All Elite Wrestling was in Houston this week for a Wild Card Wednesday edition of Dynamite! Wild Cards being a fun reference to the Owen Hart tournament Joker cards! There were four (FOUR!) tournament matches on this week’s episode. I’m very happy about the tournament being the main focus for AEW going into Double or Nothing!
But the Owen Hart Tournament isn’t the only thing that happened this week! Wardlow got the pleasure of taking 10 lashes from MJF, Jericho and Regal were face to face after their encounter last week, and everyone’s favorite Cowboy faced off against the Japanese sensation, Konosuke Takeshita!
How was the show!? Let’s find out!
Owen Hart Men’s Tournament: Samoa Joe vs. Joker
Our first match of the evening got the Owen Hart tournament festivities started early, as Samoa Joe was taking on the Men’s Joker card. Everyone was speculating on who it would be. Was it Cesaro? Johnny Gargano? Someone from New Japan?
Nope! It was John Morrison; Now called Johnny Elite. Yes, I’d say that was a little bit of a disappointment, but Morrison is a great talent. He did a great job in this match, despite losing to Samoa Joe. I suppose that’s what the Owen Hart Jokers were meant to do. Come in, look good, and lose to their counterparts.
This match was fine. Johnny kept trying to use his unorthodox offense, but Joe kept grounding him. Eventually, Johnny was able to reverse the Muscle Buster into a huge Samoan drop and hit an awkward 450 splash. But Johnny went to the high-flying offense one too many times. Samoa Joe blocked the Corkscrew attempt and hit the Muscle Buster for the victory. Good match to start out Dynamite!
3.5/5
Segments:
- Immediately following the bell, Jay Lethal, Dutt, and Satnam Singh attack Joe. They use a lead pipe onto Joe’s shoulder, which has very clearly injured the Samoan Submission Machine.
- ome out of nowhere to express their concern for their former idol about his match. They tell him to sit this one out. Jeff had a couple fun lines, with a “Christian AF” callout and calling the Bucks, “Hardy Cosplayers.” Good stuff!
Hangman Page vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Here comes CM Punk with the best shirt to wear in Texas. He’s on commentary for Hangman Page versus Konosuke Takeshita, which almost hit match of the night levels. This match was fantastic.
This match was high energy from start to finish. The champ got the quick upper hand but was quickly met with the powerful force of Takeshita. That was the story of this match. Takeshita took it to the AEW Champ fast and furiously throughout. Hangman could not put the young Japanese upstart away. The Champ even used a Tombstone Piledriver to no avail. Takeshita just kept coming!
One thing I noticed, is how Takeshita uses a lot of El Generico moves. Excalibur called out the legendary wrestler multiple times in this one. He used the Blue Thunder Bomb and Helluva Kick. I liked that a lot!
And if the awesome Takeshita wasn’t enough for him, Hangman kept focusing on CM Punk at the commentary desk. This allowed Takeshita to combo huge moves together for a close two count on the champ. It was really a star-making show for the young kid from Japan.
Eventually, Hangman hits a devastating rolling elbow to stop Takeshita’s momentum, which led to the Buckshot Lariat. He took a page out of CM Punk’s playbook and used the GTS to finish Takeshita. This was fantastic! Great match and a great story. I love how much CM Punk is in Hangman’s head.
4/5
Punk and Hangman have a staredown after the bell. This was intense! AEW has done a phenomenal job of building this feud. I cannot tell who wins at Double or Nothing! My pick of Hangman is seriously at risk!
There was a quick backstage video promo that followed. Fuego del Sol has a death wish and called out House of Black again. The only difference is now he had friends with him. Dark Order members Evil Uno and “10” got his back this Friday on Rampage.
Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee vs. JD Drake & Anthony Henry
Up next was an unannounced match between Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland taking on the much lesser known team of JD Drake and Anthony Henry. This match did exactly what it needed to, which was to give Swerve and Keith a dominant win on Dynamite. I don’t even think either of them broke a sweat. Keith and Swerve work together so perfectly. Their finishing maneuver is a thing of beauty. Does it have a name? It’s a blend of Keith’s Spirit Bomb and Swerve’s Footstomp, and it’s perfect.
3/5
Segments:
- Keith Lee grabbed a microphone immediately after the match. He announced they’re a top 5 ranked tag team, but Team Taz interrupted before their inevitable Jurassic Express callout. Hobbs and Starks were offended that Swerve and Lee deserved a title shot over them. Jurassic Express and Christian Cage had to get their words in as well, except apparently Christian Cage exclusively talks now. Cage announced two separate triple threats: one next week between Swerve, Jungle Boy, and Ricky Starks, and one at Double or Nothing between all three teams. Apparently, Christian Cage books matches?
- Schiavone was backstage with Red Velvet and Kris Statlander previewing their Owen Hart Tournament match on Rampage this Friday. Their past history makes for an intriguing matchup, but this promo battle wasn’t anything to write home about. Jade’s presence stole the whole small segment.
Wardlow 10 Lashes
Up next was just another example of a perfect character build. It was time for MJF to lash Wardlow ten times, but this segment was so much more than that. It all started with MJF coming down to the ring to his usual chorus of “BOO’s.” All is right in the world when Maxwell Jacob Friedman is getting booed like the ass he is.
This segment was so perfect because of how different it was from the last time MJF whipped Cody. That segment was drawn out, hard to watch, and very emotional. The difference during this segment was the fact that Wardlow completely no-sold all of the lashes! He wasn’t phased AT ALL from MJF hitting him. MJF was irate from this, which caused Shawn Spears to take over. MJF then used Spears as a distraction to low blow Wardlow, knock him out with the Diamond Ring, and count to three after Spears hits a C4 on the big man.
This was phenomenal! I cannot express enough how perfect Wardlow’s build has been. They have turned him into one of AEW’s biggest attractions in less than a year.
A quick backstage interlude featuring a returning Roppongi Vice followed that! They are back together for a full-time run and want all the tag titles! They call out AEW, ROH, and NJPW teams. First is FTR!
Owen Hart Men’s Tournament: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rey Fenix
Up next was a quarterfinal matchup between Kyle O’Reilly and Rey Fenix. This was my most anticipated matchup of the evening, and it far surpassed what I expected. Two world-class Pro Wrestlers are going to put on a show, but magic can happen when their styles are on two sides of the spectrum. That’s what this was.
The story of the match revolved around KOR trying to keep Rey Fenix from using his unbelievable flying ability. Kyle targeted Rey’s previously injured left arm throughout, which was smart given how brutal that injury was. What surprised me was Fenix’s ground abilities too. He kept up with KOR’s chain wrestling well!
After starting the match feeling each other out with high energy back and forth moves, O’Reilly took over by blasting Rey’s arm into the ring post. He worked that arm for the rest of the match. His hurt arm caused Rey to not be able to hit moves correctly, like his between the ropes hook kick. Simple storytelling done well!
Rey wouldn’t be out for long, however, as he gains momentum and starts flying around. He went for his rolling cutter, but KOR countered it perfectly by catching the cutter into a perfect arm triangle to finish the match. These two totally went to war. It was smart, intense, and a perfect match story. Easily earns my match of the night.
4.5/5
Match of the Night
Jericho and Regal Face to Face
Up next was something I really looked forward to. The Jericho Appreciation Society and Blackpool Combat Club came face to face after their battle last week which ended with Regal knocking out Jericho. Maybe I wanted too much from this segment but it left me wanting more. Which is saying something, because of how long it was.
It started with Jericho berating the fans for singing his song and then monologuing for five minutes about each member of the BCC. He spent A LOT of time talking about Regal’s and Moxley’s addiction problems, which left me feeling icky. Surely he knows how far he can go, but I was uncomfortable.
But once Regal began his response, the fans began chanting ‘WHAT’ at him! Could we just…NOT?! The story he told was childish and hilarious. Apparently Regal has been putting Jericho’s toothbrush up his butt forever. I’m not proud of how much I laughed at that.
Jericho wanted a Stadium Stampede, Moxley said ‘Hell No,’ and at Double or Nothing there will be a five on five of some sort. I felt like this segment could have been cut down in half. Jericho speaks, Regal speaks, and we get a five-on-five announcement.
Owen Hart Women’s Tournament: Dr. Britt Baker vs. Joker
Up next continued the Women’s side of the Owen Hart tournament. And I’ll be honest here. I put way too much thought into the Jokers of this tournament. I assumed the Jokers would be stalwarts of the wrestling industry, make examples of their opponents, and establish themselves as threats in AEW immediately.
Completely wrong.
Dr. Britt’s opponent was none other than the cutest in the world, Maki freaking Itoh. She’s possibly one of my favorite talents in the world right now, but she wasn’t winning here. I should have known better than picking against the Dentist. I outsmarted myself.
The match started brilliantly, as Maki’s lone AEW appearance was tagging with Britt, the doctor assumed Maki would roll over for her. Not the case! Maki was her usual crazy self, which pops me every time. She’s so entertaining. She even bashed her head into the turnbuckles. Itoh-chan is so funny!
Britt dominated for the majority here. Itoh-chan hit various flurries of offense, but Britt inevitably overcame and applied the Lockjaw to advance in the tournament. Nothing special here. Good match and great to see Maki Itoh in AEW once more.
3/5
Toni Storm and Britt Baker have a stare-down after the match conclusion. That should be a great match! Hopefully, my Toni Storm pick stays true!
Tony Schiavone comes to the center of the ring to announce something, but Serena Deeb doesn’t allow him to say much before she runs to the ring berating him. She’s angry at everyone who doubted her in AEW’s video promo package for her match against Thunder Rosa. She specifically calls out Schiavone and Dustin Rhodes for picking Rosa. There were some harsh words spoken about her time in WWE fifteen years ago. Thunder Rosa eventually comes to the ring, but is met with a belt shot to the head. This felt a little awkward and out of place. I think it would have been better if Serena was just being interviewed or something.
Owen Hart Men’s Tournament: Adam Cole vs. Jeff Hardy
The main event of Dynamite was the final Owen Hart tournament match of the evening between Adam Cole and Jeff Hardy. The winner would go on to the final at Double or Nothing.
It started quickly with Adam Cole destroying Jeff Hardy ten seconds into his entrance. Once the match started, it escalated quickly towards the finish. It felt a little rushed, but still good.
Cole kept Hardy grounded for a little while, but it was inevitable for the legendary veteran to deliver his brand of offense. Hardy attempted a Whisper in the Wind, except Cole countered it with a Superkick. The camera missed it a little, but I thought the kick missed a little bit. I’m sure timing the Whisper in the Wind would be almost impossible.
Cole was not to be stopped this night. Hardy misses the Swanton Bomb and Cole hits the Boom knee for the victory. Adam Cole advances to the Finals of the Owen Hart Tournament at Double or Nothing! This match was pretty good. The ending came out of nowhere. I wonder if the timing of previous segments caused this match to be rushed. I still enjoyed it!
3.25/5
Absolute chaos followed this match. The Young Bucks come down to assist Cole in attacking The Hardys after the bell, Sting and Darby randomly came down for aid, and Bobby Fish and KOR hit the High/Low on Darby. This leaves Sting in a three on one. Sting no-sells a chair shot, but the Young Bucks double superkick the legend. This was wild! It seemingly cut out mid-fight, which also gives me a reason to believe there were timing issues.
Verdict!
And that was Dynamite for this week! It was a great show, albeit a little lackluster towards the end. It’s amazing how endings bias the rest of the show. Dynamite was amazing for ninety minutes, but AEW tends to have issues with consistency throughout the full two hours. They try to force insane amounts of content into the main two hour show.
Regardless, I loved tonight’s episode. We were treated to two amazing matches and an awesome Wardlow segment. That’s enough for me to put this into the great tier!
4/5 (Great!)
What did you think!? Let me know on Twitter! 🙂