Hey, it’s Thursday morning, and you know what that means! It’s time to go over all the peaks and valleys from last night’s Dynamite. It was an interesting show that started some new feuds, maybe ended a partnership, and introduced a new title. Let’s get into it!
Opening Contest: Battle Royale, winner faces Jon Moxley in main event
AEW battles royale are always so hard to follow! At least they break things up into playing card suits to make it a little easier. Our first group was the Clubs: Lance Archer, Darby Allin, Tony Nese, Eddie Kingston, and Daniel Garcia. Darby went after Archer with his skateboard, but no eliminations occurred.
Group two was the Diamonds: Rey Fenix, Jake Hager, Ricky Starks, Swerve Strickland, and Keith Lee. Lee was the focus of this group, as he eliminated Nese, hugged Swerve, and faced off with Archer. Lee eliminated Archer as time ran out, signaling the next group of contestants.
Group three was Konosuke Takeshita, John Silver, Max Caster, and the Gunns. Brawling continued, but no eliminations were to be had.
Our last group was Hearts: Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Powerhouse Hobbs, Wheeler Yuta, and Dante Martin. We also started getting some eliminations. The Gunns and Caster had to practice their scissoring gesture, which led to all three getting dumped by Keith Lee. Lee was then ousted by his partner Swerve, and looked shocked when he hit the floor.
The Joker arrived next, and it was Andrade el Idolo. Kingston and Silver were eliminated soon after. Takeshita, who looked good during his time in there, was out next and it took both Starks and Hobbs to drop him.
Fenix, Andrade, Hobbs, Yuta, and O’Reilly were the final five. Hobbs was dumped out by Wheeler while he was trying to eliminate Fenix. Rey, going after Andrade, was out next after a great spot where Andrade basically uppercutted Fenix between the legs while Rey flew above him.
The bad guys teamed up against Wheeler, but Yuta managed to hold his own and eliminate Andrade. O’Reilly and Yuta battled on the apron, but Yuta knocked Kyle into the ring. That allowed O’Reilly to drop Wheeler and secure the win.
Three stars! The AEW style of battle royale is fun, if a little crowded. There were a lot of little battles that fueled this big battle, including Kingston and Garcia, Andrade and Fenix, Lee and Archer (and maybe Swerve but I hope not). I didn’t expect O’Reilly to win! My money was on either Yuta, Fenix, or even Takeshita. Kyle is a good match for Moxley, though.
Speaking of Mox, he was backstage to talk to the camera about this weird year. He said the main event is “the Wednesday night wars come to life,” which I thought was kinda funny. The Forbidden Door belongs to Mox, always has. He closes with, “Love you, Mom” because he’s the best.
The commentary team then let us know CM Punk’s surgery went well. That led into a video package introducing the new All Atlantic Championship, as well as a tournament bracket that begins RIGHT NOW.
Match #2: Buddy Matthews vs. PAC, All Atlantic Championship Quarterfinal
Holy cats, this was a MATCH. The pacing was tremendous. We started with poses, threats, and reversals of reversals. It escalated pretty quickly, but PAC ended things with a poison rana and the Black Arrow for the pin.
Four stars! Despite my lax notes, this was a hard hitting matchup and really a fun watch. Both PAC and Buddy can go, and their styles compliment each other well. I would have liked to see Buddy move on, but if the bracket means we get PAC and Miro just slapping the hell out of each other until someone’s chest turns to hamburger…sign me up!
Eddie Kingston was given a microphone and a minute to talk, but he didn’t need that long. He lost his chance to win the AEW championship, and he blamed Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, and 2.0 (or whatever they’re called). He wants a fight!
Trent Beretta was in the ring, lamenting the fact that it was International Best Friends day and none of his friends were there. He thinks Roppongi Vice deserves another title shot at FTR, since they didn’t win or lose their match.
FTR came out to answer the challenge, and they agreed with Trent. They also think Trent should be mad at “Will Ospreay’s bitch boys”, and that comment drew out Will freakin’ Ospreay! As the trio was distracted by Will, Aaron Henare and Aussie Open attacked them from behind. Ospreay hit Beretta with the Hidden Blade, and the invaders stood tall to end the segment.
Tony Schiavone with Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and William Regal. Regal felt bad that he would be on commentary while O’Reilly gets his head cracked open by Moxley. Kyle responded by saying he’s in AEW to fight the best and to fight for the AEW championship, and this is his opportunity to do both.
Match #3: David Finlay vs. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page
Adam Cole was on commentary for this match, and he spent a lot of time talking up Finlay the younger. With good reason! Finlay was a good matchup for Page, and it was a balanced fight throughout. Hangman ended up getting the victory with a rising lariat, followed by the Buckshot and a pin.
Three stars! Not too long or short, and David Finlay was able to put together a good, competitive match with Page. Both guys looked good, and Hangman got the victory to put him back on track after his title loss at Double or Nothing.
Hangman grabbed a mic after the match, and while he wanted to talk about that championship match, now wasn’t the time. Since he wasn’t included in the battle royale, he doesn’t think he’ll be fighting for the AEW Championship anytime soon. But there’s more than one championship out there…and Hangman wants the IWGP Championship, and Okada.
Adam Cole interrupted him, saying it might not even be Okada he would face at Forbidden Door, but Cole’s friend Jay White. Cole said Page didn’t think of that because he doesn’t think like a champion. Cole, however, won the Owen Hart Tournament, and he’s on a roll. If anyone should get a shot at the IWGP champ, it’s Cole.
Thunder Rosa issued an open challenge, and Marina Shafir accepted. There’s one way to book that 90 minute mark match!
Wardlow was summoned to the ring by Tony Schiavone next, and he said he wasn’t involved in the battle royale earlier because he wanted to defeat CM Punk for the real AEW Championship. He does want a championship, though; the TNT title needs some refurbishing. Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, and Dan Lambert then came to the entrance to say not yet, Sky is hurt. Wardlow said he would wait for Sky to be a hundred ten percent when he fights him.
A cut to Smart Mark Sterling followed. Mark called Wardlow a dummy for tearing up legal documents on national TV. He gave Wardlow a choice - either face him in court to defend against a class action lawsuit on behalf of the American Arena Security Professionals, or face twenty security professionals in a match. I assume Wardlow chose the latter.
The Young Bucks were gloating in their office when they got interrupted by Matt and Jeff Hardy, and the teams argued over who deserves a tag team championship match. Christian and Jurassic Express joined them and suggested a triple threat ladder match for the belts. Jungle Boy looked less than pleased.
Match #4- Marina Shafir vs. Thunder Rosa © for the AEW Women’s Championship
I love Thunder Rosa, and I think Shafir has a lot of potential. Marina was a WWE developmental project before she was a victim of one of the waves of budget cuts. Rosa has also had experience as an MMA fighter, so you’d think their styles would mesh.
Reader, they did not. The whole match was kind of a clunker, and while there were a passionate few in the crowd that tried to get the volume up, it just wasn’t happening. A Thunder Rosa Death Valley Driver only got two, but a reversal into a rollup pin got Rosa the win. After the bell, Shafir attacked Rosa from behind with a kick and a submission. Toni Storm ran down to make the save, and Rosa hit a package piledriver to put Shafir down. Storm then picked up the Women’s Championship and handed it to Rosa, putting a little foreshadowing into that interaction.
Two stars! That just wasn’t a good match. I don’t know if it was Shafir, or the crowd, or maybe Thunder Rosa’s recent annoyance at how the Women’s Championship has been booked, but something didn’t work here. Shafir doesn’t seem done with Thunder Rosa, so I guess we’ll find out more when they meet again.
A quick Baddies bit with Schiavone set up a match between Red Velvet and Kris Statlander (or Kristen Highlander if you’re Stokely Hathaway) on Rampage.
Main Event: Jon Moxley vs Kyle O’Reilly, winner fights for AEW Championship at Forbidden Door
A strike heavy match, as to be expected between these two. Mox and Kyle traded blows throughout, with O’Reilly really working the leg kicks while Moxley focused on brawling attacks. There was a fantastic spot where Moxley had O’Reilly in a rear choke hold, and Kyle was able to bite the middle ring rope for the break. Mox responded by kicking the rope!
After another brutal sequence, Moxley finally gained control with a bulldog choke, followed with knees to Kyle’s head and a Regal knee. That set up a VERY high angle Paradigm Shift and a pinfall victory for Mox to close the show.
Four stars! The match, much like PAC and Buddy Matthews earlier, played into the strengths of both fighters. The whole fight was stiff and brutal, and both guys did a great job of varying their strikes while still staying true to their styles. I don’t think anyone thought Kyle was going to win going in, but that wasn’t enough to make the match any less of a battle.
An interesting show, as we had the new All Atlantic Belt introduced. In total, we now have the AEW Championship, the Women’s Championship, the TNT and TBS Championships, the Tag Team Championships, the FTW Championship, and the All Atlantic Championship. That makes seven, with a Trios Championship still rumored to debut once Kenny Omega returns to action. And that’s alongside any Ring of Honor championship matches that run on AEW programming!
Is it too many belts? WHO’S TO SAY?
Before I let you go, let’s run down Five Good Things from the show!
1- The battle royale was fun and a high energy way to start the show. There were some fun spots, and if anybody you like wasn’t featured in the matches Wednesday night, odds are they got some TV time in here.
2- Buddy Matthews vs. PAC was stiff and a great watch. Both guys did their best to put on a great match, and the opening segment with reversal after counter was enough to recommend the whole match.
3- Trent and FTR’s segment with the New Japan Pro Wrestling stars was a really cool thing to see if you’re familiar with that product. I’m not super knowledgeable when it comes to NJPW, but I know Will Ospreay and it was great to see him in an AEW ring.
4- David Finlay and Adam Page had a really decent, competitive match on Dynamite. The two kept things even throughout, selling the fact that Finlay is a good wrestler we haven’t seen on AEW while also showing that maybe Page is a little less than a hundred percent after his loss at Double or Nothing.
5- The main event was great! As I said before, I don’t think the winner was ever in doubt, but the strikes these two men traded were so brutal! Moxley throwing headbutt combos and knees to the head while O’Reilly hit enough leg kicks to chop down a tree showed the commitment to the match style they were going for. The finish was a manic sequence, capped off by a super high angle Paradigm Shift. A great watch and a fun match!
Hey, I appreciate you stopping by, and would love it if you 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 recap anything else 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.
Have a Good One!
No comments:
Post a Comment