Dynamite – February 26, 2020: Start The Revolution With Me
IMG Credit: AEW
Dynamite
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur
It’s another big week as we have the go home show for Revolution, but at the same time we also have an Iron Man match between Kenny Omega and Pac. This show has been on a roll lately with one good week after another so hopefully they can keep it going on the way to the pay per view. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
The announcers preview the show.
Kenny Omega vs. Pac
Thirty minute Iron Man match. The Young Bucks are here with Omega but Hangman Page is nowhere to be seen. Feeling out process to start as it’s Omega grabbing a wristlock a minute in. Pac flips out of a wristdrag attempt and that means a standoff, with Omega’s look saying “so that’s how it’s going to be”. They chop it out until Omega kicks the leg out, only to charge into a hard superkick.
The early One Winged Angel attempt is countered into a Brutalizer but Omega falls into the corner for the break. Pac heads outside and that means a big flip dive, much to the fans’ delight. The running jumping bulldog (it was nowhere near a Fameasser this time) plants Pac for two and Omega strikes away against the ropes. There’s the Snapdragon as we’re five minutes in with both of them down.
They head outside with Pac managing a quick tornado DDT to plant Omega and give them another chance to breathe. Back in and Omega headbutts him off the top, only to have Pac run the ropes for the super brainbuster. Pac scores with a missile dropkick for two and we hit the chinlock. A hard faceplant gives Pac two as we hit ten minutes. The fans call Pac a b****** as he kicks Omega in the back of the head to keep him down.
Back up and they go into the slow motion slugout with Pac hitting a pump kick to the face. Omega doesn’t go down though so it’s a snap German suplex to drop him instead. That doesn’t seem to matter very much as Omega hits some knees to the head, followed by a Tiger Driver 98 for two.
After JR makes fun of the Tiger Driver 98 name, Pac breaks out of the One Winged Angle, only to get German suplexed HARD for two. Omega hits running knees to the back in the corner before loading up….a super One Winged Angel? That’s reversed into a sunset bomb as we hit the halfway point. Pac’s super hurricanrana is countered as well and there’s a Snapdragon into a V Trigger for two more. Pac staggers to the floor and BLASTS Omega in the head for the DQ with 14:06 to go.
Omega – 1
Pac – 0
We take a thirty second rest period but Pac gets in another shot to the head to keep Omega in trouble. A running kick to the head sets up the Black Arrow to tie it up with 13:21 to go.
Omega – 1
Pac – 1
Back from a break with 10:46 to go and the slugout on the apron going to Pac. A Falcon Arrow off the apron drops Omega again and the audio is muted for the sake of swearing fans. They’re both down again and we have less than ten minutes to go. Pac knocks him off the apron and the ref is bumped.
With no one seeing it, Pac pulls out a table and hits a shooting star off the top to send Omega through the table (which pretty much explodes). They both beat the count (I’m not sure on Omega but they give it to him anyway) and Pac can’t believe it. Another Black Arrow hits raised knees with five minutes left and Omega has an opener. A heck of a V Trigger sets up a spinning Rock Bottom for two on Pac, followed by another V Trigger.
Pac is back up with a tornado DDT and the Brutalizer (on the mat this time) has Omega in real trouble. We have two minutes left as Omega finally gets his foot on the rope. Pac is smart enough to go right back to the hold as we hit a minute left. The hold stays on with Omega looking at the clock as time expires at 30:00. Pac blasts the referee but hang on as we’re getting sudden death. Omega hits another V Trigger and then another knee to the head for two. The One Winged Angel finishes Pac at 33:14, counting the breaks between falls.
Omega – 2
Pac – 1
Rating: B+. They beat the heck out of each other here and while they could do another match, this felt like the definitive end of the feud. Omega gets a big singles win for the first time in a good while and Pac hardly looks bad in defeat. What does look bad is the Brutalizer, which was on for the better part of three minutes but then Omega just popped up and dominated overtime to win. I didn’t like it when Shawn Michaels survived that long in the Sharpshooter and I don’t like this either. That being said, heck of a fight and that’s what it needed to be.
Post break Pac doesn’t want to hear about getting what he deserves so here’s Orange Cassidy for a chat. Cassidy takes his glasses off so Pac drops him with a single forearm. Good for him.
Jake Hager isn’t allowing any interviews with Chris Jericho before tonight’s weigh-in.
Inner Circle vs. Jurassic Express
It’s Santana/Ortiz/Sammy Guevara this time around. The Express starts fast with Boy knocking Guevara off the apron and Stunt dropkicking Santana and Ortiz to the floor. Boy hits some suicide dives but Stunt gets pulled out of the air and thrown into Boy, driving him into the barricade. Back in and Luchasaurus gets taken down with a double flapjack, followed by a big toss to Stunt.
We take a break and come back with Santana hitting a big Poetry In Cannonball to crush Stunt in the corner. Stunt is fine enough to escape a German suplex attempt and bring in Luchasaurus to clean house. A chokeslam into a standing moonsault have Ortiz down but Sammy hits Luchasaurus in the back for reasons of overconfidence. Triple kicks in the corner rock Sammy and it’s a kick to the chest/Vertebreaker combination for two with Santana making the save.
A double enziguri puts Boy down and Sammy’s running shooting star press gets two with Stunt making the save. Luchasaurus moonsaults onto Stunt, Santana and Ortiz but Sammy grabs the loaded sock. Cue Darby Allin to steal it away though and Boy hurricanranas Sammy for the pin at 9:43.
Rating: B-. It was action packed and aside from my general issues with Stunt, there wasn’t much to complain about here, save for one thing. If you’re going to bust out a big move like a Vertebreaker in a match like this, it should be the finish. I know they had more to do, but if that’s the case, don’t do the move. Save a move that big for a more important spot instead of another near fall in a six man that isn’t going to mean much in the long run.
Video on Cody vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ve done an awesome job of making me want to see Cody destroy him.
Best Friends vs. Butcher And Blade
Cassidy and Bunny are at ringside. Butcher runs Trent over to start and Blade walks around the ring a lot. Trent gets dropped ribs first across the top rope but he manages a running knee to set up the hot tag to Chuck. House is cleaned and we take a break. Back with Trent’s dive over the top being sent into the barricade but he’s fine enough to spear Blade down.
Hold on though, as it’s time for ORANGE CASSIDY TO DO THE SAME THING HE DOES EVERY WEEK, BUT THIS TIME IT’S SOMEONE DIFFERENT SO HE’S AWESOME! This time Bunny steals his sunglasses so he steals her bunny ears and then dives onto Blade. Strong Zero finishes Butcher at 8:06.
Rating: C-. It was the usual match with the usual Cassidy spot and that isn’t enough to overcome my lack of caring about either team. Butcher and Blade don’t win matches and don’t really hurt anyone so I’m not sure why they’re continuing their roles as enforcers/bounty hunters/whatever they’re called at the moment. It wasn’t a bad match, but after the first two matches, this wasn’t up to the same level.
Post match Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Best Friends and Cassidy to announce Cassidy vs. Pac for Revolution. Chuck: “Pac, the joke’s on you buddy, because this time he’s going to TRY!”
Big Swole vs. Shanna vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hikaru Shida
Everyone gets in a shot or two to start with Shanna hurricanranaing Swole and Shida at the same time. Sakazaki stands on the apron while the other three do a triple test of strength. She comes back in to break it up but Swole kicks her down, setting up the parade of rollups for two each. Back with Shida cleaning house and suplexing Shanna into Sakazaki in the corner.
Swole is back in to clean house and kicks Shanna on the head, setting up a springboard cutter for two. Now it’s Sakazaki getting back up, only to get taken down with a lifting Pedigree to give Shanna two of her own. Dirty Dancing drops Shanna but Shida gives Swole a backbreaker. Sakazaki hits a springboard splash for two but Shida makes the save. A running knee hits Swole to give Shida the pin at 9:12.
Rating: C-. This was just another four way with the wrestlers doing their spots until one of them won. I’m rarely a fan of matches like this one as there is next to no story or psychology to the whole thing and it’s just moves after moves. It feels like there’s a multi person match every week or two and I don’t need to see another one for a good while.
The Dark Order says the Exalted One is coming and they’re beating up SCU at Revolution.
Jim Ross moderates a sitdown interview between the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega/Hangman Page (with a drink in hand). The Bucks couldn’t believe this being the case a year ago because Omega and Page were singles wrestlers. Omega says the Bucks are the best but he and Page were in the right place at the right time. Page looks rather anxious and the Bucks call him out for needing a drink.
They’re worried about him because they’re friends in and out of the ring. Page says he tried to leave the Elite, with the Bucks saying he’s walking away from everything they did for him. He was a jobber in ROH and they made him a star on Being The Elite. Page walks out, despite the Bucks saying they have a match to promote. Not titles to win mind you, but a match to promote.
Revolution rundown.
Lance Archer debuts next week.
It’s time for the official weigh-in between Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho, with Gary Michael Cappetta of all people as master of ceremonies. After hyping up the pay per view, Cappetta brings out the two of them but Jericho calls him a weird little man instead of getting on the scale. Jericho: “It’s no wonder WCW went out of business.” Moxley goes first and weighs 234lbs.
Jericho takes his time getting on the scale because he needs to insult the fans and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He goes after Moxley, who headbutts Jericho down to bust him open. The Inner Circle is on Moxley in a hurry but here’s Dustin Rhodes to go after Jake Hager. They fight to the back (JR: “For the love of God stay away from the Dippin’ Dots!!!”) and yes, Dustin is sent into the Dippin’ Dots cart.
Back in the arena, Darby Allin runs in (as in he doesn’t wait around on the stage for thirty seconds this week) for the save but Sammy takes the skateboard away and breaks it over Darby’s head. Moxley fights up and it’s time for the big slugout with Jericho. Guevara breaks up the Paradigm Shift with a low blow and the Judas Effect hits Moxley. Jericho gives him a Paradigm Shift onto the scale. That was a hot ending and covered three matches at once so well done all around.
Overall Rating: B. The opening hour was rather good and while things slowed down a lot from there, it was still a heck of a show with the ending picking up a lot of the slack. The last two weeks were better but this got me ready for Revolution and they’re still in a groove at the right time. Rather good show this week and if they can fix some of their issues, they’re as good as anything going at the moment, if not a fair bit better.
Results
Kenny Omega b. Pac two falls to one
Jurassic Express b. Inner Circle – Hurricanrana to Sammy Guevara
Best Friends b. Butcher and Blade – Strong Zero to Butcher
Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole, Yuka Sakazaki and Shanna – Running knee to Swole
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