Opening Segments:
This week’s edition of Dynamite started in the best way possible. Wardlow walks down the rampway, which was covered in Burberry, and instructs Justin Roberts on the introductions of the Pinnacle. Each member was incrementally ridiculous, culminating with MJF.
First off, let me just say that MJF is amazing. He is boisterous, pompous, and a downright bastard in all the perfect ways. He entered by sitting in a King’s chair and was carried to the ring. This man even made two girls kiss him at ringside. One apparently was his girlfriend, but it was still hilarious.
His promo content was run of the mill stuff about beating CM Punk in Chicago, but the interesting part involved the camera cutting to Wardlow numerous times. During the entire segment, MJF never even acknowledged Wardlow’s help last week. The turn is coming…
CM Punk finally arrives and brought help in the form of Darby Allin and Sting. He obviously wants a rematch, and will get one if he beats FTR with a chosen partner not named Sting or Darby Allin. And that match will happen later. I believe that’s the first time a same night match making has occurred on Dynamite. Regardless, ace segment leading to an ace match later.
- Andrade finally comes face to face with Darby and Sting. Him and Darby are both vying for the TNT title, apparently.
Wardlow vs. The Blade
Our first match of the evening saw Wardlow getting a little taste of actual competition. The Blade put up a decent fight in this match, which lasted longer than I thought it should. The Blade started the match by chop blocking Wardlow, which hurt his knee. The big man was able to fight through it, but it caused an obvious weakness. This match was mostly dominated by Wardlow, who slowly took over and hit the Powerbomb Symphony for the victory.
3.25/5
Segments:
- A video that featured Alex Abrahantes describing the pain Penta el Zero Miedo was in after the Black Mist to the face. Penta was digging in a graveyard and pulls out a black mask, which I believe Pentagon Dark is coming!
- The Inner Circle team meeting was up next. I liked this A LOT more than I thought I would. This segment mostly revolved around Santana and Jericho. Le Champion is still upset about Proud and Powerful’s recent attitude shift, and Santana is angry about the constant sacrifice they make for the Inner Circle. They almost fight until Sammy breaks it up. This leads to Jericho screaming at Sammy, causing him to quit until they figure out their differences. The best part about the entire segment was Santana mocking Jericho by staring at the camera, Office style. It was hilarious! Regardless, Proud and Powerful take on Jericho and Hager next week.
- Roppongi Vice was backstage, healthy, and finally ready to take on the Young Bucks. Cole and the Bucks beat them up, but we get our first surprise of the evening. ‘SWITCHBLADE’ JAY WHITE has arrived and took out Trent.
Face of the Revolution Qualifier: Isiah Kassidy vs. ???
AEW fans were spoiled with surprises this week with two back to back. The Face of the Revolution qualifying matches started with a bang, as Isiah Kassidy squared off with a debuting KEITH LEE. It was incredible to see this gigantic man portrayed like the star he is. This five minute match showcased him as a star more than his entire WWE main roster run. Something is seriously wrong with the creative over there…
The awesome stuff started immediately, as he conducted a ‘Bask in his Glory’ chant. The match started and we were reminded of how athletic he is at 340 pounds. Private Party tried getting the upper hand with dastardly tactics, but Keith eventually overcame and hit the Jackhammer for the victory. One interesting aspect to this was Matt Hardy. He left Private Party from ringside because they were about to lose.
3.5/5
FTR vs. CM Punk/???
Up next was a continuation of the story from earlier. CM Punk needed a surprise partner to take on FTR, or he wasn’t receiving a rematch against MJF. Punk ended up finding one of the best possible options, as Jon Moxley answered his call for help. The infamous ‘Can they coexist’ line was uttered on commentary, but thankfully only once because I hate that line. Regardless, these four men put on a banger of a match.
The story of the match revolved around how two amazing singles guys could withstand one of the best tag teams in the world. FTR isolated Punk and Mox multiple times until their sheer talent and fortitude overcame to tag in their partner. They threw the kitchen sink at Punk and Mox. There was a backbody drop through the announce table, a ring bell to the face, and even Tully tried to get involved. That old man took a GTS like a champ!
My favorite part of the match was the Doomsday Device from Punk and Mox. They really are phenomenal in all aspects in the ring. These never before partners worked seamlessly together like a well oiled machine. After an awesome long bout, Punk hit the GTS for the victory. This was a phenomenal tag match with everything you could ask for. The best form of wrestling is tag team wrestling when done well.
4.25/5
TBS Title match: Jade Cargill vs. AQA
Our next bout for the evening was a TBS Championship open challenge. It was answered by someone I had never heard of before, but impressed me tonight. A pre-match video presented AQA as someone who wasn’t afraid of anybody. It looked like it throughout the match. You know who else has impressed me?
Jade Cargill.
She has become must watch. I need to eat a little crow here. She has proven me wrong every step of her championship way. Every match has been different, an improvement, and a complete display of her freak abilities. I love how their building her streak into some unstoppable force of nature. Someone will defeat her and become a massive star instantly.
This match was fine for what it was. AQA and Jade were a little off to begin, with a couple awkward spots. The match did pick up however, with AQA hitting one of the best Shooting Star Presses I’ve ever seen. Jade finished the match with an amazing Powerslam and the Jaded for the pinfall.
3.5/5
Segments:
- Adam Cole invited Jay White and The Bucks are confused and angry
- Serena Deeb starts the ‘5 Minute Rookie Challenge’ and dominated Katie Arquette. She was playing with her food before tapping her with the Serenity Lock. The possibilities of this are endless! What happens if a newbie lasts five minutes with Serena? That part wasn’t clear.
Texas Deathmatch AEW Championship: ‘Hangman’ Adam Page vs. Lance Archer
This week’s edition of Dynamite flew by, as the main event was next. And what an amazing main event this Texas Deathmatch was. AEW Champion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and Lance Archer spent fifteen minutes trying to kill each other. This match was complete carnage in the best wrestling way possible.
The goal of a Texas Deathmatch is to knockout your opponent for a 10 count or submit them. Neither man have established any sort of submission in their arsenal, so knockout it was! Both men were battered, bloody, and bruised very quick into the match.
Lance Archer had a very good strategy in this match. About five minutes into it, Dan Lambert walked out and neutralized the Cowboy’s ‘Buckshot Lariat’ by removing the top rope of the ring. This was very smart because Hangman gains momentum by flipping over it. Lance Archer really shined in this match, overall. Hangman is always good, but this smart, evil, and unhinged version of Archer is fantastic. He deserves a title run at some point.
The carnage continued as Archer introduced a barbed wire chair and hit his Blackout finisher onto the steel steps. It looked like Hangman died from this. This led to the finish, which was really awesome. Hangman wrapped his arm in the barbed wire from the chair and hit multiple forearms with it. This led to Referee Paul Turner bending over to pick up the discarded barbed wire, which allowed Hangman to flip over Paul and hit the Buckshot Lariat over the second rope and through two tables setup on the floor. The AEW Champion was the only one to rise and won this insane bout!
There’s nothing else to say but wow. This was the perfect amount of wrestling carnage to cap off an amazing Dynamite.
4.5/5
Match of the Night
After the bell, Adam Cole came down to the ring. He’s seemingly being set up as Hangman’s next challenger. Yes please!
Verdict
And that was Dynamite this week! What a show! When Dynamite is on point it’s REALLY great. Story blended perfectly with action. The first hour was segment heavy, but everything else was amazing action. I’m a story guy and everything hit for me this week.
My favorite match of the evening was the Texas Deathmatch, but the tag match was very close. The tag match lasted just a tad too long, which caused me to knock it just a little. I felt that time could have been added to Jade’s match with a more established AEW member. AQA knocked it out of the park, don’t get me wrong, but it was the only actual Woman’s match on the card. I’d have enjoyed a more even bout until Jade overpowered. Small nitpicks on an amazing show!
I’m incredibly excited for Dynamite finally being on the Road to Revolution!
4.75/5