Episode 53 of Dynamite came to us from Jacksonville, and it was the 30th anniversary of Chris Jericho in wrestling. They opened the show with a package with various wrestlers talking about Jericho’s impact. Throughout the night, various celebrity wrestlers and rockstars sent in short video tributes to the legend. Let’s jump into the opening bell.
Brian Cage vs. Will Hobbs
This battle of the big men kicked off Dynamite tonight in a pretty spectacular way. Their styles were very similar, allowing both athletic hosses to go deeply into their offensive arsenals in this match. They did some traditional striking spots to test their strength, and then busted into their athletic stuff. Cage has one of the deepest offenses in wrestling, and Hobbs is a great “homegrown” find that they can build into a true AEW star. After some solid false finishes, Cage retains his FTW Title with the Drillclaw. After the match, Taz gets on the mic and says Hobbs can either join his crew, or get beat down by Cage and Ricky Starks. Darby Allin comes out and the heels run away. I don’t like Cage and Starks backing down from Allin like that. But lack of logic aside, these four guys have had a fun feud, and this was a really good match.
Just as an aside, it was really nice to hear Jericho tributes from classic wrestlers like Ultimo Dragon, Lance Storm, DDP etc. Also surreal to see NJPW’s Tanahashi and Impact’s Don Callis on an AEW screen.
We got a Lance Archer vignette, and he did a nice job in speaking for himself. He brought up he and Moxley’s match in NJPW this year, and said Moxley should’ve been preparing for him instead of messing around with Kingston’s group. Good intensity and good camera work here.
FTR vs. TH2
This was another of the “Brush With Greatness” challenge for the Tag Team Titles. I have no idea why FTR is allowed to pick their own opponents in these matches. Moreover, I don’t know what qualifies TH2 to get a tag title shot here. They haven’t been on Dynamite as a team since pre-pandemic, and they’ve never won a meaningful AEW match. That aside, this clash of styles started off as a very solid match. FTR worked over Jack Evans’ foot, and the TH2 flying against FTR’s submission work had some nice moments. But as the match went on (too) long, Evans constantly stopped selling his foot to do kicks and flips off of the ropes. Most modern fans will overlook things like selling and ring psychology in 2020, but that storytelling is what makes wrestling feel more sports-like and helps fans to suspend disbelief. For that reason, this was a dud. FTR wins with the superplex/splash combo.
After the match, the Young Bucks call out a cameraman backstage, who had been pointing the camera at them all match long. They slap their legs to fake superkick the cameraman, who smoothly hits the floor as the camera somehow remains undamaged. Then they do a cheesy skit where they say they forgot their “fine money”. This Bucks heel-turn has just been awful and comedically booked.
Then FTR’s picture appears on the big screen with hot dog shirts on. Best Friends come out wearing those shirts, saying that FTR are weenies. Then they attack FTR and raise up the belts. These two teams face off next week for the Tag Team Titles. The verbiage here is so poor. Best Friends are just such an uncool and cheesy act, I am wondering how they’re getting over with the audiences at home. FTR deserves better.
MJF is backstage with his Jericho tribute. He says that Jericho always encouraged him, and he admires the legend. He says he may be out later to celebrate with Jericho in person. MJF is the best talker in all of wrestling in 2020.
Brodie Lee vs. Cody
This dog-collar match for the TNT Title had a big fight feel from the beginning. From the package to the entrances to the introductions, AEW handled the pageantry very well here. The Doctor was introduced for the violence factor, and Greg Valentine was introduced in the crowd (because he had a dog collar match in the 80s). The collar had a lengthy chain on it, allowing the wrestlers ample room to maneuver around each other. Brodie dominated early, and Cody rallied with heart. Both men got busted open pretty badly, and I’m so glad they save blood for the big matches in this company. At one point, Alex Reynolds came out and got spine-bustered by Arn Anderson, then Brodie took Arn out with the chain, This was one of Dynamite’s best matches ever, and it was given proper time to tell the story. My issue comes with the ending, as Cody pins Brodie with a second Crossroads to win back the title.
To have Brodie dominate Cody in four minutes weeks ago and try to save the Dark Order as a faction, but then have him lose the belt right back after only one successful defense, makes ZERO sense. This hurts Brodie’s credibility and further buries his stable. It seems the belt was only taken off of Cody so that he could do that game show on TBS. Afterward, Cody gets on the mic for a quick but impassioned promo about staying a babyface, and says he’ll defend the title on the anniversary show next week. Orange Cassidy comes out, and Cody accepts. Again, why? For Cody to beat Brodie so quickly in his reign in a bloodbath, to then give his first defense on a major anniversary show to a comedy wrestler is a waste of the title. By the way, Cassidy just had (and LOST) a TNT Title match against Brodie a few weeks ago, and hasn’t won any major matches since then. The logic and booking here, are fatal flaws. The match was great, but the ending and post-match couldn’t have been done any worse.
Kenny Omega cuts a promo backstage about the upcoming #1 contendership tournament, and mentions Adam Page several times. It seems Omega is still hung up on his old partner. This was fine for storyline advancement.
Big Swole vs. Serena Deeb
This is the third match for Deeb (the former Straight Edge Society member and Mae Young Classic competitor in WWE) in AEW. I’ve admittedly not been the biggest fan of Swole’s ring work, but this was perhaps her best AEW match to date. Deeb is very fluid in the ring, and her veteran presence is well needed in this division. Deeb went to a lot of cool submission work to combat Swole’s power. They got tired near the end, but Swole won this solid outing with her rip-chord elbow.
Jon Moxley had one of the best segments of the night, as he had a promo in a different area. He was walking along what looked to be a desert background, inter-spliced with shots of him sitting at a bar. His delivery is believable and has conviction, as he puts over Archer by saying either of them can win next week. He looks desperate and angry to keep his title, and the emotion and change of scenery added a lot to this.
Chris Jericho/Jake Hager vs. Luther/Serpentico
I credit AEW for trying to explain Jericho and Luther’s history and backstory to give this match some juice. And I’m also betting that Jericho was the one who suggested this match. But to have Luther and Serpentico in this main event, anniversary spot is ludicrous. These two have never even appeared on Dynamite as a unit together, and we haven’t seen Luther on this TNT show since he joined the Nightmare Collective. These spots have to be earned. Serpentico is painfully small, and Luther is perhaps one of the worst wrestlers I’ve ever seen. He continually slipped off the apron, took ages to get up on the ropes, and was out of position for multiple moves. He got winded right away, and he was misfiring strikes as a snails speed. This match was entertaining if only to see what Luther would botch next. This is a bad look for AEW, who would be embarrassed if any casual fans ever watched this show. But AEW belongs to hardcore wrestling fans only, and Jericho wins with the Judas Effect. After the match, MJF comes out to gift Jericho a clown and a picture of himself. Jericho fakes being angry, but they laugh it off. Everyone comes out to toast Jericho to end the show.
Overall, there were some major bright spots. Cage/Hobbs was very good, and Cody/Brodie was excellent. Moxley and Archer did great promo work, and we saw big bright spots in the ring from FTR and Deeb. But a lot of this show has turned to bad attempts at comedy and weaker talent. The booking of Brodie’s title reign, and the continued attempts to push Cassidy are really awful. The Bucks and the Dark Order are buried six feet deep, and Best Friends are totally lame. Miro was reduced to playing video games at ringside with Sabian all night. I hope this company brings the fire next week for their one year Dynamite anniversary, because we need some solid character pushes and storytelling to keep people hopeful as long-term viewers.
