Dynamite – January 31, 2024: They Need A Revolution

Dynamite
Date: January 31, 2024
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We’re about five and a half weeks away from Revolution and that means it is time to start putting together the rest of the card. That very well may begin tonight, at least partially due to the reintroduction of the championship rankings. Those could go in a few different directions so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Some CMLL stars are in the crowd.

Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy is here with Jeff and this is a first time ever match. Moxley starts fast and they go out to the floor to start, with Moxley trying to rip out Jeff’s earring. Jeff chokes away a bit but Moxley gets back inside for a suicide dive. Back in and a hard clothesline drops Jeff again and Moxley ties up the legs with a headscissors at the same time (that’s a new one).

That’s broken up and Jeff is sent into the corner before they go back to the floor. Moxley almost gets into it with the CMLL guys so Hardy goes after him, only to get dropped again. We take a break and come back with Moxley tearing at the earlobe again but Jeff knocks him off the top.

The legdrop between the legs and basement dropkick give Jeff two but Moxley is back with the elbows to the neck. They head to the apron where Hardy hits the Twist of Fate but it’s too early for the Swanton. Instead Moxley superplexes him down and grabs the cutter. Jeff’s cradle gets two, only to have him miss the Swanton. Moxley chokes him out for the win at 15:04.

Rating: B-. This went longer than it needed to but this was the best way to use Hardy. He was clearly moving more slowly than he used to but he still has more than enough star power to feel somewhat important. Let him put on a nice enough match and make Moxley look good and that’s all you really need to do.

Post match Hardy won’t show respect before leaving. With the Hardys gone, the CMLL guys run in to beat down Moxley. An assortment of midcarders make the save.

Hangman Page vs. Toa Liona

Toa is Swerve Strickland’s handpicked opponent for Page. Some right hands don’t get Page far to start so Toa knocks him down. A sunset flip is blocked but Page hits a sliding basement lariat. Back up and Toa runs him over, only to get small packaged for two more. Toa gets low bridged out to the floor but some springboard lariats only seem to make him mat.

Page is tossed over the top to the floor for a crash and Toa crushes him with a crossbody off the apron. Toa knocks Page over the top again and we take a break. Back with Page tied in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt. Page slugs away and hits a discus forearm so Toa gets two off a superkick.

Some running clotheslines stagger Toa until another turns him inside out. The Deadeye….just makes Toa pop up and hit a discus lariat. With Page down on the floor, Toa misses his moonsault but Page hits one of his own. Back in and Toa tries a Samoan drop but gets reversed into a crucifix for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, but it could have been trimmed down a bit. It also would have helped to have this be someone other than half of the monster team. It doesn’t make for the more interesting match, as there are other wrestlers who could be used in this spot. While Swerve has Toa in his stable, that doesn’t make him the best choice to face Page. The result was right, but it wasn’t quite on that next level.

The Young Bucks arrived earlier today in a Hummer limo and got mad at being called Nick and Matt.

Wardlow vs. Komander

The Undisputed Kingdom is here with Wardlow. Komander gets thrown down to start and a pop up powerslam makes it worse. The toss F5 sends Komander flying but he reverses a powerbomb with a hurricanrana into the steps. Back in and a dropkick into a phoenix splash crushes Wardlow for two. Thankfully Wardlow is back up with a spinning powerslam and a knee to the face out of the corner. Wardlow’s leg seems to give out on the powerbomb but it’s good for the pin at 5:33 anyway.

Rating: C. It says a lot when this might have been the best performance from the Undisputed Kingdom, but my goodness if Wardlow is seriously hurt, just pull the plug already. You would have five members with two injured, two more who can barely beat thrown together teams and one more who has more than a month to go before his big title match.

Post match the Kingdom goes after Komander but Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends come in for the staredown.

We get a sitdown interview between Sting/Darby Allin and Ricky Starks/Big Bill. Starks isn’t happy that Sting got his first AEW win over him but Allin doesn’t buy it. Allin talks about how Starks is using Sting as a stepping stone and that’s not ok. Starks says he’s not letting Sting get to his retirement but Bill says this is a bunch of nonsense. Sting isn’t overly impressed and violence is teased but Sting is ready for action next week. They didn’t say much here, but it hyped up a title match that hasn’t had much build.

Chris Jericho vs. Kyle Fletcher

Non-title and the rest of the Don Callis Family are here with Fletcher. An early Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two but Jericho sends him to the apron for the triangle dropkick. Back in and Fletcher hammers away until Jericho makes another comeback. Don Callis trips him down though and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher kicking him in the chest and hitting a brainbuster for two. Jericho fights up with an ax handle to the head and the Walls go on, with Fletcher going straight to the ropes. Fletcher knocks him down but walks into a Codebreaker, meaning it’s time to slug it out. A brainbuster onto the buckle gives Fletcher two, with Jericho’s cradle getting the same. The Judas Effect finishes Fletcher at 13:12.

Rating: C+. The Callis vs. Jericho feud marches on, now with a reigning champion getting beaten. I’m not sure why that needed to happen, but the same thing could be said about the feud as a whole. Jericho getting a win to set up another match is fine, but did it need to come over a reigning champion?

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for a staredown with Jericho.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about she and Toni Storm have matching tattoos. It means something to Purrazzo, but what does it mean to Storm?

Here is the Bang Bang Scissor Gang for a chat. They brag about being amazing, but don’t like that Cardblade is here. It’s all about the Juiceboard now but Billy and his kids argue over who gets to do the catchphrase. And that’s that. I have no idea what this segment was supposed to do.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie

Toni Storm is on commentary and Johnny TV is here with Valkyrie. They fight over a lockup to start with Purrazzo grabbing a wristlock. With that broken up, Taya grabs a leglock and they fight to the floor, with Purrazzo having to glare at TV. Valkyrie sends her into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Purrazzo hitting some strikes as Storm says neither of them are Wendi Richter. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Valkyrie two and they head outside. Storm is ready to fight but Purrazzo sends Valkyrie into her for a knockdown. Back in and a double arm crank makes Valkyrie tap at 8:51.

Rating: C. Purrazzo got a nice win on her way to the title match with Storm, but it still feels a bit early to have her as a serious title contender. Storm’s weird obsession with Wendi Richter continues as a nice running joke and she is still a hilarious addition to commentary. Other than that, Valkyrie is a great choice to put Purrazzo over, as she has some stature and gave Purrazzo trouble before the loss.

Storm seems impressed by Purrazzo’s win.

Darby Allin is asked about his admiration for the Young Bucks. That has him confused, but here are the Bucks to interrupt. They like him, but why is Allin letting Sting leech money off of him? The Bucks think they could be a goth trio but Allin wants the Tag Team Titles. That leaves the Bucks to think of a new plan.

Swerve Strickland vs. ???

Samoa Joe is on commentary and the mystery opponent is…Rob Van Dam, as was teased. Hold on though as Hangman Page pops up on screen to say this is also a hardcore match, so Van Dam sends a chair into Strickland’s face. Van Dam kicks him around ringside and even hits the spinning leg to the back as we take a break. Back with Swerve in control and putting a chair in the corner.

As per the rules of wrestling, Van Dam sends him into the chair instead, followed by a dropkick with the chair going into Swerve for two. The monkey flip is blocked though and Swerve knocks him down again. Van Dam fights up so here is Brian Cage, only for Hook to make the save.

Rolling Thunder is countered into a rolling Downward Spiral to plant Van Dam again. Swerve sends him hard into the steps but Van Dam is able to pelt a chair at Swerve’s head, sending him crashing through a table. The Five Star only hits chair though and the House Call with a chair gets two. Swerve sends him into the corner and finishes with the Swerve Stomp at 12:44.

Rating: C+. As usual, Van Dam is a good choice for a one off opponent like this, as he can still go in the ring and the fans are going to react to him no matter what. At the same time, I’m trying to figure out why Page had the wrestling world at his fingertips for this and picked Van Dam. It’s not a bad pick, but are the two of them friends in a way that I’m missing? Anyway, good enough match, but kind of a weird choice.

Post match Page comes out to yell at Swerve about the upcoming rankings. They’re both undefeated this year and that means they should be at the top of the rankings. They’ll fight one more time, making the rankings rather worthless. The #1 contenders match is made official to end the show. As in before the rankings come out. So, based on what was said, winning a bunch of matches gets you in line for a #1 contenders match. So why do these rankings need to exist?

Overall Rating: B-. It’s far from a bad show and you can see a lot of Revolution coming together, but that doesn’t mean the show made me want to watch. Almost nothing going on in AEW at the moment feels like it’s must see and adding rankings/CMLL stars into that isn’t likely to help. AEW is in a weird place right now and it might take them awhile to get out of it. Revolution needs a hot feud and I don’t know if I see that in the cards.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Jeff Hardy – Rear naked choke
Hangman Page b. Toa Liona – Crucifix
Wardlow b. Komander – Powerbomb
Chris Jericho b. Kyle Fletcher – Judas Effect
Deonna Purrazzo b. Taya Valkyrie – Double arm crank
Swerve Strickland b. Rob Van Dam – House Call with a chair

 

 

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