Hangman / John Silver
Hangman comes out looking a little healthier than he has recently! No drinking, not obviously hungover. John Silver plays it cool throughout the match, trying to let Hangman know he's not out there to fuck him up.
This is the second person from DO Hangman has fought recently, the first being Colt during the buildup to Full Gear.
John Silver stop playing around after awhile and then Hangman gets a little masochistic. Silver kicks him over and over again which Hangman invites. Eventually he lands the lariat the end the ballgame but John looked really good. Evil Uno/the rest of the DO tries to recruit Hangman after the Silver match. Says he's been a member of more of a cult than Dark Order is. They leave the offer of recruitment open.
Kenny & Marvez.
Alex Marvez and Kenny talk - Kenny says this difficulty with getting a match with Moxley is reminiscent of last year before Full Gear. Kenny says the year he's spent being taken seriously again will be worth it once he gets the belt. He pleads for Moxley to leave the trash wrestling at home. Kenny also congrats Mox on being a dad. Also says his dad would beat the shit out of Mox's dead in a bold statement.
Allin/Rhodes Vs Starks/Hobbs announced for next week. This of course giving further credence to the rumor that many, many things will stop the path of Cage-- but mostly that Team Taz just don't love him no more.
Darby continues fucking up his car in a vignette. The man has no respect for automobiles or the environmental impact of burning rubber.
Powerhouse Hobbs/Lee Johnson
Will Hobbs, now "Powerhouse" Hobbs, gives a good old fashioned beating to Lee Johnson, Mr. King of Dark. Lee has been hanging around AEW long enough to have a record bigger than most of the main eventers, but mostly sticks to Dark unless he's being fed to someone on the main roster. Hobbs wins this easily. It's just to showcase Hobbs' new look and work.
Taz Is Mad
After Will's match Taz sends Hobbs out of the arena after congratulating him. Taz says the FTW belt isn't being acknowledged for what it is, nor Team Taz getting the respect it deserves. He challenges someone from "management" to come out and make it mean something. His mic is cut. He makes Justin Roberts surrender his microphone. They then cut off THAT mic. Cody comes out from backstage and tells Taz he's done. Says he respects Taz but that he's wasting time. Just settle it in the ring next week. Taz says Cody is a step away from future endeavoring him and that Cody's full of corporate bullshit. Cody says Taz's son Hook is training with Cody and not him. Taz calls Cody pathetic and pretends to bail before choking out Cody then bailing because Gunn club and Dustin run to the thing. Hook then appears with Taz to carry out the belt.
Marvez and Eddie and Mox
Marvez and Eddie talk. Eddie no sells that he's heartbroken about Penta leaving his family. He calls Pac Bing Bong Poop. Mox shows up and stares Eddie down. Eddie says he wasn't the one that beat him up. Mox walks off without saying a word. Eddie is mad about is Feng Shui being thrown off. Eddie has no idea that wrestling is a work.
TH2 / Top Flight
I was worried last week that maybe the Bucks were the reason Top Flight looked so good, but no dudes, it's just that Top Flight is that good. Coincidentally, this is TH2's best match on Dynamite ever, I'm confident of this. It makes the Miro/Kip fight with them look even worse by comparison, though now it's clear this wasn't because of TH2. I never gelled really with TH2 pre-pandemic, but they've got a little extra step in them now I think. Or maybe it's just refreshing seeing them back. Either way, this match ruled. Very very very quick work, lots of cool acrobatics, everything you'd want from two lightweight teams. It's WCW cruiser stuff. TH2 wins but it takes all they have to put the new kids down. Interested to see where they both go from here.
Nyla & Vickie
Vickie and Nyla cut a promo after the TH2/Top Flight match, about how Brandi seems to be involved in all these other peoples' business and she needs to step off.
FTR Reappear
FTR, noted weenies, appear for the first time since losing to the Bucks and talk about how much they hated the match with the Bucks at Full Gear. They say the Bucks were only better for three seconds. Tully says it's FTR's destiny to be the next champions. Fear the revelation.
Battle Royale
Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale for next week at Winter is Coming. The ring MJF got from DDP by being a cheating degenerate son of a bitch will be up for grabs again. Sammy and Ortiz are announced as participants.
SCU / Jericho & Hager
This is the speediest Jericho match since OC 1. Honestly it's 2019 Jericho a little bit more. He's still slowish, but not mid July slowish. I was looking forward to this the least honestly, but it was good! This is apparently the first time Jericho/Daniels have ever fought in their careers. It was a good one and Daniels really did look great tonight. Kazarian always does. Good match, good to see new Inner Circle. Scorpio Sky uses the Will Hobbs special of slamming a chair to scare off Inner Circle after they jump SCU post-match.
Video Game Extravaganza
Miro/Kip Extravaganza Episode 1 is interrupted by Orange Cassidy, which turns into an outdoor brawl with Best Friends and Miro/Kip. At some point Miro screams a cameraman to death. Miro, Kip, and Orange are announced for the Diamond Battle Royale.
Contract Signing II
There was a second attempt at a contact signing. Kenny, who is ABSOLUTELY a Wrestling Observer Hall of Famer, has his grand entrance interrupted by Moxley. Mox kicks Omega's hall of fame ass into the ring, then gets Paradigm Shifted onto the belt. Mox says the guy Kenny hired to hurt him did a terrible ass job, and that he should call his friends from Philly. Mox is pissed off, but says they're even now. The only way he becomes champ is to dig down and unleash the true Kenny Omega. Mox says the two best wrestlers on the planet will fight and that he LOVES THIS SHIT. Win lose or draw, winter is coming. This ain't BTE or Dancing Girls, if you come at the king, you best not miss. Mox signs his name with a pen that works. This is good for everyone.
Marvez and IC
Marvez is with Inner Circle. MJF is very very mad about being sucker punched by Kazarian. Jericho says fun and games with Inner Circle is done, and now Jericho is proving it by beating Kazarian 1v1 next week. He says he will end Kazarians career.
Shida / Anna Jay
We get a segment about the women's championship match. Anna Jay says she's a new wrestler now. Shida says losing is learning, and that if Anna Jay needs Dark Order to win, she's learning nothing. Anna Jay says the final piece of herself to complete the new Anna Jay is the belt. Shida says she doesn't need the belt, she needs heart.
The match is a bit better than their first bout back in April. It's a little faster, Anna Jay does look a lot better, bit Shida is still carrying the match like she usually has to. Shida's leg is still hurt from her match with Nyla, and Dark Order tries to exploit this by kendo sticking it, but Shida powers through, avoids the Queenbreaker, and wins the match.
Abadon comes out to feed on Shida after her match with Anna. She licks blood over the belt. Shida has historically had a hard time with Abadon.
Hardy Party
Matt Hardy tells us that he's overcome life and death situations this year, so we can overcome our own pathetic, much less intense challenges. He is also going to be in the Battle Royale next week.
Starks and Team Tazz
Team Taz says Cody has crossed a line tonight. Taz stormed out with his kid. He says TK pays them well. Brain Cage says "This Guy" in a rare opportunity to remind he's more than just a pair of muscle tits. Starks talks some more, then Cage talks for a second time. Someone needs to tell him to slow down.
Butcher and Blade / Pac & Fenix
This is a whale of a match, Butcher and Blade get a lot of help winning but they do manage to pull off their first victory since 12/18/19. On Dynamite Proper.
The story was kind of lacking in the ring considering everything involved tbh, but it still delivered big for me. Eddie tries to kill Pac after the match, but Lance Archer runs in with Jake to stop the beatdown of Death Triangle. Lance and Eddie exchange some blows before Eddie runs. Lance is using his old theme again tonight which is VERY GOOD NEWS for everyone who liked good things instead of bad things
Pros
Cons
Grade: B+