Was this Brodie Lee “and you know what that means” phrase ever uttered by Brodie on TV at any point, or was it just some BTE joke? I don’t ever remember hearing it.
HARDY FAMILY OFFICE (Private Party & Matt Hardy) & FTR (w/Tully Blanchard, The Blade, & Jora Johl) vs. JURASSIC EXPRESS, CHRISTIAN CAGE, & THE LUCHA BROS. (w/Alex Abrahantes)- 7/10
Both Ross and Excalibur said that they thought much of Jurassic Express’ tag team success could be attributed to Christian, which absolutely shocked me, as the few subtle seeds they have planted have seemed to be pointing in the direction that a split would eventually come due to Chris taking undeserved credit for said success.
Who the hell is Jora Johl? Also, seeing this mysterious bald man at ringside made me wonder if we had ever actually seen Jack Evans after Jack got his head shaved.
This was a fun action-packed opener with the heels winning cleanly, albeit due to an issue between Christian and Penta where Christian tagged himself in when he clearly shouldn’t have. I’m hoping that the purpose of doing things like this was to give FTR a win so they can have something to use to claim that the Lucha Bros. should put their belts on the line in response to the Lucha Bros. cutting a promo pointing out that beating FTR on Rampage a few weeks ago should earn them a shot at the AAA tag titles. That feels like a thematically appropriate match for Battle of the Belts, while simultaneously tying up the loose end of someone scoring a pinfall over a champion.
One of the things they hyped for tonight’s show was that CM Punk would appear in AEW’s “home base” of Daily’s Place for the first time. This is one of those WWE-esque things that AEW needs to avoid doing at all costs. It’s no different than WWE hyping it as a big deal that someone who spent their first two years after being called up on Raw is now “wrestling on Smackdown for the first time ever.” It’s hyping up something that doesn’t make any actual difference to the people watching on TV.
EDDIE KINGSTON & LAX vs. 2.0 & DANIEL GARCIA- 5/10
They started off with a little story of Kingston being so focused on Garcia that 2.0 were able to get the drop on him, but didn’t really come back to it at all. The heels won using the tights and jumped the babyfaces after the match (again).
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- meh
The heels laid Santana out with the ring bell, then Jericho showed up with his bat to run them off. I don’t totally understand what 2.0 and Garcia’s motivations for these post-match attacks are.
Then Jericho and Kingston got into an argument because… um… they’re immature children who can’t conceive that their friends LAX could be friends with another person who isn’t also friends with them, I guess? This smacks of “conflict makes for good television, therefore these two will have a conflict” without actually bothering to come up with a reason for said conflict.
MJF PROMO & PINNACLE SEGMENT- terrible
MJF complains about “unsafe working conditions” because “untrained” wrestler Sting threw him over the top rope “with reckless abandon.” Can we please not do this stupid clown sh*t?
After cutting a fine little promo on Punk, MJF turns his attention to Wardlow. Like Spears, he is apparently upset with Wardlow hitting unnecessary powerbombs on his opponents because… um…
Anyway, MJF says he wants Wardlow to pick up enough wins to qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match and win that match to earn a TNT Title shot, then win that title… and then relinquish it to MJF. Wardlow doesn’t understand why he should do this, so MJF summons Mark Sterling, who reads Wardlow’s contract with to for MJF aloud, and sure enough right there in plain text it says that any titles Wardlow wins will be forfeited to MJF. What a dumbass Wardlow is for signing that.
But apparently this is all legal. One would hope that now that this is out in the open, AEW would make an announcement that if Wardlow tries to relinquish the title to MJF, they will vacate the title.
Also, MJF says he’s going to get some wins and win the title.
TONY SCHIAVONE’S INTERVIEW WITH THE LUCHA BROS. IS INTERRUPTED BY CHRISTIAN CAGE & JURASSIC EXPRESS- mostly good
Abrahantes was good here, but Christian was so overtly heelish that Jurassic Express staying with him is a little ridiculous.
COLIN DELANEY vs. WARDLOW (w/Shawn Spears)- squash
As usual, Spears attacked Wardlow’s opponent after the match because reasons. Excalibur said that “Wardlow does all the hard work and then Spears just grabs the spotlight and focuses it on himself,” but is that really what’s happening here? What has Spears actually gotten out of any of his? NOTHING. Wardlow is the one who keeps getting booked on TV. Spears hasn’t wrestled on TV or PPV since MID-SEPTEMBER.
If you want to tell this story, the way to do it something along the lines of you do what they have been doing the first week, then, on Dark, you have said jobber come back during a Wardlow match and attack Spears at ringside. Then you show a clip and a promo on Dynamite of the jobber saying “Wardlow beat me fair and square, and I can accept that, but what you did, Shawn Spears, was out of line and demands an answer,” and then a response by Spears, and then you have the announcers announce a change to the already announced Rampage card where this Spears vs. Jobber Out For Revenge match has been added to Rampage a Wardlow match against some low-level opponent is now going to be on Dark instead, and you do this a couple of times, and when Wardlow eventually asks Tony Khan what gives, Tony is up front and honest with him (got to keep the promotion babyface) and says that a grudge match will draw better. That way you are actually showing Spears’ cheap-shots resulting in him taking a featured position that we know was otherwise going to go to Wardlow.
THE YOUNG BUCKS ARE SUSPICIOUS OF reDRagon- good… except for one very important detail.
Kyle wants to talk with Cole privately so he asks the Bucks and Fish to leave. The Bucks says that anything he has to say to Cole can be said in front of them, but Cole says it’s okay and the Bucks leave. Fish leaves, too, and Kyle and Cole try to has out their differences. Kyle says that the key to survival in AEW is a faction and points out that he, Fish, and Cole are “three of he most dangerous” men in the world, not mentioning the Bucks at all. Kyle says that he knows Fish has his back, and tonight he will wind out if Cole does as well.
The acting here was good, and I appreciated that they gave some sort of reason for why O’Reilly would be willing to take a chance trusting Cole again after Cole turned on him in NXT. I’m happy to accept the “what happens in other promotions doesn’t count here” explanation, but I think it is always better if you can acknowledge history from elsewhere (especially stuff most viewers are likely familiar with) because it makes the characters seem more like real people and not TV characters.
The problem here that hurts this segment for me, though, is that this conversation that Kyle wanted to have privately so badly… took place right in front of a camera that was being addressed at the start of the segment. This is one of my recurring issues with AEW, which is that they will often answer that first-level detail question (“why is there a camera there at all?” “Because this starts off as a live promo that gets interrupted”) and then just pat themselves on the back for paying such good attention to the details and continue on with their planned segment without doing the important work of asking themselves what the implications of their answer are and attempting to address those (in this case, if the camera is there to record an interview, you can’t insist on having a private conversation and making everyone else leave, but still have the LIVE CAMERA there.
And yeah, the camera ended with Cole telling Bradon Cutler to cut the camera. If you want to say that Cole didn’t really want it to be a private conversation then that absolves Cole of his stupidity, but it certainly doesn’t absolve Kyle.
DAN LAMBERT & MEN OF THE YEAR PROMO- bad segment
Our latest scheme to get
Brandi comes out to defend herself, insulting them back… and then asking who told them it was “open mic night.” By the time Brandi came out they had been in the ring with a mic for well over two minutes. If you didn’t want them talking, why didn’t you cut their mics? I can’t help but notice that this is at least the third time they have made this mistake in a segment where Brandi or Cody comes out to confront a heel and tries to be an authority figure (Brandi in Jade Cargill’s debut segment, and Cody during his feud with Team Taz last year).
Brandi called him an “ugly-ass less talented version of Paul Heyman.” That comparison doesn’t work for me. Paul will denigrate others while talking up his charge. Lambert comes off as someone deliberately trying to be hurtful. He’s more in the vein of an MJF or a Jim Cornette with fewer boundaries about what he’ll say on TV.
Brandi asks Lambert when was the last time he “got beat up by a woman and didn’t have to pay for it” (insert Jim Cornette joke here, I guess?), then offers to beat him up for free. Yeah… I don’t buy that Brandi can take Lambert. Not even close. He’s not Jim Cornette or Paul Heyman or Bill Alfonso, who have always been portrayed as unathletic cowards. He’s not even Prince Nana, who some people might have seen wrestle occasionally, but by virtue of being a manager has deliberately been defined down to make the manager character work better. This is a guy who runs a freakin’ MMA gym.
(Also, a great retort for Lambert would have been “the last time Paige VanZant had a sparring session… and I don’t pay her. She pays me to train with me.”)
Lambert notes that he is a blackbelt in BJJ and says that everyone watching wants to reach into their TV and slap Brandi, so he’s happy to be the one who actually gets to do it. Brandi responds with “you’re a blackbelt? Well I’m a Black bitch.” I’m not really seeing how that’s supposed to be a good line. It’s just a weak retort that AT BEST feels like she’s trying to steal Jade Cargill’s catchphrase.
The Men of the Year hold Lambert back while Brandi takes off her heels and earrings. Dustin comes out to try to talk some sense into Brandi, but Ethan Page attacks him from behind. One shot put Dustin down for good, and the heels left. I’ll play the role of NWK here for a second and pretend that this gives Brandi an out because Dustin was actually faking being hurt worse than he was to keep Brandi checking on him and not got into a fight where Lambert would kick her ass.
Also… where’s Cody? Has his big title win even been mentioned yet?
BRYAN DANIELSON VS. ADAM PAGE VIDEO PACKAGE- meh
They focused on the fact that having judges there means that the champion won’t necessarily retain on a draw. Ross said that he thinks that having judges intrigues fans because fans will wonder who the judges are and what system(s) they might use. I don’t know if someone told him to say this or if he said it on his own, but I thought it was a terrible thing to say. We know it’s a work. If you ask fans to think about that sort of thing, they’re just going to get annoyed because it will be inconsistent.
I know saying that sounds inconsistent with my general take on how kayfabe should be treated, but I think there is a difference here when you’re talking about how fans view something like judges, because 1) judges are reviled in real combat sports (and, quite frankly, non-combat sports as well), and in pro wrestling, we all know that judges mean either some sort of angle (usually a screw-job, but not always- shout out to Flair and Funk at WrestleWar 1989 and Tyler Black and Roderick Strong at ROH 8th Anniversary Show) or that the judges will do their job… which means that someone is going to lose this match without actually losing it, and no one wants that. Because of that, I think the best play here is to just avoid going in the direction Ross went in at all. It’s aways best to not look out of touch (groundbreaking advice, I know), and that’s what Ross’ comment here does. It makes at best himself and at worst the whole company look out of touch with modern wrestling fans.
AEW TBS TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL MATCH: Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill (w/Mark Sterling)- 5.75/10
Thunder Rosa has X-23 cosplay gear. Thunder Rosa worked Jade’s knee over. Jade’s selling was okay. Someone at ringside hit Thunder Rosa in the head with a bottle or something, setting up for Jaded.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- meh
I’d have figured that security would be trying to get this hooded figure, but apparently not, as said person was still at ringside after the match when Thunder Rosa went after Jade. Said person made the save for Jade and started stomping on Thunder Rosa, and no security came out to try to stop this and determine if said person should even be on this side of the barricade.
The masked woman took her mask off to reveal Mercedes Martinez, who, based on Schiavone’s reaction, doesn’t work for AEW. You want to get off your asses and maybe do your jobs, security?
Ruby Soho finally ran out with a weapon to make the save. That’s post-match attacks in three out of four matches so far tonight.
Mercedes is a much-needed talent for AEW so I’m glad to see her in the company, but I’m not sure that having her in Jade’s faction is the best idea. There is certainly a storyline where you eventually put the belt on Mercedes and then Jade and Sterling turn on her (once Jade is good enough to deliver in a championship feud), but Thunder Rosa needs that belt and she needs it for a good, long time before any of that happens.
KRIS STATLANDER VS. LEYLA HIRSCH RECAP- It feels like some major retconning is going on here, as moves that were portrayed as intense but respectful competition during last week’s match are now being shown as signs of “problems that have existed as of late” between these two.
BRITT BAKER VS. RIHO VIDEO PACKAGE- fine
Riho will get her title shot at Battle of the Belts.
CM PUNK PROMO- fine
He said a bunch of nice things about Daily’s place, AEW, Jim Ross, and Brodie Lee. He says that he’s fine if MJF is done with him, but he’s sure they’ll meet again because they are both pursuing the same goal of the AEW World Title… and it sure would be a shame if someone interfered in MJF’s matches, wouldn’t it?
TEAM TAZ PROMO- great
This was just Hobbs and Starks cutting a promo Dante Martin to build up to a Dante vs. Hobbs match.
SAMMY GUEVARA CUTS A PICTURE-IN-PICTURE PROMO WITH CUE CARDS- bad
Excalibur told us that Sammy was so emotional over losing his title… and then AEW had him cut a promo in a way where he couldn’t show any emotion (oh… and where we wouldn’t be able to hear any anti-Cody reactions that might have happened). He wants his title back.
HIKARU SHIDA PROMO- good
TONY SCHIAVONE INTERVIEWS BRIAN PILLMAN JR.- meh
Pillman Jr. cut a good promo about wanting revenge on Malakai Black, but it took a turn for the overdramatic at the end. The lights went out and Malakai Black appeared on the ramp. Then they went out again and when they came back
Announced for Rampage is Cody Rhodes defending the TNT Title against Ethan Page. Isn’t Scorpio Sky the guy they were angry was skipped over for the title shot?
Also announced for Rampage is Anthony Bowens vs. Darby Allin, so we got an…
ACCLAIMED PROMO- very good
We also got a…
DARBY ALLIN & STING PROMO- good
Also on Rampage will be “Technique By Taz” focusing on Hook’s REDRUM. This got the biggest pop of anything.
TAY-JAY VS. PENELOPE FORD & THE BUNNY VIDEO PACKAGE- GREAT!
This is also on Rampage and will be a Street Fight.
Malakai Black vs. Brian Pillman Jr. has been signed for next week’s Dynamite.
BEST FRIENDS & ORANGE CASSIDY vs. ADAM COLE, BOBBY FISH, & KYLE O’REILLY- 7/10
Fine action, but not the sort of blow-away match the announcers were portraying it as. Kyle accidentally kicked Cole and he stayed down for the rest of the match. The Bucks sent Cutler out to cause a distraction, then interfered to help reDRagon win.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- meh
The Bucks went to check on Cole. The Bucks yelled at Kyle about kicking Cole as the reDRagon celebrated their win. This was one of those spots that was clearly an accident. Cole being a heel means that there is more latitude for him to interpret it as deliberate, but if the idea of any sort of break-up is to do Undisputed Era against The Elite, then I think Undisputed Era as the babyfaces is the right way to go, and Cole not being understanding that this was an accident would work against that.
Another mostly meh episode of Dynamite to close out their run on TNT. The video packages are great and there is always great action, but the storylines are, as always, lacking.
