AEW Dynamite officially hit episode number thirty this week, as they are coming off of a week where they overtook NXT’s two week reign atop the ratings war. This was the final week of their taping schedule, as Tony Kahn announced they’d be going live next week and taping several new episodes. Let’s get right to the show.
We open with a promo recapping the history between Darby Allin and Cody. They have a very layered face-on-face dynamic, and this package did a nice job of showing their rivalry. They’ve done an excellent job on these TNT Tournament promos.
Darby Allin vs. Cody
This tournament match-up was the third in the series between these two. Their first match was a draw, and Cody took the second. Much like the first two, this match was also tremendous. This not only ate up a half hour of TV time, but also didn’t feel like it went long. Darby worked over Cody’s leg and somewhat took the heel role of controlling the match. It featured submission work from both men, brawling, and high octane offense. There were a few odd moments in the match, such as Britt Baker in the crowd hitting Cody with a shoe (for no reason) and Darby taking out Brandi by accident (only for her to return later). Aside from those random add-ons, the match was the highlight of this show. Darby hits the Coffin Drop, but Cody rolls his shoulders up for the classic “Dusty finish”. I have no problem with Cody going over here, but I wish this was the main event.
We saw week two of the Scorpio Sky package, this time showing the budding of his partnership with SCU. This was once again a nice quick way to get exposure and sympathy for an undercard character on the show without having him wrestle. I wish they’d do these for more talents, weekly.
MJF cuts another promo from “his rat’s place”, as he says his hangnail not only healed, but he now has the strongest nail in the world. But sadly, he cut his neck while he was shaving and he’s still injured. Again, a very creative angle on AEW’s part that allows MJF to do smarmy ridiculous heel promos while he’s not there live. These have been a weekly highlight lately.
Musa vs. Wardlow
This was a quick squash for MJF’s heel bodyguard against a guy who worked on Dark this week. Musa is a pretty big guy, making Wardlow’s offensive display look even more powerful. The spinning F5 gets the win for the Pittsburgh standout.
We get another edition of the Bubbly Bunch, and once again, I think this missed the mark. They did a game where they’d cut from camera-phone to camera-phone, where random personalities punched their screens and segwayed into the next person. They featured wrestlers and celebrities, but it seemed to get a big stale and the gag dragged on. It’s a good idea in theory, but the execution of this Inner Circle stuff didn’t play out as well as I’d hoped a few weeks ago.
Jimmy Havoc/Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends
This was a No DQ tag team match, where it seemed like the teams still followed the rules, but only half the time. Orange Cassidy was knocked out at the start of the match, and wasn’t seen again until the ending. They tried to keep this interesting with chairs/ladders, but it went on for what felt like hours. This was truly endless, and for an undercard tag angle with no steam, it hurt the show in my opinion. Havoc and Sabian rightfully controlled the match, as Havoc is more adept at hardcore stylings. The ending was terribly overbooked, as the managers got involved, spots seemed telegraphed, and there were too many false finishes. I really didn’t like anything about this. Best Friends win as Taylor hits an Awful Waffle.
Britt Baker gets another “how to” promo in her dentists office, and this is pure gold. She calls her makeup artist by the wrong name, as they start this in documentary style. Britt then tells people if they’re fat to use photoshop, and if they have crooked teeth not to smile. Not everyone in the current generation will like this, as 2020 has heightened sensitivity to things like attacking looks, and fat shaming. But Baker is clearly using her “mean girl” character to get cheap heat as an entitled elitist. Some may think it’s lazy booking, but I think it’s the proper behavior for a heel character who they want the fans to hate.
Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black
I’m excited to see who they pair Spears with in his next feud. He’s now won five of his last six matches, with his only blemish coming in his main event loss to Cody. This is an enhancement match for Spears, who shows off his technical prowess and comes out victorious with a Sharpshooter.
Taz does another move-highlight segment, where he explains the analytics of Lance Archer’s Blackout finisher. People have laughed at Tony Kahn’s proclamation that AEW will have a more sports-based presentation, but this is a segment that feels like that. Taz is the perfect guy to explain and hype up moves like this. I hope this remains a weekly segment once the show gets back to a live state.
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt
They did a nice job here of keeping Lee strong without making this a super quick squash. If Marko will be around just to bump and flip for the AEW powerhouses, then he can carve out a nice niche as a lower-card babyface. I hope Brodie can get a marquee match on AEW’s May PPV, because he’s done really nice ring-work since coming in to All Eite. Brodie wins here with a sit-out powerbomb.
We get a Jon Moxley promo where he’s in the mountains, talking about how much has changed in the past eight weeks since he became champion. He says he’s taking a road-trip to be there next Wednesday as AEW goes live, and I’m very interested as to what kind of impact he’ll have on the show.
Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes
This was the last semi-final match in the TNT Championship tournament, and again, I wish this switched spots with the opening contest. The winner was never in doubt here, as Archer had zero chance to lose. With that said, much like Brodie/Stunt, they did a nice job of protecting Archer while still giving Dustin offense here. Archer barely got knocked down, but when he did, he pounced up quickly. This was a nice mix of power and speed, and Dustin got busted wide open with a chair to the face. Archer has been booked very well since his AEW debut, and Jericho put him over like a million bucks on commentary. Archer eventually wins with a claw that pins Dustin’s shoulders to the mat. I’d be shocked if Archer wasn’t your first TNT Champion. I hope AEW makes the TNT Champion the next top contender for the World Title, like WWE used to do with their IC Title.
Overall, this was another decent show. We’ve still been in a holding pattern with these taped shows, where they’re heavily edited and padded because they only have half of their crew. But like the last few weeks, the promos really shined here. The opening and closing matches were good, and the Baker/Scorpio/MJF promos did a lot for their characters. It’s been a roller-coaster lately, but I’m excited for AEW to get fresh and go live next week. Stay safe, everyone!
