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AEW Dynamite
October 16, 2019

by Samoa Rowe

From the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They’re sold out for the third week in a row. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Shiavone.

SCU make their entrance but are ambushed by the Lucha Bros.! Rey Fenix sends Frankie Kazarian into the ring post while Pentagon Jr. hits Christopher Daniels with a piledriver on the ramp. Scorpio Sky runs in to save Kazarian from a piledriver as well, and Lucha Bros. back off. Other members of the locker room show up to check on respected veteran, Daniels, who is stretchered out. Sky will replace Daniels in the tournament.

Tag Team Championship Tournament - First Round:
SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta)

Taylor starts by taking advantage of Kazarian’s fresh injury with hard Irish Whips. Beretta’s cutter gets an early 2 count. Best Friends hit a piledriver and running knee strike forcing Sky to break the cover. Taylor hits a German suplex and bites the toe of Sky. Best Friends hit Kazarian with a running double stomp to the back and tandem spear. Best Friends sit on one another to hit a big time superplex! Sky gets the hot tag and cleans house to a loud pop. Taylor kicks Sky off the rope but misses a dive and takes down his own partner. Kazarian hits a diving rana and Sky wipes out both Best Friends with a running plancha. SCU hits a tandem DDT on Trent for a great nearfall. Kazarian sells a back injury but manages a springboard guillotine leg drop. Best Friends hit a Soul Food/Suplex combo on Kazarian but Sky prevents a cover. Best Friends clear Sky out and hug it out to a big pop. Best Friends hit a Doomsday Knee but Kazarian kicks out! Kazarian counters into a backdrop on the apron and SCU hit a sloppy powerbomb/dropkick combo for the win at 9:57. This had great intensity and did well to cast SCU as the underdogs. A botchy finish only hurts a little, ***¼.
Winners: SCU

The Inner Circle (Santana and Ortiz) vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds

Santana kicks Reynolds off the apron and Silver flexes his muscles, only to get knocked off his feet. Ortiz tags and hitsa sit out powerbomb on Silver. Santana kicks Silver in the head and makes sure Reynolds is still down at ringside. Ortiz goofs around with claw poses. The Inner Circle finishes Silver with the Street Sweeper at 2:03. Good squash match.
Winners: Santana and Ortiz

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho appears on the screen to gloat about the Inner Circle’s victory. Jericho announces that Santana and Ortiz will face the Young Bucks at Full Gear, which we all could have guessed after last week, but is still exciting nonetheless.

Footage airs of Cody brooding in his kitchen and totally tuning his wife, Brandi, out. He kisses her on the head and leaves for a drive. Brandi then talks to a camera about Cody’s passion as we see him laying in a tub. Other friends and family put over his character as somber piano music plays. This is the sort of segment that expertly blends fiction and reality and was frequently aired on the Youtube “Road to ____” series. I’m glad that it’s being used on Dynamite.

AEW Women’s Championship:
Riho © vs. Dr. Britt Baker

The crowd LOVES Riho at the opening bell. Baker hits some arm drags during a tentative start. Riho hits an arm drag too but has to get the ropes to block Baker’s submission. Britt is beginning to look frustrated. Riho blocks a superplex but Baker rolls through her crossbody, but Riho delivers a hard dropkick. Riho rolls Baker into a double stomp to the gut. Riho suplexes Britt into place for a diving stomp, but Baker avoids it and hits a slingblade. Baker counters into a stunner and kicks the face for 2. Riho delivers rapid fire pinning combinations, but Baker powers into a fisherman suplex and hits a KO kick for a super close nearfall that the fans totally bought. Riho’s Northern Lights suplex gets 2, so she applies a single leg crab! Britt gets the ropes so Riho rushes into a double stomp to the back, but BRITT KICKS OUT! Riho’s running double knee strike gets a less dramatic 2 count. Riho misses another running knee and Baker elbows the face and slams her down for the Lock Jaw! Britt can’t quite get the Mandible Claw, and Riho reverses into a cover for the win at 8:22. This was downright compelling as Riho’s young reign seemed to be in grave danger throughout, ***½.
Winner and still AEW Women’s Champion: Riho

Tag Team Championship Tournament - First Round
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt) vs. Lucha Bros. (Ray Fenix and Pentagon Jr.)

Stunt is replacing the injured Luchasaurus. I’d be shocked if Lucha Bros didn’t go over considering their issues with SCU. Bell rings and the comically undersized Stunt starts against Pentagon, who arrogantly shoves him by the face. Stunt does the floss, so Pentagon throws his glove at Jungle Boy. Stunt tries to turn his size into an advantage, but Pentagon throws him into a Fenix DDT. Jungle Boy makes hte save, and the Jurassic Express take down Lucha Bros. with dives to ringside. Jungle Boy facebusters Stunt onto Pentagon for a nearfall. Stunt 619’s Pentagon into Jungle Boy’s German suplex! Pentagon decapitates Stunt with a superkick, but Jungle Boy hits a thrust kick. Jungle Boy pump kicks Fenix, but he comes back with a slick enziguri/armdrag combo on the Jurassic Express. Fenix wipes out Jungle Boy with a twisting dive. Pentagon murders Stunt with a modified sitout powerbomb for a fantastic nearfall. Pentagon kicks Stunt’s leg out from under him as they head to commercial. Stunt got worked over for the entire break. Stunt hits a desperation leg lariat on Pentagon and the crowd is red hot for Jungle Boy’s hot tag. Stunt takes out Pentagon with a dive while Jungle Boy hits Fenix with a somersault crossbody. Jungle Boy’s running SSP gets a tremendous nearfall. Fenix comes back with a Destroyer. Pentagon spins Stunt around by the hair! Pentagon hits a vicious armbreaker. Fenix hits a double stomp on Stunt and wipes out Jungle Boy with a dive as Pentagon pins Stunt at 11:31. This could have (and maybe should have) been a squash, but was a highly entertaining match in it’s own right, ***¼.
Winners: Lucha Bros.

Pac and Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega

I guess beating the stuffing out of Joey Janela on Dark was enough to get Omega back on Dynamite! Crowd is RED HOT for this at the opening bell. Pac and Moxley stupidly turn their backs, allowing Omega and Page to have a hot start. Moxley shakes off some chops and hits Omega with a hard clothesline. Omega gets a leg lariat on Pac as well. Moxley and Pac double team Omega in their corner with nefarious foot choking and the like. Page gets a needed tag and runs wild, hitting a slingshot plancha onto Pac and flying clothesline on Moxley. Pac boots Pac distracts Page on the top rope and Moxley shoves him off to regain control. The split screen during the commercial shows Moxley and Pac working Page over throughout the break. Page hits a desperation buckshot lariat on Moxley! Omega gets the hot tag and runs wild through Pac, hitting a slick moonsault for 2. Omega hits snap Dragon suplexes on Moxley and Pac! Omega’s plancha wipes Pac out at ringside! Moxley connects with a dive! Page wipes out Pac and Moxley with a top rope moonsault! LOUD “AEW” chants from the fans! Omega’s buckle bomb on Pac sets up a roaring elbow and SSP by Page. Moxley breaks the cover! Moxley slams Page but turns around for Omega’s V Trigger! Pac puts Moxley down with a slingshot cutter! Page drops Pac with a dive into the barricade! Moxley and Omega stand forehead to forehead and duke it out! Moxley flips Omega over with a hard lariat! Moxley gets a barbed wire bat while Omega gets a barbed wire broom! They miss wild swings, and Pac takes his partner’s weapon away because he doesn’t want to get disqualified! Moxley flips Pac off and nails a low blow! Moxley storms off, leaving Pac to suffer Page’s buckshot lariat and Omega’s running V Trigger! Page finishes Pac with Dead Eye at 15:03! This was AWESOME! Fantastic intensity and action from bell to bell, and advanced an angle between Moxley and Pac in the process, ****.
Winners: Kenny Omega and Hangman Page

AEW World Championship (Philadelphia Street Fight):
Chris Jericho © vs. Darby Allin

The time limit is TV TIME REMAINING, which is such a great touch. Allin skates to the ring on a custom skateboard made special for tonight. The crowd is totally jazzed for this match. Bell rings and Allin hits a shotgun dropkick and takes the fight to Jericho with wild punches. Darby dumps Jericho to ringside for a slick torpedo suicida! Jericho catches Allin with a kick and nails a back suplex. The fans’ “Darby” chants seem to wake up the challenger as he catches Jericho in a scary pinning predicament. Jericho throws Darby through the turnbuckles! CUE THE COMMERCIAL! There’s no split screen showing the action this time, which strikes me as strange considering this is the main event and all. We’re back and Jericho is abusing Allin with a kendo stick. Allin desperately applies a crucifix pin for 2 and cracks the kendo stick over Jericho. Springboard splash by ALlin gets 2 so he applies an armbar! Jericho counters into the Walls of Jericho and refuses to let go right away despite an instant rope break. No, DQ’s, folks. Darby hits a kendo shot and high crossbody for a good 2 count. Codebreaker out of nowhere, but Darby gets a rope break! Jericho hits some chair shots and puts it in the buckles. Allin hits a reverse Stunner for 2! Jericho answers with the Walls! Allin gets the ropes, so Jericho brings in some duct tape and ties Allin’s arms behind his back. Jericho tosses a helpless Allin around by the head. Allin hits a springboard moonsault anyway and gets a 2 count! Cannonball senton by Allin, and the fans are going absolutely nuts! Allin’s top rope senton gets a AWESOME nearfall! All the while, Darby’s arms are still tied! Jericho brings in Allin’s skateboard and powerbombs him onto it! Allin kicks out, and dropkicks the chair into Jericho’s face! Allin, arms still tied, goes to the top rope, but Jake Hager runs in for a blind punch to the face. Jericho’s Liontamer finishes him at 15:41! Jericho wins via nefarious means, but Darby gets over with a TREMENDOUS underdog performance. Awesome story, awesome action, ****½. Winner and still AEW World Champion: Chris Jericho

Jericho enjoys a bit of the bubbly as the Inner Circle joins him for the celebration!

Final Thoughts: This flew by and was awesome all the way through. Excuse me while I mark out. Thumbs Up.

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