Brian Cage / Matt Sydal
Taz comes out and talks up Darby and Cage, says Team Taz is getting that belt back.
The match with Matt Sydal then gets underway-- Matt is stopped at almost ever opportunity he has to get any kind of comeback or inertia. Cage catches his jumps, shrugs off a lot of his offence, reverses his moves. Doesn't get a chance here. Cage drillclaws him for an easy win.
Ricky Starks talks some more after the match. We're informed again that the revolution will be televised. They still won't let Cage talk for some reason.
Honestly, since Ricky showed up, it kind of feels like Cage has been sort of forgotten about. There's no doubt that Starks is excellent on the mic, and taz is taz, but Cage really hasn't gotten the chance to be anything but a meatball. He has the FTW belt for what its worth, but that doesn't really do anything for him. It's not like anyone can challenge him for it.
Cody Promo
Cody starts to talk about taking MJF on again when he's interrupted. This is actually exactly what happened when Lance Archer showed up, or rather Jake the Snake for the first time. Tries to cut a promo on MJF when someone comes out and starts a whole other feud.
This time, Jade Cargill comes out, a trainee who has been in the wrestler crowd forever now. She gives kind of a long thing about how Cody wants to call himself the giant killer, but he's no giant. He couldn't handle a real giant. She says Shaq is going to fuck him up. SHAQ? OKAY! I'm all in. Whatever you want dude. I don't hate joy.
This promo is unusual because typically men and women don't interact in this way on Dynamite. ESPECIALLY a woman basically cutting down a man. I liked it for that reason.
Brandi then comes out and actually does a pretty striking response, only to have Jade smack her ass at the end. After THIS, Cage Taz and Starks jump Cody, only to have Darby come down in a thumbtack laden suit to body slam the goons, and then Will Hobbs come out for the fourth time with a chair to run everyone off. They kind of janked up Wills big thing I think.
Mox on Omega
Moxley says he's the Champion of the People, and fights for everyone that loves wrestling. It's his duty to defend the belt-- but he beat Omega once already. He can beat him twice. His eye is really bloodied-- I assume an injury for Full Gear.
Natural Nightmares / Butcher & Blade
In a BUNKHOUSE match (I'm unfamiliar with the larger history of these matches, but I'm of the understanding it was something Dusty would or did do in NWA.)
It's basically, for the purposes of the show, a hardcore match with farm-related props and your standard tables, ladders, chairs, trashcan stuff.
This thing really jumped to 100 quickly. They lay in with weapons right away. QT gets hit with a guitar, Blade gets knocked the fuck out with a ladder, Dustin is handcuffed to the post and beaten, Butcher takes a bulldog off the stage-- QT drops an elbow drop TWELVE FEET onto Blade at one point and thats not even the finish. This thing was bloody and wild. Honestly kind of a disappointment that B&B lose here. I mean, maybe not. NN needed to win this feud but Blade is going to be destroyed again next week so, eh.
I loved it though. Probably match of the night for my money.
Inner Circle Induction
Finally, after months, MJF is inducted into the Inner Circle, immediately causing strife with Santana and Ortiz. Sammy isn't even there. MJF and Wardlow are officially in, and MJF surprises Jericho with a 50th birthday gift, tickets to Vegas! So they're heading there next week.
Champ Bucks Speak to Marvez
The Bucks, now definitely not heels and hopefully never will be, tell Marvez sorry for superkicking him in the skull. They say next week they're going to fight this new team called Top Flight, and then, eventually, someday, an FTR rematch. But not any time soon.
Spears / Scorpio
This is part of the feud that started between this too during the Late Night Dynamite episode that aired back in September, and the first time Scorpio has wrestled on Dynamite proper since his TNT Belt attempt on 8/12
This was a pretty even match with some interesting work on the steel chairs-- until Tully was able to get Spears the bullet for his Power Glove. He actually did something interesting where he distracted Scorpio with a fake bullet long enough for Spears to get the real one loaded and knock Scorpio out with it.
This was supposed to happen I think last week, but Scorpio was around someone who was around someone who had COVID so they, thankfully, pulled it. Keep these dudes safe.
It was good to see both these relatively overlooked guys on TV.
Omega on Being The Best
Omega cleverly notes that he and Mox's unsanctioned match from 2019 doesn't count as a real match, because on the show, it doesn't. It wasn't an official AEW match because TK wouldn't allow it. Great callback imo.
Kenny says since now they're doing REAL wrestling, he's going to win. And remind everyone why he's the best.
Tay Conti / Red Velvet
Red Velvet WHO IS STILL NOT OFFICIALLY SIGNED (??????????????????) and Tay Conti put on a better than usual womens match for AEW (with obligatory commercial break destroying the pace of the whole thing).
Both of them look really good here, and the match is pretty hot until the end. Anna Jay, who is there for Tay and still, I suppose, trying to get her into Dark Order, slides her a chair to kill Red Velvet. Tay refuses it and then gets hit hard by Velvet.
I think it would have been ideal here to have Red Velvet win, but I guess it depends on the story. If it's about Tay rejecting the DO offer because she can win on her own, this is fine. Otherwise, it wastes a good chance to get an ending that was earned through storytelling.
Velvet loses after missing some moves, Conti hits her with a knee left and Conti/Jay reconcile quickly.
More Inner Circle
Sammy shows up, said MJFs stupid email told him to go to the beach and not to the show. MJF says surely he should have gotten his second email that said it was the show. Everyone tells Sammy to chill out and they're going to Vegas. Sammy is sad.
Eddie Kingston W/ Fenix / Pentagon Jr.
In a rematch from a couple weeks ago, we get a much more heavy and sad match from the Lucha Bros as Eddie denigrates Fenix further than he has before. He seems to not care he's put these brothers into a position where they're ripping each others' masks off.
It's a heavy match, as any hope of these two reconciling seems to be crushed by Eddie. Pentagon wins by destroying Fenix's skull and neck with a bunch of insane looking piledrivers, both their masks hanging on by a thread.
Eddie comes out and straightup kicks Fenix backwards out of the ring without even acknowledging him, putting over his BEST FRIEND Pentagon.
ALL THE SUDDEN PAC COMES RUSHING IN AND SAYS EDDIE HAS MADE A POWERFUL ENEMY.
TEN MILLION REFS RUSH THE STAGE AND STILL BARELY HOLD BACK MY GREASY ANGRY SON. THE STAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER. EDDIE IS DEAD.
Pros:
Cons:
Grade: B