Episode 9 of AEW Dynamite came to us from a very popular and well-attended city this week, Chicago, Illinois. Chicago was also the host of NXT Takeover and WWE Survivor Series this past weekend, but the crowd didn’t show any wrestling fatigue. Tony Schiavone was on assignment with the Georgia Bulldogs this week, so we got a temporary commentary replacement in Marco Solis Martinez (who was quiet), who was said to be from the “fleet”. AEW is coming off of their first ratings loss to NXT last week, so let’s see how they bounced back.
We opened to “Le Champion’s Celebration”, as a marching band lined the ramp. We had banners, presents, and large costumed animals, as Chris Jericho came to the ring. You can tell Jericho had a lot of input here, and this was schlocky heel schtick as its best. Soul Train Jones (AKA Virgil/Vincent) struggled through the intro, and then Jericho mocked the crowd. He called the Inner Circle out, and they rewarded him with gifts. Sammy Guevara gave him a stand-up picture of the two of them, and Proud and Powerful made him an honorary member for the day. Jericho now has a website where he sells actual “Little Bit Of The Bubbly” champagne. Hometown announcer Justin Roberts reads a thank you letter from AEW to Jericho, then the Inner Circle attacks him. SCU makes the save, setting up the main event for the night. Chris Daniels put Soul Train Jones in a Million Dollar Dream, which was the move of the guy he managed in the WWF from 1986-1991 (Ted DiBiase). This was charismatic, fun, silly Jericho at his best. The crowd ate it up.
Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends
Lucha Bros attacked Best Friends before the bell, cementing their newly heel status. Orange Cassidy is dressed as a turkey for the upcoming holiday. Best Friends take control for most of the match. Lucha Bros over-use super kicks as counters way too often. This is a solid but forgettable match, aside from the fact that Trent upsets Fenix with the Storm Zero. AEW seems to be putting a lot of stock in Trent lately. He pinned Pentagon on AEW Dark this week, and he’s facing Fenix 1-on-1 next week.
Bea Priestley/Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander
It’s great to see Kris Statlander on AEW Dynamite. She’s only a two year pro, but she’s proven to be one of the best independent women in the world right now. She was also on AEW Dark this week in a tag match, but her official signing isn’t confirmed yet. She’s best known for her Beyond Wrestling and AAW work. This is perhaps the best women’s match in AEW to date. Not only is it very smooth, but we saw a ton of character work from Emi Sakura. I’ve been critical of the Joshi’s in AEW in the past, and I was very impressed by Sakura’s presence here. She used the microphone and mic stand from her Freddy Mercury entrance with a good reaction. Statlander’s offense was very crisp, and Chicago seemed to connect to her very well. I hope Kris is signed full time, and I hope Sakura continues her heel tactics. Sakura gets the win with a roll-up after a mic stand shot.
Jon Moxley cut a quick promo backstage, saying he’s putting out a call to arms, and wants to fight anyone who considers themselves crazy. He’s graceful on the mic, while still coming off as unhinged and real. He’s undoubtedly one of the best complete packages in the wrestling world right now.
Cody vs. Matt Knicks
Knicks stands out with his purple hair, but this is a squash for the returning Cody. Cody quickly goes to the pay-window with the Figure Four Leglock. He takes the mic and starts to call out MJF but a platform on the ring mat opens up. “The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny” come up and attack Cody. The crowd is lost, Jim Ross is lost, and I’m lost. The Bunny is Allie, and (after research on my part) The Butcher and the Blade are Pepper Parks and Andy Williams. These two men are most known for Beyond Wrestling and Bar Wrestling, but nobody seems to know much more about them. I’m guessing MJF hired them to distract and dismantle Cody, just as he did with Wardlow, but that’s all we know right now. It’s a good use of Allie, but AEW is very tag team heavy these days.
Pac vs. Kenny Omega
The Chicago crowd was hot here, and this was surely the match of the night. These two men just click, and having little less time than they were given on PPV allowed them to cut out some of the filler of their last encounter. This was fast paced, but every move had meaning. Several false finishes and swift counters toward the end, but Omega got the win on a smooth cradle. That now puts them at one win a piece, so I imagine the two elite grapplers will have a rubber match.
MJF vs. Adam Page
This was for the Dynamite Dozen ring, as these two men were the final two standing in last week’s battle royal. They say the ring is worth $45,000, but I’d rather see a future title opportunity on the line here. Both men had little inset promos. Page’s was okay, but MJF really made the most of his time. He just has this punchable heel aura about him that makes him such a young natural. The match itself, was honestly a bit disappointing. It was fine of course, but it did more to get over Wardlow as a bodyguard pest than anything else. MJF wins with a janky looking Crossroads.
DDP comes out to present MJF with the ring. It’s ironic because WCW had a battlebowl tournament in 1995 which also had a ring as a prize, which DDP won. DDP was over with the crowd, and he still has so much charisma. He goes to shake MJF’s hand, but MJF disrespects him. Wardlow gets in between them, and agents have to pull the men apart. DDP is really close with Cody Rhodes, so don’t be surprised if we get a tag team match with this continuity in the future. Good storytelling here.
Dustin Rhodes is out for a quick promo about wanting revenge on Jake Hager. The Inner Circle run down, and then the Young Bucks come out for the save. This was a quick vehicle to push along the Rhodes/Hager and Proud and Powerful/Bucks angles.
We get another awesome Dark Order vignette. The rejected loner from last week sees a “join the Dark Order” sign, and he goes to a meeting. The speaker talks about how joining them changes your life, and we get a flash edit of all the meeting members in Dark Order masks. This gives much needed personality and macabre to this act. This gimmick is growing darker and more layered with every vignette. More undercard AEW acts need these.
Cody vs. Scorpio Sky- AEW World Title Match
This had a big match feel, complete with ring introductions (from Dasha Gonzalez, as Roberts sold his injury). Jim Ross can be lost on commentary for an entire night, but he always gets up and brings his A-game during the really important matches. This did a great job of telling a story, and making Sky feel empathetic as a hard-working veteran. Sky is a severely underrated athlete, and Jericho is still one of the best ever at captivating an audience. Good story, good crowd, good match. My one gripe here is that the commentators said several times that all affiliated wrestlers of these two men were banned from ringside, yet Hager and SCU still came down anyway. Bad logic there. Jericho gets the tap-out victory with the Liontamer. After the match, Jon Moxley’s music hits and he stares down Jericho from the crowd. Sign me up for that match, and I feel Moxley should unseat Jericho as “Le Champion”.
Overall, this was an excellent effort. While I felt last week’s show was a little too match-heavy, this show got back to a great mix. Pac/Omega and Jericho/Sky were great matches, and the women’s division had a great showing tonight. But we also got a new tag team debut, heel promo work from MJF/Jericho, and the Dark Order making waves. I look forward to seeing how they continue. Dear Readers, I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope that as wrestling fans, though we may disagree sometimes, we can all find promotions and wrestlers that we are thankful for. And as people, we may count our blessings and be thankful for the people and hobbies in our lives.
