AEW Dynamite came to us from Denver, Colorado last night, and it was the fallout episode from their pay-per-view, Revolution. After one of the most revered events in quite some time, let’s look at how the All Elite squad kept the momentum going.
Our NEW World Champion Jon Moxley was out first, and the crowd showed their respect for the new kingpin. Moxley says AEW brought pro wrestling back, and he thanks the crowd for staying on the journey. He says he wants to take on all challengers, and that’s when he turns it from a bland babyface promo into that unpredictable Moxley fire we’ve come to know. He wants to take out the entire Inner Circle, which brings them out. Jericho says Moxley cheated because he wasn’t blind like he said he was. The main event tonight is Moxley/Allin versus Jericho/Guevara, and Jericho says if they don’t leave him laying, he’ll take 60 days off. Nice believable Fozzy tease, and solid opening promo.
SCU/Colt Cabana vs. Dark Order
We open with an action-packed 8 man tag which featured the in-ring debut of Colt Cabana. Cabana officially signed with AEW on Sunday and ran out in the aftermath of the pre-show tag match. He’s a longtime indy standout and successful podcaster/commentator, and his multiple roles and blend of silly/serious will serve AEW well. This was pretty well-paced, as Dark Order used their corner to deliver slower, brawling offense. On the contrast, Kazarian took a good hot tag and then the match went into high octane offense. Cabana got the win with his stack Superman pin. Evil Uno gets on the mic after the loss and says that this isn’t what the Exalted One wanted. Heads will roll soon. Everyone assumed Matt Hardy was coming out tonight in this role, and he didn’t. As of next week, Luke Harper will also be free of his WWE no-compete clause. One of those two is bound for this role, in my opinion.
Big Swole vs. Leva Bates
Britt Baker is out on commentary, and the dynamic between her and Tony Schiavone continues. This is a good role for Britt, but she honestly adds a lot more in promos than she does on commentary. This was a quick match to establish Big Swole as a top contender. Leva used a library book and did the scared heel shtick, and then Swole quickly finished her off with her ripcord strike. This accomplished what it needed to.
We had various Revolution match recaps throughout the show, and it ate up time, but was a nice way to work for belated PPV buys.
Cody was out to talk about his loss to MJF, and he’s one of the most over acts in the company. He calls MJF out, but Jake “The Snake” Roberts comes out. Talk about a genuine surprise. Jake cuts his best promo in YEARS here, and it felt like the old foreboding, tense Jake Roberts. Jake looks really good here at 64 years old. He says he’s tired of Cody whining about a loss, and that he never whined like that. He says he used to use a snake to get in people’s heads. He says he’s clean and focused, and he’s bringing in a client to take out Cody, and Jake wants a piece of Cody’s AEW pie. While I don’t like Cody being diverted from MJF during the heat of their story, I’m very intrigued by this promo and Jake’s client. Brodie Lee would be PERFECT in this role. I’m guessing it’s either he or Matt Hardy, with the other leading the Dark Order. But Lance Archer is one to look at here as well. Excellent promo from out of nowhere.
Chuck Taylor vs. Pac
I thought of this as a lazy placeholder coming in, and admittedly, this wound up being Chuck Taylor’s best AEW outing. Perhaps one of the best matches of his career. Taylor looked focused and more serious than usual, as he combated Pac’s intense brawling with some nice offense. They teased Pac getting physical with Orange Cassidy again, but Trent stepped in the way. Pac wins a good match with the Brutalizer. Orange Cassidy looks like he’s about to confront Pac, but the Lucha Bros run in to attack Best Friends again. Pac gets on the mic and says they are the Death Triangle, and nobody is safe. I’m not sure how to feel about this. Pac and the Lucha Bros styles mesh, and this gives Pac some help to win in big money programs. But on the other hand, he’s really good on his own, and I don’t want this resulting in a bunch of meaningless spot matches. The forming of this trio lends credence to the idea that there may be an AEW Trios Championship coming in the near future.
Shawn Spears has an inset promo, talking about how he still needs to find the perfect tag team partner. Spears is the most underused worker on this roster, and I wish they had been showing him going through (and failing) with multiple partners on Dynamite instead of their YouTube show, Dark. They’re having fans write in with a hashtag to suggest partners, and it’s a creative way to involve the audience. I can’t be sure if Spears’ perfect partner is currently on this roster. Maybe it’ll wind up being Tully Blanchard himself?
QT Marshall vs. Jake Hager
It’s good to have Hager wrestling in AEW. He put together a powerful performance in a win against Dustin Rhodes at Revolution, and he looked good here as well. I don’t really get the dynamic of the Rhodes/Marshall team, but Marshall does look smoother in the ring every week. He’s a bit bland, but underrated athletically. This was a quick showcase for Hager, who won with his standing choke. The Inner Circle runs in for an attack, but Dustin and Cody come out to help. As numbers mount, Matt Jackson runs out but gets beat down. Hangman Page slowly comes out drinking, and winds up helping the babyfaces. He flips off Jackson and heads out. Page is over and this tweener character has an unpredictability that they’ve built nicely.
MJF cuts an inset promo about how he beat Cody and how he wants to challenge Moxley for the title. I think it’s too soon for MJF/Cody to end and for MJF to challenge for the belt. When he does, he should EVENTUALLY (see, in 10 months) beat Moxley for it. MJF is wearing a shirt that says “I Pinned Cody”, and he mentions Cody’s neck tattoo. Great heel promo.
Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Moxley/Darby Allin
Before the match, guys in masks (who wind up being Hager, Santana and Ortiz) jump Moxley in the crowd and brawl into the concourse with him. I love AEW’s usage of the buildings they run in. They seemingly take out Moxley with Hager’s choke (they’re really protecting that move well). Darby asks to go 1-on-2 with Jericho and Guevara. This is the perfect role to gain more sympathy and affection for the scrappy underdog. This is a good match that tells the story of Allin overcoming the odds in spurts with daredevil offense. Jericho and Guevara have amazing chemistry, and they work over Darby’s leg. After nearly winning, Jericho catches a Judas Effect to a flying Darby on the outside for the win. Moxley comes back into the arena and cleans house until he gets powerbombed by Hager off the stage onto a table. Nice way to build Darby and Moxley as tough, while getting the Inner Circle their heat back.
Overall, AEW made the most of what looked like a run-of-the-mill show. We didn’t get the Lance Archer debut we were promised, and we didn’t get the Matt Hardy debut we expected, but Jake the Snake stole the show in an awesome surprise. The promos all delivered and the matches all rose up to an unexpected level for this lineup. AEW is hitting a peak stride, and they should be infusing some fresh blood into the roster soon too. An enjoyable show that keeps the ride going!
