Double Or Nothing 2021
Date: May 30, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

We return to pay per view and that is a nice feeling to have. The card is absolutely stacked and one of the biggest that AEW has had in recent or even long term memory. Possibly the most important story here is the fact that the fans are back in full capacity, meaning it will be even more energized than usual. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In Show: NWA Women’s Title: Riho vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb is defending and cranks on a headlock to start. That doesn’t last long as Riho bridges up and offers a handshake. Deeb slaps her in the face instead so Riho knocks her into the corner, setting up a high crossbody. Back up and the Serenity Lock is blocked so Deeb dragon screw legwhips her into the corner. The leg cranking begins before Deeb is sent out to the apron.

Riho charges into a choke, setting up an inverted Gory Special for a pretty cool visual. With that broken up, Riho knocks her off the top to set up a top rope double stomp. The leg is too banged up to cover so Riho grabs a headscissors into a 619 for two. Riho drapes her over the middle rope but the top rope stomp only hits apron.

Deeb is right back with a powerbomb for two but the Deebtox is countered with a backdrop. Riho snaps off a dragon suplex and hits another double stomp for two. A half crab has Riho in more trouble but she makes the rope. That’s enough for Deeb, who snaps off another dragon screw legwhip and grabs the Serenity Lock for the tap to retain at 14:03.

Rating: B. This was a very high energy opener and, in case they weren’t fired up enough already, got the crowd even more into things. Deeb felt like she was tested here and that’s how a hot title defense should feel. Riho losing isn’t going to hurt her and it does a lot for Riho, so well done all around with a heck of a warm up match.

Jim Ross gets his big introduction.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage

Taz is on commentary and Cage has I believe Terminator inspired gear. Page charges right at him to start hammering away but gets shoved off with raw power. What looked like a powerbomb is broken up and Page slugs away again, with Cage bailing to the floor. This time Page is right there with a big dive but Cage powerbombs him into the post.

Back in and a jumping knee rocks Page again and there’s a hard whip into the corner. A crucifix bomb gets two on Page but he ducks a clothesline. Page Cactus Clotheslines him out to the floor and pops back up for a middle rope moonsault to hit Cage again. Back in and Page snaps off a top rope hurricanrana for two but a superbomb is blocked.

A discus forearm gets two on Cage but Deadeye is countered as well. Cage puts him in a fireman’s carry and flips him into a hot shot (with one arm, because of course), setting up a superplex onto the apron. Back in and Cage tries his own Buckshot Lariat but slips a bit, allowing Page to hit an F5. The real Buckshot is countered into a German suplex and a discus lariat blasts Page again. A helicopter bomb gives Cage two and here is Team Taz. Hook distracts the referee so Ricky Starks can slide in the FTW Title. Cage tosses it right back and the Buckshot Lariat finishes Cage at 12:07.

Rating: B. This was a white hot opener as you had two guys in there giving it everything they had for a long time. Page is starting to have his head back on straight and if they keep going with this version for him, he’ll be the kind of challenger who could give Kenny Omega a lot of trouble. Cage having issues with Team Taz is interesting too, as a face Cage looks like a total monster. The crowd helped elevate this one too and it was an outstanding way to open things up.

Post match an annoyed Cage walks away from Team Taz.

We run down the rest of the card.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston. The Bucks have sided with Kenny Omega so Kingston and Moxley have come after them. This includes breaking a bunch of the Bucks’ stuff and stealing their shoes so it’s time for a title match.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston

Kingston/Moxley are challenging and we get the full Major League Wild Thing intro through the crowd. Don Callis is here with the champs and joins commentary as is his custom. Believe it or not, it’s a brawl to start and they fight into the crowd with the Bucks being sent into a variety of hard objects. Cue Brandon Cutler with the cold spray to Nick, earning himself a clothesline/German suplex combination.

Nick comes back in to jump Kingston and the opening bell rings. Kingston backdrops Nick and a double clothesline puts him down again. Moxley comes in so Matt yells, allowing Moxley to do the fake tag to another big reaction. Kingston STO’s Nick for two but a Matt distraction allows a poke to the eye. Matt dropkicks Moxley through the ropes and it’s a Cannonball/enziguri combination to Kingston. A double back elbow lets Nick do the Macho Man finger point but Kingston catches him in a hot shot.

Matt sends Moxley into the barricade and some running clotheslines have Kingston knocked into the corner. Ten right hands go down but Kingston is back with an exploder suplex. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Moxley and house is cleaned, including a piledriver for two on Nick. Nick has to break up a bulldog choke as everything breaks down again. Cue the Good Brothers but Kingston takes down Doc Gallows and Frankie Kazarian jumps Karl Anderson.

Matt uses the distraction to take down Moxley with a can of cold spray to the head for two. Moxley is busted open and an Indytaker on the ramp knocks him silly again. Back in and Moxley gets kicked down as JR wants to know where the doctor is to look at the cut. The Bucks go Ax and Smash to demolish Moxley, who counters an attempt at a Shield powerbomb. Moxley hammers away and the hot tag brings in Kingston to clean house. Nick’s right hands to Kingston just make him glare back and knock him down without much trouble.

A shot to the knee works a bit better on Kingston and an assisted Sliced Bread gets two. Kingston fights over and makes the hot tag to Moxley, who is immediately superkicked down. A 450 gets two but Kingston is back in with one of the Bucks’ expensive shoes. The referee yells at Matt and it’s a Doomsday Device to Nick. The Paradigm Shift to Matt is countered into a Sharpshooter but that’s broken up as well.

Now the Paradigm Shift can connect with Nick making another diving save. Another double superkick to Moxley sends him into the ropes but he comes back with the double clothesline. The double superkick connects for two and a pair of superkicks (one to the knee and one to the face) drops Kingston. Back to back to back to back BTE Triggers drop Moxley to retain the titles at 21:09.

Rating: B. The energy stayed high here and the Young Bucks got to do their video game/all of the other wrestlers’ spots. That does work well now that they are full on heels, as you do want to see them get their heads knocked off. I’m not sure if I should be surprised by the result, but this very well might mean every champion on the roster is a villain, which is a little weird to see. Anyway, another awesome match to keep up the trend tonight.

Commentary goes over some substitutes in the Casino Battle Royal (QT Marshall/Blade out, Aaron Solow/Serpentico in) due to injuries.

Paul Wight comes out for commentary.

Casino Battle Royal

There are 21 entrants with four groups of five (designated by suits). One group enters every three minutes and then the Joker completes the field, with the winner getting a future World Title match. First up are the Clubs, with Christian Cage, Matt Sydal, Powerhouse Hobbs, Dustin Rhodes and Max Caster (who raps about some of the Clubs, including saying Cage hasn’t been cool since he had an edge).

The eliminations are teased to start with Caster saving himself. Sydal is tossed and Caster follows him out until the Diamonds come in. That would be Isaiah Kassidy, Matt Hardy, 10, Nick Commorado and Serpentico, with Kassidy and Hardy failing to jump 10 during his entrance. 10 comes in and starts wrecking people, including tossing Serpentico. Commorado runs 10 over but can only get him to the apron, allowing Dustin to toss both of them at once.

Hold on though as Commorado hits Dustin with the cowbell so Hobbs can get the elimination. Christian hits the Killswitch on Hobbs and we get the Christian vs. Hardy showdown. Here are the Hearts (Brian Pillman Jr., Griff Garrison, Colt Cabana, Anthony Bowens and Penta El Zero Miedo) are in with the Varsity Blondes getting to go nuts for a bit to a nice reaction.

Penta gets to clean house and Kassidy gets rid of Cabana. The Blondes toss Bowens and Hardy punches Garrison out as well. Commentary tries to figure out if Hobbs is still in (he seems to be) as it’s kind of hard to keep track of where everyone is given that some of them are on the floor. Pillman gets a rather strong response until the Spades (Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Aaron Solow, Evil Uno and Lee Johnson) with Boy getting the big musical entrance….and Penta takes him down in a hurry.

Private Party gets rid of Pillman (in a rather lame exit after the reaction) and Johnson eliminates Solow, only to get taken out by Hardy. Penta kicks Uno out but gets taken out by Boy as Hobbs and Christian get back in. Hobbs misses a charge at Christian in the corner and gets tossed for a big elimination. Matt and Private Party stare down Boy and Christian and start the beatdown until…..Lio Rush is the Joker. That gives us a final grouping of Lio Rush, Matt Hardy, Isaiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, Christian Cage and Jungle Boy.

Rush gets to clean house but the springboard Stunner doesn’t quite work on Hardy. Everyone but Rush is knocked down so he goes after Private Party, who fight off an elimination with the Silly String. Rush tries to break that up but gets eliminated by Hardy in the process. Boy and Christian get back up to eliminate Quen and Kassidy, leaving us with the two of them and Hardy.

Matt tries to team up with Christian and gets eliminated as well, meaning we’re down to two. Boy manages to get underneath Christian but can’t quite get him out. Instead Boy is sent to the apron but pulls Christian out with him. A pendulum kick rocks Christian but he shoves Boy into the post….which Boy swings around and gets back in to kick Christian out for the win at 22:32.

Rating: C. I didn’t see this one coming but well done on the surprise winner. Boy is someone who has seemed ready to break through for a good while so it was great to see him doing something like this. They pulled the trigger here and while I’m not exactly buying Boy’s chances in the title match, it was a smart move here. Not much in the way of a battle royal leading up to it as the grouped entrances are still a little weird, but the ending worked.

Post match the rest of Jurassic Express comes out to celebrate with Boy and Christian shows respect.

Some soldiers who train dogs for former soldiers are here for a nice presentation.

We get a rather over the top video on the wonders of America, including quotes from generals and Presidents about how great of a country it is.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes

QT Marshall and Arn Anderson are here too. Cody has new gear and hands his American weightlifting belt to a fan. Ogogo doesn’t waste time in hitting the body shot and grabs an Olympic Slam for two. Cody is right back with the powerslam but the ribs give out on the landing. Some knees to Ogogo’s also injured ribs and Cody goes American (Dragon) with Cattle Mutilation.

That’s broken up and Ogogo snaps off a German suplex for two. A running uppercut gets the same and Marshall adds a cheap shot for another near fall. Ogogo misses a running elbow but is fine enough to nail a spinebuster. Cody gets in a kick to the face though and Ogogo’s eye is busted open.

The Cody Cutter connects but Ogogo punches him off the top for the crash. Ogogo hits a frog splash for a delayed two but Cody is right back with a dropkick. The Figure Four goes on so Ogogo punches him in the face for two (while still in the hold). Cross Rhodes is broken up and a pair of right hands knock Cody down, though his hand is under the rope. The pop up right hand is countered though and Cody hits a Vertebreaker for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C. Ogogo over performed but Cody winning was about the only possible outcome. They weren’t going to build him up as the American Dream for one night only and then have him lose the showdown. The American vs. England deal was pretty ridiculous and while Ogogo winning would have been too far, he shouldn’t have lost either. At least Cody’s all American gear was so over the top that it was goofy fun.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Lance Archer

Archer is challenging and there is no Jake Roberts thanks to Miro taking him out earlier this weekend. Rather than waiting around, Archer dives onto Miro on the ramp and the beating is on in a hurry. Old School gets two on Miro and they head outside with Archer spinebustering him through a table. Miro is back up and suplexes him over the barricade onto some fans.

Another toss sends Archer back to ringside and they head back inside. A crossbody runs Miro over but he nails a spinwheel kick. Miro kicks him in the chest but Archer is back up to plant him down for two. Archer misses the moonsault though and Miro kicks him in the head for another near fall.

Cue Jake Roberts with the snake bag but Miro kicks him down as well…..and throws the snake bag out to the floor. Archer cuts off a superkick to Jake with a chokeslam for two but Everybody Dies is broken up. Miro gets Pounced to the floor, only to get in a kick to the ropes for the low blow on the way back in. The jumping superkick sets up Game Over to retain the title at 10:46.

Rating: B-. It was a hoss fight, but I was expecting a bit more from these two. They beat each other up rather well and while the result wasn’t quite in doubt, it was a fun match. Maybe it was a bit too much waiting between spots or the Roberts stuff, but it was just a bit lacking given the hype they had set up.

All Out is in Chicago on September 5.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

Baker, with Rebel, is challenging. A very early Lockjaw attempt doesn’t work but neither does Shida’s knee to the face. They go to the mat with Shida grabbing a bodyscissors but Baker is back up with a hammerlock. Shida sends her into the corner to take it outside, setting up a high crossbody to take out Baker and Rebel. Back in and the running knee is countered with a kick to the face an Shida is in trouble for a change.

Lockjaw is blocked again so Baker grabs a suplex for two. Shida is right back with a bunch of strikes, including three straight running knees in the corner. A suplex of her own gives Shida two and an enziguri rocks Baker again. Baker is right back with a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two but Shida grabs a Stretch Muffler to send her to the ropes. Back up and Baker hits a Sling Blade into an Air Raid Crash for two.

Lockjaw is loaded up again but Baker kicks herself off the rope, allowing Shida to escape. A German suplex drops Baker and Shida takes her up top for a fireman’s carry but Baker slips off in a weird looking landing. Instead, Shida hits a superplex for two and the Stretch Muffler goes on again.

Rebel jumps up to the apron for a distraction but accidentally hits Baker to give Shida two. The Falcon Arrow gives Shida two so Rebel gets on the apron again, this time allowing Baker to hit a superkick. A Stomp onto the belt gets a very close two but Shida is back with the jumping knee. The running knee gets two but Baker crucifixes her into Lockjaw for the tap and the title at 16:22.

Rating: B. They did something impressive here by making me believe that Shida might sneak away with the title despite there being no reason to think that would be the case. Baker’s win is long, long overdue and it is great to see her finally get the championship. The fans LOVED her here and it makes all the sense in the world to do the title change. There is a good chance she is going to be turned by crowd reaction alone, though I don’t know how beneficial that would be. Still though, heck of a back and forth match with the only possible ending.

Tony Schiavone leaves commentary to hug Baker in a great moment.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky

Sting and Allin get a special entrance video featuring them driving through the desert. Sting: “It’s showtime.” It’s a brawl to start before the match with Sky and Sting fighting up to the stage. Sky plants Sting down but Sting pops back up to send Sky down to ringside. That means Sting can hit the big dive onto both villains (because of course he can do that) and they head inside for the bell.

Allin starts in on Sky’s arm but Page breaks up a springboard to put Allin in trouble for the first time. Sky hits a backbreaker so Allin cranks on the wrist, only to get knocked right back down. Allin manages to flip out of a belly to back suplex and makes the hot tag to Sting…but the referee doesn’t see it. With Allin still banged up, Page LAUNCHES him from the ring over the barricade and onto Allin’s family in the big crash. Somehow Allin dives in to beat the count at nine and a choke has Page in trouble. Page drives him into the corner for the break so Allin is right back with the flipping Stunner.

NOW the hot tag brings Sting back in and it’s back to back Stinger Splashes. Something like a Code Red out of the corner gets two on Page so it’s back to Allin, who gets crotched on top. Page slams Allin down onto Sting but Sting sweeps the legs and puts on the Scorpion. That doesn’t count because Sting isn’t legal so Allin adds the Fujiwara armbar. Sky grabs a heel hook on Allin, so he and Page slap it out while both are in holds.

With that broken up, the double tag brings in Sting and Sky, with JR pointing out the similar motifs. Sting gets fired up but misses the Stinger Splash (with Sky having already made it to the apron before he even jumped). Not that it matters as Sting counters the slingshot cutter into the Death Drop finishes Sky at 14:05.

Rating: C. I love Sting but this is the second match in a row where he has beaten a team with some potential. I’m not sure when Sting is going to take a loss, but having Sky and Page lose here didn’t feel right. The match wasn’t exactly great either, though Sting did look a heck of a lot better than he did in any of his WWE matches. It’s still amazing to see how much they botched Sting, but he had a much better outing here.

We recap the World Title match with Kenny Omega defending the World Title against Pac and Orange Cassidy. After Excalibur explains the winning multiple World Titles in wrestling is like winning Olympic medals in multiple sports, we look at Pac and Cassidy going to a draw to become co-#1 contenders. Omega has tried to get Cassidy out of the match but the triple threat is on.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

Omega is defending and Don Callis is on commentary again. Pac starts fast and Cassidy is knocked outside. A kick to the head staggers Omega but they collide for a double knockdown. Cassidy comes back in for a pair of lazy near falls and a double hurricanrana sends Pac outside. There’s the suicide dive to knock Pac into the barricade, setting up the springboard DDT for two on Omega.

The Orange Punch is broken up but Pac is back up to take Omega down. Pac shotgun dropkicks Cassidy into the corner and there’s another one to Omega. With Pac flipping back up, Omega catches him with the Regal Roll and knocks Cassidy off the corner as well. Omega sends Pac outside and hits a backbreaker for two on Cassidy. Pac starts fighting back but gets pulled to the floor, leaving Omega to baseball slide both of them.

A running flip dive puts Pac and Cassidy down again but Cassidy is back with the Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy and Omega go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Pac comes in with a 450 to break things up. Back to back snapdragons put the challengers down and it’s time for the V Triggers. Pac blocks another snapdragon so Omega hits a hard clothesline to cut him off again. Cassidy has to fight his way out of a super snapdragon and puts his hands in his pockets to save himself.

Pac is up for a German superplex to Omega but falls out to the floor. Omega hits a Tiger Driver 98 for two on Cassidy, followed by a German suplex for two on Pac. Some knees to the face rock Cassidy, who puts his hands in his pockets….and then falls down. Back up and Cassidy hits a Michinoku Driver on Omega but walks into a brainbuster to give Pac two. Omega catches Pac on top but gets countered into a sunset bomb. Pac’s superplex drops Omega again with Cassidy running in for the near fall.

Cassidy starts the slow motion kicks on Pac, who kicks him low. There’s the big dive onto Omega and the Black Arrow connects on Pac, with Omega having to dive in for a save (Callis going silent save for sighs of relief is a great addition). Another Black Arrow misses Omega but the One Winged Angle is countered into the Brutalizer. The Orange Punch hits Pac for the save and the Beach Break gets two on Omega.

Cassidy hits an Orange Punch each (Callis: “S***!”) and there’s a second to Pac, but Callis pulls the referee at two. Pac gets the Brutalizer on Cassidy but Omega knocks the referee down, setting up a pair of belt shots (with a different belt each). There’s a third belt shot but Omega wants the AEW World Title to knock Pac out again. Cassidy runs back in with the Orange Punch to Omega for two with a different referee counting…but Omega reverses into a crucifix to pin Cassidy and retain at 27:10.

Rating: B. They managed to make me believe in a title change that wasn’t going to happen here (that Black Arrow had me thinking something might happen). That is rather impressive given how one sided this should have been, though the match did go longer than it needed to go. They probably could have cut 5-10 minutes out and had a tighter match, but this was much more entertaining than I was expecting.

Full Gear is November 6 in St. Louis.

Tony Schiavone brings out the newest AEW analyst for Rampage: Mark Henry! That’s quite the surprise, though we won’t be hearing from him until Friday.

Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle

Stadium Stampede (no fans), Inner Circle has to split up if they lose and Pinnacle (or at leas MJF) arriving via stretch limousine. MJF rants about Inner Circle not being here due to fear…..and they repel down the video screen (you can almost see MJF gulp). The chase is on with MJF hiding in the limo as the rest of the Pinnacle arrives in FTR’s truck to start the fight. Sammy Guevara and Shawn Spears fight into the ring, with Sammy hitting a springboard cutter. After kicking Wardlow down, Sammy misses a shooting star press.

MJF finally gets out of the limo but Chris Jericho is waiting on him. The slugout it on but MJF sprays him with a well hidden fire extinguisher before running off the field. Jericho follows him to keep up the beating, including putting a trashcan on MJF’s head. MJF throws coffee into his eyes and hits him with a phone but Jericho screams at him with a bullhorn. Said bullhorn is tossed at MJF and hits him in the back of the head, which thankfully doesn’t do a lot of damage.

They fight into an office….where Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and assistant coach Charlie Strong are working on plays. Jericho throws some footballs at MJF and then throws him out, with Meyer saying “holy s***”. MJF FINALLY gets smart by going after the really big brace on Jericho’s arm, including flipping a white board into it.

We actually cut to someone else, as Wardlow powers Jake Hager around but can’t lock him in a freezer. They fight into it instead (with a cut up pig hanging from the ceiling) and Wardlow grabs an icicle. That doesn’t last long and they head back into what looks like a storage area, with Hager being sent into a rolling steel cabinet. Hager flips him off so Wardlow spears him through a wall and into a kitchen.

We cut to Sammy Guevara searching for Shawn Spears and finding him sitting in a chair (with hundreds of chairs in storage around him). The chair duel is on before heading back into a hallway. Sammy runs up a wall and backflips to his feet, setting up a kick to Spears’ head. Spears launches Guevara into a steel door though and grabs a chair. That takes way too long though and Sammy hits a running knee.

Spears sends him into a scissor lift and grabs a cable, only to get choked by Sammy’s cable. Sammy climbs up onto some scaffolding but has to drop back down, allowing Spears to hit him in the face with a ladder. With Sammy down, Spears handcuffs him to the structure and says Sammy is done.

Sammy sees some bolt cutters but we cut to a bar where Santana/Ortiz find FTR/Tully Blanchard. Some drinks are shared but DJ Konnan plays some music to start the fighting. Konnan hands Santana something to hit FTR with and we actually get a near fall on Dax Harwood. Cash Wheeler throws beer bottles at Ortiz but Santana comes back up and they fight into an elevator.

With the door closed, we cut back to Wardlow almost dropping a wooden pallet onto Hager. They fight on top of a golf cart and Hager chokeslams him through something made of wood. It’s back to MJF vs. Jericho, with MJF accidentally punching a cutout of Shad Khan (Tony’s dad). Jericho says he is in so much trouble and then hits him with the cutout. After rubbing off cardboard Khan’s head it’s time to go into a conference room, where Jericho staples a Jaguars paper to MJF’s head.

Then he rips it off and throws MJF over the conference table, where MJF hits him in the face. A piledriver onto the table gets two and MJF grabs a hammer. Jericho hits him with a trashcan though….and finds a well placed Floyd the Baseball Bat. After some choking, Jericho sends him face first through a glass window. MJF is busted open (Tony: “Good!”) and we cut to Spears looking for Tully Blanchard. Instead he finds the Inner Circle motorcycle club, who chase him down a hall.

Back to Jericho dragging MJF into Daily’s Place, with MJF getting crotched on a handrail. Jericho powerbombs him through a table (Tony: “DO IT AGAIN!”) and we cut to Spears running outside….where Sammy chases him down with a golf cart. The cart drives Spears into the arena and they head into the ring. Spears chairs him out of the air to break up a springboard and a hard chair shot gets two. The chair is wedged into the corner but Guevara comes back with the GTH. Sammy kicks Spears head first into a chair and it’s the 630 to give Sammy the pin at 32:26.

Rating: B+. They completely got me with the result as I would not have bet on Inner Circle winning whatsoever. Sammy getting the win was absolutely the right call as you can do Jericho vs. MJF in a singles match at some point in the future. Guevara is one of the true bright stars waiting to break out and it makes all the sense in the world to give him the big moment.

That being said, I liked last year’s version a good bit more, as this felt like a series of segments rather than one match going on. It was like a bunch of stuff loosely tied together under the same title, with some people just disappearing for 10+ minutes at a time (Santana/Ortiz/FTR were only involved for about five minutes total). They really needed to organize this better and it would have been a much more entertaining deal.

The biggest thing I can give this though is that it is creative. One of the places where AEW really shines is thinking outside of the box and that is what they did here. Stuff like the cameos were great for surprise moments and it felt like they used the atmosphere to their advantage. It isn’t as good as the original, but this felt big and the ending actually shocked me so they did a lot right.

The Inner Circle celebrates for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This felt like an AEW pay per view as there is nothing close to bad on the whole show and some stuff on here is very good. The atmosphere helped it a lot, though you could feel some of the energy going away as the night went on (fair enough). It’s another great show and while they could have trimmed a bit here or there, it is probably the show of the year so far. AEW continues to be nearly perfect at these things and it more than lived up to my expectations.

Results

Hangman Page b. Brian Cage – Buckshot Lariat

Young Bucks b. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston – BTE Trigger to Moxley

Jungle Boy won the Casino Battle Royal last eliminating Christian Cage

Cody Rhodes b. Anthony Ogogo – Vertebreaker

Miro b. Lance Archer – Game Over

Britt Baker b. Hikaru Shida – Lockjaw

Sting/Darby Allin b. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky – Death Drop to Sky

Kenny Omega b. Orange Cassidy and Pac – Crucifix to Cassidy

Inner Circle b. Pinnacle – 630 to Spears

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I always get a bit excited for an AEW pay per view because they have earned the reputation of putting on good shows. Aside from their misfire with the exploding ring fiasco at Full Gear, AEW has not had a truly bad pay per view or even that many bad pay per view moments in their history. They are getting another chance to keep that record strong and hopefully they can pull it off. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: NWA Women’s Title: Serena Deeb(c) vs. Riho

There is a bit of history here as Riho beat Deeb in the #1 contenders tournament a few months back. The title has been kind of a weird addition to AEW as it only pops in every so often and there are rarely any interesting stories involved. Riho has not been around so often lately, but she is always presented as one of the bigger stars in the company. Deeb is awesome at what she does though and now gets the chance to showcase herself.

I’ll take Deeb to retain here as it is almost hard to fathom the NWA title changing hands on an AEW show. This feels like a match being added for the sake of adding something in and that is a fine enough excuse for a pre-show. The action will be good and that is about all you can ask for from a match like this. Deeb retains, though I’m not entirely sure where that leaves Riho.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage

This one has my interest up a bit and that is because of Page. For months now, the theory has been that Page is the one to take the AEW World Title off of Kenny Omega, but there has been nothing to suggest that is actually going to happen. Page has been toiling with the Dark Order for a good while now and doing little more than comedy stuff. This week’s Dynamite saw him get a lot more serious and that is a good sign for his future.

I think it’s a good sign for him in this match too as he’ll beat Cage. As much of a monster as Cage is, there is no reason for him to win here. Page is possibly being primed to go after the World Title so a win over someone of Cage’s stature should help. Throw in that Cage is having issues with the rest of Team Taz and it is hard to imagine him having much of a chance here.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks(c) vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston

I usually save the bigger matches for later but let’s have some fun. This is the match that interests me the most on the card as I really could see it going either way. The main catch here is that, assuming another title match goes a certain way, we very well could be looking at all heel champions in AEW. Someone would have to break through that wall and balance things out a bit and that might be Moxley and Kingston.

That being said, I don’t think the titles change hands here. It seems more likely that the Bucks and Omega get to hold their three titles at once because that is what AEW finds interesting. I very well may be wrong on this and the title change would not shock me in the least, but I think the Bucks hold on here, likely through some sort of overthought shenanigans.

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo

Then we have this one and it might be the most discussed match on the entire show. Rhodes is becoming the American Dream for one night only and is fighting one of those evil foreign….uh….British guys. The patriotism aspect has felt rather forced in this story as it seems to come out of the 1980s rather than a modern wrestling company. Ogogo doesn’t have much experience either, but here he is anyway.

I’ll go on a limb here and pick Ogogo, which is where this story should head if they want to make a bigger star for a change. Ogogo has only wrestled a handful of matches and it would be a huge deal to beat Rhodes. I’m not completely sold on the idea that Ogogo wins as Rhodes has a tendency to get some questionable victories, but I’ll take Ogogo here and hold AEW rolls the dice.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

Omega has been mentioned enough so far that we might as well just knock his match out. This match does not grab my interest very well and I can’t believe that I’m alone in that. It came out of nowhere as suddenly these two were top contenders and the match was set as a result. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to buy Omega as being in danger here but that is what AEW is asking.

Of course I’ll take Omega to retain here as I can’t imagine either Pac or Cassidy getting the title. This match feels like a token title defense for Omega as I can’t fathom him losing the title anytime soon. Cassidy feels way over his head here and while Pac is great, I don’t think he’s going to get the title. Omega retains here in a match that has as much drama as a screwball comedy.

AEW Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Britt Baker

This would be the one title match standing in the way of likely total heel dominance and I’m not sure how much you would bet on the good guys. Of all of the matches on the card, this one might have the least drama to the whole thing and I’m not sure if there is even a point in suggesting otherwise. I think you know where this is going and that is what is best for all of us.

In a moment that is a very long time coming, Baker finally breaks through the glass ceiling and wins the title here. Shida has held the thing for over a year now and is pretty far past the point of being ready to lose. Baker is one of the best things going in AEW and has been for a long time now. It is time that she claims her destiny and holds the title for a long time, so go with the only logical option here.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky

AEW has made a big deal out of this being Sting’s first regular match in five years and that is not exactly drawing me in. Sting and Allin make a fine mentor/student pairing, but I really don’t have any interest in seeing Sting wrestle again. It doesn’t help that the villains have been pretty tacked on, to the point where they feel like bad guys of the month for Sting to beat without breaking a sweat.

That being said, I’ll go with Sky and Page to win here as there is no need for Sting and Allin to beat them. If AEW wants Sky and Page to mean anything, it would be fairly ridiculous to have them beat someone who isn’t going to his status no matter what. Allin should not be taking the fall, but his team should be taking the loss so the two new villains can have something to brag about for a bit.

Casino Battle Royal

Man alive this company loves these gambling themes. I never know what to do with a match like this because there are so many options out there. You could probably bet on one of the favorites but with at least one spot being open, it really could go in multiple directions. The announced lineup looks pretty deep, but that TBA spot has my interest up a little higher.

Based on who is currently announced for the match, I’ll take Christian Cage to win. The rest of the field is mainly a bunch of midcarders, with Cage as the only one I could see (outside of maybe Dustin Rhodes) having a real chance. That being said, I do think there is a possibility of Andrade winning here and there is little reason to have someone of his stature debut if he wasn’t winning the match. So Cage if no Andrade, but Andrade if Andrade.

TNT Title: Miro(c) vs. Lance Archer

Sidenote: just make it the TV Title already. Dynamite is moving over to TBS later this year so just go with the logical move. With that out of the way, this should be a heck of a hoss fight and that is all they have advertised it as being. Miro has come a very long way in a short amount of time as getting rid of Kip Sabian and all of the gaming stuff has worked wonders for him, which should not surprise anyone.

Based on that alone, Miro retains here, as Archer seems to be heading for a split with Jake Roberts. At this point that is the right idea too, as Archer can cover anything Roberts can do for him. Miro is looking like he could be the breakout star around here and that is why he was brought in in the first place. Go with what makes sense here and have Miro retain after a heck of a battle.

Stadium Stampede

This almost has to end the show due to the magnitude and the stakes, as the Inner Circle has to split up if the Pinnacle can beat them. The original version was complete insanity and very memorable, which is what I’m expecting this time around too. The Inner Circle is coming in banged up after Dynamite so the writing is starting to look like it is on the wall here.

I’m going with what should make sense and say Pinnacle wins, though I can’t shake the idea of a fast one being pulled. The Inner Circle has had a great run, but there isn’t much left for them to do. Spitting them up does not mean we can’t see MJF vs. Chris Jericho, so maybe that is where we go for All Out. Either way, the match should be good and insane, which is all you could want from this.

Overall Thoughts

This is a heck of a stacked card and has me more interesting in a show than I have been in a long time. The top of the card is loaded and the rest is not bad at all, meaning we could be in for a pretty awesome night. AEW knows how to set things up but more importantly they know how to deliver on them, which is what I’m counting on here. The show looks great and that excited feeling is always nice to have.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: May 28, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We have a special Friday show this week due to the NBA Playoffs, which is some bad timing as this is also the go home show for Double Or Nothing. That means it is time for the final push towards the show, with the celebration of the Inner Circle, plus the weigh-in for Anthony Ogogo vs. Cody Rhodes. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The arena is structured differently, with the ramp at the upper right hand corner of the ring instead of opposite the hard camera.

Darby Allin vs. Cezar Bononi

Allin has Sting with him and has badly banged up ribs. Bononi starts fast by sending Allin into the corner and working on the ribs, because he’s smart enough to figure out what a lot of tape means. Some hiptosses into the corner have Allin in more trouble but he comes back with a sleeper to slow Bononi down. Allin takes him into the corner for the flipping Stunner and the Coffin Drop finishes Bononi at 4:20.

Rating: C. Bononi wrestled a smart match here and that’s the way this should have gone. Allin fighting through an injury and beating a big man fits him perfectly and that is what they should have done in this one. They know exactly how to book Allin and it worked again here, so well done on a quick opener.

Post match Allin and Sting want Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky but the two of them come out to say not without the big payday. Page and Sky leave but Bononi and his goons jump Sting and Allin from behind. Page and Sky come in and load up a chair on Sting’s leg, meaning it’s the Dark Order running in for the save. I’m not sure how, but they had about 15 people involved in the first ten minutes of the show.

Here is Paul Wight to host the weigh-in for Anthony Ogogo and Cody Rhodes. Wight brings out Ogogo, with the Factory coming out with him. After QT Marshall gets in some insults about the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wight threatens violence for being looked at the wrong way. Now it’s Cody Rhodes, with about 25 people (because they all need to be there), coming out as well and he weighs in at 218lbs (which took Wight forever to figure out).

As a bunch of fireworks (not from AEW) go off outside the building, Ogogo gets on the scale and weighs 219lbs. Marshall says that means Ogogo will win but the fans aren’t convinced. Everyone leaves and Cody thanks Wight for hosting. Shirts are thrown to the crowd. This was long and having that many people involved just made it look silly.

Video on Stadium Stampede from last year. It may not have been for everyone, but it was about as unique as you can get.

Powerhouse Hobbs and Christian have a fight in the back until referees break it up.

Hangman Page vs. Joey Janela

Janela has Sonny Kiss with him and Page couldn’t find the tunnel. Page chops away to start and snaps off a suplex for two. They head outside with Page hitting a fall away slam for two but Janela sends him into the corner as we take a break. Back with Page hitting a springboard clothesline to put Janela down on the floor.

They head back in where the Buckshot lariat is broken up, so Page goes with a spinebuster for two. Janela sends him hard into the corner though and the top rope elbow gets two more. A forearm rocks Janela though and a pop up powerbomb puts him down again. Page, with his head busted open, hits the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: C-. Janela continues to drag people down to his level as he just isn’t very good. I know he’s a big deal on the independent scene but that is a far cry from live on national television. The good thing is that Page showed a bit more fire here, which hasn’t been present in recent months. If he is supposed to be the big threat to Omega, he needs to do more of this than of everything else.

Post match Taz calls out Page, so here is Brian Cage to jump him. Before that can happen, Page says he’s expecting the team to go after him but no one moves. Page calls out Cage for not doing anything, so he wants Cage to face him one on one at Double Or Nothing, assuming something hasn’t shrunk too badly. That’s too far for Cage, who says they’re on for Sunday.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston are burying the Young Bucks’ shoes….and we go to a commercial mid-sentence.

Post break, we get the full segment, with Moxley talking about how he would go to war with Kingston. He loves championships and the AEW Tag Team Titles are the most important in the business. They’re ready for war on Sunday, with Kingston suggesting that Moxley could become an Executive Vice President. Moxley: “Nah.”

Tony Schiavone calls out Orange Cassidy for a chat but gets Pac instead. Pac promises to win the title on Sunday because all of Kenny Omega’s dodging is pathetic. Don Callis pops up on screen to mock Pac so here’s Omega for the cheap shot. Pac is ready for him and takes him out but the Good Brothers run in for the save.

The Lucha Bros make the save, leaving Omega and Pac alone. Omega loads up the One Winged Angel but here are Cassidy and the Good Brothers. Cassidy hands Omega an envelope, which contains the shredded contract that Omega offered him to get out of the match. The Orange Punch lays Omega out so Pac goes after Cassidy, only to get taken out as well.

Jade Cargill is interrupted by Matt Hardy, who offers his managerial services again. Mark Sterling comes in and apparently has signed her up, sending Matt into a fit.

Jade Cargill vs. Kilynn King

Mark Sterling is here with King. They go to a test of strength to start and it’s off to a rather early break. Back with King being sent hard over the top to the floor, where Sterling offers his card. Back in and Jaded finishes King at 5:28. Not enough shown to rate, but they really needed a break in a five minute match?

Lance Archer cuts off Jake Roberts to say he’s ready for Miro.

TNT Title: Miro vs. Dante Martin

Miro is defending and doesn’t look too worried. Martin is sent into the corner and gets kicked in the back, with the fans wanting to see it one more time. Miro stops to listen and then blows the fans off, with Martin snapping off a jawbreaker. A springboard dropkick gives Martin two but Miro knocks him to the apron. The jumping superkick and Game Over retain the title at 3:05.

Rating: C-. Now this is more of the Miro that we should have been seeing for a long time. There is no worthless pairing with Kip Sabian and no “this is who I really am” jazz. It’s Miro beating people up like the monster he can be and it is miles better. This was a nearly complete squash and that is how you heat Miro up before a monster fight on pay per view.

Post match here is Jake Roberts to mock Bulgarian before sending Lance Archer out for the fight. Archer boots Miro to the floor as referees break things up.

Here is Hikaru Shida for a celebration of her Women’s Title reign. Tony Schiavone presents her with a new (and bigger) belt, which he takes a long time to put on. Cue Britt Baker to talk about how she’s taking the title on Sunday. She came after an era dominated by 3:16, but this era is going to be dominated by the DMD.

Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page vs. Dark Order

Evil Uno starts in on Sky’s arm so it’s off to Page, who gets taken down in a hurry. Grayson sends him to the apron for a slingshot Swanton but Sky gets in a shot of his own as we take a break. Back with Sky’s TKO being countered into a release Rock Bottom, setting up the hot tag off to Uno. Everything breaks down and the stereo Cannonball/450 gets rid of Sky and gets two on Page. Back up and Grayson gets caught in a heel hook, with Page adding the Ego’s Edge to Uno for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. Another short match thanks to the break but this is what Sky and Page have been needing. They haven’t done much on Dynamite in actual matches and need a boost before going into a big match against Sting and Allin. Beating the Dark Order might not have been the big game changer, but it’s a lot better than what they had been doing.

Post match Sky and Page call out Sting and Allin, so here is Allin with….about six Stings. The brawl is on with the real Sting cleaning house.

Here is Eric Bischoff to emcee the celebration of the Inner Circle. Bischoff mentions that Scott Hall debuted on Nitro twenty five years ago yesterday on this network. That was the start of one of the greatest factions of all time and this might be another one of them. The Inner Circle comes out and, after a long time of the fans singing Jericho’s song, Jericho thanks Bischoff for everything he has done over the years.

We see a long package on the history of the Inner Circle and Ortiz says they have done some cool s***. They’re glad to be back and if this Sunday is their last dance, he wouldn’t want it to be with anyone else. Jake Hager says that was beautiful and he has always believed that it is about the journey instead of the destination. Show him the hard times when his brothers were there with him. Sammy Guevara talks about being in the greatest faction of all time and how it has all been worth it.

Finally, Chris Jericho says if they go down, it is going to be in a blaze of glory and he loves all of them. The big hug is on but the Pinnacle pops up on screen. They are in the stadium and have Dean Malenko down next to the goal post. The Inner Circle runs in for the save but get beaten down, including a quintuple piledriver, with Santana and Ortiz being drive off a balcony and through a pair of tables. The Pinnacle poses to end the show. I’ll be stunned if the Inner Circle wins, but it has been a heck of a ride and that was a very nice video on the team.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a good example of s show that wasn’t about the wrestling. Tonight was ALL about setting up the pay per view and what we got worked very well. They made me want to see Double Or Nothing a lot more than I did coming into the show and that is why you have a night like this one. There were some issues (the weigh-in segment was pretty ridiculous) and there was no must see match, but that wasn’t the point tonight. It was a strong go home show and that’s what it needed to be.

Results
Darby Allin b. Cesar Bononi – Coffin Drop
Hangman Page b. Joey Janela – Buckshot lariat
Jade Cargill b. Kilynn King – Jaded
Miro b. Dante Martin – Game Over
Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page b. Dark Order – Ego’s Edge to Uno

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: May 19, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We have two shows left before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start hammering home the card. This time around we have a Tag Team Title match with the Varsity Blonds challenging the Young Bucks. Other than that, we are likely getting some more matches set for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christian Cage vs. Matt Sydal

Taz is on commentary and it’s a feeling out process to start, with Sydal’s grab of a leg being reversed into a headlock. Sydal slips out for a standoff but gets sent outside for a crash. Back in and a backbreaker sets up a top rope elbow to the face for two on Sydal. There’s a headbutt to the back and a stomp to make it worse, as Christian is wrestling a bit more villainish here.

Another backbreaker is countered with a headscissors though and Sydal’s jumping spinning kick to the face gives him a breather. The Meteora gives Sydal two and there’s a clothesline for the same. Christian misses a charge and gets taken down with a spinwheel kick to the face, followed by a running knee in the corner. Christian’s spear is countered into a sunset flip for two and he misses a high crossbody as well. Now the spear can connect for two but Sydal pulls the knee out. A backsplash hits knees though and the Killswitch finishes Sydal at 9:15.

Rating: C+. I’m not a big Sydal fan but he was making it work here with Christian looking better than he has so far in AEW. I’m curious to see him being more aggressive, as it certainly seemed to suit him better. Christian still isn’t the star he was before, but he can still do things like this well enough.

Post match Taz yells at Christian but here is Ricky Starks to interrupt. Starks is his own man and he is right here. He isn’t going to be on the sidelines like these flunkies, so he and Christian have some business to handle. Cue Team Taz to jump Christian and Sydal for the beatdown. Hangman Page comes in to go after Cage, but Hook gets in a chop block. Cage powerbombs Page down hard.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Varsity Blonds talk about Brian Pillman, who was not Brian Pillman Jr.’s inspiration to get into the business. All he knew was the dark side of the ring, but then he was inspired by the Young Bucks. Griff Garrison talks about running the Young Bucks’ merchandise table at an independent show, but the Bucks of today are not the Bucks of those days.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston aren’t sure about what they’re facing with the Acclaimed (Kingston: “One’s a rapper, the other is the rapper’s friend.”). They also don’t get why they’re going to a superkick party when neither of them throw superkicks. Oh well. They’ll just beat up the Acclaimed.

The Acclaimed promises to stomp Moxley and Kingston’s a**** and that is a mic drop.

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston vs. Acclaimed

Moxley and Kingston come out to the Major League version of Wild Thing, because AEW thinks Cleveland and Cincinnati are close enough. Caster says that Kingston looks like a pack of Newports and Moxley’s wife is trying to get him for an oral session (Caster: “What? She just wants me to be on the podcast!”). Moxley knocks Caster silly with a right hand and we start with a double shoulder to put Caster down again.

Kingston plants with an STO but gets caught with a super dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Kingston getting over for the hot tag to Moxley to clean house, but he gets caught in a suplex/high crossbody combination. Kingston makes the save and sends Bowens into the barricade but Moxley gets sent outside as well. Caster throws Bowens the chain for a distraction so he can bring in the boom box. Moxley breaks that up though and hits Caster with the boom box instead, setting up a wheelbarrow into a Paradigm Shift for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: C. This was a way to get Moxley and Kingston a win over a name team before they get their title shot. There is nothing wrong with building a team up, even if the Acclaimed is better known for their talking. Moxley and Kingston are turning into a pretty good team in the ring and their showdown with the Bucks very well could steal Double Or Nothing.

Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko reminisce about the number of holds they know.

Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page are in the ring to talk about Sting. Sky always wanted to be like Sting, but then he grew up and is now a grown man. Sting isn’t the man he used to be and now Sky is his own man. Page talks about Darby Allin loses and promises to be the nail in his coffin. Cue Sting and Allin to clean house, including Allin with some skateboard shots. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Page gets away, only to have the Dark Order cut off….well some of their exits at least.

The Pinnacle is at a nice dinner with MJF talking about how unfunny Chris Jericho is. Dax Wilder goes on a rant about how they have to deal with Jericho even after thirty years. Last year’s Stadium Stampede was a dog and pony show but this year it’s going to be serious. Shawn Spears attacks a waiter for making a mistake and smashes a bottle, so Tully Blanchard throws him some money. MJF says if the Inner Circle agrees to Stadium Stampede, it will be their last match, because when you’re in the Pinnacle, you’re always on top.

Hikaru Shida vs. Rebel

Non-title and Britt Baker is here as well. Rebel fakes an early injury but then snaps off some jumping jacks. Shida doesn’t take kindly to her dancing and puts on her own glove before trying the Lockjaw. Baker grabs the Women’s Title, allowing Rebel to hit Shida in the back with a crutch. A toss suplex gets two on Shida but she is right back with a knee breaker. The Stretch Muffler makes Rebel tap at 2:01.

Post match Baker comes in and drops Shida onto the belt.

Last week, Kenny Omega and Don Callis came in to see Orange Cassidy in the trainer’s room after he got dropped on his head. They need Cassidy to be the AEW mascot instead of challenging him for the title, so they have a contract for him to sign, saying that he can have his match later when he is a little healthier. Cassidy doesn’t even look at it and rips it up (rather slowly). Omega talks about how bad it could be if Cassidy takes the One Winged Angel and they offer him another copy of the same deal, which he can think about.

Here is the Inner Circle to respond to the Pinnacle. work with just about anyone.

Pac is glad to have his title shot because there is nothing Don Callis or Kenny Omega can do about it. Who is betting against him now?

Anthony Ogogo vs. Austin Gunn

A bunch of people, including an American flag clad Cody Rhodes, is here. Gunn dropkicks him down at the bell and Ogogo is starting to protect his bad eye. A gut shot puts Austin down and he is in big trouble. Back up and Ogogo does it again, meaning Gunn has to stop the referee from calling for the bell. Gunn is bleeding from the mouth and a pop up right hand knocks him silly for the knockout at 2:15. More baby steps for Ogogo and that’s a wise way to go.

Post match Ogogo grabs Cody’s American flag and throws it away, which is too far for Cody.

Christopher Daniels won’t say anything about SCU splitting up last week. Daniels whispers something to Kazarian and walks away. Kazarian says he can’t explain what Daniels means to him, but Kazarian knows what is next. Last week, he lost something very important to him and he blames the Elite for what happened. He is hunting them down and he is a bomb you cannot defuse and a gun you cannot unload. Kazarian as a singles star is an intriguing way to go.

Here is Miro for a chat. He thanks Jesus Christ for giving him the talent to hurt people, like he did to Darby Allin last week. Miro took what Allin said could not be taken and now everyone knows that it doesn’t matter who you are. If you have what he wants, it’s done. The fans want Allin, so Miro holds up the title and says here he is. Next week, he’ll be defending the title against someone and will destroy him on his way to Double Or Nothing.

Cue Lance Archer, who says he has been the beast of AEW since Miro was trying to get a day to himself. Last year he lost in the first ever TNT Title match, so nothing is stopping him from winning at Double Or Nothing. Miro is going to be his Bulgarian b****, which Miro says he has never heard before. As Archer has said, everyone dies, but Miro is going to make sure Archer dies first. Miro was showing the fire here like he has yet to do in AEW.

Here’s what’s coming next week, with Dante Martin getting the TNT Title shot. We are also getting a celebration of the Inner Circle’s greatest moments, plus Jade Cargill’s open challenge (Since EVERY SHOW NEEDS AN OPEN CHALLENGE THESE DAYS!).

At Double Or Nothing: Sting/Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Varsity Blonds

The Bucks are defending, Julia Hart is here with the Blonds and Don Callis is on commentary. Garrison and Nick run the ropes until a boot to the face drops Nick in a hurry. Matt comes in and gets one of his own, allowing Pillman to come in for some stereo dropkicks to the champs. We settle back down to Pillman armdragging Nick and working on the arm but Nick gets over for the hot tag to Matt.

That means Pillman gets sent outside for a crash onto the ramp, leaving Nick to walk the ropes and jump down onto him. A neck snap across the top rope has Pillman down again and we take a break. Back with Pillman hitting a crossbody and getting over for the hot tag to Garrison. House is cleaned in a hurry and Garrison hits a slingshot crossbody onto both champs. It’s back to Pillman, who gets suplexed down so Nick can dive onto Garrison.

Some kicks to the back keep Pillman in trouble but he sends Nick’s kick into Matt and hits a superkick of his own. Matt is right back with the Sharpshooter and Nick adds the cold spray to the eyes. Garrison makes the save but Nick hits a couple of superkicks. Matt gets another can of spray but Hart calls him out for it. That’s fine with Matt, who has a third can to spray her as well. The Sharpshooter goes on and Nick adds the slingshot X Factor to knock Pillman silly. Pillman taps at 11:55.

Rating: B-. I like the Blonds more each time I see them but there was never a bit of drama here. As usual, this was the Young Bucks Show as they are smarter than anyone they face, which goes along with being more athletic because we need to be reminded of how great they are every chance we have.

Post match here are Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston to choke out the Bucks and steal their expensive shoes. And the socks too!

We run down the Double Or Nothing card, with Tony making it clear that Sting/Allin vs. Page/Sky will NOT be a cinematic match. Also, Moxley/Kingston are now the #1 contenders and get their title shot.

Overall Rating: B. This was a promo heavy show and that’s what mattered most here. Since this is the last regularly scheduled Dynamite before the pay per view, they had to rush the build this week and get things ready for Double Or Nothing. That worked out rather well as I’m a good bit more interested in seeing the show than I was coming in. The wrestling here was good to quite good, but this was all about the talking and they were feeling it this week.

Results

Christian Cage b. Matt Sydal – Killswitch

Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston b. The Acclaimed – Wheelbarrow Paradigm Shift to Caster

Hikaru Shida b. Rebel – Stretch Muffler

Serena Deeb b. Red Velvet – Serenity Lock

Anthony Ogogo b. Austin Gunn via referee stoppage

Young Bucks b. Varsity Blonds – Sharpshooter to Pillman

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Dynamite
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

Believe it or not we have a big six man tag here with the Young Bucks and Jon Moxley teaming up to face Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers. That certainly has potential, as does the next step in the Inner Circle vs. the Pinnacle. Throw in the explanation from QT Marshall about his new group and….you’ll realize that this place has a lot of stables. Oh and Mike Tyson is here again. Let’s get to it.

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

The Inner Circle arrived in some very expensive cars.

Opening sequence.

Max Caster vs. Hangman Page

Page doesn’t seem to like the rap and sends Caster into the buckle over and over. Caster gets in some right hands of his own but Page takes him down and hits a backsplash for two. They head outside where Page sends him into the barricade but stops to yell at Anthony Bowens. Back in and Page sends Caster outside again, this time setting up a slingshot dive. Caster is sat on the barricade for a clothesline, followed by a stare to get Bowens to put the boom box down.

The distraction lets Caster start in on the arm with some knee drops and a hammerlock with a crossface. That doesn’t last long as Page is back up with a spinebuster into an exploder suplex for two. They head to the apron for a slugout until Caster charges into a belly to back drop. Page goes up again but Bowens offers another distraction, allowing Caster to grab a superplex.

Zack Gibson’s Shankly Gates has Page in trouble but he’s out in a hurry and clotheslines Caster out of the air. The boom box comes in again for a distraction, allowing Bowens to slide Caster the chain. One heck of a right hand gives Caster two but the Mic Drop misses. Bowens breaks up the Buckshot so Page takes him out, followed by the Buckshot Lariat to finish Caster at 10:04.

Rating: C. That’s kind of a long time to beat a tag guy (who was somehow #3 in the rankings). Page is the #1 contender for whenever he gets the title shot and at least he had to take care of both of the Acclaimed here. The match was fine enough, though it didn’t exactly make Page look like the guy who is ready to take on Omega.

Tony Schiavone brings in the Death Triangle for a chat. Before they can say anything, here are the Best Friends (now complete with Kris Stadtlander), with Orange Cassidy showing us a clip from May when the Triangle took them out. The Triangle laughs them off but Pac is willing to give them another beating. Trent says the boys are back in town and now they have an alien with them. I’ll consider that a Toy Story reference as we wrap things up, basically with an announcement of what is next for both group.

Urban Meyer, coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, talked with Mike Tyson earlier.

Here’s the Inner Circle for a chat. After a break, Chris Jericho says they’re back in black after a beatdown from the Pineapple. He apologizes for the bad things they did but that was because of MJF (My Jerkoff Friend). Jericho talks about being bad in chemistry, to the point where his high school teacher asked him if he was on dope. No one is smart at chemistry, but Jericho is smart at people. He didn’t let MJF into the Inner Circle to help him up, but rather to keep him under Jericho’s thumb.

Then MJF outsmarted them, but then Jericho put his face in a toilet. Jericho knows that MJF is going to be the great one one day but he wants to be the great one now. Instead, be better than Peter Avalon, be better than Michael Nakazawa and be better than that scarf, because it is old and is sucks. Jericho was doing the scarf thing five years ago so why is MJF stealing his s***?

MJF is the one who ran to the back to ask how he did, which is called being a mark. Actually, from now on we’re going to call that being a Max. Then there is the Pinnacle, which is quite the lineup. You have Tully Blanchard, who is nothing more than the third string member of the Four Horsemen, right between Ole Anderson and Paul Roma (OUCH). Then there is FTR, who he can’t tell apart. They’re like the Jonas Brothers, in that they’re talented but no one can remember who is which.

Then you have Shawn Spears, and the only thing Jericho knows about him is the phone call Jericho got from him when WWE fired him ten years ago. Finally there is Wardlow with a million dollar brain and a thirteen cent body (yes that is what Jericho said) and is so stupid he has to strip to count to 21. Jericho: “I’ve seen him do it.” They are going to turn the Pinnacle into a human centipede and on May 5, it’s Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle in a Blood & Guts match. Jericho was showing the fire here and his face turn should breathe some new life into him.

Christian Cage talks about bringing Kazarian up to another level last week. Taz comes in and offers him a spot on Team Taz but leaves pretty quickly, telling Christian to sleep on it.

Bear Country vs. Jurassic Express

Bear Country is sent outside to start, where they catch Boy’s dive. They can’t catch Luchasaurus though and it’s time to head back inside. Boy’s top rope hurricanrana is cut off so Luchasaurus dives at them and….bounces off of them, making Bronson and Boy stagger around a bit.

We take a break and come back with Boy taking a backdrop and being powered into the corner. A few elbows get him out of trouble and a few slides between the legs are enough for the hot tag to Luchasaurus. The hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to clean house with strikes but Bronson catches him on top with a superplex. Boy breaks up the cover and mostly hits a slingshot tornado DDT.

Luchasaurus covers Boulder but Bronson picks up Boy and drives him into the cover (while not looking great in the process) for a save of his own. A double Cannonball in the corner crushes Luchasaurus but he sits up to avoid some kind of electric chair splash. Boulder gets kicked in the face and sent to the floor, leaving Bronson to take a chokeslam. Luchasaurus’ standing moonsault is good for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C-. This was rather messy with not much of a flow or anything, plus some ugly looking sequences and spots. They were kind of lumbering around and trying to go a little bit faster than they should have. Throw in the moves they were doing not quite working and it wasn’t the best thing in the world. At least Jurassic Express won, even if they aren’t getting close to the titles anytime soon.

QT Marshall talks about how sick he is of Cody Rhodes, who was stuck behind Ted Jr. in WWE. That’s why Cody went to the indies and surrounded himself with small guys so he could stand out for once. Marshall has surrounded himself with men, like Aaron Solow who will never be someone’s boyfriend (Bayley’s ex), Commarado, who will never be just a body guy, and Ogogo, who is a household name in the UK. This is Marshall’s factory now. Nice promo, but it’s still QT Marshall leading a stable.

Sting comes out for a chat but here’s Jake Roberts to cut him off before Sting can say a word. Jake says Sting is insane if he keeps trying the same thing and expecting something else. Cue Lance Archer to say how awesome he is and how sick he is of Sting getting the mic time. Sting takes the mic and says he’s tired of Archer being left out too. So why isn’t Jake telling him how to do it? Sting tells Archer to make it showtime and leaves.

Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky are watching from the rafters.

Taz cuts off Ricky Starks and Brian Page because they need to focus on Christian.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. JD Drake

Allin is defending and has Sting in his corner. Drake knocks him to the floor with a single chop, where Ryan Nemeth goes after Allin. That earns him a stalking to the back from Sting and we take a break with Allin still in trouble. Back with Allin rolling outside but Drake tosses him into the ropes (from the floor) and nails a hard clothesline. Drake’s Cannonball against the barricade only hits barricade so Allin takes out Cezar Bononi (because Drake has multiple friends too).

Back in and Drake gets him in the Tree of Woe, meaning the Cannonball can connect this time for two. Drake misses a moonsault that wouldn’t have connected even if Allin had stayed in the same place so Allin goes up top. That brings Drake up with him so Allin bites his finger for the break. The super Code Red sets up the Coffin Drop to retain at 9:13.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and it’s nice to see Allin having an actual title defense. Drake is someone with potential, though I’m not sure where he (and his friends) fit in other than being new jobbers. This was fine for a one off match and that’s all it needed to be, though I’m curious as to what Allin’s next actual feud will be.

Post match the Hardy Family Office runs in for the beatdown but Sting and the Dark Order makes the save. Tay Conti comes in for the brawl with the Bunny.

Video on Kenny Omega’s issues with the Young Bucks, who used to be friends, then they weren’t friends, then they were friends, then they weren’t friends, then Don Callis talked to them a lot, and now it’s complicated.

The Pinnacle jumps Chris Jericho and bring him into the ring for the beatdown. The spike piledriver plants him as we see the Inner Circle locked in their dressing room. They break through the door and we come back to the arena where MIKE TYSON saves Jericho and beats up Shawn Spears in the corner. The rest of the Inner Circle comes in for the real save and Jericho poses with Tyson (who is in pretty good shape here).

Britt Baker and Rebel think that Baker deserves a Women’s Title shot because the rankings are nonsense. She is going to be getting her wins up because rankings aren’t based on things that matter like merchandise sales and star power.

The Bunny vs. Tay Conti

The Hardy Family Office, the Dark Order and Hikaru Shida are all at ringside. The brawl is on in a hurry with Bunny hammering away and yelling a lot. Conti is back up with a capture suplex, allowing Excalibur to compare her to Akira Maeda. Bunny is fine enough to send her into the apron and then nail a running dropkick against the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Conti hitting a spinning backbreaker but missing a running knee in the corner. Down The Rabbit Hole is broken up and a failed Matt Hardy distraction lets Tay hit the TayKO for….two. Bunny gets in a neck snap over the top and knocks down Shida to take away her kendo stick. Shida takes it back though, allowing Conti to hit a superplex. The DDTay finishes Bunny at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Conti is on a roll as of late and Bunny got in enough to carry her half. It seems that Conti is the next challenger for Shida, though I have no idea if she would wind up taking the title because Shida seems likely to be the champion for the rest of time. Maybe Conti is the one, but it’s not like there is a reason to believe it at this point. She has been awesome as of late though and this was more good stuff.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Video on Jade Cargill vs. Red Velvet.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley

Don Callis is on commentary. Matt and Anderson start things off as JR calls it a six man tag instead of a trios match. Actually we’ll make it Omega vs. Matt instead, meaning a lot of trash is talked. The lockup doesn’t go anywhere so it’s off to Nick to crank on Omega’s arm. A hurricanrana puts Omega on the floor so it’s Anderson coming in. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s the triple dives to take down Omega and the Brothers.

Back from a break with Matt making the hot tag to Moxley so house can be cleaned, including snapping off some German suplexes. Anderson manages to take Moxley into the corner for two, setting up a big boot to drop him again. Moxley manages to come back up with a neckbreaker and the hot tag brings in Nick to face Anderson. Nick sends Omega to the floor and cleans house on the Brothers until Anderson snaps off a spinebuster. Matt comes in to hiptoss Omega a few times, setting up a DDT to plant him.

Matt can’t bring himself to superkick Omega though, instead asking if he is ok. That earns him a slap from Omega so Matt takes Omega down and hammers away. The rung is cleared out again and Omega grabs the snapdragon on Matt. There’s another snapdragon but Moxley breaks up the V Trigger. Matt piledrives Omega but stops to check on him, only to go with More Bang For Your Buck for two.

Anderson makes the save so the Bucks clear the ring again. The BTE Trigger is loaded up on Omega but can’t do it. Moxley comes in instead for the Paradigm Shift into the rear naked choke….but the Bucks superkick Moxley. Eddie Kingston runs in for the attempted save but gets laid out by the Brothers. A Magic Killer to Moxley is enough for Omega to get the pin at 16:25.

Rating: B-. You knew it was coming and now we’re finally here. The big Bullet Club reunion that….well I guess someone must find it fascinating. It’s the big heel stable again and odds are they are going to hold the titles for a long time to come against a variety of challengers. The story makes sense but it’s not exactly thrilling stuff. At least we’re finally here now after months of “well maybe the Bucks are going to do something” and that’s an improvement. I guess.

Post match the Bucks hit a double superkick on Moxley and the big hug ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The big angle at the end wasn’t exactly inspiring but the rest of the show was pretty good for the most part. They need to find something to do other than big group beatdowns though, because there were quite a few on this show alone. AEW has a bad tendency to repeat things in their angles and post match segments (which happen in almost every match) and it would be nice if they could mix it up a bit. It’s starting to get tiring and that is never a good feeling. It’s still a very energetic show, but it needs to have something fresh in there for a change.

Results

Hangman Page b. Max Caster – Buckshot Lariat

Jurassic Express b. Bear Country – Standing moonsault to Bronson

Darby Allin b. JD Drake – Coffin Drop

Tay Conti b. The Bunny – DDTay

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Jon Moxley/Young Bucks – Magic Killer to Moxley

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Revolution 2021
Date: March 7, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

There is something rather pleasing about having another AEW pay per view. The company has such a great track record with these things and it should be awesome to see what they can do again. The main event is an exploding barbed wire deathmatch because….I have no idea why but it is certainly going to get them some attention. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Britt Baker/Rebel vs. Riho/Thunder Rosa

Hold on though as Rebel has been attacked (she’s on crutches so it must be true) so we have a replacement.

Pre-Show: Britt Baker/Maki Itoh vs. Riho/Thunder Rosa

Itoh sings her own entrance song rather loudly. Riho takes Baker down by the arm to start so it’s quickly off to the rope. Some dropkicks rock Baker and there’s a headscissors to put Baker down again. Rosa comes in to armbar Itoh down and it’s switched into a crossface. With that broken up, Rosa wins an exchange of forearms and Itoh starts to cry. A stomp to Rosa’s boot just makes her shoulder Itoh down and she drops Itoh face first onto the turnbuckle.

Riho comes in and gets dropped down onto Itoh for two of her own. Back up and they slug it out until Baker pulls Riho to the floor, where Rebel is suddenly fine enough to send her into the steps. Itoh misses a falling headbutt back inside so it’s back to Baker to stomp away. A missed charge allows the tag off to Rosa so house can be cleaned. The running backsplash gets two on Baker but a Sling Blade drops Rosa.

Now Itoh’s falling headbutt gets two but Rosa is right back with a Stunner. Itoh hits a tornado DDT for two so she goes up top, only to miss the falling headbutt. Riho comes back in and charges into a half crab from Itoh, meaning a rope has to be grabbed. Another headbutt is blocked with a shot to the head and it’s quickly back to Rosa vs. Baker for the exchange of rollups. Baker runs into Rebel by mistake and walks into the Death Valley Driver with Itoh making the save. Rebel gets in a crutch shot to Rosa to give Baker the pin at 14:52.

Rating: C+. It was certainly energetic and fast paced and it was quite nice to see Baker get the win. The Rebel swap was fine as Itoh certainly has a lot of charisma, though I’m not sure how long she is going to be around here. If it is a one off appearance then great, but I’d hope it isn’t someone else in the way of Baker getting her overdue Women’s Title.

The opening video looks at the big matches.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho/MJF

The Bucks are defending and jump Jericho and MJF to start and hammer them out to the floor. Jericho and MJF send them together but stop to brag a bit, allowing the Bucks to take them down with stereo dives. The Bucks grab stereo Sharpshooters until the ropes are grabbed so Nick heads up top. This time Jericho is ready for it and hits the triangle dropkick to send him outside to take over.

Back in and a flapjack lets Jericho and MJF mock the Bucks’ pose. Nick flips over and slides between the legs to make the hot tag to Matt. The house cleaning doesn’t even get past the first room as MJF takes him down and gets in a Fargo Strut. Jericho hits a suplex as JR’s voice sounds like it is about to go out. A double suplex gets two on Matt and we hit the chinlock. Matt fights up but gets sent back into the corner, where he comes out with a double DDT.

It’s back to Nick to pick the pace way up, including the slingshot Canadian Destroyer for two on MJF. Everything breaks down with Matt hammering away at Jericho, who reverses into the Walls. That’s broken up so the Meltzer Driver is loaded up, only to have Jericho reverse into a Tombstone. Now the Walls can go on in full until Jericho stops to drag it back to the middle, allowing Matt to slip out. A missed charge in the corner crotches Jericho so MJF comes back in to counter a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb for two.

MJF gets rather cocky so Matt scoops him up for the Meltzer Driver, only to have Jericho hit the Codebreaker on Nick for the save. A Floyd the baseball bat sets up the Heatseeker for two on Matt and MJF is stunned. It’s back to Nick so the Bucks can hit stereo high crossbodies for two each. Jericho’s Judas Effect hits Wardlow by mistake but the Lionsault is superkicked out of the air. The BTE Trigger gets two as MJF makes the save, earning himself a trip to the floor. The Meltzer Driver finishes Jericho at 17:50.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job of making me buy into the drama off the Heatseeker so they had to be doing something right. There wasn’t much of a reason to believe new champions were coming here but they did a nice enough job of changing my mind throughout. Good opener, though it went on a little longer than it should have.

Post match we run down the card, with JR apologizing for how bad his voice sounds (fair enough as he sounds horrible).

Casino Battle Royale

It’s a tag team Royal Rumble with 15 teams announced coming in. There are ninety second intervals and both members have to be eliminated, with the winners becoming #1 contenders. At least they have the casino game to validate the gambling theme this time. The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes/QT Marshall) are in at #1 and the Dark Order (5/10) are in at #2 and the brawling is on in a hurry. Dustin snaps off the powerslam on 5 but Marshall is caught in a fall away slam/running dropkick combination. A double bulldog takes the Order down and it’s Santana/Ortiz in at #3.

House is cleaned but the Order knocks them both down. Marshall tosses 5 for the first elimination and has to hang on when 10 tries to toss him out as well. The Sydal Brothers are in at #4 and we get everyone brawling again with no one being tossed. The ring is getting a little full and the Dark Order (Evil Uno/Stu Grayson) are in at #5 to make it even more crowded. Everyone in the Dark Order teams up on Santana for a toss powerbomb and 10 adds a spinebuster. Mike Sydal was tossed in there somewhere so things are a little less full. The Gunn Club (Austin/Colton) are in at #6 and get to clean house for a bit.

The Quick Draw takes Santana down and Matt Sydal is out for the first full team elimination. Peter Avalon/Cezar Bononi are in at #7 and get in their own share of house cleaning. With no more eliminations, the Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr./Griff Garrison) are in at #8. The Gunn Club starts taking over with Peter Avalon being tossed. Bononi is in trouble but Marshall dumps both of them (despite them being part of the Nightmare Family). Dustin yells at him but Marshall eliminates himself and walks out as Bear Country (Bronson/Boulder, who I’ve never actually seen in the ring before) are in at #9.

A big boot to Grayson is enough for the Bears to toss him and Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus) is in at #10. Jungle Boy clotheslines Ortiz out and Luchasaurus does the same to Bononi to get rid of another team. There go Garrison, Santana and Evil Uno all at the Express’ hands and Butcher and the Blade are in at #11. The rest of the Dark Order is out thanks to interference from Jack Evans, leaving us with Dustin, Bear Country, the Jurassic Express and Butcher and Blade. Bunny gets involved and pulls Dustin out to get us down to six at the moment.

Private Party (Marq Quen/Isaiah Kassidy) are in at #12 to make it eight people at once and more brawling ensues. Stunt saves Pillman from being tossed it’s SCU (Christopher Daniels/Kazarian) in at #13. Luchasaurus breaks up their house cleaning but Bear Country tosses him out. Butcher dumps both Bears thanks to a Bunny distraction, only to have the two of them pull Butcher underneath the ropes to beat the heck out of him.

Rey Fenix and Pac are in at #14 to wreck a bunch of people and toss Quen and Blade. The brawling continues until the Dark Order (John Silver/Alex Reynolds are in at #15 to complete the field. Some rapid fire eliminations leave us with Fenix, Pac, Silver and Boy, leaving us with three teams over four entrants. Silver is almost tossed but manages to hang on with one hand and Fenix has to do the same. Pac and Silver slug it out with Silver kicking him up against the ropes but missing a charge into the snap German suplex.

Pac tosses Silver to the apron and Fenix walks the rope to kick him in the head for the elimination. Boy can barely get up but he manages to duck Pac’s kick to the head and low bridge him to the floor. That leaves Fenix vs. Boy in the staredown with Boy being knocked through the ropes to the floor in a hurry. Fenix hits a heck of a flip dive but Boy is right back with a clothesline back inside. There’s the poisonrana but Fenix kicks him in the head and tosses him out for the win at 26:47.

Rating: C+. I’m never sure how to rate these but they kept things moving quickly enough to keep it from being boring. That’s the key to something like this as while the ring got too full more than once, it was cleared out in a hurry near the end, which is what matters most. Fenix and Pac winning is the right call and it’s rather impressive that they are such a good team despite being thrown together. Good enough stuff here and the right team won.

Paul Wight says the big signing is here and gives us a hint: no one can out work him.

Diamond Dallas Page and Al Snow are here.

We recap Ryo Mizunami vs. Hikaru Shida for the Women’s Title. Mizunami was ready to retire until she showed up at Double Or Nothing and it revitalized her career. She won the #1 contenders tournament and is ready to go for the title.

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami

Shida is defending and gets knocked into the corner early on. The chops have Shida in trouble but she sends Ryo face first into the buckle and hits her own chops. Ryo chops away even more until Shida sends her into the corner for a running knee. Another running knee gets two but Ryo counters the running knee off the chair into a powerbomb over the barricade.

Back in and Ryo hammers away until Shida gets in a kick to the face out of the corner. The missile dropkick gets two on Ryo so Shida takes her to the ramp for a sunset driver. Shida smiles a lot and takes her back inside for two off a suplex. They strike it out until Ryo nails a few clotheslines to take over. Shida hits some running knees to the face but can’t cover. They grab hands and get up for another slugout until Ryo hits a Rock Bottom.

The guillotine legdrop gets two so Shida snaps off a straitjacket suplex, with Ryo popping back up for a screaming clothesline. Another running knee sets up the Falcon Arrow for two on Ryo and a poke to the eye sets up a small package for the same. The running knee connects but Ryo reverses into a rollup for two more. Shida hits an enziguri for two more and she tries another Falcon Arrow…which looked to be countered into a DDT but seemed to be swung into a Rock Bottom to plant Rio instead. Another running knee gets two on Ryo, followed by another knee to retain the title at 15:46.

Rating: C-. I’m so sick of Shida with her 917 running knees offense mixed in with some Falcon Arrows to spice it up a bit. She has been champion for almost ten months now and it feels like she has had the same match throughout her reign. I didn’t get into this for the most part as a good bit of the work was sloppy and the abundance of knees had me begging for the thing to be over. Shida needs to drop the title almost immediately and the sooner it is to Baker, the better.

Post match Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Rebel run in to jump Shida and Ryo but Thunder Rosa makes the save, likely setting up a six woman on Dynamite.

Miro and Kip Sabian jump Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy in the back but demand the music be played anyway. Taylor is busted open thanks to going into some glass and is dragged to the ring as Miro calls him Charles over and over. Miro offers him the chance to let it stop but Taylor says ring the bell.

Miro/Kip Sabian vs. Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy

There is no Cassidy and Taylor is clotheslined down in a hurry. Miro rubs Taylor’s blood on his chest and Sabian is in with a missile dropkick. Chuck is sent into the corner for a boot to the face and another dropkick from Sabian makes it worse. Taylor gets in a shot to the face as Cassidy staggers to the ring. Well part of the way as he falls down on the stage on the way there.

Cassidy pops up to Orange Punch Miro and Taylor knocks Sabian down, allowing Cassidy to get the hot tag. Everything breaks down with Cassidy hitting a dive onto Sabian but getting caught in a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The Deathly Hallows is broken up and Taylor tags himself in for a Beach Break/double stomp combination. A piledriver gets two on Sabian with Miro having to make a save.

Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets for the slow motion kicks to Miro (of course), who kicks him down (as you should). Cassidy is back with the Stundog Millionaire but is driven into Penelope Ford to knock her to the floor. Miro kicks Cassidy in the head and throws Sabian back inside so Miro can make the tag. The jumping kick to the face sets up Game Over to finish Taylor at 7:54.

Rating: D+. Now can we please move them both on to ANYTHING else? Miro getting the win makes sense, but I hope this isn’t setting up some Miro vs. Cassidy showdown. The match needed to be this short after everything else has felt long and thankfully they didn’t do anything stupid here like giving Cassidy a fluke pin. They need to move on though if they want to make Miro into something important as it isn’t happening against Taylor and Cassidy.

MJF and Chris Jericho aren’t happy with their loss so on Wednesday it is the Inner Circle War Council, when changes are coming. MJF seems to suggest that Jericho may be in trouble.

We recap Matt Hardy vs. Hangman Page. Hardy wants to be Page’s manager/agent but Page tricked him into signing a contract where the winner gets the loser’s income for the first three months of the year. I’ve heard far worse ideas.

Matt Hardy vs. Hangman Page

Private Party is here with Hardy. Page ducks a right hand and hammers away in the corner as commentary talks about how Hardy has been wrestling almost as long as Page has been alive. There’s a fall away slam to Matt and they head outside with Page hitting an ax handle off part of the stage. Back in and Matt bails straight to the floor again, where he sends Page’s arm into the post.

The hand is wrapped around the post and sent into the steps with commentary wisely pointing out that it’s the Buckshot Lariat arm. Back in and Hardy bites the finger before bending the fingers back again. Page fights up and uses the right hand without thinking, which makes it even worse. The springboard clothesline puts Hardy down but the bad arm keeps Page down too. Hardy grabs a Twist of Fate on the floor and Page has to beat the count at nine.

Back in and Hardy German suplexes him off the top for two but Page is back up with a shot to the face. A clothesline puts them both on the floor as the fans are VERY into Hardy. Page is up first with a moonsault to take Hardy down again, followed by a sliding clothesline back inside. Deadeye is broken up and Hardy takes him down with a neckbreaker. Hardy catches him on top with a Razor’s Edge powerbomb for two more but the Twist of Fate is countered into the Deadeye.

That draws up Private Party for the distraction with Page having to get rid of both of them. The Buckshot Lariat is countered into the Side Effect (that looked good) and the Twist of Fate gets two (with commentary spoiling the kickout by shouting about how Matt is going to do it). Cue the Dark Order (all six members of them, which is not evening the odds as Excalibur calls it) to take care of Private Party, allowing Page to hit the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 14:57.

Rating: C+. This was a better match than I would have bet on, though the fans at ringside screaming for Hardy every two seconds were rather pesky. They went with the only result they could have chosen so at least nothing went too far here. Page with the Dark Order intrigues me, but I’d rather they keep it this way instead of him joining in full.

Post match Dark Order and Page celebrate with some beer.

Video on the Face Of The Revolution ladder match for a TNT Title shot on Wednesday and with a mystery entrant.

Max Castor vs. Lance Archer vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Penta El Cero Miedo vs. Scorpio Sky vs. ???

Ladder match and the mystery entrant is…Ethan Page. Eh works for me. It’s a brawl to start with various people being knocked outside. Archer grabs a ladder to hit Cody in the bad shoulder and hit Sky and Castor in the head. Penta kicks Archer down and hits the Sling Blade but gets caught with by Sky’s German suplex. Castor comes in to clear the ring but here is Jack Evans with the boom box, only to have Dark Order’s 10 run out to take care of him (because a six man ladder match needs another story going on).

The ladder is set up and Page kicks Cody down to get rid of him. Castor starts hitting everyone with the boom box, including a few shots to Cody’s bad shoulder. Penta uses the ladder for a ramp to flip dive onto Cody and Castor. Archer dropkicks Penta to the floor but Page is back in to tie Archer up in the ladder. Page can’t hit a tilt-a-whirl side slam on Sky so he settles for Splash Mountain to drop Sky onto the ladder onto Archer.

Said ladder is bridged between the ring and the barricade so let’s bring in another one. Cody has to springboard in with a dropkick to knock Penta off the ladder but Penta is right back up with the Canadian Destroyer to drive Cody into the bridged ladder. That’s enough for Cody to be taken to the back (or at least to the entrance of the tunnel) as Sky pulls Castor off the ladder. Castor and Sky are up at the same time but Archer and Page join them. Everyone gets knocked off with Penta being up first for some kicking.

Sky pulls Penta down for the big crash, leaving Page and Castor to slug it out on the ladders again. Castor hits a huge sunset bomb to bring him down but Sky puts Castor onto the ladder in a crash. The frog splash crushes Castor onto the ladder and everyone is down again. Archer catapults Sky onto the ladder but then has to pull him back down. A jumping knee knocks Sky off the apron and through another ladder at ringside to put him way down.

Penta is back up to clean house but here’s Cody to whip a bunch of people with the belt. Archer suplexes Cody onto the bad arm and Castor adds an elbow drop off of the ladder to keep Cody down. Archer shoves the ladder over to take out Penta and Castor, followed by a string of chokeslams. The Black Out onto the ladder knocks Castor silly but Page powerbombs Archer off of the ladder.

That brings Jake Roberts in for a clothesline to Page but Penta kicks Roberts down. Cody is back up with the Cody….uh, slap to the face this time, to bring Penta off the ladder. Penta is right back up to take Cody off of the ladder but Sky cleans house with a chair. Cody and Sky slug it out on top of the ladder, with Sky being smart enough to pull on the bad arm. Cody gets knocked down and Sky wins at 23:16.

Rating: B. This was the spot fest that it needed to be and I’m rather pleased with Sky winning. Not just because I picked him to win, but also because he is the kind of smooth wrestler who can have a good match against anyone. Now they need to actually do something with him, because it feels like the kind of spot we have been in with him more than once before.

It’s time for the big signing and….yeah it’s Christian Cage. Cool moment as he was just in the Rumble, but dang I wanted to see Edge and Christian vs. the Usos. Christian signs without saying or doing anything else.

We recap Sting/Darby Allin vs. Team Taz. Allin has been getting on Team Taz’s nerves so they beat him up multiple times. Then Sting showed up to even the odds, meaning it’s cinematic match time.

Team Taz vs. Darby Allin/Sting

We go cinematic in a warehouse, with Allin hitching a ride on the back of a truck ala Back to the Future. Sting and Allin have an army of people in face paint to accompany them and we’re actually in a ring. Allin gets thrown over the top so he bounces off of a wall and back into the ring (Tony: “LIKE SPIDER!”) to drop Cage. They’re out of the ring in a hurry with Cage powerbombing one of the masked men against the apron. Cage drags Allin away from the ring as Sting hits the Stinger Splash on Starks.

A big camera zoom takes us across the building to Allin slipping out of a powerbomb attempt. Cage throws him through some doors as another Stinger Splash hits Starks. They leave the ring too with Sting grabbing the bat to chase Starks away. Starks says Sting is nothing without the bat so Sting throws it down and beats on Starks without it. We go back to Cage picking up Allin for a suplex and walking him up a flight of stairs (because he can just do that).

Back to Starks beating up Sting and throwing a barrel at his knees. Cage hits Starks in the head by mistake though and Allin is back with a bottle to Cage’s head. A double chokeslam puts Cage through a table and there’s a Coffin Drop off of a post to take Allin down. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook to beat Allin down and a big toss sends him through a window. Sting gets kicked in the ribs as JR says so much for this being a tag match.

With Sting in trouble, Allin pops up and throw him a bat (across the building and down a floor), which Sting breaks over Cage’s back. Allin then dives off of a balcony through Cage through part of the floor, leaving Starks and Sting to go back to the ring. The Stinger Splash hits exposed buckle and Starks spears him for two. Back up and Starks misses an elbow, setting up the Scorpion Death Drop to finish Starks at 13:49.

Rating: B. Your taste is going to entirely depend on what you think of cinematic matches so this could be quite the range of ratings. I’m not wild on the idea, but I would absolutely prefer this to a regular match for Sting. Starks taking the fall is frustrating but this is kind of a special circumstance. I know Sting isn’t going to be a regular wrestler and while he didn’t look bad here, he doesn’t need to be doing this very often.

Double Or Nothing is in May.

We run down the Dynamite card.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega in an exploding barbed wire deathmatch. Moxley won’t leave Omega alone so he is picking this as a way to get rid of Moxley for good. Atsushi Onita talks about how dangerous the match is and violence is promised.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega

Omega is defending and there is barbed wire everywhere. If you touch the barbed wire ropes something explodes, and if we go thirty minutes EVERYTHING EXPLODES. Don Callis in on commentary and the referee is in something resembling a hazmat suit. Moxley takes a shot of whiskey during the Big Match Intros and we’re ready to go. They take their time going to the lockup and Moxley blocks a drive into a barbed wire board in the corner. They chop it out until Omega grabs a headlock and Moxley can’t even suplex his way out of it.

Neither is able to send the other into the barbed wire board so Moxley sends him outside through the one section with no barbed wire. A Russian legsweep with a barbed wire baseball bat takes Omega down and there’s a kendo stick shot to the back. Back in and Omega throws powder into the eyes, meaning Moxley needs to blindly swing the barbed wire bat. Moxley is sent into the barbed wire for the first explosion for two.

Some kendo stick shots have Moxley in trouble and the Kitaro Crusher through a trashcan gets two. Back up and the rather bloody Moxley is sent into the barbed wire board in the corner, setting up Omega’s middle rope moonsault for two. Schiavone: “We have exactly twenty minutes before this ring explodes.” Moxley sends him into the ropes for an explosion and then dropkicks him into them for another.

Back up and Moxley suplexes Omega through another barbed wire board in the corner but a Paradigm Shift onto a barbed wire chair is blocked. Moxley sends Omega flying with a German suplex and a side slam onto the barbed wire chair has Omega in a lot of pain. The barbed wire is wrapped around Moxley’s arm but the running lariat is countered into a dragon suplex.

The V Trigger gets two and Moxley drives him into the wire, with the explosion going off in Omega’s face. They head to the apron for a slugout until Moxley hits a Paradigm Shift through the barbed wire board for a double explosion. They’re both down for a long time until Moxley pulls the wire off of the board. They get back in and we get a noise signaling that we are ten minutes away from the big explosions.

Omega gets in a low blow and there’s a V Trigger in the corner. Make that two in a row and the One Winged Angel gets two as Moxley puts his foot on the ropes for the explosion (clever). Cue the Good Brothers to beat on Moxley and an exploding barbed wire bat to the face gets two. The One Winged Angel through the chair retains the title at 25:09.

Rating: D+. For a barbed wire street fight, it was pretty good (assuming you don’t find “yeah he used barbed wire, but now he’s going to use MORE barbed wire” to be a rather dumb idea), but for something built around THE RING MIGHT EXPLODE, this was rather disappointing. The match was built around the danger and I was laughing when some sparklers and smoke went off. Throw in how ridiculous the barbed wire stuff was and this was horrible. Make it a regular barbed wire match and it’s FAR better, but the explosions being such a joke killed it.

Post match the beatdown stays on as we’re told the ring is going to explode no matter what because THERE IS NO FAIL SAFE. As I try to figure out why that would be a feature, Omega handcuffs Moxley’s hands behind his back and the big beatdown ensues as we kill off the last of the thirty minutes.

The one minute countdown is on and the handcuffed Moxley is in the ring. Eddie Kingston comes in to try and get him out….and a bit of pyro goes of around the ring. The pyro from the corners was smaller than what would come up during Diesel’s entrance and the stuff at ringside was even weaker. This was pathetic, and Kingston actually selling it makes things even worse. I actually can’t remember the last time I saw something so disappointing and it is going to be a rather black eye for AEW for a good while.

Overall Rating: C. There were some good parts to the show but I’m rather disappointed by the whole thing. It didn’t have anything that was must see, it felt rather long and then the ending was an all time letdown. Christian signing is cool and the cinematic match was good, but this is going to be remembered for one or two things and that’s it. They went too far with the build and now it is going to cause them trouble.

The ending was a good example of one of AEW’s biggest problems: they have to do too much. The main event ended with a One Winged Angel THROUGH A CHAIR. You could put Moxley on the shelf for three months with that and it would have been fine. But no, we need to (allegedly) blow up the ring because a move you could say broke his neck isn’t enough. That’s something they do far too often and it hurts them. I’m really disappointed and I don’t like that feeling with what is usually one of the best products out there.

If you ever needed proof that AEW needs someone to say no sometimes, this is it. One of the things that a lot of people were saying was it was going to be ridiculous and they were hyping it up too much because that’s over the top. Well this is what we wound up with because AN EXPLODING RING is kind of a stupid idea. Tony Khan needed to say no and just let them have the barbed wire match and move on. They’ll be fine in a bit after this, but this was a step back for them and that is a new situation for them to be in.

Results

Young Bucks b. Chris Jericho/MJF – Meltzer Driver to Jericho

Rey Fenix/Pac won the Casino Battle Royale last eliminating Jungle Boy

Hikaru Shida b. Ryo Mizunami – Running knee

Miro/Kip Sabian b. Chuck Taylor/Orange Cassidy – Game Over to Taylor

Hangman Page b. Matt Hardy – Buckshot Lariat

Scorpio Sky won the Face Of The Revolution ladder match

Sting/Darby Allin b. Team Taz – Scorpion Death Drop to Starks

Kenny Omega b. Jon Moxley – One Winged Angel through a chair

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: February 24, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

AEW had a pretty surprising headline earlier today as they announced the signing of Big Show Paul Wight, which is not something many people had on their Bingo cards. I’m not sure how much of a difference he is going to make around here but he seems a lot more like a signing for the sake of getting some attention than anything else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth

Nemeth says he likes trying for the starring role and gets slapped off his feet in a hurry. Some knees to the ribs have Moxley staggered but he comes right back with a belly to back suplex. Another shot to the face sets up the Paradigm Shift to finish Nemeth at 2:45.

Post match Moxley sits in a chair and says he’ll do anything to be World Champion again. What kind of images come to mind when someone says exploding barbed wire death match (Laughter?)? Maybe it’s blood, carnage, Japanese wrestling magazines? Moxley talks about how he can’t get enough of wrestling and while it’s a trap from Kenny Omega and his boys, he just can’t resist. He talks about how far he is wiling to go to win the title back and promises to give us everything he has (which sounded like he is leaving, perhaps for paternity leave).

Video on Omega vs. Moxley.

Lance Archer and Rey Fenix respect each other but they both want to win the spot in the Revolution ladder match. Then Fenix calls him the worst partner he has ever had though and has to dodge a lot of violence.

We look back at the Inner Circle shoving Papa Buck last week.

The Young Bucks are here with their parents, who seem rather proud.

Varsity Blonds vs. Team Taz

Brian Cage/Ricky Starks for Team Taz here with Taz on commentary. Pillman and Starks run the ropes to start and it’s Pillman tripping him down to the floor. Back in and Pillman grabs a rollup for two but Air Pillman is knocked to the floor. Cage powerbombs him against the post and we take a break.

Back with Cage curling Pillman and tossing him down, allowing Starks to come back in for a running elbow in the corner. A right hand misses though and the hot tag brings in Garrison to pick up the pace. Garrison’s belly to back faceplant gets two on Starks with Cage making the save. Air Pillman breaks up a sitout powerbomb but it’s a spear to Garrison and a discus clothesline to Pillman. The drill Claw gives Cage the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a good bit as the Blonds were looking better than they have to date. The action was good and I can always go for a power vs. speed match. These guys had a pretty fun match here and they had Team Taz sweat a bit, which you might not have guessed in this spot.

Post match we get a video of a truck dragging a body bag. Sting is driving and Darby Allin is in the bag (in half Sting face paint). Back in the arena, here’s Sting, with a body bag. Tony thinks Allin might be in the bag and…..it’s actually Taz’s son Hook. Allin ziplines into the ring with the skateboard to clean house. Sting gets in as well for some pretty bad stomping and the Stinger Splash to Cage.

We get a sitdown interview with Miro, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. They don’t like what happened with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy at the wedding. Miro likes Charles though and wants him to come back as the butler rather than following Cassidy. We get a note from Taylor and Cassidy, with the Y/N/Maybe (circle one), hugs and kisses. Miro tells Taylor to be a man and the match seems likely.

Brandon Cutler vs. Jake Hager

Hager suplexes him down a few times to start and hits the Hager Bomb. Back up and Cutler manages to send him outside for the big flip dive, only to get caught in something like a powerslam back inside. One heck of a running clothesline finishes Cutler at 3:12.

Rating: C-. Nearly a total squash here with Hager barely getting touched outside of that one flip dive. Cutler isn’t someone who feels like anything important so having him beaten up to make the Bucks mad isn’t the worst idea. This worked out well enough, even if the match wasn’t exactly competitive.

Post match the Inner Circle is out for the beatdown but the Young Bucks make the real save. The Bucks call out MJF and Chris Jericho, who pop up on the screen. They aren’t wasting time coming to the ring….because they have beaten and bloodied Papa Buck. MJF and Jericho mock the Bucks’ pose and run when the Bucks come in for the save.

We recap Cody Rhodes/Red Velvet vs. Shaquille O’Neal/Jade Cargill. I’m still not 100% sure why Cargill and O’Neal are a team or why they’re going after Cody but I don’t think you’re exactly supposed to. Jim Ross and Excalibur talk about the match, which could be one heck of a mess.

Isaiah Kassidy vs. Hangman Page

Matt Hardy and the Hybrid 2 are here with Kassidy. Page, who has made some new friends lately, slugs away at Kassidy to start and stomps him down in the corner, setting up the fall away slam. A hard clothesline drops Kassidy and Page kicks him out of the air to the floor. There’s the slingshot dive to drop Kassidy again and a clothesline puts him over the barricade.

Hybrid 2 gets on the apron for a distraction and Hardy’s cheating lets Kassidy get in a cheap shot. Cue the Dark Order to stooge on Matt, who is ejected. Kassidy grabs the armbar and we take a break. Back with Kassidy still working on the arm until Page gets in a shot to the face. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up so Page settles for a discus forearm and a near fall. Kassidy is back with an enziguri, only to get caught in a Death Valley Driver.

There’s a brainbuster for two more on Kassidy, who is back with a posionrana for one. A cross armbreaker has Page in trouble and Kassidy snaps the arm over the rope. Back up and Kassidy tries a springboard but Page pulls it out of the air and hits a (one armed) Deadeye for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: C+. This was quite the lengthy match, though the action was good enough to work out. I’m not sure why Kassidy is getting to hang with Page this long but maybe the ring time will do him some good. The idea of Hardy vs. Page still doesn’t interest me, but if it’s a one off match then it should be ok.

Post match Hardy’s voice comes over the speaker to talk about how Page made the wrong choice. Hardy appears with #5 and throws him off the stage.

Kenny Omega is building the Moxley Extermination Chamber, complete with pounding on metal himself. If you want something done, do it yourself.

Long video on the Women’s #1 Contender tournament.

Women’s #1 Contenders Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose

Baker gets tossed around to start so it’s time to go to the back for some complaining. Back in and Rose hits the Samoan drop before trying to break the leg in the corner again. That doesn’t work so Rose drops her hard with a gorilla press. They head outside with Baker kicking the arm against the barricade and we take a break. Back with Rose hitting a superplex but Baker manages a suplex of her own. Rose knocks her down again and goes to the corner but has to take Rebel out with a release Rock Bottom onto the apron.

Rose chokeslams Baker but has to knock Rebel into the corner. That sets up the Cannonball but Baker sends Rose into the exposed buckle (exposed during the break and shown when we came back) to set up Lockjaw. That’s countered though and Rose plants her for two, only to have Baker pull her into Lockjaw again. That’s broken up again so it’s Beast Bomb…for two (possibly due to the banged up arm), with Rose being stunned. Another Beast Bomb finishes Baker at 12:41.

Rating: C. This was an awkward one as they tried to do a bit too much with Rebel and it didn’t quite click. At the same time, and it’s too early to actually get annoyed at this yet, but I’m really not all that interested in Rose. We’ve been there far too many times now and hopefully we don’t have to see it again anytime soon.

Video on Jurassic Express vs. FTR/Tully Blanchard. FTR wants to fight them because they are so different, but they don’t know what they are in for with Blanchard returning to the ring.

Here’s what’s coming in the next few weeks, including at Revolution.

Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix

For a spot in the Revolution latter match and Jake Roberts is here with Lance. Archer stalks him into the corner but Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana. Fenix manages to knock the monster to the floor for the big running flip suicide dive. Jake catches Fenix on top, so he jumps over Roberts and dives onto Archer instead. Archer throws him over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Archer knocking him hard off the apron to the floor and looking rather pleased about the landing. Fenix gets sent hard into the barricade and then a toss suplex sends him flying inside. A kick to the ribs lets Fenix get up top for a top rope double stomp to the back of the head but Archer snaps off a release German suplex.

There’s the rope walk moonsault for two on Fenix, who is whipped hard into the corner for a running clothesline. Archer charges into a raised boot in the corner though and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the head puts the monster down. The rolling cutter connects and a Spanish Fly somehow connects for two more on Archer. A Pounce drops Fenix and there’s the chokeslam for a rather close two. Archer is frustrated so he takes Fenix up top and plants him with the Black Out for the pin at 17:32.

Rating: B. I was betting on the time limit draw at the end but it was nice to see Archer get the monster win in the end. This was about the beast chasing its next meal and finally catching him in the end, which is a fine story to tell. They both did their thing rather well and it was a heck of a main event, especially with the longer time that they were given. Fenix is a heck of a star and it’s great to see him getting a chance to shine on his own.

A bit of respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like they took their foot off of the gas before the big show next week and there is nothing wrong with that. Next week is the show that matters with the big tag match and then Revolution is later in the same week. There was no need to hammer away with this week’s show and thankfully they didn’t try too hard. What we got was rather good (a few questionable choices aside) and I had a pretty easy time with the show.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Ryan Nemeth – Paradigm Shift

Team Taz b. Varsity Blonds – Drill Claw to Pillman

Jake Hager b. Brandon Cutler – Running clothesline

Hangman Page b. Isaiah Kassidy – Deadeye

Nyla Rose b. Britt Baker – Beast Bomb

Lance Archer b. Rey Fenix – Black Out

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: February 17, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

Things were pretty good last week and hopefully that means AEW has some momentum coming into this week. I’m not sure what that is going to mean this time around but we’re rapidly approaching Revolution next month. That show could use a card so maybe we can get some more this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page/Matt Hardy vs. Hybrid 2

Matt knocks Evans down to start and Page’s running shooting star press gets two. The BK Bomb puts Hardy in trouble and Evans snaps his throat across the top. Angelico spins over into a rollup for two and he slaps on a front facelock to drag Matt back into the corner. Matt avoids a handspring elbow and the hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a Ron Simmons spinebuster to Angelico.

Page powerbombs Angelico and the powerbombs a diving Evans out of the air onto Angelico for a scary landing. The Buckshot Lariat is loaded up but Matt tags himself in, meaning it’s a backbreaker/neckbreaker combination for two. A Downward Spiral into a Phoenix splash gets two more but Page Buckshot Lariats both of them at once. The Twist of Fate finishes Angelico at 7:05.

Rating: C. I really cannot bring myself to care about Page and Matt teaming together, mainly because it involves Hardy’s latest character. It comes off more like Hardy’s latest idea, which has been the case so many times now that it is hard to care. Page deserves better than this, and hopefully he isn’t stuck here for more than a few weeks at most.

Post match Matt says he’s glad Page signed with him for 30% of Page’s money. Page breaks the news, saying that Matt should have read the contract. Matt sent it straight tot he lawyer, but here’s the Jacksonville Jaguars’ mascot with a copy of what Matt signed last week. The contract says they’ll be facing each other at Revolution. If Matt loses, Page gets 100% of Matt’s earnings from the first quarter of 2021. Matt: “YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A CARNY! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU BAMBOOZLED ME!”

Matt wants Page’s first quarter earnings up as well and Page shakes on it. The Jaguars’ mascot kicks Page low and it’s Isaiah Kassidy. Matt offers the Hybrid 2 $3,700 to to beat up Matt Hardy so the beatdown is on, but Negative One sends out the Dark Order for the save. Matt has to duck the Buckshot Lariat and runs off. Page gives the Dark Order a thankful look.

So let me make sure I have this straight. Since Kassidy had a copy of the contract, we can assume that Matt was faking his outrage over the different terms. So Page assumed that Matt didn’t know what was going on and felt the need to bring out the Jaguars’ mascot to further humiliate Matt? Who found out about Page’s plans with the mascot and planted Kassidy in the suit after paying/attacking the regular person playing the mascot? That’s quite the wacky plan.

Santana and Ortiz are ready for their first Tag Team Title shot (Really?) because it’s time for the Young Bucks to pay their dues. MJF says of course he wasn’t recording Sammy Guevara last week when there was already a cameraman in the room with the. Chris Jericho doesn’t want to hear it because MJF goaded Sammy into quitting the Inner Circle. The rest of it is Sammy’s fault though and now Sammy has made the dumbest decision of all. Sammy is now dead to him and Jericho never wants to hear that name again. Tonight it’s about bringing gold back to the Inner Circle so let’s go win some championships.

We recap some of the first round of the Japanese half of the #1 contenders tournament for the Women’s Title. That’s quite the effort to set up a title match.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Riho vs. Serena Deeb

Non-title and Deeb has a bad knee coming in. They go the mat to start with Deeb going after the knee in a logical move. That’s broken up and hit the test of strength, with Riho being bridged down and staying up as Deeb lands on her. A shoulder puts Riho down but she’s back up with a cartwheel into a crossbody for two. Riho’s 619 is blocked and a catapult sends her throat first into the bottom rope. We take a break and come back with Riho fighting out of a crossarm choke and snapping off a dragon suplex.

Riho goes up but gets caught coming off the top, allowing Deeb to snap off a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. A swinging neckbreaker gets two on Riho but she knocks Deeb into the ropes for the 619. Riho’s top rope double stomp to the back gets two but Deeb is right back with a Stretch Muffler. That’s reversed into a rollup for two, followed by a northern lights suplex for two more. The top rope double stomp gets another near fall and they go to a pinfall reversal sequence with Riho rolling her up for the pin at 14:46.

Rating: B. Well you knew Riho wasn’t losing in her first match back. I’m still worried that AEW is going to have her run through everyone again because they see quite a bit in her, though this was quite the match with both of them looking good. I’m not sure why AEW needs two Women’s Champions floating around but this was a heck of a match and Deeb continues to look awesome in almost everything she does.

We look at Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neal training for their mixed tag by playing basketball.

Luther vs. Orange Cassidy

Serpentico and Chuck Taylor are at ringside and get in a fight at the bell. Luther hits a pump kick to knock Cassidy to the apron, where Cassidy powerbombs him to the floor. Back in and Chuck Awful Waffles Serpentico (you knew JR is all over that one), leaving Cassidy to hit the Orange Punch for the pin at 1:53.

We recap Team Tazz putting Darby Allin in a body bag and dragging him around the parking lot in a car last week.

Here’s Team Tazz to call out Sting and he’s right there for them. They don’t like the bat so Sting throws it away, meaning the beatdown is on. Brian Cage powerbombs the heck out of him. I cringe every time Sting does something physical these days so hopefully it doesn’t happen too often.

Eddie Kingston wants to get rid of Rey Fenix, but he needs to get rid of Jon Moxley. Pills, drinking and women haven’t done it, so it has to be beating Moxley once and for all, old friend.

JR sends us to a segment from earlier today with “the WWE Champion Kenny Omega.” Kenny, with Don Callis, was at a school earlier today and read the Young Bucks book to a bunch of kids. Kid after looking at the book cover: “Are they in love?” Kenny: “Uh, well they’re brothers so they love each other very much.” Kenny reads a passage about how he boosted business in the Tokyo Dome and they have to leave. They’re rather pleased with the publicity this will get but a kid wants them to stay. Callis says they can’t, but they can play with Michael Nakazawa (thankfully in regular clothes). The kids beat Nakazawa up.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz

Santana and Ortiz (with most of the Inner Circle) are challenging and Santana armdrags Nick down to start. Matt comes in and hammers away in the corner, only to get caught in a double team backbreaker. MJF comes up on the apron to go after Matt but the referee catches him and ejects the entire team.

We take a break and come back with Matt hitting a top rope twisting Stunner on Santana. An Iconoclasm into a sitout powerbomb gets two but Ortiz is back with a super Falcon Arrow for the same on Matt. Ortiz gets Nick in a Koji Clutch but Matt makes the save with a top rope elbow. The Bucks send Ortiz outside and the Doomsday Device gets two on Santana.

The buckle bomb into an enziguri sets up the double superkick for two with Ortiz having to make another save. Santana ducks the BTE Trigger though and rolls Ortiz over for a double Stunner on Matt. The Street Sweeper gets two on Nick with Matt having to make a last second save. Santana powerbombs Matt over the barricade into the crowd but Nick grabs a small package for the pin to retain at 13:07.

Rating: B. Another rather good match here, though I didn’t quite get into the near falls as the Bucks had only taken one finisher so they weren’t about to get pinned yet. I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that Santana and Ortiz had never gotten a title shot before, but they did their thing rather well here. Good match, especially for a TV match with rather little build.

Post match the Inner Circle comes back in for the beatdown as Don Callis, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers watch backstage. Brandon Cutler comes in for the failed save, leaving Jericho and MJF to put their holds on the Bucks for the taps. The Brothers make the very slow motion saves. The Bucks’ parents are in the crowd and the dad shoves Jericho.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes reveal the gender of their baby. It’s a girl. Dang I was hoping for a toaster.

FTR vs. Matt Sydal/Mike Sydal

Cody is on commentary and announces a ladder match for the #1 contendership to the TNT Title. As we see Dory Funk Jr. in the crowd, Mike gets knocked into the corner to start but Matt comes in for some rapid fire shots. Cash takes Mike’s head off for two though and we take a break.

Back with Matt fighting back, only to have a tornado DDT countered into a powerbomb. A dragon suplex gets two on Matt with Mike having to make a save. Matt cleans house, including the top rope Meteora. Mike tries to come in off the top with…..something but he slips a bit (must be a family thing) and crashes onto Dax for two. FTR has had it with these guys and it’s the Big Rig for the pin on Mike at 8:56.

Rating; C-. I couldn’t get into this one as it was more like Matt trying to fight FTR on his own with Mike just kind of being there. FTR beating these guys up was a fine way to go, but the Sydals just aren’t all that interesting. I did get a bit of a chuckle out of Mike slipping up as well, though it was nowhere near as bad as Matt’s debut.

Post match FTR goes for the doctor’s medical bag so they can cut off Mike’s hair. The lights go out and we see a shot of Luchasaurus’ mask. They come back up and it’s Jurassic Express (with Luchasaurus…..well apparently he just got a new mask) to clean house.

Here’s what’s coming next week, in two weeks, and at Revolution.

Jon Moxley keeps hearing about Eddie Kingston’s problems. After everything they have put each other through, Moxley is the only person who still cares about him. Moxley has a lot of things to look forward to, including February 26 when he tries to break Kenta’s neck. Then it’s time for Revolution when he takes the AEW World Title back from Kenny Omega. Kenny can’t run and the time is just about here, because it’s time to pull the trigger.

Jon Moxley/Fenix/Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston/Butcher and the Blade

Jake Roberts and the Bunny are here too. It’s a brawl to start with everyone fighting on the floor. Moxley gets caught in the corner for some running splashes but a neckbreaker gets him out of trouble. Archer comes in for some suplexes to Blade but Butcher tries to break up the rope walk. Fenix makes a save of his own and Archer takes Blade down anyway so we can take a break.

Back with Butcher chopping Archer in the corner and Blade bites him in the forehead for a bonus. Moxley gets tired of waiting on the apron and clotheslines Blade out to the floor. Archer crossbodies Butcher and Eddie at the same time and brings Fenix in to pick the pace way up. One heck of a running dive takes out Blade the and the rolling cutter hits Butcher. The Eddie Guerrero dance sets up a frog splash for two but Kingston cuts Fenix off with an exploder suplex.

Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns until Moxley and Kingston start the slugout. Fenix kicks Kingston in the back of the head and Moxley slaps on the bulldog choke until Blade makes the save. Archer hits a running flip dive to the floor to take out Butcher and Blade, leaving Moxley and Kingston to slug it out again. Kingston hits a spinning backfist but Moxley hits a hard clothesline. The Paradigm Shift finishes Kingston at 11:58.

Rating: B. It’s another good and wild match but they’re starting to wear a bit thin with this style. I know that’s what they do and such, but it would be nice to see them mix it up a bit instead of one wild match after another. That being said, the Moxley vs. Kingston stuff continues to be great because they make you believe everything they’re saying. That’s more than enough to make up for anything else in this match and it’s not like it was bad in the first place.

Post match the Good Brothers come in for the beatdown on Moxley and here are Omega and Moxley. Omega has a contract that gives Moxley a rematch for the title. The rematch is on at Revolution but Omega names the stipulation: an EXPLODING BARBED WIRE DEATHMATCH. Well ok then. Moxley headbutts Omega but gets V Triggered to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. That ending announcement is going to get a lot of differing opinions (as it should, mainly because it’s pretty ridiculous and took away almost every bit of the interest I had in seeing the match) but this was a heck of a show with three pretty awesome matches out of six in total. They also did the rapid fire build to the pay per view, which can work out just fine. I had a pretty awesome time with this show and it did what it needed to do while offering some awesome in-ring work. In other words, it’s AEW.

Results

Hangman Page/Matt Hardy b. Hybrid 2 – Twist of Fate to Angelico

Riho b. Serena Deeb – Rollup

Orange Cassidy b. Luther – Orange Punch

Young Bucks b. Santana and Ortiz – Small package to Santana

FTR b. Mike Sydal/Matt Sydal – Big Rig to Mike

Jon Moxley/Fenix/Lance Archer b. Butcher and the Blade/Eddie Kingston – Paradigm Shift to Kingston

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Dynamite
Date: February 10, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re still starting to get on the road to Revolution and that means we might find out a few more matches on the way there. The big story from last week was the surprise debut of Kenta, who signals the new relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling. That could certainly lead in a few different directions so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending and we actually hear about a PWG match between the two of them. Feeling out process to start with Darby sending him arm first into the corner. Joey knocks him to the floor for the suicide elbow and laughs a lot. Back in and Joey grabs a bodyscissors with some bonus fishhooks to the jaw. Allin fights up and sends Janela to the apron, only to get caught with a shot to the eye. Back in and Allin nails a shotgun dropkick into the corner and then snaps the arm down onto the top rope.

Janela gets knocked outside for the suicide dive into the barricade for the big crash. They head inside again with Allin grabbing the Fujiwara armbar to send Janela over to the ropes. Allin’s springboard Coffin Drop is countered into a German suplex (that looked good) but Allin flips around to hit a Stunner for two. Janela is right back with a piledriver for two, followed by a trio to the top. Allin cranks on the arm up top and hits a super sunset bomb for another near fall. The Coffin Drop retains the title at 8:49.

Rating: C+. I’m still not big on Janela but they got into a nice groove with the trading big spots by the end. Throw in Allin’s complete lack of worry about hurting himself for the sake of a spot and it works out well enough. The lack of Team Taz hurt a bit as they kept talking about it, but at least it let Allin look better without some kind of shenanigans.

We look back at Kenta’s debut and preview the rest of the show.

Jon Moxley is used to Kenta calling him out and last week Kenta showed up to look like a dork. Kenta and Kenny Omega must have gotten together on some Bullet Club message board and decided to come after him. They’ll meet later this month but tonight it’s unsanctioned with Moxley teaming up with Lance Archer to face the two of them. Tonight, it’s just for fun.

Sammy Guevara comes in to see the Inner Circle and asks to speak to Maxwell Jacob Friedman alone. Everyone leaves but Sammy wants the cameraman to stay. Sammy knows that MJF is trying to take over the Inner Circle but MJF has no idea what’s going on. When MJF first got into the Inner Circle, he thought Sammy was just jealous.

Now though, he understands that Sammy really hates Chris Jericho. Sammy must think that he should be the front man because Sammy wants to take over the Inner Circle. That leaves Sammy so incredulous that he repeats it, which is exactly what MJF, and his phone, wanted to hear. Sammy punches him in the ribs and leaves him laying.

Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson vs. Cezar Bononi/Peter Avalon

Arn Anderson is here with Cody and Johnson, with Arn’s son in the crowd. JR: “His face looks like it belongs on a can of beef stew.” Cody works on Avalon’s arm to start and hands it off to Johnson, who is quickly headlocked. Bononi comes in off a blind tag and gets in a hard shot to drop Johnson. A moonsault lets Lee flip over Avalon and a dropkick scores as well. That’s enough to send Avalon over to Bononi again but a jawbreaker lets Lee make his own tag.

A pumphandle flip slam drops Cody on his face and we take a break. Back with Cody catching Avalon’s springboard in a fireman’s carry gutbuster. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Lee, who drops Avalon with a neckbreaker. One heck of a corkscrew flip dive takes Bononi down and a fisherman’s buster onto the knee gets two on Avalon as Bononi makes the save. Bononi cleans house and drops Lee face first, though he’s fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C+. This was a way to showcase Lee and that worked out well enough. Having Cody interested in teaming with Lee is going to make him look even better so if they can make a new star out of him, well done. It’s not like Avalon and Bononi losing means anything either so no one is hurt here, meaning it’s a nice little success.

Post match the Nightmare Family comes out to celebrate Johnson’s first win in AEW, making him 1-29. The Nightmare Family is his family.

The Young Bucks run into the Good Brothers, who find it funny that the Bucks lost last week’s battle royal. The Bucks were going to pick the Good Brothers if they won but the Brothers are more interested in promoting Impact Wrestling’s No Surrender this weekend. As for around here though, the Brothers think the Bucks should be mad at Santana and Ortiz, so the Bucks agree to give Santana and Ortiz and title shot next week. Nick reluctantly gives a too sweet.

Matt Hardy interrupts Hangman Page and suggests a tag team. For tonight though, Matt has rented out a private bar for the two of them and the tab is on Matt all night long. That works for Page, who runs into the Dark Order. They offer him a spot drinking with them but he mentions Matt and things are cool enough.

Pac vs. Ryan Nemeth

Fenix is here with Pac. They circle each other to start and Pac knocks him down with ease. Some kicks have Nemeth in more trouble and Pac even knocks him to the floor. Back in and Nemeth does his best Dolph Ziggler impression with the jumping DDT. Pac isn’t exactly having that though and drops Nemeth again, setting up the Black Arrow. The Brutalizer makes Nemeth tap at 4:19.

Rating: C-. There’s something special about Pac giving up a bit of offense but just turning it on to win in the end because he knows there is no one that can stop him. Pac has shaken the ring rust off and looks like his old killer self again and that’s a great thing. Nemeth isn’t much in the ring and just makes me think he’s Ziggler’s lame little brother (I mean….).

We look back at last week’s zany wedding, with Miro swearing vengeance on Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor.

Cassidy and Taylor are drinking the champagne with Cassidy asking what they thought was going to happen last week. Taylor: “Obviously Orange Cassidy was going to pop out of a cake.”

MJF, now with taped ribs, comes up to Chris Jericho and says Sammy punched him in the ribs. There might have been some breaking involved! Jericho says it’s ok and they’ll deal with this after their match.

Acclaimed vs. Chris Jericho/MJF

Max Castor knocks MJF out to the floor to start, with the ribs getting banged up even more. Back in and Castor drops Jericho as well, setting up Anthony Bowens’ slingshot elbow. MJF comes back in but gets planted down on the ribs for two. Bowens is eventually taken into the corner though and it’s a double flapjack, allowing Jericho and MJF to step over him for a rather snobby moment.

Back from a break with Castor reversing MJF’s abdominal stretch into one of his own. That’s enough for the tag off to Bowens, who picks up the pace with dropkicks. Bowens grabs a torture rack and spins MJF down for a faceplant before having to knock Santana off the apron. Jericho’s Lionsault is broken up with a boom box shot for two but Jake Hager pushes Castor off the top. The Judas Effect finishes for Jericho at 9:05.

Rating: C. I haven’t been impressed by the Acclaim so far so it was nice to see them have a pretty decent match tonight. It’s even better to see that Jericho seems to be a little bit more motivated (and maybe a tad bit slimmer) as the Inner Circle continues to do something fresh. Good little match though and this worked out well enough.

Post match the Inner Circle celebrates but here’s Sammy Guevara to interrupt. Jericho asks him what’s going on, and Sammy brings up what he said on December 9: if MJF did one more thing, Sammy was out. Well now he’s done, because he quits. And there’s the face turn (or at least part of the face turn) that Sammy has been primed for over the last few months.

Post break, Sammy leaves the building.

Hangman Page and Matt Hardy are drinking at the bar but Hardy isn’t as well versed with some of the choices. Hardy makes his sales pitch as the agent and even has a contract offer. Page actually agrees but, as Matt talks to the camera, switches the papers and signs something else. He has Matt sign as well but Matt is too excited to notice and leaves with whatever Page had him sign.

Tony Schiavone brings out Sting for an interview but Team Taz interrupts, showing that they have Darby Allin in a body bag. Allin, still in the bag, is tied to the car and dragged across the parking lot. Sting gives chase as we take a break.

Earlier today, Alex Marvez tried to talk to Kenny Omega on the golf course but has to wait for the shot. Marvez asks what Omega is doing when he has such a big main event coming up. Omega says he’s already the best wrestler ever so now it’s time to prepare mentally and spiritually her eon the golf course. Don Callis praises Kenny for his alleged eagle (ignore the adjusting of the ball while Omega and Marvez talked) and lets Marvez have the ball as a souvenir. Marvez asks for a ride but gets turned down. Maybe because Callis and Omega are on foot?

Women’s Title Eliminator Tournament First Round: Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch

Rosa gets an inset interview talking about her goals of becoming champion. Hirsch takes her down a few times to start but Rosa gets in a slam and scores with a running backsplash. Back up and Hirsch pulls her down into the waistlock, followed by the running up the ropes for an armdrag. A suicide dive drops Rosa again but she’s right back in, where Hirsch pulls her down by the arm. That’s broken up as well and Rosa snaps off a neckbreaker over the middle rope.

We take a break and come back with Rosa hitting some sling shot knees in the corner. The running basement dropkick in the corner gives Rosa two but Hirsch shoves her off the top. A high crossbody gives Hirsch two but her moonsault hits raised knees. Rosa loads up a fire thunder driver, only to have Hirsch pull her down into a triangle choke. That’s countered with a powerbomb though and Rosa’s layout inverted reverse DDT finishes at 9:15.

Rating: C+. Hirsch continues to be someone they see something in and I can’t say I blame them a bit. There is always going to be a place for someone with her amateur skills and she makes things feel different. Then you have Rosa though and the star power is all over her, hence why she is likely going to make a deep run in this thing.

We run down the first round of the Japanese half of the bracket. The matches will air on YouTube this coming Monday.

Jungle Boy talks about his great match with Dax Harwood, where Boy won by submission. No the Jurassic Express didn’t want o have FTR suspended, so as soon as possible, Boy is making Harwood his b****.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Kenta/Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley/Lance Archer

Falls Count Anywhere and Kenta gets in a briefcase (his #1 contendership to Moxley’s US Title) shot to Moxleys’s back to start. Some kicks to Archer’s knee lets Omega hit the Kitaro Crusher but he and Kenta get in an argument. That’s enough for Archer and Moxley to fight back, though they don’t seem to trust one another either. The running clotheslines in the corner have Omega and Kenta in trouble again. Omega and Archer are knocked outside but it’s too early for the GTS to Moxley.

Instead here’s Omega with a trashcan to knock Moxley silly and then put the trashcan on the post. That means the moonsault with the trashcan onto Moxley and it’s time to cringe a bit. It’s time to bring in a ladder but Moxley fights back and hits a suicide dive on Kenta as Archer supelxes Omega into said ladder.

We take a break, coming back with Kenta and Omega fighting near the stage….and here’s Peter Avalon (out of his heart shaped bed) to interrupt and take the GTS it as well. Archer chokeslams Omega onto said bed and Moxley kicks Kenta in the face for two. Moxley knocks Kenta around the arena and then up the steps near the door Moxley uses every week.

Archer leaves Omega laying and goes after them but they have wound up in a kitchen. A DDT puts Moxley onto a metal table and the YES Lock goes on, only to have Archer make the save with a bag of potatoes. Moxley grabs one and hits Omega, getting to say that “he potatoed him”.

We look back at the rest of the match and come back with Omega and Moxley coming back to the arena. Moxley gets in a few kendo stick shots to Omega as they head inside again. Omega V Triggers Moxley out of the air and out to the floor though as the things slow back down. Cue Archer and Kenta to fight on the stage with Archer loading up a powerbomb through the announcers’ table. That’s broken up though and Kenta hits a running double stomp to put Moxley through a ringside table.

Archer sees Omega in the middle of the ring so Omega grabs the kendo stick. That shot is easily blocked so Omega goes after the knee. Archer is fine enough to hit a chokeslam though and the ladder is tossed to the floor. The rope walk moonsault gives Archer two but Omega slips out of the Blackout.

Cue the Good Brothers so Archer knocks them down and shrugs off Kenta’s spinning backfists. The Brothers get in though and Anderson hits Archer with the Gun stun. Jake Roberts gets in so Anderson uppercuts him down but Omega’s V Trigger is broken up. The Brothers low blow Archer to cut him off though and there’s the Magic Killer. The One Winged Angel is enough to finish Archer at 19:53.

Rating: B-. This is going to be a case where your individual tastes may heavily vary but there was too much going on here and it got a little too goofy at times. Stuff like Peter Avalon and the potatoes make for some good gags but they didn’t quite fit with the anger and violence that seemed to be the idea here. Not a bad match at all and it was certainly wild, though just not my thing for this one.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show pretty well this week, though we’re still far enough out from Revolution that it’s ok to not set up a lot of the card just yet. You can see the pieces being put together at the moment and, as usual, if this is one of their weaker shows, they’re going to be just fine. This worked out well enough and I’m curious to see where things go, which is more than a lot of companies are accomplishing these days.

Results

Darby Allin b. Joey Janela – Coffin Drop

Cody Rhodes/Lee Johnson b. Cezar Bononi/Peter Avalon – Rollup to Avalon

Pac b. Ryan Nemeth – Brutalizer

Chris Jericho/MJF b. Acclaimed – Judas Effect to Castor

Thunder Rosa b. Leyla Hirsch – layout inverted reverse DDT

Kenny Omega/Kenta b. Jon Moxley/Lance Archer – One Winged Angel to Archer

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Dynamite
Date: February 3, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another special show because AEW loves itself some special shows. This time around it’s Beach Break, because when you think February, you think of the beach. The big draws this time are a six man tag and a wedding on the beach, one of which feels like a prime location for some wacky shenanigans. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Jurassic Express, Chris Jericho/MJF, Stu Grayson/Evil Uno, Alex Silver/John Reynolds, Private Party, Acclaimed, Sammy Guevara/Jake Hager, Santana/Ortiz, Young Bucks, Top Flight

Both members have to be eliminated for a change and the winners get the Bucks at Revolution for the titles (though the Bucks can pick their opponents if they win). During the entrances, Sammy Hagar himself predicts Guevara and Hager winning, despite sounding like he has no idea what is going on. FTR isn’t here due to being suspended after last week. The Bucks dive off the stage to take everyone out before the bell. They all get inside with Isaiah Kassidy diving off the top and…..I have no idea as the camera cuts away.

Dante Martin gets put out in a hurry and Hager knocks out Alex Reynolds as we see a replay of Kassidy missing everyone. John Silver manages to eliminate Hager in a big upset and the entire Dark Order celebrates. Matt Jackson and Alex Bowens are tossed out and it’s Luchasaurus getting to clean house. Grayson makes the mistake of trying to get rid of Luchasaurus and is chokeslammed out. Silver and Uno toss Luchasaurus though, only to have Uno get tossed seconds later to get rid of our first full team.

The Silly String is broken up by Darius Martin (JR: “Did you hear that kids? THE SILLY STRING GOT BLOCKED!”) and Marq Quen is out. Silver suplexes Acclaimed down at the same time but they toss him out in a big bump. Nick takes down Jericho and Ortiz with a high crossbody and then knocks out Santana and Ortiz on his own. The Good Brothers are watching from ringside and low bridge Kassidy out to get rid of Private Party. MJF knocks out the distracted Nick and it’s time for a double pose from MJF and Jericho.

We’re down to MJF/Jericho, Guevara, Jungle Boy, Max Castor and Darius Martin. That sets up something like a six man tag with MJF sending Boy to the apron but not out. The rest of the Inner Circle helps on Boy but Martin and Castor make a save. Another attempt is enough to get rid of Boy though and it’s MJF having a staredown with Guevara. Castor breaks that up but Sammy superkicks him down.

Sammy isn’t happy with that, but he’s happy with Castor backdropping MJF out. Martin gets rid of Castor, and we’re down to Martin vs. Jericho vs. Guevara. A double DDT plants Jericho and Guevara so Martin goes after Sammy, with Jericho tossing Sammy out. Jericho sends Martin to the apron though and it’s the Judas Effect for the final elimination at 11:36.

Rating: C+. This worked out better than I would have bet on as they kept it short but also had a nice twist on having the double eliminations deal. I can get that going either way, but it worked out well here and that’s something nice to see in a match that rarely goes all that well given the nature of the thing. If nothing else, having MJF getting more TV time to set things up should be a great thing.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Video on Jade Cargill, or at least her training.

Tony Schiavone brings out Darby Allin and Sting (dig that snow at the beach) for a chat. Hold on though as before they can say anything, Team Taz interrupts from the parking lot. They aren’t happy that Allin is defending the TNT Title against Joey Janela next week. They’re going to be watching and might even get involved. Ricky Starks doesn’t think Sting is an Icon or the Man Called Sting, because Sting will get hurt playing in the jungle. Sting says that’s fine with him, because he’ll be here next week to make sure everything is fair. As for Starks saying he doesn’t see the old Sting anymore, maybe he needs to take a closer look.

Video on Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa, which has been a pretty well built match.

Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa

Rebel is here with Baker. Rosa charges to the ring to start and we’re off in a hurry, with Rosa going after the arm. Some chops in the corner are broken up and Baker takes her down into a crossface chickenwing. A running dropkick in the corner gives Rosa two but she misses a charge into the corner and bangs up the knee. Baker wraps the leg around the rope and pulls the shoulder into the post to keep Rosa in trouble. They fight out to the floor with Rosa sending her into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Rosa hitting a running corner clothesline, followed by some slingshot knees. Baker’s running dropkick gets two and they’re both down for a bit. It’s Rosa up first but her piledriver is countered into an Air Raid Crash for two. We pause for a second for Rosa to tie her top back up but manages to block the Lockjaw. A running stomp into a crucifix has Rosa in trouble but she counters Lockjaw again.

They keep rolling around until Rosa manages a suplex to escape. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Baker and it’s time to crank on the arm, only to have Rebel come in and rip off a turnbuckle pad. The distraction gets Baker out of trouble and it’s the Downward Spiral into the exposed buckle. Rosa is out and Lockjaw is academic to give Baker the win at 13:11.

Rating: B. Rather good stuff here and it’s nice to see Baker getting the big win. I’m still not sure how long it is going to take to get her into the title picture but it seems like something that should have happened months ago. Rosa looked awesome as well and the combination made for one of the better matches the women’s division has seen in the company’s history.

We look at Hangman Page dressing in Matt Hardy’s rather large dressing room but Page says they aren’t a team and have no agreement. Matt proposes a team for tonight and it seems to be on.

Hangman Page/Matt Hardy vs. Chaos Project

Page isn’t having a good week as he lost $400 playing with stocks. Matt hammers Serpentico in the corner to start and it’s off to Page for a running shooting star press for two. Matt’s shirt comes off for the middle rope elbow to Serpentico’s arm. There’s the Side Effect but Luther comes in off a blind tag for a chop in the corner.

Some running shots connect in the corner, including one where Luther hits Serpentico by mistake. Serpentico misses a Swanton though and the hot tag brings in Page to start cleaning house. Luther is sent outside and there’s a discus right hand to Serpentico. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up but Page takes Luther down, setting up the Buckshot Lariat. Hardy tags himself in and steals the pin at 3:55.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure how interesting a Hardy/Page story would be but it’s something for Page to do to bridge the gap to whatever his next big thing is. Hardy has more than a few things going on already so it isn’t like he needs this feud. Page seems to have an issue with teams though and that might be the case again.

We look at the women’s #1 contenders tournament, which will be held in Japan and America. Here are the talent pools (without brackets):

Aja Kong

Yuka Sakazaki

Veny

Emi Sakura

Ryo Mizunami

Mei Suruga

Rin Kadokura

Maki Itoh

Serena Deeb

Riho

Britt Baker

Tay Conti

Thunder Rosa

Nyla Rose

Anna Jay

Leyla Hirsch

Hopefully some of these matches are presented in highlights because fifteen matches in about a month is a lot (assuming it ends at Revolution).

Jericho and MJF have the cooler ready for the celebration with the Inner Circle but they aren’t happy with losing. Jericho leaves and MJF says it’s time for a meeting, with Wardlow closing the door.

Miro, Kip Sabian and Charles Taylor are ready for the wedding.

And now we go to the ring, with Vickie Guerrero escorting Kip Sabian. James Mitchell is the officiant, who commentary doesn’t seem to recognize because….reasons. Jerry Lynn brings out Penelope Ford who is wearing….well not much really. They do their own vows, with Sabian talking about looking at Ford’s chest when she was wearing a one piece with boots and knew she was the one. Penelope says Sabian has the biggest and we’ll just cut her off there.

Taylor hands Miro the ring and Mitchell asks if Sabian takes Ford to have and to group, kayfabing all others for as long as they both shall live. Ford is asked if she takes this dashing rapscallion (that’s a great word) for the same things and she’s in as well. They go to the “speak now” deal but Miro cuts it off because he’s been burned too many times before. Mitchell, as empowered by Tony Khan, says they’re married and Ford can kiss the ball and chain.

It’s time for a toast, with Miro saying he’s been here before and it’s all about love. But what is love? He has no present for them because his knowledge, power and viciousness is their present. Hold on though as there is a big present, which is from Charles Taylor. Miro beats up the box and….there is nothing in it. Even Schiavone doesn’t blame him so Miro goes back to the toast, but the fans sing WHAT IS LOVE in a funny bit.

It’s time for the cake but Taylor decks Sabian as Miro has been shackled to the rope. Ford is sent face first into the cake. Sabian punches Miro by mistake so he beats Taylor down…..and Orange Cassidy is in the cake. Taylor hits Sabian in the head with something and it’s a Beach Break to leave Sabian laying. They had some good tongue in cheek bits here and it worked out rather well. I’m still not sure why the announcers didn’t know who Mitchell was but that’s a minor point at best.

We go to Inside The NBA where Shaquille O’Neal agrees to team with Jade Cargill to face Red Velvet/Cody Rhodes. Shaq demonstrates the Black Tornado, which seems to be the Judas Effect. I was hoping for the Kazam Slam. Anyway the match is on the March 3 Dynamite.

Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer

No DQ lumberjack match with Jake Roberts on the floor, but not as a lumberjack. Archer is pulled outside for a beating from Butcher and Blade but the other lumberjacks come over to glare. Then Billy Gunn actually throws Eddie Kingston back in….which doesn’t sit well with Kingston because he wants to fight with the lumberjacks instead. Archer hits the big dive off the apron to take everyone down so we take a break.

Back with Archer going back inside for a full nelson slam and snapping off a suplex. The Bunny comes in for the save but gets loaded up for the Black Out. Kingston makes the save with the spinning backfist to send Archer outside as Roberts takes out Angelico. Back in and Eddie hits an exploder for two so Butcher loads up a table in the corner. That means a brawl between Butcher/Blade and Bear Country, with the table being broken in the corner. Archer catches Kingston on the top for the Black Out and the pin at 9:04.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here and it distracted from things a bit, but the brawling they had worked out well. Archer needed the win to boost him back up and there is a good chance that we will be seeing them fight again in one more blowoff. I certainly do appreciate them making it clear that it was No DQ as it can be rather annoying to have a match like this get too insane otherwise. Pretty good stuff here.

FTR is livid about being banned from the battle royal over attacking a dinosaur. Tully Blanchard rants about what it takes to get a title shot….and they pull over a handcuffed and gagged Marko Stunt. Can they pay someone to get rid of him? I’m sure a circus could use him as elephant food or something.

Joey Janela talks about his history with Darby Allin. Next week, the stakes have never been higher though and Janela is winning the title. This could have been far worse.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Jon Moxley/Pac/Rey Fenix

Don Callis is on commentary. Anderson shoulders Pac down to start but Pac comes back with a shot of his own. It’s off to Gallows vs. Moxley with Jon slugging away, only to get hit in the face. Moxley takes him down again and drops an elbow for two but Gallows powers him into the corner for the tag off to Anderson. That’s fine with Moxley, who drives Anderson into the corner for the tag to Pac.

A series of standing moonsaults get two on Anderson but Omega catches Pac on top so Gallows can hit a kick to the head. Pac gets slammed off the top and it’s off to Omega, who can’t hit a suplex. Instead Pac hits a snap German suplex so it’s back to Moxley to hit a release suplex on Anderson. Moxley’s slingshot dive to the floor takes out Gallows and a suicide dive (with Moxley hitting the brakes before he goes flying into something hard) drops the Good Brothers.

We take a break and come back with Moxley countering a powerbomb into a quickly broken Figure Four on Gallows. Moxley low bridges Gallows to the floor and avoids an Anderson charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag to Fenix. Omega is waiting on him so Fenix kicks everyone in the face, setting up a springboard high angle spinning headbutt. Pac comes in for a dropkick to Omega and we get stereo moonsaults to the floor with Pac and Fenix taking down the Good Brothers.

Back in and Fenix moonsaults into a rolling cutter on Omega (that was sweet) for two more. Omega crotches Fenix on top though and it’s a hanging snapdragon to drop Fenix on his head. Gallows kicks Fenix’s head off for two but Pac tags himself back in to strike away, including a sliding kick to the side of Gallows’ head for two. Another superkicks drops Pac though and it’s time for the parade of shots in the corner to crush Pac. Omega hits a Liger Bomb for two on Pac and there’s the V Trigger to rock him again.

The One Winged Angel is broken up so it’s Fenix and Moxley coming back in to beat Omega up. Pac’s great looking bridging German suplex gets two and it’s time for the Moxley vs. Omega slugout. That’s broken up by the parade of shots to the face and Omega hits a Paradigm Shift on Moxley. Pac breaks that up with a 450 so it’s back to Anderson, who gets caught with a Gun Stun from Moxley. Fenix’s double springboard moonsault press gets two but Anderson catches him with a spinebuster. The Magic Killer finishes Fenix at 15:28.

Rating: A-. Now this was the kind of match you would have expected and it makes me want to see more of Pac and Fenix. They more than held their own here and I could go for a lot more of everyone involved. These guys had a heck of a mostly non-stop action match and I wanted to see how it was going to end. Awesome main event here and one of the better matches AEW has had in a long time.

Post match Moxley comes back in to go after Omega but the beatdown is on. Cue Lance Archer to go after Omega and the Good Brothers (that’s interesting), leaving Moxley and Omega alone (JR: “We’re looking for a three count here.”). Moxley gets up but someone jumps him from behind…..and it’s Kenta to jump him from behind for the Go To Sleep (which Moxley doesn’t take well). Kenta is the current #1 contender to Moxley’s New Japan United States Title and Omega seems rather pleased to end the show. I’m not big on Kenta but this felt big and it’s FAR better suited than the Impact stuff.

Overall Rating: A-. This show was a great mixture of stuff throughout the whole night with the main event and surprise at the end. AEW is at its best when they are flying around at a hundred miles an hour and they did it rather well here. They had a heck of a show here and they even made a wedding angle with two of the Best Friends involved work. I’m not sure what more you could ask for here, save for less Chaos Project of course.

Results

Chris Jericho/MJF won a tag team battle royal last eliminating Top Flight

Britt Baker b. Thunder Rosa – Lockjaw

Matt Hardy/Hangman Page b. Chaos Project – Buckshot Lariat to Luther

Lance Archer b. Eddie Kingston – Blackout

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Pac/Rey Fenix/Jon Moxley – Magic Killer to Fenix

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