enjoyable show, and I’m excited for next week’s Tag Team Appreciation Night & Jericho vs Cassidy 2.
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