Dynamite Details for 5/25/2022

 Good morning and happy Thursday, dear reader! We got us a stacked Dynamite heading into a STACKED Memorial Day weekend featuring the AEW pay per premium live event, another early afternoon Rampage, the road-to-go-home episode of SmackDown, AND probably other stuff!

It’s a great time to be a wrestling fan. There’s so much out there! I’m primarily a WWE and AEW guy (obviously), but I’m always open to some new shows. One of the better things about Comcast/Xfinity is that I have access to a lot of the other stuff too. AxsTV shows Impact and New Japan weekly, and I almost always catch a match or two and say hey, I should watch some of that. I think this week I’ll give Impact a shot and write about it, too. Should be fun!

But I digress. It’s Thursday morning, which means it’s time to go over the Dynamite Details.  Thanks to @stllemieux for that fine alliterative title! I appreciate ya, buddy.

It’s the third anniversary of AEW Dynamite! Can you believe this company has stuck around that long? I love that we have a legitimate, strong #2 (or #1A, if you prefer) wrestling company to enjoy. More wrestling is always good, I always say.

AEW’s signature GIGANTIC steel cage is already set up, so we know where we’re starting this week.

Opening Contest: Shawn Spears vs Wardlow, steel cage match (Wardlow must win to face MJF at Double or Nothing)

MJF headed out first, sporting a snazzy referee shirt and some biker shorts that left nothing to the imagination. Spears had a cool entrance too, with two steel chairs and a mask that gave off some strong Casey Jones vibes. Wardlow was led to the cage in handcuffs, surrounded by security personnel as per usual. He entered the ring and MJF conveniently couldn’t find the keys to his handcuffs! 

Spears attacked Wardlow, and MJF teamed up with him for some double shoulder blocks, sending Wardlow into the side of the cage. MJF stared Wardlow down, leading to Wardlow just breaking the handcuffs apart! Some delightful YOU EFFED UP chants there. Wardlow absolutely murdered Spears, but MJF refused to count his pin. A Wardlow powerbomb setup was interrupted by a kick to the crotch from MJF, and Spears followed up with a C4 and the fastest count ever - not fast enough to get three before Wardlow kicked out, though. 

Spears then lined Wardlow up for a chairshot as MJF held him, but a quick tap of the dodge button led to Spears taking MJF out. Some fantastic camera work as Spears realized what he’d done as a hulking Wardlow rose up from behind him. A powerbomb concerto on Spears was followed by a fourth powerbomb onto a chair as the replacement ref got into the cage. Pinfall, victory for Wardlow, and we got us a match on Sunday. MJF managed to get out of the cage after Spears’s loss, but won't have that option at the big show this weekend.

After the match, a steady stream of security got into the cage to subdue Wardlow. It went about as well as the hallway scene in Oldboy, as Wardlow took each dude out with a single punch. After about a dozen of those, he grabbed the nearest black shirt and launched him into the cage. That guy rolled under the ring and he may still be there to this very day.

JR acknowledged the tragedy in Uvalde, telling you to love your kids all you can. Good dude, that Jim Ross. 

The Jericho Appreciation Society arrived via loading dock earlier in the day, harassing a guy in a Moxley shirt before Jericho gave him a fireball to the face. Because he’s a wizard!

Tony Schiavone was in the ring to mediate the face to face between CM Punk and AEW champ Hangman Adam Page. I honestly didn’t love the beginning of Hangman’s half of this promo - he kept repeating that he already said what he was gonna do to Punk, and it felt weird. It definitely stepped up as it went on, though, as Page went on to say he hasn’t respected anything Punk has done since he arrived in AEW. He had a great line about not just defending the AEW championship, but actually defending AEW itself from Punk. Punk maintained that their upcoming match is just business, and nothing personal. He kept goading Page into getting madder and madder by asking why Hangman was so angry. They closed with Punk saying he was the guy who paved the roads Hangman walked, and that if AEW is the house Hangman built, he used the lumber from trees Punk chopped down.

A handshake request from Punk was met with a shove, which Punk returned. Page then punched Punk in the face, knocking him down. Hangman left the ring frustrated and Punk smiled from the mat.

I’m enjoying the build to this one a lot. I think Hangman is a really emotional guy, and that comes through in his promos even if he sometimes can’t find the words he wants. As long as that passion sticks around, he’ll get better and better at everything else.

A short video followed featuring Jade Cargill and Anna Jay, previewing their match at Double or Nothing for Jade’s TBS Championship.

Chris Jericho’s entrance played, as the Jericho Appreciation Society headed to the commentary table. The music was quickly cut off by Jericho, as he denied the crowd the sing along they had already begun! His Lordship William Regal was also there for the next match.

Match #2: Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs Private Party

I long for the day when the Private Party gets back to where they were when AEW started. They’re very talented, have a great look, and match up well with any of the other tag teams in the company. For now, though, they are here to make Mox and Eddie look good, which isn’t hard at all.

Mox and Eddie controlled the pace of the match early, using plenty of suplexes and power moves to keep the faster Private Party grounded. Private Party did land a nice combination with a rebound cutter from Isiah Kassidy, followed by a picture perfect moonsault from Marq Quen; that only got a two count. A quick recovery from Mox resulted in his capture hammering elbows, while Eddie Kingston used a dragon sleeper to prevent a save. Moxley transitioned into the Paradigm Shift, ending things with a clean pin.

A call of “Let’s get 'em, boys” from Jericho inspired the JAS to attack the victors as they were leaving the ring. Santana, Ortiz, and Bryan Danielson headed out to even the odds, and refs were sent down to calm things down. Danielson was selling the ankle injury from his situation last week, when the entrance ramp separated from the ring just enough to catch his leg in between. 

A slick video package previewing the night’s two matches in the Owen followed. Britt Baker vs Toni Storm and Samoa Joe vs Kyle O’Reilly will close out the show and fill out all but one spot in the tournaments.

Match #3: Roppongi Vice vs FTR © for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships

Caprice Coleman of Ring of Honor joined the commentary team for this match. He was really good! I wasn’t a follower of RoH, but I liked the knowledge and energy Coleman brought to the table.

The match itself was really good too, and definitely had a story to tell in three acts. The first third of the match was a lot of pin attempts and rope based offense from both teams. After things settled down, more wrestling moves and mat based stuff was the focus. Near the end, both teams were looking to finish the match. Rollups reversed into pins reversed into other pin attempts, but nothing held on for a three count.

Roppongi Vice did manage to hit their Strong Zero finisher, but the pin was interrupted by the Great O Khan and Jeff Cobb of New Japan Pro Wrestling! They attacked everybody, forcing the disqualification finish. Rocky Romero ate a brutal looking Tour of the Islands from Cobb, O-Khan sent Trent Beretta through a table via Iron Claw. Cobb followed with a Doctor Bomb to Dax Harwood through a table. It looks like the Forbidden Door is wide open, and the United Empire was the first to walk through it.

The Hardys talk down the lens of the camera from backstage, where they compared their rise through the indies to the journey of the Young Bucks. Matt tells the Bucks that they never would have survived the 90s independent scene, and calls them Hardy cosplayers. Jeff says the Hardys aren’t in their prime anymore, but in their OVERprime. This feud will be their best yet, and maybe their last. They plan on getting the AEW tag team titles to complete their collection, and while the Bucks may be Elite, the Hardys are the Delete!

Match #4: “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs Jungle Boy vs Swerve Strickland

This match was an absolute blast to watch. Strickland and Jungle Boy started off amicably, teaming up against Starks when they weren't individually in the ring against him. A missed kick by Jungle Boy led to some hurt feelings and harsh words from Swerve, and it was a proper three way match after that.

A Roshambo from Starks to Swerve resulted in a pin, but Jungle Boy was able to break that up and applied the Snare Trap to Starks. Ricky managed to make it to the ropes by a finger, but the rope break quickly resulted in Jungle Boy locking the hold in again. Swerve was able to break that submission attempt, and then hit Starks with the Swerve Stomp to get the win. This was just SO GOOD, I cannot recommend it enough!

Powerhouse Hobbs attacked Swerve after his win, which led to Luchasaurus coming out to make a save. The ensuing fight brought Keith Lee out to the ring, and the three larger members of the teams slugged it out for a bit before Lee dove onto Hobbs and Luchasaurus. Lee and Swerve stood tall to end the segment, setting up the battle coming at Double or Nothing.

Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year had a short segment next. He let us know that Scorpio Sky will be presented with a new TNT Championship belt to replace the one Sammy Guevara and Frankie Kazarian destroyed last week.

Tony Schiavone had a short interview on the entrance stage with Thunder Rosa next. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever seen Thunder Rosa sans makeup, outside of her taco vlog. She wanted us to see her real face, and to know that she never complained as she worked her way up to the AEW Women’s Championship. She said Serena Deeb is being petty, and Deeb will pay for disrespecting Tony, her mentor Dustin Rhodes, and herself.

Another quick backstage interview followed, this one with Schiavone, Red Velvet, and Ruby Soho. Red Velvet lost to Kris Statlander last week, and she’s mad about it. She gave Ruby a little playbook with a scouting report on Statlander - she has a bum knee and shoulder issues. I don’t see that filling a whole notebook, but I can fill five pages taking notes on Rampage so who am I to judge?

Ruby said she didn’t need the book, but she’ll keep the advice in mind for her match with Kris Statlander on Friday.

Match #5: Dr. Britt Baker, DMD (w/Rebel and Jamie Hayter) vs Toni Storm, winner heads to Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals

This match started off kinda slow, but really picked up after the ad break in the middle. It started with a really lengthy head scissors submission hold by Toni Storm and didn’t really have much energy for the first half. After the break both women seemed to get into the right mindset, with Britt taking control. A Pittsburgh Sunrise attempt was reversed into a tornado DDT by Storm, which looked pretty cool. Baker got right back, reversing Storm Zero into an air raid crash for a two count. Toni Storm then hit Baker with another tornado DDT, this time flying from the apron to connect. Jamie Hayter then got involved, but her distraction actually led to Britt eating a surprise rollup for two. Britt missed a ripcord lariat, but Hayter was knocked off the ring apron by Toni Storm. That distraction allowed Baker to roll Storm up for a three count, as Britt held the ring ropes for a little extra leverage. 

Britt and Hayter celebrated as a shocked Toni Storm laid in the ring, and the DMD will face the winner of Kris Statlander vs Ruby Soho at Double or Nothing.

Main Event: Samoa Joe vs Kyle O’Reilly, winner heads to Owen Hart Foundation Finals

A battle between two guys tougher than a two dollar steak, as our old friend JR would say. O’Reilly used his striking offense on the slab of beef that is Samoa Joe, and Joe sold the effects while still overpowering his smaller opponent. While Joe’s arm was taped up from the attack he suffered at the hands of Jay Lethal and pals, it wasn’t the entire focus of O’Reilly - I like when there’s a target but the story of the match doesn’t hinge on that one thing. Joe managed to get Kyle into position for the Muscle Buster, but O’Reilly wriggled out. I think he was trying to reverse it into an armbar but it didn’t quite work out. Either way, he did manage to get that armbar locked on.

Samoa Joe managed to work his way into a rear naked choke from there. O’Reilly did his best to work Joe’s wrist and arm while he was in the clutch, but ended up passing out from Joe’s submission hold.

Adam Cole headed to the entrance ramp to stare down Joe, his opponent on Sunday for the final match of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

American Dad’s cold open let us know we’re done here.

A very good go home show, I thought this episode really built up anticipation for Double or Nothing on Sunday. The seeds were planted for the Forbidden Door show as well. I’m looking forward to Friday’s Rampage locking down the card for the pay per premium live event!

Before we wrap things up for today, let’s highlight five good things from Dynamite!

1- That cage match was bonkers! Using the handcuffs that Wardlow has been in for the last few weeks felt like a unique twist that just worked naturally with the story they have been telling. Spears looked good, both when he was in control and when he was getting absolutely eviscerated by Wardlow. MJF kept his sleazy persona up perfectly, and Wardlow looked like a beast, complimented by some great camera work and his post match rampage.

2- Hangman Adam Page and CM Punk had a nice promo to set up their championship match at Double or Nothing. The intensity built as the segment went on, as Punk played the role of veteran worker to perfection, egging on the more intense champ. Page allowed his emotions to get the better of him, and little things like the way he acknowledged that as he left the ring really helped to sell the difference between these two. I know a heel turn from somebody seems like the likely way to go, but I’m really hoping for this nuanced story of two guys from different eras coexisting as different flavors of good men to continue.

3- The Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship match may not have ended cleanly, but it did allow everybody involved some time to shine. And I mean everybody, from FTR and Roppongi Vice to Jeff Cobb and Great O-Khan, as the build to Forbidden Door started here. I’m gonna have to do some research into New Japan so I’ll know what these guys are capable of! 

4- That triple threat match between Ricky Starks, Jungle Boy, and Swerve Scott was an amazing show of the athleticism of all three guys. The brawl afterward with the larger halves of the three tag teams was fun, too! 

Christian set this match up so Jungle Boy could get his win back from Starks and he didn’t even figure into the pinfall - I wonder if that will lead to anything? WHO’S TO SAY?

5- The main event between Samoa Joe and Kyle O’Reilly was a good time between two hard hitting guys, highlighting Joe’s massive frame and brawling as well as O’Reilly’s speed and striking. The finish was a cool way to keep both guys looking strong, and I’m really looking forward to Joe and Cole, two Ring of Honor veterans, going at it at the big show this weekend.

Hey, I appreciate you stopping by, and would love it if you would drop your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Twitter @ElOsoPequeno, where I try to remember to post whenever I update the blog. I recap Raw, Dynamite, and Rampage weekly, and also plan to write about any other wrestling that I happen to watch. There’s also a weekly wrap up on Fridays, and I’ll do predictions before any big AEW or WWE pay per premium live events. This weekend, expect a new blog for Rampage and SmackDown on Saturday morning, a preview and some guesses for the big Double or Nothing AEW show on Sunday morning, and a recap of the AEW action on Monday morning once I’ve had a chance to process the show and probably rewatch the whole dang thing again!

Have a good one!