The 100th episode of Dynamite marked the second-to-last stop to All Out.
Santana & Ortiz defeated FTR
This was a fantastic match, and in my opinion I think both teams worked their butts off to make it special. The sheer number of multiple-man combinations was mind-blowingly incredible. During the fast-paced moments, it was a work of art how fluid all four could work with each other. I truly hope it isn’t the end for Cash Wheeler, but of course mental and physical health is far more important than anything else. This was a pay-per-view quality match, plain and simple.
CM Punk speaks again, this time with focus on his All Out opponent, Darby Allin. His promo was quickly interrupted by the trio of 2.0 and Daniel Garcia. By the way, these guys are great. I’m glad they got fast-tracked to Dynamite. Garcia is not a big guy, but he can certainly hang with them. The ambush would be thwarted by Darby Allin and Sting, with everyone hitting their finishers, including CM Punk hitting the Go To Sleep, to a thunderous pop from the live crowd.
This was brilliant booking. Have them all take down the interlopers, while showing some respect prior to Sunday.
MJF and Tony Schiavone in a backstage promo. MJF discussed at length his aspirations for being the best in the wrestling business. His suave words simultaneously put over Chris Jericho while also berating him and asserting himself as the one who will not only end Jericho’s career, but replace him as the Greatest Of All Time.
Schiavone kept looking at his watch, I had to laugh.
Orange Cassidy defeated Jack Evans
Short match which came to a surprising end via small package during the commercial break. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a test run to see if people keep watching.
Wasn’t the best match of the night, but furthered the ongoing feud with the two stables of Best Friends and The HFO.
Jim Ross and Chris Jericho segment in the ring
Chris Jericho discussed at length his career, and even at his age, feels he is just not done yet. J.R. asks why the stipulation, which is an easy enough answer: “If I can’t beat MJF, then I can’t go on.” Jericho outright calls MJF some pretty vulgar things, but also puts over how MJF managed to outsmart him with each encounter, leading to yet another loss to the Salt of the Earth. Jericho easily demonstrates his mic skills by drawing the crowd, investing emotion into his speech as though it just might be his last.
Brilliant work. The promos between Jericho and MJF have built up this Sunday’s match to be one of the most anticipated on the show.
“Powerhouse” Hobbs defeated Brian Cage
The ongoing battle between Brian Cage and Team Taz is not ending anytime soon. Thanks to Hook and Ricky Starks interfering, the former FTW Champion took another loss and seems to be on the losing side of this ongoing war. Perhaps Cage may need to enlist some help if he’s going to take on an entire stable..
As a side note, if Hook continues to accompany Hobbs to the ring, can he put on a striped shirt and be renamed Calvin? PLEASE? Oh come on, I thought it was funny.
In a segment which I believe very few are invested in, QT Marshall calls out Paul Wight. The short story is, Wight manages to chase off The Factory, yet suspiciously is joined by The Gunn Club after Factory bails. Billy Gunn then clocks Wight with a chair, leaving QT with a dumbfounded look of shock on his face.
I’ll be honest, the turn was a surprise, but overall, it just still couldn’t get me too invested in this one. I’m trying to think of how this feud could have come together a bit better, but I don’t have too many options. Perhaps including Brock Anderson, or perhaps have Wight face off with Nick Comorotto first and make his way towards QT. Just an idea.
Tay Conti defeated Penelope Ford in I think was the #2 match of the night. #1 was FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz, and yes, #3 was the main event. We’ll get to this in a minute.
Ford is now aligned with The Bunny for reasons, you’ll see. Conti, as young as she is as a pro wrestler, performs like she’s been doing this for a decade. Ford and Conti put on a fantastic match, and dare I say Conti was the clear dominator, despite the moments where Ford controlled the match. They both put on an absolute work of art, even in the closing moments where Bunny attempted interference, which backfired, resulting in a unique reverse-roll up with a bridging pin.
The reasons came to reveal when Bunny and Ford would overwhelm Conti after the bell, as Anna Jay stormed the ring to save her friend.
ANNA! ANNA!
She’s back and in the Casino Battle Royale!
The Main Event of AEW Dynamite 9/1: The Super Elite defeated Jurassic Express and Lucha Brothers
Once again the bad guys emerge victorious. Now I am sure many are tired of the baddies always winning, but keep in mind this will hopefully build up to a major downfall, and whomever it is who dethrones the Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships will look like huge heroes. I would love it if it were Alex Reynolds and John Silver.
The match was as expected. A ton of high flying crazy stuff, but ultimately some quick thinking allowed the Bucks to score the Meltzer Driver for the win.
After the match, Kenny Omega came out and had the steel cage lowered, where they completely destroyed their opponents. Christian included who attempted a save. With the cage down, babyfaces attempted to rush in, but were helpless and all efforts proved futile. This was very much over the top with the Super Elite mauling everyone. The show even cut out while Kenny was still talking. Not sure if intentional or this segment ran long.
One has to wonder if the heel dominance is getting a bit too much. Yes, they are painting the Super Elite as uber-unstoppable, which again, I believe will make their demise so much more satisfying. It’s pretty clear at some point it will be “Hangman” Adam Page to defeat Kenny, but who will dethrone the Bucks?
