AEW Dynamite in Austin, Texas (well…Cedar Park to be exact) was quite possibly the best top to bottom episode of Dynamite the company has produced.
Stop me if you’ve read this sentence in one of my reviews before. I throw my hands up in complete transparency that there’s been multiple times this year where I thought, “Damn they really did it…this is their best show.” However, there was always caveats. It was great, “but….X could’ve been better” or “but….I’ll forgive this because this talent/company is still new.”
In this episode, AEW hit everything out of the park. And I was stunned that it did so. On paper this wasn’t the most stacked show they’ve ever produced. There was no Cody Rhodes. No Young Bucks. Chris Jericho was not advertised to wrestle. You did have Kenny Omega and Hangman Page versus SCU, which you knew would be a hot match. You have Nyla Rose versus Riho, which on paper looked to be a solid match, but given the inconsistency of the booking of AEW’s Women’s Division could we bank on a good finish? We had Moxley versus Santana and MJF versus Jungle Boy, two matches where the outcome was fairly predictable. In short, it seemed like this would be a solid, but ultimately forgettable episode of Dynamite.
I do love being wrong.
AEW Dynamite in Austin was a red hot show from start to finish that built characters, advanced storylines, and delivered terrific matches from start to finish. They didn’t need gimmick matches, plunder, a myriad of death defying high spots, or even big matches from their top dudes to deliver. And that’s important. AEW stacks the deck every single week, but you can’t rely on all these big gaga things to tell a story. Sometimes less is more, and tonight definitely felt that.
Let’s break everything down:
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. SCU for the AEW Tag Team Titles: Red hot match. It is fairly obvious AEW is building for Omega & Page vs. The Young Bucks. Whether it’s for Revolution (we’ll find out next week in the Battle Royal), or at Double or Nothing — this feud is coming. So it’s no surprise Kenny & Hangman retained. However, the chemistry these four have is incredible, and this was great opener. The V-Trigger/Buckshot Lariat combo is a great finisher, and I’m glad this makeshift team has a team finish.
The Dark Order Done Right: AEW has put the work in to course correct The Dark Order after that debacle in December. The whole deal with Christopher Daniels (who’s probably a red herring), the potential of Cutler or even Nakazawa being part of the group, and the rumor and innuendo that Matt Hardy could be running the group keeps this group relevant, and it keeps it interesting. With the Nightmare Collective being put out to pasture, Dark Order can be the lone group of spooky perverts.
Santana’s Promo: You want to build up drama and stakes in a match that seems like a throwaway — here’s how you do it. Santana’s sit-down with JR where he invoked the memory of his late father (who lost his vision), and how that’s incensed Santana was a really intense, and impactful way to get people to care about this match.
Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara: When AEW started I did not expect it to be a platform for Dustin Rhodes to become the Terry Funk of the company — the older veteran who can not only hang with the young talent, but also throw caution to the wind at every moment. Dustin Rhodes has literally been on fire since coming to AEW, and he’s been great. The hometown crowd was primed for him to win, and it was the right call. Sammy will rebound from this loss quickly, and both men looked awesome here. Dustin’s post match promo calling out Jake Hager was solid gold, and I loved it.
Britt Baker’s Heel Turn is Working: Ever since she’s debuted I never bought Britt Baker as a face. This is probably because she’s in a relationship with one of the best heels in the business, Adam Cole, and in my head it’s like “Oh, she’s a heel.” Her recent string of promos have been solid, but on this episode it went to another level. Her usual spiel of running down Tony Schiavonne, and lauding her education wasn’t exactly connecting, and you could see she knew it. So immediately she craps on Texas treasure Whataburger, and mocks the “Hook ‘Em Horns” gesture. The crowd was livid. That’s a damn good heel.
Nyla Rose vs. Riho for the AEW Women’s Championship: Wow. This match exceeded every expectation I had for it. This light years better than their initial encounter at the AEW premiere, and it had me (and much of the audience) guessing who’d win the belt. It made a lot of sense to put the belt on Nyla — however the timing is questionable. Why not wait till Revolution? And that’s my only complaint. Nyla’s King Kong flying knee drop was devastating. Riho running a table to strike Nyla was awesome. Nyla going for the One-Winged Angel, only for Riho to counter with a Snap Dragon Suplex was a smart, unexpected move. Nyla needed the belt, because having her lose again would leave her rudderless. Now, let’s build up new contenders to take the belt off of her (cough Statlander cough).
JEFF FREAKING COBB: Excuse me for being excited…but Jeff Cobb in AEW is exciting. First off, when Jericho announced he was bringing in “an assassin, a bounty hunter” it was an immediate mark-out moment. This angle is drawn right from Memphis, World Class, and Jim Crockett Promotions. It’s such an easy, yet effective old school angle. Was Cobb the first thing that came to mind? No. Lance Archer was. However, Cobb is such a talent, and it makes perfect sense for him to be in AEW. Super-talented, athletic, high impact wrestler. Listening to JR effuse about Cobb, and compare him to his friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams was pretty great.
MJF vs. Jungle Boy: A preview of an AEW PPV main event in a few years. This was easily the best either man has looked in an AEW ring. This match did everything right – reaffirm MJF as a garbage person, remind everyone he’s not just great on the mic but can go in the ring, and also make Jungle Boy look really good in the loss. This match also low key saw a Brandi Rhodes face turn, as it looks like The Nightmare Collective is gone for good.
Moxley vs. Santana: This was a really good, gritty fight. Santana was never going to win this match …. but don’t tell him that. This match had fire, and drama, and hatred in it. Moxley winning was guaranteed, but Santana (like Ortiz last week) was the most impressive.
JEFF FREAKING COBB: The crowd popped big time for him. The Tour of the Islands was immediately sold as a devastating finish. AEW needs to book Cobb properly and not have him do the job quickly to Mox … if he’s going to stick around. If Cobb is one and done, that’s one thing. There’s big upside in the King of Hawaiian Strong Style, don’t mess it up!
