Dynamite – August 25, 2021: On Their Worst Days
Dynamite
Date: August 25, 2021
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone
Then everything changed. CM Punk made his, ahem, surprise debut last week on Rampage in what might be the greatest moment AEW has had in its history. Other than that….I mean does anything else really matter? All Out is in a week and a half and most of the card seems to be set but there are still some spots available. Let’s get to it.
Here is Rampage if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We get a quick clip from Punk’s debut on Rampage.
Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy
No seconds here for a change. We open with the DELETE vs. lazy kicks, which I think we’ve seen before. Matt breaks up the lazy superkick though and reaches into his own pockets to pull out money. Cassidy hits the dropkick into the nipup, complete with hands in his pockets. Then he picks up the money and put it into his pocket. Well some of it at least, as he would rather dive onto Matt, who catches him with the Side Effect on the floor.
Cassidy’s ribs are wrapped around the post and it’s back inside (with a bunch of money on the mat) for some belly to back suplexes. Matt stops to pick up a bunch of money and even steals the money back from Cassidy (as he should, since Cassidy is a thief). Cassidy tries to fight back but Beach Break is countered into a nasty Splash Mountain for two. The Twist of Fate is blocked though and Cassidy takes him down.
A high crossbody lands on Hardy’s face and Hardy is busted open. Cassidy goes up, hits the Jeff Hardy pose, and puts his hands in his pockets for the Swanton. Hardy blocks a Twist of Fate and a top rope elbow hits Cassidy’s back again. Then Cassidy grabs his own Twist of Fate for two as Matt’s blood is all over Cassidy. Hardy tries a guillotine choke but Cassidy reverses into a cradle with his hands in the pockets for the pin at 10:08.
Rating: C+. The match was good enough, despite it having a lot of comedy and being two guys I’m not fond of most of the time. Cassidy should be beating Hardy, who doesn’t need to be going over just about anyone at this point. Also, it was very, very refreshing to have a straight match without 437 people getting involved at the same time.
Aleister Black is ready to destroy Arn Anderson’s son, plus the rest of the Nightmare Family. That could take a whole lot of destructing.
Here is Chris Jericho to talk about tapping out to MJF last week. Jericho talks about the Labors of Jericho and how he came up short in the grand finale. It has become a mantra for him: “BEAT MJF! BEAT MJF! BEAT MJF!” Jericho has an idea for a final match between them but MJF won’t come out. His idea is one more match at All Out, where he will put his career on the line.
Cue MJF with a “MJF – 3, Jeriblow – 0” shirt, to say this is getting a little embarrassing. He knows Jericho needed a rub from the fastest rising star in the history of professional wrestling, but the cash cow’s udders are sore. Last week, MJF made him tap out faster than someone listening to a Fozzy CD, but the idea of Jericho never wrestling again is too much to pass up so the match is on. That was about the only way they could go after last week.
The Varsity Blonds say they’re a real family and they’re ready to beat the Lucha Bros.
Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Varsity Blonds vs. Lucha Bros
Julia Hart is here with the Blonds and the Elite comes out to watch. Garrison can’t get very far with Fenix so it’s off to Pillman to superkick Penta. A running hurricanrana takes Penta down but he is right back with a Sling Blade. Back from a break with Penta taking down both Blonds and handing it back to Fenix for a bunch of kicks.
The rolling cutter gets two on Pillman and everything breaks down, including Fenix hitting a very fast suicide dive onto the Blonds. Back in and Pillman hits a heck of a powerbomb for two on Fenix. Garrison adds a springboard elbow but Penta makes the save this time. The Bros send Garrison outside and it’s an assisted Fear Factor for the pin at 8:23.
Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted and the right team won in the end. The Lucha Bros are about as awesome of a team as you’re going to find when they are on a roll and that was the case there. What mattered here was getting the right team moving forward, and the Varsity Blonds will have their day (eventually).
Post match Jurassic Express joins the Lucha Bros in the ring. The Elite tries to come in and are knocked off the apron in a hurry.
Video on Pac vs. Andrade.
All Out rundown, now including Britt Baker defending the Women’s Title against Kris Statlander.
Jamie Hayter vs. Red Velvet
Hayter has Britt Baker and Rebel in her corner. Hayter wastes no time in throwing Velvet into the corner for the choking. Velvet manages to send her to the floor for back to back suicide dives (with Hayter going flat down for a different kind of selling). A hard posting drops Velvet and Baker gets in a few cheap shots as we take a break. Back with Velvet winning a slugout and hitting a running elbow against the ropes. Some running knees connect on the ropes but Baker offers a distraction, allowing Hayter to hit a hard lariat for the pin at 6:53.
Rating: C. Velvet got in some offense here and that should have been the case when she was getting the title shot just two weeks ago. Hayter needs to get a few wins to establish herself as someone to beat and this was a good step. Put her over someone Baker beat so that Hayter looks like she is on a higher level.
Post match the beatdown is on but Kris Statlander makes the save.
The Dark Order doesn’t seem to be on the same page over, uh, Page. Alex Reynolds doesn’t like what Evil Uno has been saying and walks out, with John Silver going with him. Uno tries to apologize but the rest of the team isn’t thrilled either.
Tony Schiavone brings out CM Punk for a chat. Punk is asked what one thing brought him back to wrestling, but Punk can’t hear over all of the people. Punk lists off some of the younger wrestlers who he wants to face, but there is one guy who has gotten his attention first. He’s going to retire the nickname Voice of the Voiceless because there are people who have a voice and there are people who listen.
Punk has been looking at someone like Darby Allin who looks like he is willing to kill himself. There are people asking if Punk can still go and if he still has it to be the best in the world. He looks at Allin and sees someone who would have been Punk’s favorite wrestler at 15 years old. Allin isn’t the biggest or the strongest but he has heart.
Can Punk still do it? Fans: “YES! YES! YES!” Punk: “That’s someone else’s thing and you just have to wait a little longer.” He’ll see Allin in Chicago and loves his wife April. Punk gets a very strong sendoff. This was a straight promo from Punk and it was a good way to set up the Darby match at All Out.
Miro talks about how he will forgive Fuego del Sol but he is going to drag Eddie Kingston under the water because he is the Redeemer. Bring him the Mad King before he burns this place to the ground.
Eddie Kingston/Jon Moxley/Darby Allin vs. Wingmen
Sting and Peter Avalon are here too. Allin chokes the much bigger JD Drake to start and sends him outside. The big dive has to be canceled so Ryan Nemeth swivels his hips at Kingston. A single chop gets rid of him so Cezar Bononi comes in to shrug off Kingston’s chops. Moxley tags himself in and a double shoulder clears the ring.
We take a break and come back with Moxley suplexing Bononi and it’s Kingston coming in to strike away on Drake. Moxley has to save Kingston from a Vader Bomb with a bite to Drake’s face, allowing Allin to hit a super Code Red. Avalon gets beaten up on the floor as Nemeth tries to bring in a chair. That goes horrible, and it’s a flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop to finish Drake at 7:40.
Rating: C. This was a total weekend show main event and that’s all it needed to be. I was worried about the Wingmen giving three much bigger names too much of a problem but they got out of there just in time. Good enough match here, even if it was just a workout for the openers.
Post match everyone else is brawling on the floor so here is Daniel Garcia to jump Allin from behind.
Tay Conti is ready for the Casino Battle Royal but the Bunny comes in to offer her a spot in the Hardy Family Office. The contract is ripped up with a NO and the fight is on.
FTR wants one more match with Santana and Ortiz.
Here is the Elite to promise to take out Christian Cage. Cue Cage, to show a video of Don Callis hyping up the ten year old Kenny Omega, which is why he fired Christian. Back in the ring, Omega says that makes him like Vince McMahon, Verne Gagne or Eddie Graham, but this isn’t Greg Gagne or Eric Watts. Christian accuses Callis of manipulating Omega, who asks Christian “You think you know me?” Callis takes off his pink suit and the group beatdown is on until Frankie Kazarian runs in for the save with a lead pipe.
Jon Moxley sent a contract to New Japan and got it sent back with one signature. Satoshi Kojima has signed the deal and Moxley is ready to send him out in a blaze of glory. Moxley wants to do some horrible things to Kojima and he’ll see him at All Out.
Gunn Club vs. The Factory
Paul Wight is on commentary. Comoroto gets sent outside to start and it’s off to Solow, who gets taken down by Austin. Marshall gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break. Back with Colton coming in to clean house as everything breaks down. Marshall stops to yell at Wight though and the distraction lets Colton grab the small package win at 5:51. Not enough shown to rate, but it was just a way to mess with Marshall.
Dan Lambert, with the Men of the Year, rants about wrestling fans being soft and how they all want their safe spaces. Those people need to believe in men like these two, and there may be hope for them yet.
Arn Anderson knows that his son Brock is in over his head and he’s probably going to lose to Malaki Black. He’ll be there with his son though.
Brock Anderson vs. Malakai Black
Brock takes him down and hammers away but Black unloads with strikes in the corner. Hold on though as Black yells at Arn, allowing Brock to get in a few shots to the leg. That earns Brock a suplex and Black Mass, making Arn cringe. The delayed pin finishes Brock at 2:29.
Post match Arn comes in to check on Brock but Black has a chair. Arn is ready to fight and blocks a kick to the head. He can’t block a low blow though and then the kick to the head drops Arn. Lee Johnson runs in for the save to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the must see episode as it was much more about having the people involved in the bigger stories talking rather than wrestling. That being said, this is the show that All Out has been needing as everything else has been cleared out and the pay per view could get some focus. It’s not a show you need to watch, but there was some good storyline advancement and nothing bad up and down the show.
Results
Orange Cassidy b. Matt Hardy – Rollup
Lucha Bros b. Varsity Blonds – Assisted Fear Factor to Pillman
Jamie Hayter b. Red Velvet – Lariat
Eddie Kingston/Darby Allin/Jon Moxley b. Wingmen – Coffin Drop to Drake
Gunn Club b. The Factory – Small package to Marshall
Malaki Black b. Brock Anderson – Black Mass
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This felt just like rampage, could’ve just turned it off after punks promo and not missed anything important.
Can someone explain to me how an old man retired from wrestling for almost 30 years is able to block what is supposed to be one of your biggest star’s devastating finishing move?
…
AEW AEW AEW
Here is an interesting idea they could have gone with tonight, but chose not to. Ok it’s Darby vs Punk at pay per view. Cm punks return match after 7 er I mean sixteen years. Hey here’s a concept. Why don’t you build his opponent Darby. Maybe open the show with an unannounced tnt title match between Miro and Allin.
Ross: this Allin guy is tougher than 2 buck chuck. You have to admire this guy’s tenacity
Excab: since the beginning Allin has welcomed all challengers. He wants to make the match of his life against Punk mean something. He wants it to be for a title and not just straight edge pride.
Already the announcers are building Allin up. Remember I bet a lot of lapsed fans turned in to the start of dynamite and thought who is this guy in the pockets.
Yes they have a core audience, but it’s also about growing their audience too About bringing fans back into wrestling that used to watch it for punk. But alas Aew in this instance has to say you know the tnt title has time limit draws
Allin beats miro through that fugi sol character(continuing the storyline with Miro)
Now Allin can interrupt punks promo and say Phil you will be punked sept 5 whether I win or it’s a draw but I am straight edge like you and I will not lose. See you in Chicago Punk.
To answer your question Greg, the match closes the show If anything else closes the show,(sorry Wight) will be sabotaged. They fight tooth and nail(Britts in front row). A minute left and neither man is letting up. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 (Go to sleep) 1. Ding ding ding Allin said he was either going to win or draw but by By Golly he did not lose. What an amazing effort with the best in the world. Punk gets close but Allin comes out bigger star for lasting in a draw in front of Punk’s hometown. What a match. This is the best draw in company history
Sting is smiling in the corner(Ross: that man once upon a time got famous in a draw too
( I know it’s.a different sport but not all boxers definitely win or lose their bouts, but leave it to the judges scorecards. Heck money matweather made a career out of going the distance)
Throughout wrestling history I learned that you have to make both sides of the match feel important if it’s a special match and this by all accounts is a special match
Of course it’s too late for Aew to do this story. They have only 3 hours of tv time left but this benefits Punk but redeems Allin from his loss from Miro and elevates him and the tv title(cause quite frankly what is Miro doing with that title anyway. That’s how you make stars. Hey punk was a bret fan than he should elevate talent like Bret did for so many and make the kid special like Bret did for some Austin fella
But I’m just a fan and don’t know wrestling stories. Tony you are smart book Allin in a throwaway trios match.
I rest my case
Mike
I like the idea of building Allin up, but no way should he be beating Miro at this point.
Outside of punk, just a crazy way to open a show but then again watched ash open up a raw.
kB you remember the 92 royal rumble match. One of the best booked rumbles in history. The new Hart foundation vs the orient express in the opener. Fans knew who both teams were and it was solid opener then piper won Ic Belt, but THEN the whackers were in that tag match. Then the awesome rumble with Heenan on commentary. Great shrimp appetizer to start but to get to the steak let’s feed some grizzle to the audience first. It’s ok if they choke on it too. These are young adults that drink or hey just want to laugh at the product
I get it the other company does this too as mentioned but my point is that other company has over 70 years of content(sadly some edited, which for some stuff is good. Lately they have dropped the ball on some stuff(I say this not to upset anyone) but In their past they have also given Aew a cheat sheet on how to start a show and how not to start a show
Yea Tony’s family are BILLIONAIRES but also be smart and realize that television time is extremely important. 3 hours a week is equivalent of one other show and that’s all they get.
I feel very sad for the Hardy Boyz Both are very charismatic and heck they have given and given back to the industry.
Tony, again we get it you want Cassidy to succeed. We get it he won the Jericho feud! Wow we see jericho swim in orange juice.
The whole point is he’s already established to me and to that Aew crowd Your first Dynamite after the second biggest day in your company and you open with that match. That’s like the whackers opening before the rumble. Wait that happened.
Look I feel for orange He’s their Eugene but they always say hey we are different than the other entertainment company.
Ok Mr brooks, time to Phil your wrestling boots again and wrestle. You are not in that entertainment company anymore. Yea bad stuff happened but is this a wrestling company. I mean you are a wrestler but what about everything around you. I’m pulling for you dude. You are the best but that don callus man don’t get near him or bucks. You are an alpha not an Omega Stay close to Giannis instead. He’s a champion Buck worth cheering for
I really want Aew to be successful, but at the same time they also make it tough for me to watch their stuff throughout. I get it MJF is special don’t keep him getting Jerikoed though. Enough. Yes MJF you are great you don’t need jeriko to be your wrestling soulmate. MJF and jeriko is like the Pop Warner version of Bret and Shawn. They fought for years and had intense rivalry but most(not all) of their matches meant something. They told a story. In ring and out
Sorry for rant, KB. It’s just we were promised something different and I’m just not seeing it I do always reserve hope for progressive optimism. After all wrestling is a continual story. Just not one of their better shows
Mike
It wasn’t great, but the good thing is that AEW has built up enough of a reputation to make me believe that they should be fine in the future.
Does Punk main event All In? Has too right?
I’ve been thinking about that and I’m really not sure which way they’ll go. That’s an option for sure, but you run the risk of the CM PUNK chants drowning out everything else. That being said, you also run the risk of no one caring after Punk’s match because no one can top it, at least in the crowd’s minds.
So yeah, I could see it but I’m not sure that’s what they’re doing (in my most worthless answer to date).
I don’t think so, omegas their world champion and him vs cage is for the belt; that should main event regardless of how over punk is.
Eh. Match placement is more so they don’t burnout the crowd.
Rock vs Cena at WM 28 had to main event. Putting Rock before any match that night would have killed the crowd.
Exactly. Only the wrestling lifers remember the whole card.
Wm 18: hogan and rock or Hhh va Jericho.
Wm 21. Angle and Hbk or Hhh and Batista
Wm 25. Undertaker and Hbk( two Texas wrestling legends in Houston) or Hhh and Orton.
Granted the build to orton and Hhh was great, but the E hampered them with that no dq stip but the crowd was just dead after seeing such a Huge spectacle.
You do know sebast, that all out is in Chicago right
Also they saw a main event earlier at Wm 13 where Bret and Austin happened. I remember Taker winning the strap but I remember Bret and Austin more.
Imagine instead of punk and cena closing at money in the bank 2011 they had a money in the bank match happen instead to close
Interesting that’s what main evented the show the next year in 2012 because big match John was in there, even though punk and Bryan had a great match with weapons and AJ Lee.