AEW Dynamite 5/4 kicks off with an Owen Hart qualifier, Jeff Hardy defeating Bobby Fish by pinfall. A decent opener, but didn’t have the “punch” the openers usually have. I couldn’t help but notice Jeff appeared to struggle with keeping up with Bobby Fish, and I can’t believe I just typed this out. Hardy went over, but the story onwards was a stare down between The Hardys and The Young Bucks.
We’ve had this encounter once before, wouldn’t it be nice for just one more match on AEW programming?
Backstage: Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs taunt Jurassic Express, but before they agree to defend the tag team championships, Jungle Boy wants a shot at the FTW Championship. Starks agrees, and we’ll see it next week on Dynamite.
Fantastic promo featuring William Regal and the mantra of the Blackpool Combat Club. Love it. I love anything Regal.
Blackpool Combat Club defeats the trio of Butcher, Blade, and Angelico
My buddy Mike made a solid observation – A singles match between Angelico and Bryan Danielson would be incredible. Not the squash we’ve been accustomed to seeing from Regal’s BCC against a random trio, which is a good thing. Lots of hard strikes from everyone involved. Good fight.
Chris “The Wizard” Jericho defeated Santana
Great match. Even though Jericho got the win, 100% showcased how Santana can handle a one-on-one match. Unfortunately, the numbers overwhelmed Santana and Ortiz, allowing Jericho the opportunity to hit a low blow, followed by the Judas Effect for the win.
The JAS looks more like a knock-off mob gang.
Wardlow defeats William Morrisey
Wow. This was a hoss fight for sure. Morrisey is in good shape, and definitely took the fight to Wardlow for a good chunk of the match. Until one little mistake allowed Wardlow to take the big dude down with a top rope moonsault!!! One powerbomb later and it’s over.
Security rushes the ring and Wardlow mows them all down. Everyone gets taken out, about 20-30 “security guards” eat canvas, with the final one being lobbed over the top rope onto the rest of them. Frightened, MJF agrees to give Wardlow the match he wants, but the stipulations will be revealed next week on Dynamite… Live from Long Island!
Up next, we hear from AEW World Champion, “Hangman” Adam Page who is not in a good mood. In what seems to be a more vicious verbal side, Hangman promises no friendly handshakes, no praise, no plenaries. Hangman opts an angry approach, promising he will not only defeat CM Punk, but destroy him in front of his fans.
I like Angry Hangman.
The Varsity Blondes are in the ring, Brian Pillman Jr. cuts a passionate promo about nearly giving up because of the House of Black. He points out the worsening condition of Julia Hart. They call out the trio, and sure enough, the arena goes dark.
Out come Malakai Black, Brody King, and Murphy who surround and beat down Pillman and Garrison. They encourage Julia to clobber Griff Garrison with a chair, but she struggles in resistance, and manages to delay long enough to frustrate the dark trio. They surround Julia, backing her down to the mat, and things are getting very scary and tense… Thankfully in time Death Triangle come to the rescue.
Rey Fenix defeats Dante Martin in an insanely incredible match.
First off, I am relieved there are no injuries to report.
Second, please watch this. Two charismatic and unbelievably talented wrestlers put on one hell of a show. Standing ovation wasn’t enough.
Dante is incredible, I just hope he gets his day in the spotlight soon. I’d hate for Dante to be stuck as the token high flier, but always the underdog who can’t break the glass ceiling. He’s got to. Just work on those mic skills and you’ll have a future megastar.
Promo between Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb. Neither are the strongest promo cutters, but give them the chance to hype up a match at Double or Nothing? Yes, please.
AEW Dynamite 5/4 Main Event: Mercedes Martinez defeats Deonna Purazzo to become the undisputed Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion
What a solid match. A solid wrestling match. No clear indicator at any time to tell who would win. I’m also thrilled a ROH Women’s Championship match was the main event of an AEW show. Great match between two of the top talented women in wrestling. My hat’s off to these women.
All in all, a good show, some high drama moments, but overall felt like a cool-down show. Which is fine. Not every AEW Dynamite show has to be PPV quality. We got spoiled for quite some time. Next week, we may get spoiled yet again.
