Dynamite
Date: April 14, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s time for Dynamite to be on their own on Wednesday nights as the Wednesday Night Wars have come to an end. This is also an interesting time for AEW as the last few shows have seen a slip in their audience and some of their shows have not been quite so well received. AEW has a very good track record of correcting their issues though and maybe they can do it again. Let’s get to it.

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

The Young Bucks talk about how they picked friendship last week. They’re tired of others taking their credit so it is time to bring back the old Young Bucks, which they demonstrate by cutting the tassels off of their gear.

Mike Tyson is ready to be the guest enforcer this week but MJF comes up to say the Pinnacle isn’t happy with him. Tyson thinks MJF is his enemy, even while MJF tries to talk him into thinking it’s Jericho. MJF offers him a blank check but Tyson rips it up….and then eats part of it. That’s too far for MJF, who says he’ll remember that.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Rey Fenix/Pac vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending and Don Callis comes to the ring with them before going to commentary. Pac takes Matt to the ground to start and rides him a bit before it’s off to Fenix vs. Nick. The pace is picked up with neither of them being able to get very far until a shot to Fenix’s back takes him down. A backdrop into a powerbomb doesn’t work as Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor.

The Bucks are sent outside for the back to back dives, followed by a series of kicks to rock Matt for two. Nick comes back in with the slingshot X Factor to Fenix and a double hiptoss sets up a double dropkick for a very lazy two. It’s back to Pac for a brainbuster on Nick as everything breaks down. The Bucks hit stereo apron powerbombs and then take it back inside for a running knee to Pac. A hyped up back rake keeps Pac down and we take a break.

Back with Pac backdropping Matt out to the floor, where he pulls Fenix off the apron. Pac knocks Matt away though and brings in Fenix to pick up the pace, including a double cutter for two on the Bucks. Everything breaks down and Fenix grabs the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Matt.

The big flip dive takes Nick down on the floor as Pac grabs a German suplex for two. They head outside again with Fenix and Nick hitting stereo poisonranas. Back in and a top rope superplex drops Matt, setting up the Black Arrow for two with Nick driving Pac into the cover for two. Pac is sent to the floor so the Bucks take off Fenix’s mask and hit a double superkick to retain at 23:23.

Rating: B. The action was good but the mask stealing is a pretty cliched way to deal with a luchador. It didn’t help that there was no drama about a title change whatsoever. Now that the Elite is complete or whatever we’re doing here, it is going to be a long time before the champs actually get beat. Fenix and Pac looked good, but I’m not seeing them getting the titles anytime soon.

Hangman Page goes to get some egg rolls as John Silver and the Dark Order work on physical therapy for Silver’s shoulder injury.

Chris Jericho talks about knowing Mike Tyson for years, even back to when Tyson knocked him out years ago. Now, Jericho knows he needs some help and Tyson was the first person he called. Tonight, Tyson is the enforcer but Tyson says he’ll call it down the line, including knocking Jericho out if he has to.

Jade Cargill vs. Red Velvet

It’s a brawl to start with Velvet slipping out of a powerbomb and kicking Cargill in the face. Cargill gets low bridged to the floor and Velvet hits a big dive. That’s fine with Cargill, who fall away slams Velvet into the wrestlers at ringside. Back in and Cargill slams her again as we take a break. We come back with Cargill missing a charge into the corner but some clotheslines don’t put her down. Velvet finally manages to drop her with a wheelbarrow bulldog into the standing moonsault for two. The moonsault only grazes Cargill’s back so she’s up with Jaded (Glam Slam) for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C-. They’re keeping this stuff fast and safe and that is a good idea for these two. Cargill still has all of the charisma and ability to play to the camera in the world but she is going to need a lot more ring time. Velvet isn’t the one to carry her that much farther, but they are doing something smart by letting them have such basic matches.

Britt Baker and Rebel give us an update on Baker’s rankings as she marches towards the Women’s Title.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Cole Carter

This is Ogogo’s, a bronze medalist in boxing, in-ring debut. After some quick grappling, Ogogo finishes with a punch to the ribs for the referee stoppage. That seemed rather fast.

Dax Harwood vs. Chris Jericho

Cash Wheeler, Tully Blanchard and Sammy Guevara are here and Mike Tyson is guest enforcer. They go straight to the brawling to start and the fight heads outside. Back in and Harwood nails him with a clothesline before it’s right back to the floor. This time Jericho stabs him in the head with a pen and then does his steal the camera bit. That takes too long so Harwood whips him into a barricade and gets in an argument with Tyson as we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a top rope ax handle into a lariat for two. Harwood runs him over again but misses a diving headbutt, allowing Jericho to grab the Walls. That’s broken up so Jericho misses the Judas Effect, allowing Harwood to German suplex him for two. The Codebreaker connects for Jericho but here are the Pinnacle and Inner Circle to fight. Wheeler goes for the bat so Tyson knocks him out. A Guevara distraction lets Jericho hit the Judas Effect for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough way to continue the build towards Blood & Guts, though it’s kind of a downgrade after they started with the huge brawls. That being said, the brawl on the stage made sense and it would have been weird to not have this wind up being some big mess. Tyson was fine in his role, and leaving it simple for him is the right idea.

Post match Jericho makes Tyson a member of the Inner Circle.

The Elite talks about everything they are doing now. This is the old version of them and that means the gold will follow. Like the gold they already had? Be prepared to be surprised again. And Callis superkicks the camera.

Thunder Rosa wants the NWA Women’s Title.

Kris Statlander vs. Amber Nova

Statlander starts fast with a boop each for Nova and the referee. Schiavone talks about his time being booped and it’s Statlander hitting a running elbow in the corner. The Big Bang Theory finishes Nova at 2:48.

Post match, Statlander and the Best Friends strike the pose.

Team Taz is ready to go get Christian’s response but Taz thinks Ricky Starks should stay backstage. Brian Cage agrees, but Taz tells him to do the same.

Here is Christian for an open challenge but Taz and company interrupt. Taz asks for an answer so Christian says no, sending Taz into a rant about how he never liked Christian or “his friend”. He even accuses Christian of wearing Taz’s colors and promises vengeance. Powerhouse Hobbs comes to the ring and the brawl is on, with Hobbs getting the better of things. Hobbs sends him into the barricade and then drops him onto the steps to leave Christian laying.

Video on Tay Conti vs. Hikaru Shida before their title match next week.

TNT Title: Matt Hardy vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Matt grabs a chair to knock Allin down to start and they head outside, where Matt sends him face first into the apron over and over. They head back inside with Allin already bleeding from the back. A neckbreaker gives Hardy two and he chairs Allin down again. Allin’s neck is put in the chair but the Twist of Fate is countered with a chair ram into Hardy’s neck.

Some chair shots to the back have Hardy in more trouble….and here is the Hardy Family Office to go after Allin. The Dark Order comes in for the brawl and here is Sting to get in on things. We take a break and come back with Sting and Lancer Archer having a staredown, with Archer going over to give Isaiah Kassidy the Black Out. Allin pounds on Hardy and Sting throws him the bat to make it worse.

A low blow cuts that off though and a Twist of Fate with the chair around Allin’s neck gets two. Not two weeks off the show as it probably should, but a two count. Hardy takes it backstage in front of Tony Khan and BJ Whitmer, with Allin being legdropped through a table for two. Back to the stage, where Allin slips out of a Razor’s Edge for a low blow of his own. Allin gets in a few shots with the bat to knock Hardy onto the announcers’ table. The Coffin Drop puts Hardy through the table to retain at 16:30.

Rating: C. So they started the match, then they did something completely different with Sting/Archer/everyone else, then they got back to the match where Allin survived a lot, hit him with the bat and won with a huge Coffin Drop. This felt like two segments crammed together and it only kind of worked, as I lost track of the match for a long portion. It was energetic and some of the spots were pretty good, but I don’t care about Hardy and the Twist of Fate onto the chair being a minor annoyance for Allin left me rolling my eyes more than anything else.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was all over the place and that might not be the best thing in the world. They did a few things rather well, mainly involving the stuff in the ring, but other than that, this was kind of a crazy one with one thing happening after another. I’ll give them points for not focusing on the Elite as much, but I’m not really sure what the big deal of this show was supposed to be. The Bucks would make the most sense, but they were gone about halfway through the show. It felt like they were just throwing stuff out there and while a good bit of it worked, the show felt tossed together and that isn’t like them.

Results

Young Bucks b. Rey Fenix/Pac – Double superkick to Fenix

Jade Cargill b. Red Velvet – Jaded

Anthony Ogogo b. Cole Carter via referee stoppage

Chris Jericho b. Dax Harwood – Judas Effect

Kris Statlander b. Amber Nova – Big Bang Theory

Darby Allin b. Matt Hardy – Coffin Drop through the announcers’ table

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: November 25, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We are a week away from the big Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega showdown for the World Title and that means we still need to get Moxley to sign the contract. Someone jumped Moxley when we tried this last time so now we need to see what we can do again. Hopefully they can get it right this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

John Silver vs. Hangman Page

Page counters a headlock to start but Silver is right back up with a dropkick into the double bicep pose. Silver mocks Page’s lack of arm development so it’s a few chops to put Silver in the corner. A few hard shots put Page down though and Silver kicks him in the chest, only for Page to come back with another chop. Silver gets in a snap German suplex but Page sends him over the top in a heap.

The slingshot dive misses but Page gets back in before Silver can hit his own dive. Now the slingshot dive connects and the sliding lariat gives Page two. A fall away slam into a running shooting star gives Page two more and Silver is in trouble. The Buckshot lariat is countered with a hurricanrana for two and Silver’s brainbuster gets the same. Silver strikes away until Page hits a low superkick into a sitout powerbomb for two more. The Buckshot lariat finishes Silver at 9:45.

Rating: C+. Now that’s how you give someone a rub as Silver got a lot out of this, even as he lost. Silver looked like someone who could be a big deal in the future because he has that fire in his eyes and you either have that or you don’t. Good stuff here, with Page looking sharp, partially due to the lack of booze for a change.

Post match here’s the Dark Order to suggest that the Elite was the cult Page was trying to escape. Page doesn’t have many people to rely on but the Dark Order is here for him.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Kenny Omega says the more things change, the more they stay the same. A year ago, he was banged up at Jon Moxley’s hands because he lost. Now they’re about to do this again but this time, Moxley is being called the best in the world. Then Omega won the tournament though and now the people are talking about who the best in the world really is.

All Omega needs is to get the belt though, and that means Moxley should try to beat him without all of the garbage wrestling. Pin him, make him submit or even choke him out, but just beat him. Oh and he heard Moxley’s story about his childhood and can only come to one conclusion: his dad could beat the s*** out of Moxley’s dad.

Darby Allin video, this time writing Taz’s “Survive If I Let You” on top of the already destroyed car and lighting it on fire.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Lee Johnson

Taz joins commentary as Hobbs powers Johnson out to the floor to start. The big running clothesline connects on the floor and Hobbs whips him hard into the barricade. Back in and a World’s Strongest Slam finishes Johnson at 1:40. Short and to the point here.

Post match Taz gets in the ring and congratulates Hobbs, who is sent to the back. Taz says the problem is about the FTW Title. AEW is not acknowledging what the title means. He is sick of how the title is not recognized so he isn’t leaving until someone from management comes out and makes this title mean something. Taz’s mic is cut so he gets Justin Roberts’ mic, and says if you do that again, he’ll go take one of the announcers’ headsets. The mic is cut again so here’s Cody to ask what we’re doing here.

Cody says Taz is done so Taz says Team Taz is going to destroy Cody and Darby Allin next week. Already annoyed, Cody promises to run the FTW Title up the flag pole. Taz asks if he’s going to be future endeavored, so Cody asks why Taz’s son is training with him instead of with his dad. That’s WAY too far for Taz, who busts out the Tazmission to choke Cody out until the Gunn Club comes in to make the save. Taz’s son (Hook?) comes over the barricade and carries the FTW Title. Taz can talk so this worked, but I’m not sure where this is going.

Eddie Kingston isn’t upset about the Death Triangle reforming because he kind of expected it. Things have changed since Bing Bong or whatever his name is has been gone and Pac only won a battle last week. Cue Jon Moxley to stare Kingston down. Kingston smiles and says Moxley knows it wasn’t him but Moxley does know who it was. Moxley has his own things to handle without worrying about Kingston. Moxley leaves and Kingston accuses him of messing up his feng shui.

Top Flight vs. Hybrid 2

Angelico takes Darius down into an armbar to start until it’s a cartwheel to get Darius a breather. The threat of a right hand in the corner doesn’t get Angelico very far as Darius armdrags him into an armbar. Dante comes in to jump onto Angelico’s arm and a running basement dropkick gets two.

Back with Darius getting two on Evans off a shotgun dropkick but taking a bit too long to cover. Dante makes a blind tag but gets suplexed for his efforts. Everything breaks down and Darius hits a big suicide dive, followed by Dante’s running flip dive to take both of them down. Back in and a frog splash gives Dante two but Evans’ assisted 450 gets his own two. Darius hits a dive to take out Evans but Angelico kneebars Dante for the tap at 10:35.

Rating: C. They told a nice story here as Top Flight can do all of the high flying and athletic stuff but the Hybrid 2 have the experience to cut them off. That’s a good enough way to go and if this leads to Top Flight winning a rematch, they’ll be fine. I can’t imagine you have Top Flight have a competitive match with the Young Bucks and then waste them, so this isn’t some crippling loss.

Post match Angelico won’t let go so here are the Young Bucks for the save.

Vickie Guerrero and Nyla Rose want to teach us about nepotism, which is where we need to talk about Brandi Rhodes. Brandi’s business plan involved her getting her arm injured by Jade Cargill so if Brandi needs business advice, call Vickie.

FTR talks about how hard it is to recover from their loss to the Young Bucks, who were better than they were for three seconds. The Tag Team Titles are their life and Tully Blanchard says it is their destiny to coach them. Fear the revelation.

Jake Hager/Chris Jericho vs. SCU

Christopher Daniels/Frankie Kazarian for SCU. Jericho takes Daniels down to start and slaps the bald head, earning himself a trip into the corner so Kazarian can come in. Hager comes in as well so this time it’s Kazarian taking a corner beating of his own. A shoulder to the ribs allows Jericho to choke away, putting Kazarian in even more trouble. Kazarian manages to get over for the tag to Daniels, who is quickly knocked outside. The Inner Circle gets in their beating as we take a break.

Back with Daniels getting in a shot to Jericho but being cut off by Hager. Some shots to the ribs let Jericho come back in, only to walk into a Downward Spiral. The hot tag brings in Kazarian to clean house and everything breaks down. Kazarian has to take out the Inner Circle on the floor, leaving Daniels to hit his middle rope stomp to Daniels’ chest.

A high crossbody hits Jericho but Hager makes the save. Daniels knocks him down as well and the BME connects with Jericho making the save this time around. The referee has to get rid of Kazarian, allowing MJF to get in a cheap shot with the diamond ring. Jericho adds the Judas Effect and Hager gets the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t the point here but rather showcasing what the newly enhanced Inner Circle can do. MJF with the ring and likely Wardlow as another monster can make the team that much better, but at the same time you can see MJF taking over the team (albeit maybe down the line) from here. I like how they’re setting it up though and the Inner Circle hasn’t looked so powerful in a long time.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Scorpio Sky makes the save with a chair. One guy with a chair can chase off like seven people? Really?

Kip Sabian, Miro and Penelope Ford are ready for a new segment involving a stream of some sort but here are the Best Friends to start a brawl. Orange Cassidy looks on from the back as everyone brawls, with Miro and Sabian getting the better of things as the cameraman is knocked down.

It’s time for the World Title contract signing take two, now with three references to the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in Omega’s entrance. Omega stands behind the entrance in silhouette but Jon Moxley jumps him from behind (also in silhouette) and takes him into the ring for the beatdown.

The Paradigm Shift leaves Omega laying and Moxley says that Omega’s guys did a horrible job of taking him out last week. Moxley: “Next time you want to put a hit on on someone, give me a call.” Omega has ticked him off and this is serious business. We aren’t talking about jokes on BTE because Omega has to climb a mountain that no one has conquered in eighteen months. Omega better bring it because Moxley is ready for him. The silhouette thing was awesome and Moxley sold it well with the promo.

The Inner Circle isn’t happy with Kazarian punching MJF in the fracas and swear revenge. Jericho promises to take care of Kazarian next week, while threatening with the baseball bat. Of note: Hager and Wardlow stare each other down the whole time.

We recap Anna Jay vs. Hikaru Shida. Anna talks about their first match against each other, when she didn’t have ten matches under her belt first. Now she has an army behind her, Shida has a bad knee, and Tay Conti has been teaching Anna even more. Shida insists her knee is fine but Conti says the title is the last piece for Anna.

Women’s Title: Anna Jay vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida is defending and Conti is here with Anna. The Dark Order comes out to watch on the stage as Anna shoves Shida to start. The sleeper doesn’t work to start so Shida hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A running dropkick has Anna in trouble but a running knee to the face is cut off. Anna whips her into the barricade and strikes the Dark Order pose as we take a break. Back with Jay hitting a kick to the head for two and putting on the rear naked choke. Shida flips out and suplexes Anna down, setting up a sliding forearm for a close two. The running knee retains the title at 7:45.

Rating: C. They were in and out fast and Jay still has a long way to go but they had a short stretch there where there was a little bit of drama in there and things got rolling. For someone with as little experience as Anna has, that is quite the accomplishment and I could go for more of it once Anna gets more time under her belt. Shida really needs a big challenger though and I’m not sure who that is.

Post match Shida goes to leave but here’s Abadon to crawl onto the stage and lick the title after Shida drops it.

Matt Hardy talks about how innovative he is and about how hard 2020 has been. He was victorious over Sammy Guevara though, and if he can do that, you can overcome your pedestrian challenges. If he can do that, just ask what Hardy would do: survive, thrive and win. Heel Hardy is….another thing that exists around here.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Team Taz loves how insecure Cody is and promise to take it to Cody and Darby Allin next week.

Rey Fenix/Pac vs. Butcher and Blade

Penta and the Bunny are ringside while Eddie Kingston is on commentary and it’s a brawl before the bell with Butcher and Blade jumping them early. They get in the ring for the bell with Pac and Fenix knocking the two of them outside for the stereo dives. Back in and Butcher suplexes Pac while Blade hits a dropkick to the back of the head for a bonus. Fenix gets the tag and goes after Blade’s arm but can’t get very far.

Instead it’s already back to Pac, who gets forearmed by Blade. Pac hits his own forearm, earning himself a heck of a clothesline. Fenix comes in sans tag for a kick to Butcher’s head, only to….I guess miss the springboard cutter as Butcher just stands there. Pac superkicks him down instead and we take a break.

Back with Pac kicking away at Blade before Butcher comes in to plant Fenix hard. Fenix scores with a springboard cutter though and it’s back to Pac for more kicks. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Blade but it’s too early for the shooting star press. Blade is back with the scoop powerslam and it’s back to an angry Butcher.

One heck of a lariat gets two on Pac and a fireman’s carry toss into a gutbuster keeps him down. The doctor bomb gives Blade two and everything breaks down. Kingston runs down and knocks Fenix off the top, allowing Butcher and Blade to hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for the pin on Fenix at 12:57.

Rating: C+. The tag format worked a little bit better for Pac here as he got to showcase himself without having all of the pressure that comes with it. This seems like it is going to be a long form feud between the groups and I could certainly go for more than that. The Lucha Bros would have seemed like the more logical fit here but at the same time, Pac needs to get into the ring more and more so this is what makes the most sense.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Kingston DDTing Pac onto a chair twice in a row. Kingston loads up another but Lance Archer of all people comes in for the save. House is cleaned and Kingston and company leave. Archer shouts a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here and they did a lot of the smaller things to make the show work much better. What matters the most here is that they are setting things up for the future. Omega seems destined to win the title next week but there is always the chance of some form of a swerve. I’m curious to see what we are going to see going forward and when you have that kind of feeling to go with some good wrestling, they had a positive night.

Results

Hangman Page b. John Silver – Buckshot Lariat

Powerhouse Hobbs b. Lee Johnson – World’s Strongest Slam

Hybrid 2 b. Top Flight – Kneebar to Darius

Chris Jericho/Jake Hager b. SCU – Judas Effect to Daniels

Hikaru Shida b. Anna Jay – Running knee

Butcher and Blade b. Rey Fenix/Pac – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Fenix

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