Thank you AEW for yet another great show tonight with the AEW Dynamite 1/20 episode. From teary-eyed to rib-busting laughter, the opening segment had an element pro wrestling should have routinely. It began with The Dark Order celebrating -1’s birthday, singing and dancing around until the Chaos Project interrupted in cartoon-evil villain style, all Doctor Luther needed was a long mustache to twirl.
The match, while outcome predictable was a fun watch, I’ve really enjoyed seeing Hangman Adam Page mesh well with Alex Reynolds and John Silver, and of course “Boom Boom” Colt Cabana is the happiest guy on TV. That closing sequence was a thing of beauty.
The moment where Johnny Hungie got down on one knee and proposed to Page to join the Dark Order and the premature celebration with “creeper horses” injured my ribs. While Hangman reluctantly declined, with dismay and remorse in his eyes, I have a feeling this is not the last of Hangman’s dance with the dark.
At the home of Kenny Omega, a meeting between the AEW World Champion and the Young Bucks goes awry with Michael Nakazawa leading Nick and Matt into a room with The Invisible Hand, Don Callis. He offers platitudes and tries to sway the Bucks over with presumably big bucks, but the Elite Duo opt to shred the checks and by all appearances, beat up Callis.
This is a very interesting situation. Granted, we have the appearance of the Bucks rejecting the offer, but as we’ve come to expect, expect the unexpected as there is more than meets the eye with Callis and The Elite. Oh and there’s the painting…
Da hell….
Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/Z7vXsBS0d1— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 21, 2021
Cody Rhodes defeated “Pretty” Peter Avalon
Well, thanks to Jade Cargill, it didn’t happen in 60 seconds. While Rhodes did hit his finisher right away, the interference paved the way for a low blow and a pretty damn good match. Cody doing what Cody does very well, putting over his opponents. Avalon hit some big moves, and while an errant spot left Rhodes to go through the rest of the match selling a bum leg, it still worked out well. Rhodes locked in the figure four, but Avalon was about to power out until Cody threatened to slap the Pretty One’s face, resulting in a tap out.
We’ve seen this gimmick before, once by Cody himself in WWE.
Jade didn’t stick around after her part, which I guess is fine, but still unsure how this is supposed to play out. Avalon looking good, but the ending hurt him a bit.
Jon Moxley defeated Nick Comorotto
Prior to the match, Mox promised more blood and fury and is directing his anger towards Kenny Omega. Mox’s promos are reminiscent of ECW promos from Tommy Dreamer or the Sandman. He’s promising a lot of pain for future opponents. In action is AEW Dark standout Nick Comorotto, who Bill Bodkin correctly identifies as a cross between Hercules and Bill Jack Haynes. I thought John Nord the Berserker. While knowing the result, Comorotto, looked solid against Mox as big burly bruiser who can take a lot of punishment. Initially no-selling some of Mox’s offensive, but eventually would fall to the rear-sleeper.
While this was Mox’s return to the ring, I really hope to see more of Comorotto (a former NXT talent released in 2020) and perhaps a push for him in the near future.
Team Taz anyone?
Hardy Party defeated Top Flight & Matt Sydal
I enjoyed this. Both teams went full throttle from the get-go, which is my one negative on the match. It started off too fast and looked like some spots missed the mark simply because of how fast everyone was moving. As the match progressed, all members of the match seemed to get the flow of the pace. Sure, I’ll say it, there were a whole lot of spot-fest, but a whole lot of countering said spots.
We finally saw what has been expected all along, the inevitable heel turn with Marq Quen and Isiah Kassiday embracing the mantra of Big Money Matt. Isiah strikes with a chair, allowing the #1 Contender’s to the Impact Tag Team Championships get the win.
What did I say? IMPACT contenders? Yes! On Tuesday night’s Impact show, Private Party defeated Chris Sabin and James Storm. Thanks to Tony Khan’s blessing, the Capital Carney, Matt Hardy gets to strike on Impact.
Backstage Kenny Omega is about to call elder abuse as he sees the bruises the Young Bucks inflicted on Don Callis. But before he can all Adult Protective Services, a new plan is put in motion, and Omega trusts Callis with what happens next.
Penelope Ford defeated Leyla Hirsch
Hirsch is great. I feel like they have to tell her to hold back otherwise someone goes to a hospital. Match had a methodical pace which worked to both women’s advantage, Ford able to bust out some quick acrobatics for some solid offensive. Some attention given to a tux-clad Charles Taylor as Miro’s “young boy.” Some antics, but not a whole lot of attention, which is fine, because the outside shouldn’t detract from the inside of the ring. After the match ended, Miro forced Charles to tell Orange Cassidy that “Miro’s my new best friend.” A dejected Cassidy left the stands.
Not much happened here to further this angle, but I imagine there will be more while we wait for Trent? to return from injury.
Backstage: The Good Brothers beat up Penta El Zero M. This results in an upcoming six man tag match for Beach Break, featuring Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers vs. Mox, PAC, and Rey Fenix.
Lots of trios matches happening on AEW, and I like it!
The Main Event of AEW Dynamite 1/20: The Inner Circle Tag Team Challenge – “Sammy Hager” vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. M-Jericho-F
Loved seeing Sammy Hagar cut a quick pre-match promo in favor of Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager. This was a fight. Nothing held back, everyone wrestling like championships on the line. One negative, Jericho seemed a bit out of it in this one. Maybe he wasn’t 100% tonight? This was a non-stop which we had a number of reminders from the commentary team this has a TV-time limit, teasing a potential draw through the main event. In my opinion, Sammy Guevara was the MVP of the match. MJF remained in heel mode, only entering the match when it suited his needs. Ortiz and Santana were the tag team stars, showing how a pure tag team remains a cohesive duo. Jake Hager blocked any sort of shady interference, big-booting a bat-wielding Jericho, and then KO-punching a Dynamite Diamond-wearing MJF. In the end, after a series of big moves, MJF snaked in the ring to roll up Sammy, with the tights, for the pinfall win.
This will further the storyline of MJF trying to be a top guy within the stable, which seems to show him trying to sway favor with the members of the group.
Here’s a crazy theory. The hate between Sammy and MJF is all a feint for when they align together for an ultimate plan.
The show closed right after the finish, pushing “just how close” this came to a TV-time limit draw. Next week will promise the boiling of more feuds.
AEW Dynamite 1/20 is Now Streaming on the TNT app.
Editor’s Note: Right before the main event of AEW Dynamite 1/20, it was announced there would be Women’s Title Eliminator Tournament coming soon. No competitors have been announced, but if you look at the above graphic, there’s 16 positions in the tournament. If you look at the graphic you’ll also see the American and Japanese flag. So it’ll be very, very interesting to see how this plays out.
Will half the tournament take place in Japan? Will half the field be coming over to America from Japan to compete on AEW programming (preferably on Dynamite). Will we see qualifying matches for the Eliminator? Could we see a mix of Joshi and North American talent being involved in the tournament against each other? Could Impact Wrestling talent be involved? Could talent from AAA be involved? Could talent from the NWA (or what’s left of it) be involved? What about name talent on the indies like an Allysin Kay? Lots of questions and lots of potential here. AEW needs this tournament to be a statement for the Women’s Division which has still yet to find its footing.
