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AEW Dynamite
August 22, 2020

by Samoa Rowe

"Live" from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida on a Saturday, thanks to the NBA play-offs. The deck is stacked against them tonight, as they are starting later than advertised due to the Heat vs. Pacers game going a bit long, NXT Takeover: XXX starts shortly, and they're away from their usual night. If I had to guess, I"d say this one does 650,000 viewers, so anything above that is good news. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Tony Shiavone, and Taz.

FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, with Tully Blanchard) vs. Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy)

No entrances or introductions, just the bell and it's on. Private Party quickly foil FTR and force a timeout. Match restarts with FTR trapping Quen in their corner with fast tags. Quen escapes and Private Party return the favor on Harwood. FTR weather Private Party's flurry and work over Quen in their corner. FTR get plenty of time to showcase their chemistry. An FTR axe handle into the rail misses, and Quen sprints for a hot tag and Kassidy gets to show off his athleticism while cleaning house. Quen helps with a blind tag and springboard crossbody on Dax for 2. Cash pulls Kassidy off the buckles while Quen tries to put Harwood away with quick pin attempts. Wheeler hits Quen with a spinebuster and Kassidy saves the match. Tully provides a distraction that allows FTR to hit the Goodnight Express on Quen for the win at 12:54. Rock solid tag match that highlighted both teams' strengths, ***¼.

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley isn't bothered by MJF's verbal attacks, in fact he should talk to his wife. MJF might be talented, but he talks an awful lot. He hopes MJF can carry out his promise of carrying AEW for 25 years, because that means AEW is here for decades to come, and Moxley doesn't know if he can last much longer. MJF can accomplish other goals, like moving out of his parents' house or losing his V-card. Moxley thinks MJF is hiding something.

Special update from MJF, standing at a podium, surrounded by his campaign crew. MJF is donning a neck brace and complains about getting jumped from behind by Moxley. The woman he yelled at for not siling before is now smiling like there's a gun to her head. MJF's lawyer claims that five million people signed a petition and and dares Moxley to sign a contract banning the Paradigm Shift from the All Out title match, otherwise a lawsuit is coming.

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, with Marko Stunt) and The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall) vs. Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) and The Butcher and The Blade

No entrances again, and the heels cheap shot before the bell, setting up stereo dives by Lucha Bros. Butcher and Blade pick apart Marshall, who answers with his back handspring kick on Butcher. QT narrowly makes the tag to Dustin, who slams Blade down for an armbar. The bad guys trap Dustin with quick tags and it's commercial time. They return just in time for a Luchasaurus hot tag and a Jungle Boy tope suicida. Roundhouse kick on Pentagon, chokeslam, and moonsault gets Luchasaurus a nearfall. Luchasaurus and Butcher have a brief hoss battle until Blade interrupts with a stunner. Marshall helps with a Diamond Cutter but Pentagon puts him down with Sling Blade. Jungle Boy helps with a dropkick, and Dustin nearly kills Fenix with a wild Destroyer. Pentagon and Blade can't agree on how to finish Jungle Boy and JB rolls up Blade at 9:48. This was all action, ***.
Winners: Jurassic Express and Natural Nightmares

Lucha Bros argue with Butcher and Blade, but get interrupted by Eddie Kingston and a live mic. Eddie says they all used to struggle on the indies, and now that they're on TNT, they should be the tag champs. Eddie proposes they unite as a stable so they can take over, which leads to a group hug. I welcome this development.

Britt Baker and Reba interrupt Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford's PDA in a public gym. In case you didn't know, Britt is a dentist, and swapping saliva can lead to cavities. Britt has a vague contract for a match with Big Swole (who's obsessed with her!) and offers free dental care for a year if Ford helps out in a handicap match.

Tony Shiavone hosts Orange Cassidy and Best Friends in the ring. It looks like OC is back to his silent ways when they're interrupted by Chris Jericho on the stage. Jericho is wielding a bit of the bubbly and begrudgingly congratulates OC for beating him last week. Jericho wants a rubber match, and since they both enjoy their preferred beverages, he challenges him to a "Mimosa Mayhem" match. WTF is that, you ask? Well, they cut straight to a video package that explains there will be a pool full of orange juice and bubbly, and it can be won by pinfall, submission, or tossing your opponent into the pool. Um… yikes. It pains me to say, this sounds like something even Vince Russo would veto for being too stupid. Anyways, OC agrees with a lazy thumbs up, and the Inner Circle surround them for a toast that's really an ambush. They basically waterboard OC with the bubbly, and this is a really vicious attack to set up such a ludicrous match.

The Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Alan Angels) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson)

Nick battles ANgels on the stage and lands a springboard arm drag into the ring. Young Bucks hit a pair of double dropkicks. Matt's rolling suplexes are interrupted by Silver and Reynolds, so he just suplexes them too. They hoist Angels for Omega's Kotaro Crusher. Young Bucks clear the ring with dives, allowing Omega to hit the Finlay Roll, but Reynolds blocks the moonsault from the floor. The Dark Order kicks a chair into Omega's face and follows with a double stomp of the chair into his face. Reynolds helps with a dive, and Dark Order have full control just in time for a commercial. They return just in time for the Young Bucks to go supernova on a comeback. Omega misses a head of steam and gets swarmed by Reynolds and Silver, and nearly gets pinned with a jackknife cover. Omega answers with Snap Dragons and a V-Trigger. The Metlzer Driver is blocked, and Dark Order hit rapid Piledrivers and Angels hits a flying double stomp. Angels moonsaults into a SUPERKICK PARTAY!!!!~ In the chaos, Omega finishes with One Winged Angel at 11:10. Total shameless indie-style match on national television, deal with it, ***.
Winners: The Elite

Omega is still pissed and tries to powerbomb Angels onto a chair, but the Bucks move the chair and try to reason with their friend.

Backstage interview with Tully Blanchard and FTR about an upcoming gauntlet match. Tully says this will be FTR's time to step up and become the best. They have their eyes set on a tag title match at All Out, which brings in a drunk Hangman Page to argue. Page doesn't like what they did to the Rock N Roll Express last week, but FTR "had to do it." Sound logic. Harwood plays some mind games, stating that Page has finally escaped the Young Bucks' shadows, and he could go right back should he lose the tag titles to his stablemates.

Darby Allin vs. Will Hobbs

Allin storms in and hits a shotgun dropkick and tope suicida. Hobbs attempts a fallaway slam, but Darby blocks. Hobbs uses his size advantage to hit a backdrop and slams him onto his face. Hobbs hits a pretty spinebuster for only 2. Allin counters with a stunner and springboard headbutt. The Coffin Drop finishes it at 3:17. Fun squash, as Darby got to obliterate a much larger opponent.
Winner: Darby Allin

Taz taunts Allin from commentary and introduces the "newest member of Team Taz" and it's Ricky Starks cosplaying as Darby. I guess we should be lucky Taz didn't bring in a midget. To his credit, Starks does a pretty funny imitation of a "spooky, serious" Allin promo, and complains about getting his back cut open by a skateboard covered in thumbtacks. Brian Cage ambushes Allin with the FTR title, and Starks angrily calls him "the biggest joke of them all" and smashes him with the skateboard and a stolen Coffin Drop.

My DVR goofs up, because technically Transformers (2007) is supposed to be on now, and we're treated to Matt Hardy destroying Sammy Guevara with a chair. Hardy throws Sammy off the stage and through a table, and referees finally surround him to prevent any more damage.

NWA Women's Champion Thunder Rosa appears in a pretaped promo. She is here to answer Hikaru Shida's challenge to bring the women's division to another level and take the respect they deserve. Excuse me, while I mark out.

Veda Scott makes her Dynamite debut by joining commentary.

Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament - Finals:/entertainment/transformers.php Ivelisse and Diamante vs. The Nightmare Sisters (Brandi Rhodes and Allie, with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall)

Brandi is once again sporting her action figure, "Lil' Bran Bran" (available at Walmart, but apparently not in New Hampshire, I've been looking for them) so hopefully she can keep her head in the game. Ivelisse and Brandi trade holds while Dustin plays with the toys. Brandi suffers a double suplex and crawls int oa tag to Allie. The workrate picks up as Allie and Diamante tear into each other. Brandi cheap shots Diamante from the apron just as they head to picture-in-picture. Back from break, Diamante blocks Allie's superplex and delivers a tornado DDT. Ivelisse gets a hot tag and plows through Brandi with clotheslines. Ivelisse gets a pair or clawhook takedowns for a nearfall. Brandi wrenches Ivelisse and Diamante into each other and hits a spear. Allie hits her elbow drop on Diamante, but Ivelisse saves the match. Diamante blasts Allie with an elbow shot, but QT Marshall hops on the apron. Ivelisse knocks him off and back drops Brandi onto him. Allie suffers a jawbreaker from Diamante and Ivelisse snapmares her into a head kick to win at 9:29! Not bad, this was carried by the performances of Ivelisse and Diamante, and I'm pretty relieved they won, **¾.
Winners: Ivelisse and Diamante

TNT Championship:
Cody © (with Arn Anderson) vs. Mr. Brodie Lee

Aggressive start by Cody, but Lee shoves him off and hits a dropkick and powerslam to the floor. Lee sends Cody over the rails with a big boot. Back to the ring, Lee hits a back suplex and Cody looks dead. German suplex by Lee, followed by a pair of superkicks for 2. Lee follows with a pair of powerbombs and the discus lariat finishes at 3:08! Holy crap, this was a complete and utter squash match! Hat's off for the outside the box approach!
Winner and new TNT Champion: Mr. Brodie Lee

The Dark Order joins their exalted one for a celebration. Tony Shiavone wants a word and Lee shouts that no one believed in him or the Dark Order, and now he's a problem for AEW. Cody is carried out on a stretcher while Lee demands Shiavone to proclaim him as the champion. Cody gives a weak thumbs up from the stretcher, but is helpless as the Dark Order beat up Arn just to be jerks. Lee tips the stretcher over and blasts Cody in the head with a mystery bag. Just when you thought they couldn't pile this on any further, they haul out Dustin and QT, and Brandi throws herself onto Cody to shield him. Cue Anna Jay to storm in and put Brandi in a rear naked choke. J.R. even calls her a "damn jezebel" for old time's sake! Lee drapes the unfinished TNT title on Cody, just as promised, and stands tall with his minions.

Final Thoughts: That last segment totally got me offguard, and while it dived into overkill territory, still shook the show out of it's summer formula. It actually feels as though we're moving from one era of AEW into another chapter, which is a good thing for the end of a summer defined by COVID-19. I'm not going to defend the Mimosa Mayhem match, but this was another memorable Dynamite that moved many story threads forward and provided some genuine surprises.

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