AEW Dynamite was back at us on All Hallows Eve with episode 5 of their TNT saga. This Halloween eve edition of All Elite Wrestling broadcasted from Charleston, West Virginia in front of a pretty lively audience. Let’s dive right into the action.
The show opened with Cody and Dustin Rhodes getting out of a plane, and into a limo with announcer Tony Schiavone. They had a few cuts throughout the night where they showed Tony and Cody hyping up the importance of the Jericho/Cody World Title clash at Full Gear. Right away, the change in setting was nice. It gave this segment, as well as the upcoming bout, an heir of something special.
Next up, we saw Jon Moxley backstage, getting the news in the locker room from Tony Kahn that his match with Kenny Omega at Full Gear would be unsanctioned (meaning the match wouldn’t count toward his win/loss record). This made Mox furious and brought out a realism and passion in him, because he wants to be on record with a win over AEW’s golden boy. This was raw and real, and we need more stuff behind the curtain on TNT.
Adam Page vs. Sammy Guevara
This was the perfect choice to open the show. This showcase of the two future stars played to a hot crowd. Guevara is feeling out his character and coming into his own persona more and more every week. Jim Ross aptly compared him to a young Eddie Guerrero. The cocky young heel played to the crowd quite a bit here, and it broke up the action nicely. This was a fast-paced opener, complete with Page delivering a Bossman Slam on the apron and a top rope moonsault to the outside. This would’ve been better served for a future PPV, but Page wins this one with a Buckshot Lariat.
Hikaru Shida vs. Shanna
This was Shanna’s AEW debut, and Shida’s first showcase since coming off of a four-way win on last week’s AEW Dark. They gave this about 12 solid minutes of ring time. While it could’ve benefited from being 3 minutes shorter, they made Shanna (or “Shazza” as the Twitter hashtag prompt read) feel on par with Shida. Both used some innovative moves, and Shida relied a lot on knees in her offense. A shining wizard got Shida the W, as she picks up some steam in the win column.
We got a quick vignette of Brandi and Awesome Kong getting ready and looking focused. Ambiguous, but intriguing. More vignettes please.
The Rock N’ Roll Express came out to talk about their lineage as a tag team, but were quickly ambushed by Proud N’ Powerful (Santana and Ortiz). They put one of the R&R through a table. This was a quick but massive way to get the Inner Circle members over.
Tony and Cody were back in the limo, talking about the importance of family. Cody’s mother will be in attendance at Full Gear. AEW is doing an excellent job of hyping this main event.
Best Friends/Orange Cassidy vs. Alex Reynolds/John Silver/QT Marshall
This was AEW’s big Halloween cross-promotion segment with Rick and Morty. The babyface team was dressed as the popular cartoon, and masks were handed out to the first few rows. This was much ado about nothing, but pretty harmless as guest appearances go. Best Friends go over with Strong Zero.
Jericho comes out for the contract signing, followed by Cody, as Tony Schiavone moderates. Jericho has this crowd in the palm of his hand. This segment is gold, and is run well by the two superstars. Jericho touts the fact that Cody’s never been a World Champion and has a lot to prove to himself. He fakes as if he’s going to attack Cody a few times, but never does. They shake hands and come nose to nose. The tension here was nice and the crowd ate it up. Sammy Guevara is on the tron, calling Cody backstage as Jake Hager assaults Dustin and slams his arm in the limo door.
Young Bucks/Kenny Omega vs. Jack Evans/Angelico/Kip Sabian
The Young Bucks are out in Street Fighter gear, and I didn’t quite get the costume reference for Omega. The second six-man tag of the night is a way to get The Elite a win, but it was a fun one. This was a fast paced spot-fest, and kudos to Sabian for returning after a finger injury just two weeks prior. Evans is still flawless in the air, and Sabian has “future star” written on him. Omega continues his string of wins with the One-Winged Angel. Proud N’ Powerful attack the Bucks after the match
The Librarians are out to get some heat on the live crowd, and Avalon is underrated on the mic. Moxley comes out through the crowd and gives him the Paradigm Shift. This looks like peak Moxley at his most unhinged. He’s a house of fire on the mic, saying Omega’s blood is on AEW’s hands, and if they want him to be unsanctionable, they haven’t seen anything yet. This is EXACTLY what they need to be doing with Moxley. Let him wreck people and give him a live mic every week. Tremendous segment.
SCU vs. Lucha Bros
This main event is to crown the first ever AEW Tag Team Champions, and it’s a pretty hot match. Fenix has been bumping very well, and finds fun ways to innovate his offense every week. His walking on the ropes must be seen to be believed. The crowd is split here, and they do a nice job telling the Scorpio Sky story. Sky has been filling in for Chris Daniels ever since the Lucha Bros jumped him at the start of this tourney. He’s been overcoming the odds quite nicely, and he follows suit here as he wins the titles for SCU with a roll-up.
Overall, this was the best Dynamite show yet. Not only did we get some great wrestling matches (hot opener, fun six man, good main event), but we got backstage segments and hot in-ring promos. This show did wonders for Jericho/Cody and Omega/Moxley, and put a ton of heat on the Inner Circle. Great storytelling mixed with great wrestling makes for a stellar effort. Continuing to mix the two will be AEW’s key to a rising audience.
