I’m getting this off my chest first. The internet erupted because the keyboard warriors and the wrestle-ragers… All because Jim Ross accidentally said WWE Dynamite.
Sure, I reacted too. I won’t lie. I played it back to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. My wife heard it, my friend heard it. We make our jokes, because after the tremendous main event and video package heavily featuring Brodie Lee, we get one slip of the tongue. One. Slip.
Of course, this is what detonates the internet. Again, I have no shame in admitting a laughed at the plethora of memes and jokes. However, I was very much angered by some of the more callous and inappropriate remarks made in a personal manner. This is not acceptable. J.R. has been through more than most of the internet trolls will ever experience in their lives. Kudos to Jim Ross for not quitting and for trudging through some dark and difficult times in his life.
He’s openly stated, on Twitter, he has no plans to quit. Fine with me. Is his commentary perfect? No, and he’s admitted this as well.
He’s human, like the rest of us.
However, I would be remiss to wonder if there is some sort of voodoo going on, where an incredible main event which should be talked about passionately, winds up taking a back seat to some inadvertent goof which then commands the attention of Twitter and podcasters.
I also believe the reaction to Eddie Kingston’s speech following the Saturday Night Dynamite was blown way out of proportion. My opinion, and I go by my interpretation and no one else’s, but it sounded to me he was slamming WWE’s recent and periodic releases of wrestlers and staff. Again, my interpretation was not an attack on the wrestlers, but the individuals behind-the-scenes. Feel free to tell me my opinion is wrong, feel free to slander me on the internet, but an opinion, is just that. An opinion. You don’t have to agree with me, you don’t have to disagree either. In life, one is allowed to accept an opinion without fabricating an emotional response.
Rant over.
Let’s just talk about AEW Dynamite 6/30 and the main event which blew away expectations. I know not everyone is fan of MJF in the ring, but there is no doubts his mic skills are probably best in the business, rivaling Rabbi Paul Heyman. It is a coincidence the best promo cutters right now are Jewish? I might have to check into CM Punk’s lineage. Sammy blew our minds with some aerial maneuvering and grounded methodology which will one day be in the history textbooks. Or maybe I’m just overpraising. The highlights of a super-Spanish Fly-God and a second turnbuckle Tombstone offensive by MJF was astounding.
We will talk injuries further down the column, but this was a match, despite the interference preventing a clean ending, which could easily main event a pay-per-view in the next year.
Chris Jericho on commentary for the whole show was beautiful. I would love, just one episode with Jericho, Taz, and Don Callis on commentary. Just. Once.
The show kicks off with the Mustachioed Jackson Boys. Yes, the Elite all have mustaches. Except for Karl Anderson, I don’t think he had much in the way of facial hair last night. But man, this opener was on fire. Noticeably, Nick Jackson appeared to emulate “Macho Man” Randy Savage quite a bit last night. Usually brother Matt who does some sort of homage. Although the synchronized Ace Ventura pelvic thrusts were a bit weird. The final moments were tense and thrown in chaos after a very obvious botch by referee Rick Knox who hit the three count prematurely. Hey, mistakes happen, but I cannot remember the last time something like that AMPED THE CROWD to new levels. Maybe because it was live, or maybe because this match drew us in like the aroma of gourmet cooking. In any case, the moments seeing Penta and Eddie just wallop the hell out of the Jacksons to earn a not-exactly-clean pinfall victory, due to botched interference by The Good Brothers and Brandon Cutler, earning a future title bout.
Even though Mox was written off TV to be with his wife and child, I feel along with Eddie, they should have dethroned the Bucks, if at least for a month just to make a dent in their aura of invulnerability. Tonight marked the night where the Bucks fell and the cracks may begin to form.
These are the exact matches I want. If every match involving a champion is deemed a title defense, it is obvious who the winner will be. It should detract from the match, much like last Dynamite featuring Jungle Boy vs. Kenny Omega. This was incredible. It proved the young Jungle Jack Perry will be a future main eventer in the years to come, even though there was no way he would become champion.
Speaking of Jungle Boy, he became the first AEW wrestler who hit the milestone of 50 wins in the company. It’s pretty cool how the commentary team highlighted it. In the long run, this is a fact which will be forgettable, but for a while, significant. His 50th win came with the impressive victory of Jack Evans of TH2. This was a fast paced and fun match. While nothing impressively major was on the line, this keeps Jungle Jack Perry a hot commodity coming off his 5-star match with Kenny Omega.
While some feel a feud with Matt Hardy and his HFO is a step down… Well, it is. Anything less than a main event or world title shot will be considered a step down. I laugh when other websites will say “Oh, he’s taken down a notch” or something to this effect, but he’s not the top contender anymore. What would you expect to happen?
Prior to the match, The Men of the Year, Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky promise a world of hurt for Darby Allin. Ethan Page earns insta-heat from the live crowd. Man, he knows how to make people hate him. The segment ends with Sting and Allin surprising the heels with a pre-emptive strike, resulting in Page delaying the match and adding a stipulation Allin can’t touch him until the match.
There might be a reason to delay the match, but I’ve never been a fan of the “You can’t touch me” gimmick. We’ve already seen it involving Cody Rhodes and MJF.
Andre El Idolo announces he will challenge Matt Somebody… I mean, Matt Sydal next week for his debut match. It’s a good debut match which will inevitably see Sydal lose, which is disappointing. A lot is riding on this, hopefully the new signee will prove to a live crowd he is worth it.
In the ring, Tony Schiavone asks Kenny Omega “what’s next?” Omega, in heel fashion opts to just go home for a while until a contender presents himself. However, this dismissal is immediately challenged by The Dark Order who Omega tears into for losing so often, however it’s not a Dark Order member they are referring to, but someone who has nearly held the AEW Championship. Some fun teasing “if I know who you’re talking about” banter – Which everyone knew from the get-go referred to “Hangman” Adam Page. Omega turns it upside down saying Page would have been irate to be volunteered to be the next contender, spurring some doubt among the Dark Order’s actions.
This was inevitable, and the inevitable is very soon. The build challenging Page’s real interest in being a top contender is real given how the past year has been. This may prove to be the best built feud of 2021 into 2022.
Miro retains the TNT Championship against Brian Pillman Jr.
Again, a match we knew there was no chance of a win from the underdog, but boy did he put up a believable fight. He’s going to have a future. Sticking with Griff Garrsion and Julia Hart as the Varsity Blondes will be a solid team for the immediate future. Miro is the beast he is meant to be. I didn’t mind his fun and games at the beginning, but this malevolent force is exactly the type of TNT Champion AEW needs.
Backstage: Adam Page chastises the Dark Order for implying he wanted a shot at Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship. While the Dark Order apologized, they reinforced their belief he needs to pull himself out of his emotional slump, to dig deep down and find the spark to be the main eventer again. Each member offered encouragement, but it was the final words from Alex Reynolds, which sums up what every AEW fan has been thinking… “It’s time.”
Dr. Britt Baker & Rebel defeated Nyla Rose and Vickie Guererro
Wasn’t a fan. It was obviously this began the build for Dr. Baker’s first title defense against Rose. Vickie was more annoyance than anything. They could have swapped anyone else in the role to second Rose. Vickie was a, questionable choice. Rebel wound up injured, and the finish came a bit rushed with Vickie being trapped in the Lockjaw.
The events after told a better story than the match. Rose powerbombing Baker through a table was the true exclamation point. Fans will back Baker regardless whether she is booked face or heel. The need to put her against an established heel will cement her status in the “Stone Cold Steve Austin” category.
Hopefully Rebel’s injury is not too serious. It was quite noticeable something bad happened, and kudos to the AEW ring crew for acting quickly.
The Main Event of AEW Dynamite 6/30: MJF defeated Sammy Guevara
As I wrote earlier, this match was phenomenal, and if anything, is a look into future top stars in the wrestling business. Whether AEW or elsewhere. Honestly, I love MJF, but put him behind the commentary table and he will excel for years to come. MJF selling the knee injury was really impressive. There were some obvious quick words with the ref during these moments, furthering speculation MJF truly did injure his knee. Having to be helped physically by Wardlow only amplified it.
Sammy is so goddamned impressive. I hope he develops in AEW and anywhere else he continues to wrestle. There are so many potential top stars in AEW, and whether they remain in AEW or go elsewhere, I truly hope this is a positive sign for the future of AEW and the pro wrestling industry as a whole.
