The Road to Full Gear continues through Virgina, as AEW Dynamite 10/26 kicked off with The Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio & Wheeler Yuta) defeating JAS (Jericho and Garcia) in a tag team match. Solid match with a lot of near-fall moments. Garcia’s pre-and-post match behavior, it’s fairly clear he will certainly turn on Jericho at some point. On the other side, Wheeler Yuta is becoming one angry man, despite the win, still has beef with the direction of the BCC.
This whole thing is curious, yet I feel predictable. Without getting into the rest of the show, nearly every major angle heading into Full Gear involves some type of resentment, tease of a turn, and inevitable betrayal. With a few weeks to go, more matches will be made, but a lot of roster members appear to be missing from the picture.
Weird video with The Elite “vanishing” from AEW historical moments. So… they gone? They not gone? They… editing photos in photoshop? It’s leaving fans to wonder what if they didn’t exist.
Should have faded Back to the Future-style or dusted like a Thanos-snap.
Swerve in Our Glory defeated FTR to become #1 Championship Contenders
Initially I was surprised by the result, however with some thought, it tragically makes sense. If FTR is getting a title match at a PPV, they would have to win. By losing thanks to massive amounts of interference, FTR can prolong their inevitable championship win by running through some mid-card teams, and not take a loss in a championship bout while The Acclaimed are allowed to hold onto the championships a little longer.
This whole this is tragic. FTR is subtly downgraded, and it’s a matter of time before AAA or New Japan will want their championships back. The Acclaimed are fantastic, I’m happy they are as over as they are, but inevitably they will have to lose.
The question is, how much longer will we all have to wait?
Editor’s Note: New Japan Pro Wrestling’s World Tag League — a month long tournament — is on the horizon, don’t be surprised if FTR is a part of the tournament and that’s why they did not take the W here.
Renee Paquette interviews MJF… sorta.
Inevitably MJF steals the mic and the show with another home run of a promo. Unbelievable. He maintains the heel booking while coming off as babyface. He’s cutting a promo about what he truly believes and as fans who are completely enthralled with MJF and the undeniable charisma, he’s treated like a babyface. His masterwork is interrupted by Stokley Hathaway, whom MJF threatens to fire and do harm if Mox is “not 100%.”
You can guess what happens later in the show.
They are trying really hard to portray MJF as someone who is greedy for power and fame but yet somehow respectful.
That’s a good one. I got a bridge to sell you too.
Bryan Danielson defeated Sammy Guevara
At first the crowd seemed disinterested in seeing the “Spanish God” again on TV, however give Danielson an opportunity to kick someone’s head in and they come right back. I felt this went longer than it should have, there is no planet in this galaxy or one far, far away where Sammy could win. Danielson has been giving other wrestlers opportunity to shine and show off, as he did with Matt Minard a few weeks ago.
I’m not sure if I like the tension in the BCC, it’s just too much happening too soon. If Yuta does break off from the group, what’s he going to do? If Danielson is the one to go, he’ll be perfectly fine, but what will his role be? Chief bottle washer and head stomper?
Backstage, Rey Fenix, Christian and Orange Cassidy have some strange banter to set up a triple threat match for the All-Atlantic Championship next week.
Jamie Hayter defeated Riho
Solid match. Fantastic match. Glad to see Riho back, and glad Hayter continues to rise in the stock market. Maybe she can be the one to dethrone Jade Cargill. Or Toni Storm. Or Thunder Rosa. Or… or whomever else has a belt.
Backstage: Renee questions Eddie Kingston’s recent behavior. Sigh… another guy who had an incredible run earlier in the year, and now seems to be floating in different directions. Just let the guy wrestler and clobber people. Just let him.
Jon Moxley defeated Penta in the main event of AEW Dynamite 10/26 for the AEW World Championship
It’s nice how everyone acts like Penta had a chance, because Penta vs. MJF would have been the main event at Full Gear.
I would have liked it.
In all seriousness, I would have. But that wouldn’t wrap up the story. Mox and Penta had an incredible match, where if this were non-title, I would have believed Penta could win it. Penta scored with his package piledriver, yet somehow Mox turned it up for both a Paradigm Shift and the Death Rider (an impaler-like version of the Paradigm Shift) for the win.
It was a great match, again, Penta is a top wrestler in the world. This is a stark reminder.
After the match, The Firm charges and beats up Mox more, exactly what MJF claimed he did not want. He does show up for a save, but then “acts conflicted” but ultimately storms the ring. He then fires Stokely and his Firm, but he too gets beaten down and even powerbombed through a table. Firm stands tall, and this is becoming a bit too obvious for my liking.
Next week, let me guess, MOX and MJF vs. two members of the Firm.
I enjoy AEW, I really do. The matches are their bread-and-butter. The storyline and drama … not so much. As I said earlier, every story going into Full Gear is based on an inevitable turn, betrayal, animosity, etc…
Well, strange things are brewing. But I am looking forward to watching MJF become world champion.
AEW Dynamite 10/26 is now streaming on the TBS app and is on demand.
