AEW Dynamite came to us live for the second consecutive week from Jacksonville, Florida amidst the nationwide quarantine. Kudos to AEW for striving to bring weekly live entertainment to the masses at a time where those things are very scarce. One difference this week was that they had no other wrestlers out in the audience tonight, and instead they would often cut or split-screen to wrestlers cheering in the back. This was a mistake in my opinion, as the audience noise was helpful to the unique feel of the show, while these cuts were pretty aimless and without reason. Another difference was that Kenny Omega and Cody were out with Tony Schiavone on commentary tonight in place of Jim Ross and Excalibur. I don’t know if that is to conserve their health or to tape multiple things in one night.
Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc
This was a nice showcase for Jimmy Havoc, who hasn’t really had any direction on Dynamite since its inception. These two relied on wrestling early on, and Havoc showed that he knows more of the basics than we normally get to see. Havoc gets a lot of control, as he uses the hard corners to slam Cody’s ankles. The offense doesn’t make a ton of sense though, as Havoc then switches away from the damaged ankle to work on Cody’s arm and wrist. In spite of his body-targeting being all over the place, this is a decent opener that Cody wins after two Crossroads.
After the match, Jake Roberts is on the big screen, sitting at a desolate and creepy campfire. The setting was great, even though the flames were clearly CGI. Roberts says Cody came to start AEW and recruit all the best talent, except he didn’t recruit Jake or Lance Archer. He says he’s the best mind in wrestling, and Archer wants a contract where they can get together with Cody. Jake is being used absolutely perfectly as a soothsayer for the dangerous “Murderhawk” Archer. The pairing and the anticipation are great. Cody accepts on commentary.
We get a short Darby Allin promo in black and white, where he talks about Kip Sabian. He says that Sabian will be just a victim on his road to the Inner Circle, and we see Darby throw all of the cardboard face masks of the Inner Circle at a table and light it ablaze. These promos are quick, stylized, and do a great job of making Darby feel special.
Darby Allin vs. Kip Sabian
This was a really fun encounter between two of the young nucleus of AEW’s future. Cody does an exceptional job on commentary in this match, comparing Allin to a young Sting, with his energy and connection to the younger audience. The agent who put this match together deserves some props. Allin controlled all the fast-paced sequences, and they isolated different moments where Penelope Ford would cheat and give Sabian the advantage. This got Ford/Kip over as a heel duo while putting sympathy on Allin. Darby Allin wins a good match with The Last Supper (his prawn-hold leg-lace).
Jake Hager vs. Chico Adams
They showed a package on Hager before the match, putting over his dominance since wrestling in AEW. Chico Adams played the role of enhancement talent here. He’s appeared on NXT, and previously held championships in Full Throttle and REAL Pro Wrestling. This was a dominant and quick squash that Hager won with the standing choke. After the match, Jon Moxley came out and hit Hager with the Paradigm Shift, but Hager basically no-sold. He popped up and went for Moxley’s ankle, before escaping the ring. Commentary put over how Hager is the first person to not stay down from Moxley’s finisher.
Moxley cuts a quick promo in the back saying he’s ready to fight, and he’ll take Hager out, or die trying. This is a feud of two legit bulls who are incredibly physical and believable, and I’m excited to see the clash.
We see a recap of Brodie Lee’s reveal as the Exalted One of the Dark Order. Then we go to a promo where Brodie is sitting and eating a steak. Alex Reynolds and John Silver have steak dinners at the table too, but Silver gets sent away from the table for trying to eat before Brodie is finished. Then Reynolds sneezes (a potential shot at Vince McMahon, who is known to be disgusted by sneezing) and gets sent away as well. This was a bit of a strange way to show that Lee is in total control of the minions, but it did the job.
Brodie Lee vs. QT Marshall
AEW wasted no time getting the former Luke Harper back in the ring. He’s in excellent shape, and he looked great in this showcase match. Marshall is a good bumper and makes for a good opponent to get others over. Brodie uses a nice mix of power and agility, and wins with his discus lariat (which he starts out in the Bray Wyatt position). Brodie has “star” written all over him.
Vanguard One gives us an update on Nick Jackson, as the drone swoops down into Jackson’s garage and catches him seemingly healthy, working out. This was a bit silly, complete with graphics, but it was quick and different.
Kenny Omega vs. Sammy Guevara- AAA Mega Championship
AAA let AEW defend its title here, so it gives a normal match some extra stakes, while keeping the feud hot between The Elite and The Inner Circle. Without the crowd to constantly gesticulate to, Omega is less theatrical and more fluid in the ring. Guevara continues his hot heel run, as you can tell he’s learning from Jericho. He draws pictures of faces and puts them on the seats at ringside, and plays to them quite often in this match. At one point, he goes out and makes out with a paper drawing of Brandi Rhodes, and then asks the real Brandi for a kiss (and gets slapped for his troubles). This one goes a bit too long and gets into no-selling territory toward the end, but Omega retains with the One-Winged Angel.
Chris Jericho comes out and is interrupted quickly by Vanguard One. Right away I have to say, Cody and Kenny Omega were extremely distracting on commentary. They kept trying to respond to all of Jericho’s comments and wound up talking over him. Commentary 101: lay out while the guy in the ring is talking. Jericho shows he can even carry a promo with a drone, as he hilariously offers Vanguard One to join The Inner Circle. They cut to Matt Hardy at the top of the arena, and then they jump cut to make it appear as if he’s teleporting. He gets in the ring and Jericho tries to recruit Broken Matt as well. This promo was excellent. It went long and even got a bit repetitive in verbiage, but it was enthralling watching Hardy feel natural back inside his own creation. Jericho brought up Jeff Hardy and being stuck in bad creative, and Matt mentioned that he’s known that Jericho was rotten in his core for 25 years. This flowed so well and I found myself hanging on all of Matt’s unique pronunciations and mannerisms. Matt decked Jericho, and Jericho summoned Guevara to attack him. Cody and Kenny ran off of commentary to save Matt and run off the heels. I just wish Hardy was the one who got the upper hand on his second night in, but I understand building up to the Blood and Guts match.
Overall, this was another fun effort and another good show in tough circumstances. The first two matches were really good, and they did good things with Brodie and Hardy after their debuts. They continue to build up Darby and Archer wonderfully, and the Moxley/Hager match should be special. I hope AEW is allowed to continue producing shows in Jacksonville until the pandemic abates, because they’re making the most of an odd situation
