AEW Dynamite - July 7, 2021 - "Road Rager"
by Samoa Rowe
Live from, get ready for this, the JAMES L. KNIGHT CENTER IN MIAMI, FLORIDA and NOT Daily's Place! That's right, after 16 months, Dynamite is on tour again, at least until the Delta variant of COVID-19 screws everything up. So don't strap in quite yet, but enjoy it while you can. There's 3,700 paid fans in attendance and likely another few hundred that got in for free. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Tony Shiavone, Excalibur.
South Beach Strap Match:
Cody Rhodes (with Arn Anderson) vs. QT Marshall (with The Factory)
QT tries to stall but Cody catches him with a dive. The fans are behind Cody as he chokes QT with the strap. QT tosses Cody onto the stage, but then gets pulled into the ropes. Power slam by Cody, and then some scientific whipping. QT moonsaults into a strap shot to the gut. Aaron Solow blatantly interferes, luring in Dustin Rhodes for a quick save. QT uses the strap for a low blow and takes control. They get tangled in the strap and have some botchy moments. Cody reverses a ring post shot and busts QT open. The lights go out randomly as Cody tags the corners, and QT saves himself with a suplex. Cody looks for a super rana but QT reverses into an avalanche sitout powerbomb. I'm not feeling this, but the fans are chanting for Cody. QT ties up Cody and hits a long winded draping Diamond Cutter. Cody hulks up and tears through Marshall with his bag of tricks and lots of whipping. Cody uses a blind low blow, QT no-sells to spit in the face, and Cody makes him pay with a trifecta of Cross Rhodes and tags all the corners at 10:40. Cody is so much higher than QT on the pecking order that it's hard to look at this as anything other than a glorified squash, **.Winner: Cody Rhodes
Shawn Spears brags to the camera about how he's two steps ahead of Sammy Guevara, when suddenly a chair flies into his skull, courtesy of Sammy.
Tony Shiavone hosts AEW World Champion Kenny Omega (with Don Callis) in the ring. The fans give Omega a mixed ovation, and then boo Callis as he kicks Tony out and brags about all the history Omega is making. These fans must watch Impact, because they chant “You got fired.” They claim that there's no one else for Kenny to beat, giving the fans a chance to chant “We want Hangman!” They're interrupted by Evil Uno and the Dark Order. Uno wants to know why Omega is so afraid of Hangman. Kenny breaks out the old “What's the capital of Thailand?” shtick and Uno falls for it and gets sent to Bangkok. Hangman Adam Page storms in a monstrous ovation to clear out the Good Brothers, and confronts Omega, at least until the Good Brothers provide another distraction.
Earlier today, Jim Ross sat down with hated enemies, Darby Allin and Ethan Page. J.R. is disgusted that they want to end each other's careers. Ethan smirks while dismissing the criticism. Allin explains that when he got started, he caught up to Ethan quickly, and took the hard road of living out of his car while Ethan took an easier (and longer) path to get to AEW. Ethan argues that Darby owes his success to all the lessons he learned from their fights. J.R. is worried about what will happen in their coffin match.
The Pinnacle (Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, and Wardlow, with Tully Blanchard) vs. The Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager, with Konnan)
Santana tears into Dax at the opening bell. Santana hits a release German and tags in Ortiz, for an assisted moonsault for 2. Dax chops Ortiz in the throat and tags in Wheeler for a power slam. Wardlow tags in for a powerbomb, and the Pinnacle are cooking. Ortiz desperately counters into a Liger Bomb, and Hager storms in on a hot tag. Hager Bomb on Dax, and then he clotheslines the others from the ring. Cue the commercials! They return with Santana making another hot tag to Ortiz. The Inner Circle triple team Wheeler, Hager hits a power slam for 2. FTR double team Ortiz, hitting a Dragon suplex into a jackknife pin for 2. Hager gets another hot tag but his ankle lock is broken up by Dax. He fights off FTR and asks for Wardlow, and they duke it out. FTR break up another ankle lock and hit Hager with the Big Rig to win at 9:03. This had the right energy and indicates these teams aren't through with each other, **¾.Winners: The Pinnacle
Konnan attacks The Pinnacle with a mad ball and gets chop blocked down.
Good Brothers video promo. They claim to have changed the landscape of pro wrestling, but are offended by Jon Moxley continuing to hold the IWGP U.S. title. Anderson challenges Mox to a title match at Fyter Fest.
MJF and Chris Jericho meet in the ring for a scheduled standoff. A fan tries to run in to attack MJF and gets handled by security, but MJF unwisely challenges any other fat, white trash member of the audience to do the same thing. Jericho says he should have let the fat bastard beat MJF's @ss, and won't back down from any stipulations MJF has in store for him, including having sex with his mother (....AGAIN!). The crowd likes that idea. MJF stipulates that Jericho must face five opponents of his choosing, each with a different stipulation, and then he can fight MJF one more time. Jericho says if he can't win MJF's “Layers of Jericho” challenge, then maybe he shouldn't be in AEW, and vows to beat him and ruin his life, and that ain't no mythology. Jericho signs and throws the contract at him. MJF demands a handshake, or the deal is off. Jericho accepts, but pulls him into a Judas Effect. This was great and should lead to some good TV matches for Jericho.
Tony Shiavone interviews AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker (with Rebel, not Reba), and she rants about last week's assault from Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero, and complains about unsafe working environment. Britt thinks Tony Khan is allowing this because Vickie brought in Andrade El Idolo, and hopes he enjoys his blood money (maybe next week AEW can run in Saudi Arabia). Britt plans on sending Nyla back into obscurity when she beats her at Fyter Fest.
Matt Sydal vs. Andrade El Idolo (with Vickie Guerrero)
Andrade enters looking like Black Mask from Batman, and it suits him. They keep a quick pace in the early going, but it seems that Andrade has the offensive edge. Sydal answers with a spinning kick, but Andrade boots him off the top rope. Back from commercials, Sydal is trying to make a comeback. Sydal hits a series of kicks and pulls Andrade into a novel pinning predicament for 2. Andrade answers with a decapitation lariat. Andrade misses a tree of woe double stomp, and Sydal nails Meteora for 2. Andrade throws Sydal into the buckles and then hits running knees to the back of the head. Andrade finishes with his hammerlock DDT at 7:36. This was basically a glorified squash, and the fans seemed rather reserved throughout, **.Winner: Andrade El Idolo
Andrade uses his belt in a postmatch beatdown and then hugs Vickie.
Video package for the Christian Cage/Matt Hardy rivalry, 23 years in the making.
Tony Shiavone hosts Arn Anderson in the ring, and congratulates him for his son, Brock's success. Arn says he missed all the fans and cuts to the chase, but the lights go out. They return, and TOMMY END is in the ring! He puts Arn down with a kick, and Cody pops in and gets kicked down as well. The fans are appropriately excited to see him, although the announcers ruin this a bit by not knowing exactly what to call him. He might be Tommy End, or Malakai Black. Either way, I'm glad that he's here.
Earlier today, Ricky Starks introduced his own personal security team, because he can't trust Brian Cage to not attack him before he's cleared to compete. Taz is offended by this development, but Starks makes it clear he's looking out for his own best interests. Cage runs in and beats up the security while Starks scurries away.
The Blade and The Bunny vs. Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander (with Chuck Taylor)
Aubrey Edwards confiscates some brass knucks from Blade. Bunny wants a piece of Orange, and takes some sloth kicks. Cassidy hits Blade with a real dropkick with hands in pockets. Blade blocks the Beach Break, and hits a power slam. Cassidy answers with Stun Dog Millionaire. Statlander and Bunny tag in, and Kris hits a knee lift and power slam. The fans appreciate Kris' delayed vertical suplex. Kris misses a somersault senton, and Blade grabs her boot, allowing Bunny to smash the back of her head and send us to commercials. They return with Statlander in the midst of a comeback, but Blade smashes Cassidy into the barricade. Bunny hits a top rope suplex. Blade tags in and seems ready to fight Statlander, who lures him into Cassidy's high crossbody. DDT by Cassidy gets 2. Bunny pushes OC off the buckles, but Statlander knocks her off the apron. Kris hits Blade with a 450 splash, but Bunny breaks up OC's cover. Blade has backup brass knucks and smashes Cassidy in the face. Kris tags herself in, so Blade's cocky pin goes nowhere. Statlander puts Bunny down with the Big Bang Theory and wins to a big pop at 8:38! Average match, but they got the fans going at the end, **¾.Winner: Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander
Earlier today, Jungle Boy was awarded a trophy for being the first to win 50 matches in AEW.
Some MMA personalities hijack the show. I don't know who their manager is, but he cuts a promo that leans in on the online narrative that old school wrestling fans hate AEW. Lance Archer hears enough and beats up the man known as Dan Lambert. Can this be the last of this sort of angle, please?
AEW Tag Team Championship (Street Fight):
The Young Bucks © (Nick and Matt Jackson, with Don Callis and Brandon Cutler) vs. Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo
Eddie and Penta interrupt the Bucks' over-the-top entrance and take the fight to ringside. Michael Nakazawa's interference backfires and he takes inadvertent superkicks. Eddie hunts down Cutler, but gets ambushed by the Bucks with chairs. Eddie drop toe holds Nick into a chair, and Penta helps hit surround sound kicks. Penta and Eddie hit their vicious version of WASSUP to send another message to Bully Ray on social media. The challengers set up tables, but the Bucks recover with a powerbomb on Eddie, and then Penta puts Matt through a table with a CANADIAN DESTROYER! They cut to commercials. Back from break, Nick hits a trash can assisted Swanton Bomb on Kingston. Penta helps with a superkick, sling blade, and catapults into the Bucks' DDT. Eddie takes a cannonball/enziguri combo, but Penta saves him with a superkick. Eddie suplexes one Buck, and Penta DDT's the other. Eddie traps Matt in a Rear Naked Choke, but Nick breaks it with a 450 splash onto the referee! The Good Brothers arrives to take advantage of the Street Fight stip and beat Eddie down at ringside, but Penta dives onto them. Matt spears Eddie, and holds Penta for Cutler's spray, but a hooded Kazarian runs in to powerbomb Cutler at ringside. The challengers seem to have the win, but a second ref is too late. The Good Brothers put Kazarian down with a Magic Killer. Meanwhile, Eddie pours thumb tacks all over the ring. Penta hits Nick with an enziguri, but Nick sends him into the tacks with a super rana! The Bucks throw a SUPERKICK PARTAY and finish Eddie wat 14:21! This was lots of fun, ***½.Winners and still AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
Final Thoughts: AEW is back on the road and it's a beautiful thing. This was a breezy show that featured a big debut for the former Aleister Black, had generally solid action, and set up some big things for the next month of television. Easy recommendation.
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