Dynamite
Date: October 23, 2019
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Lucha Bros vs. Private Party

Quen headlocks Fenix to start but can’t hit a standing moonsault. A dropkick sends Fenix into the ropes but it’s Pentagon hitting an enziguri from the apron, allowing Fenix to snap off a release German suplex. Kassidy makes the save and it’s Fenix being sent to the floor. A pop up hurricanrana sends Pentagon outside as JR doesn’t seem pleased with the style of offense so far. An atomic drop into an enziguri sets up a jump over Kassidy’s back into a double stomp to the head.

Quen hits the crazy high flip dive to take out Fenix on the floor, leaving Kassidy to enziguri Pentagon again. Fenix is right back in with a top rope double stomp to the standing Quen’s back, followed by a pop up double stomp low to Quen in the corner. Kassidy is set on Quen’s shoulders so Fenix can dropkick him down, making Quen hit a reverse hurricanrana to plant Kassidy in a heap.

The Pentagon Driver gets two on Quen so Fenix sends him into the ropes, only to have Quen cartwheel over to the ropes. Kassidy springboards in and picks up the pace (if that’s possible), including an Asai moonsault to Pentagon. A slingshot crucifix bomb gets two on Fenix, setting up the assisted Sliced Bread from Kassidy. Quen takes off the jacket and hits the perfect shooting star for the….two count.

Fenix is back up with a Gory bomb/legdrop combination for two and it’s back to Pentagon for the house cleaning. The spike Fear Factor is broken up and Gin and Juice hits Fenix. He isn’t legal though so it’s another Gin and Juice for Pentagon, who reverses into the Canadian Destroyer. Pentagon breaks Quen’s arm and it’s the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: A-. Yeah what do you want me to say here? This was incredible stuff with both teams looking like they moved as one and the whole thing was just awesome. The Bros are just on a different level right now and get better every single week. I could have gone with either team winning here but dang this was a blast.

Wardlow is still coming.

We look at Christopher Daniels getting taken out, giving him a pinched nerve to put him on the shelf for six to eight week.

Video on the Dark Order.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Dark Order vs. SCU

The Creepers are here with Dark Order. Grayson and Kazarian exchange armdrags to start so it’s Uno coming in and getting dropkicked down. Grayson is already back in so Kazarian and Sky take turns on his arm again. A Pele kick gets Grayson out of trouble though and Uno sends Sky into the steps. Back with Sky still in trouble and the Inner Circle coming into the arena, tickets in hand.

Sky slips away and brings in Kazarian to clean house, including a neckbreaker for two on Grayson. Everything breaks down and Kazarian gets suplexed into Sky in the corner. Kazarian gets in his slingshot cutter though and it’s a double dragon sleeper to the order….so let’s cut to some young woman in the crowd and come back with the hold broken up.

Grayson flips onto Kazarian as we keep cutting to the Inner Circle in the corner. Uno hits something like the Bitter End bu the Fatality is broken up. Kazarian hits a running DDT onto the apron to drop Uno and it’s SCULater (Gory Bomb spun into a knee from Kazarian) to finish Grayson at 13:48.

Rating: C+. It was good for the most part but my goodness Dark Order has an ability to suck the life out of a show. No one was buying this as having any drama whatsoever and they really could have shortened things up a bit. That and drop it with the camera cuts. WWE does that all the time and it’s annoying there too.

Joey Janela vs. Kenny Omega

Janela grabs the arm to start but gets sent out to the apron. Omega’s running boot knocks him to the floor and there’s the big dive, with Kenny sitting down and yelling up at the Inner Circle (still in their private box). Back in and Janela starts the chops before sending Omega outside for the big crossbody.

We take a break and come back with the Inner Circle shouting a lot and Omega getting German suplexed into the corner. A top rope elbow connects with Omega but he’s fine enough to drop a showboating Janela face first onto the turnbuckle. Janela is right back with a block to the V Trigger and a fisherman’s buster for the double knockdown. A Swanton to the apron only hits apron so it’s the V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to finish Janela at 13:46.

Rating: C+. Well that was quite the drop from their hardcore match, which tends to be the case every time with Janela. I’m not big on Omega most of the time, but I can at least get the appeal of him and he certainly does something big more often than not. Janela….yeah I’m not really getting it. He looks like a guy in tights doing stuff with no real idea of why he’s doing things and that shows badly a lot of the time.

Here’s Cody for an interview but the Inner Circle starts blowing air horns every time he talks. Cody says that this isn’t like the other wrestling company they used to work for and he can come up there and take Jericho out. Jericho makes fun of him and we get a shot of Cody showing the almost entirely empty hard camera side. After that rather bad angle, here are Dustin and MJF (Jericho: “Now I’m supposed to be scared of someone wearing a scarf? Who wears a scarf?”) to even things up a bit.

Diamond Dallas Page of all people is here to even things up and the Inner Circle bails into a locked room. MJF hands Cody the scarf so Cody can break through the glass and the fight is on as they head into the concourse. JR: “They’re gonna destroy Dip N Dots!” Jericho points at the ticket as security breaks things up and takes Cody away. Jericho was awesome here, as he tends to be.

Young Bucks vs. Best Friends

The Bucks superkick Orange Cassidy to start so it’s a brawl early on. The Bucks throw Chuck to the floor and it’s a neckbreaker/backbreaker combination on Trent. They all head outside with Trent spearing Matt and it’s a Doomsday Knee to Nick. A knee to the head keeps Nick in trouble and Trent knocks him outside as we take a break.

Back with Nick rolling out of a 450 and getting caught in a German suplex. Matt takes a Saito suplex and everything breaks down. Taylor’s standing Sliced Bread sets up a sitout powerbomb for two on Matt. The Falcon Arrow (with Excalibur getting in his jokes) gets two more and Trent hits Matt with a super German suplex.

Soul Food into a half and half and Cassidy is back up for the hands in the pockets dive onto the Bucks. Strong Zero hits Matt but Nick Swantons in for the save. The Doomsday Knee hits Nick, so he backflips out of it and lands on his feet, showing that a springboard knee to the head has no effect. More Bang For Your Buck finishes Chuck at 12:08.

Rating: C. This was like watching the opener in slow motion and that’s not a good thing. For the life of me I don’t get the Best Friends and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. They kept this a little shorter too and that’s a better choice. Not every match needs to be some big showcase, especially when the Bucks are set for a huge match at Full Gear.

Post match the Bucks accept Santana and Ortiz’s challenge for Full Gear.

Video on Britt Baker, who is making her homecoming tonight. JR: “She can break your teeth and fix them in the same day!”

Jamie Hayter vs. Britt Baker

Baker starts fast but gets thrown into the corner and knocked off the apron. Baker gets whipped into the barricade and we take a break. Back with a slugout going to Baker but Hayter grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up with a drop back and a clothesline gives Baker two. Hayter comes back with a Michinoku Driver for two but Baker grabs a middle rope brainbuster. Hayter’s release Rock Bottom plants Baker and a clothesline gets two more. Baker hits her in the face though and a cutter (very popular move tonight) sets up the fisherman’s neckbreaker for two more. Lockjaw finishes Hayter at 8:31.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t a big match or even very good but it got the nice moment out of the way. I’ll certainly take that over having someone get the big homecoming in WWE and then losing so Vince can laugh about it or whatever. Baker has some star power but it seems like it’s going to be a while before she gets a real run at the title.

Hayter is in the back for an interview but cuts off the questions….as Brandi throws her down from behind. Brandi glares at the interviewer and storms off without saying anything.

Jon Moxley vs. Pac

Pac jumps him from behind with a chair on the ramp and the beating starts on the floor. They get in for the opening bell and Pac loads up the Red Arrow, sending Moxley bailing outside again. Pac’s running flip dive takes Moxley down and we seem to have a concussion. A running kick to the head cuts Moxley’s comeback off and we take a break.

Back with Moxley blocking a German suplex onto the apron and hitting the headlock driver instead. Moxley nails a suicide dive as we have five minutes of TV time left. The Cloverleaf has Pac in the ropes at four minutes left but Pac is right back with a super Falcon Arrow for a close two.

Moxley gets knocked to the floor and it’s a 450 from the apron for a VERY surprised look from a fan. Back in and the Red Arrow misses as we have a minute left. The Paradigm Shift connects but it’s a delayed cover as TV time runs out at 12:09. JR: “Twenty minutes of intensity and they couldn’t settle it.”

Rating: B-. The ending intrigues me as there are a few directions they could go with it, though the concussion deal (which to be fair they never specifically said) came and went about halfway through the match. The match was entertaining though and these two come off as stars, so it’s a smart move to not have either of them take a fall here.

Post match Moxley hits the Paradigm Shift on the referee for letting the time run out. Moxley rants about the time limit to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a really good time with this show and the hot angle with Jericho vs. Cody made up for some of the weaker (yet still good) matches. The opener was excellent and maybe the best match I’ve seen yet from AEW. Just a heck of a fun two hours and they feel like they’re getting into a groove out there, which is pretty impressive so soon. Awesome show this week and next week could be even better.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Private Party – Spike Fear Factor to Quen

SCU b. Dark Order – SCULater to Grayson

Kenny Omega b. Joey Janela – One Winged Angel

Young Bucks b. Best Friends – More Bang For Your Buck

Britt Baker b. Jamie Hayter – Lockjaw

Jon Moxley vs. Pac went to a time limit draw

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AEW Dark
Date: October 15, 2019
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross

I’m not sure what to expect here and that’s kind of the point of the whole thing. Last week’s show was completely watchable but at the same time, it isn’t exactly something that you needed to watch. We could be in for a lot of different things around here tonight, but I would bet on wrestling being a focal point. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Before Dynamite, the Young Bucks were getting ready when Kenny Omega came in. Instead, he’ll face Joey Janela in an unsanctioned match on Dark. Tony Schiavone repeats what we just heard.

Schiavone is in the studio and introduces us to the first match.

Kip Sabian vs. Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon

Yes they’ve managed to get the Librarians on the show and Avalon isn’t happy with the crowd disrespecting him. Therefore, sports jokes ensue, none of which make this any better. The bell rings and Avalon shushes the crowd, earning himself a double dropkick to the floor. That leaves Kip and Kiss to flip around a lot with Kiss getting the better of it and striking a pose. Kiss does his big series of flips into a slap and hits the splits but Avalon is right back in to knock him down. Shushing ensues and we hit a seated full nelson on Kiss.

Sabian dropkicks Avalon to the floor and hits the springboard flip dive, only to hurt his hand in the process. The doctor comes out and checks on him, showing a large section of empty seats, though this is before the show officially started so it’s a lot more forgivable. Avalon suplexes Kiss but Sabian is back up for some running kicks to the head in the corner. Sabian gets thrown at Kiss, who hits a DDT as Avalon adds a neckbreaker for two each. Now it’s Kiss popping up for a double facebuster to both of them. Avalon knocks him outside but walks into the Deathly Hallows to give Sabian the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. Now this was a different kind of presentation as you had a flamboyant character, a gimmick and a standard wrestler. That’s a good mixture of everything being thrown together at once and getting a good enough match as a result. This made a lot of sense as a dark match to opening the night and Sabian gets some momentum while keeping Kiss strong.

Dark Order/Hybrid Two vs. SCU/Cima

Hold on a second though as Jack Evans needs to hold up an SCU Sucks sign and then throw it into the crowd. Angelico and Cima start things off and that could be interesting. Cima gets hiptossed down but nips up into an armdrag. A crucifix gives Cima two and it’s off to Daniels to stay on Angelico. Actually make that Grayson, who walks into an armbar for his efforts. SCU and Cima get Grayson in the corner and it’s a series of dropkicks in the corner to really knock him silly.

A Stunner/DDT combination takes the Dark Order down and Kazarian follows up with a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor to take Grayson down again. The parade of dives begins until Grayson takes Sky back in for a torture rack into a backbreaker. Kazarian grabs a slingshot Stunner though and it’s now the parade of finishers. Sky starts cleaning house until the Hybrid Two get in a double low blow. Evans backslides Sky and flips over for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C+. This was the designed showcase match with eight people doing a bunch of stuff, though they made sure to get in a heat segment, which does help things a lot. It was a match we have seen better several times before but it was entertaining and had some good looking dives. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with two boring teams winning, but that’s something they can work on over the next few weeks.

Cody sits down with referee Audrey Edwards to talk about her road to where she is now. WWE tried her out a few times but wasn’t signed for unclear reasons. The undeniable moment (which seems to be the theme here) is when she is holding up the title and everyone knows it is the main event. This was a fine enough interview with someone you don’t usually hear from.

Highlights of Young Bucks vs. Private Party, which works for me.

Quick look at the Tag Team Title tournament brackets.

We look at the end of Dynamite, with the battle lines being drawn between the Inner Circle and everyone else.

Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela

Unsanctioned match and yes they do turn the lights out for a second in some nice symbolism. Joey goes straight to the floor and it’s time to grab a chair. Omega isn’t having that though and hammers away in the corner but a hurricanrana sends him outside. Of course that means the suicide dive and Janela smiles a lot. That means it’s time to throw in more chairs and a ladder as we’re getting close to three minutes in.

Omega tries to fight back but gets a chair pelted at his face. He’s fine enough to hit the running Fameasser onto a pile of chairs, which Janela was kind enough to pose in front of. A running flip dive to the floor connects with Janela’s but Omega’s legs crash into the barricade, meaning it’s time from the sanctioned doctors. The table (of course) is thrown in and Omega nails a top rope missile dropkick to the back of the head.

The Regal Roll into the middle rope moonsault gets two and the snapdragon makes it even worse. They slug it out on the apron until Omega hits another snapdragon out there and Janela is looking a bit dead. The One Winged Angel onto the steps is broken up though and Janela German suplexes him onto the floor for the next OW spot. Janela bridges a table between the steps and apron but stops to whip Omega into the ladder in the corner.

A hard German suplex sends Omega into the ladder for two, only to have Omega pop up with a V Trigger. They’re both down for a bit but Omega gets up top, only to be superplexed right back down. Janela can’t Russian legsweep him through the bridged table (which is face up) so he backdrops him onto another upside down table instead. The Death Valley Driver into the ladder rocks Omega again but Janela misses a frog splash off the ladder through the table.

Omega gets two off a Sky High and there are two more V Triggers, into Jon Moxley’s Paradigm Shift for two. A missed charge lets Janela send him over the top and through the table for the big crash. Janela puts him in a chair and knocks him right back out of it, which seems a little counter productive. Omega is right back up and loads up a pair of chairs back to back. Just because Janela is kind of out there, he gets slammed off the top, back first onto the top of the two open chairs. The One Winged Angel through a chair gives Omega the pin at 26:31.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was a blast, even if you ignore a lot of the problems with the lack of a story, the violence for the sake of violence and Janela still not being able to do much outside of hardcore stuff. I had a good time with it though and that’s all it needed to be. Omega gets the big win, though it isn’t over the highest level of competition.

Tony gives us a quick sendoff to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a very different kind of show with two pretty standard matches to open things up and a match that you could have seen on a top pay per view to wrap it up. I liked the big main event though and it’s the kind of showcase match that the company was looking for. Good show here, and completely different than what I was expecting to see from this series, in a positive way.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6