Happy Vikingo Day!
A Dream Match years in the making, Kenny Omega faced the Aerial Magician of AAA, El Hijo Del Vikingo on AEW Dynamite 3/22. Unfortunately, their match in 2021 was sidelined due to Omega’s injuries which resulted in vacating the AAA Mega Championship.
We open the show with The Young Bucks being taken away in an ambulance, curious, as “Hangman” Adam Page is there concerned about his Elite friends, leaving Kenny Omega behind with Don Callis. We do not know who attacked them, but I imagine we will find out soon enough.
Our first match opens with an enjoyable trios match, featuring Darby Allin, Sting, and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defeating Kip Sabian, Butcher, and the Blade.
Highlights include Sting no-selling Butcher’s forearms, Sting pulling an Orange Cassidy by rolling away from Kip Sabian attempting multiple top rope leaps. Butcher and Blade should have been given a title chase while The Acclaimed were still champions. Hopefully they will once a face team dethrone The Gunns.
We’re in 2023 and Sting gets the loudest pops. It’s unbelievable. He didn’t just stand around, the Icon took bumps and dished out punishment. He scored the win with a Scorpion Death Drop on Sabian.
Man, I can’t help but wonder if one day we will get Surfer Sting back.
Video package with an irate MJF, along with the other pillars of AEW, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy demanding their chance.
The Gunns defeated Top Flight
Good match. Enjoyable. The final moments were certainly eyebrow-raising as The Kingdom rush down to ringside, giving an edge to Gunns in their winning effort. Post-match, FTR arrives to challenge for the AEW Tag Team Championships one last time… even putting their AEW careers on the line.
Welp, this will send all the internet theorists into a frenzy.
Hook defeated Stokely Hathaway
The Firm banned from ringside, and no one came to help. Stokely made a valiant attempt, but in the end Hook mauled him to defeat. Backstage, Matt Hardy seems to encourage Ethan Page to challenge Hook next. I may debate this, but our illustrious founder believes this is Match of the Year.
Adam Cole in the ring: Announces his in-ring return next week, but is interrupted by Daniel Garcia who attempts mind games. He fails, only firing up Cole who challenges him to his return match next week. Garcia had to catch himself from calling himself a “wrestler” as opposed to “Sports Entertainer.” I love how Garcia has the look of an ashamed child in trouble when someone verbally strikes back.
Backstage: Kenny Omega is concerned about Matt and Nick Jackson, however Don Callis tells him to shrug it off, “might the best thing to happen tonight.” Hm. Could we start seeing Callis manipulating Omega once again, perhaps causing an irreparable rift amongst The Elite? Let’s not forget how Callis was courting Will Ospreay last year and most recently, Konosuke Takeshita?
Jon Moxley defeated Stu Grayson
I always have hopes+ someone from Dark Order will get a win. This was a phenomenal match. Stu Grayson wrestling like he’s main eventing. I am so glad he’s back in AEW. Mox managed to outmaneuver Grayson and get the win with a Butterfly Suplex off the top tope. I think it was supposed to be a Death Rider or Paradigm Shift but didn’t quite pull it off.
I do hope we get a big Dark Order vs. Blackpool Club at some point.
Toni Storm defeated Skye Blue
Not a bad match at all. Skye Blue was given lots of time and opportunity to present herself, and did so very well. Storm got the win with the short piledriver. Post match, Riho and Willow Nightingale save Skye.
Backstage: Stu Grayson being tended to by medical staff, but are ambushed by Mox, Claudio, and Yuta. I imagine beating up a medical staff member should result in a fine?
QTV Segment
Don’t care. Don’t like it.
AEW Dynamite 3/22 MAIN EVENT DREAM MATCH: Kenny Omega defeated El Hijo Del Vikingo
I… I… I’m not sure how to write this one up. One of, if not the most astounding display of wrestling agility and gravity-defying matches I have ever seen. For those who knock high-flying and “flippy” displays, this one might make those who are closed-minded rethink their stance. Maybe not. There are matches where I can be as straightforward as possible in summation of its content. I cannot with this one. The action was fast-paced, intense, non-stop, with an obscene level of athletic ability. I struggle to compare it or recall something similar. Omega and Vikingo put on a match for the ages, and while Omega got the pinfall victory following the One Winged Angel, the match result was not important. Both men received a standing ovation, well deserved. I do hope this is not the last we see of Vikingo in AEW.
The best I can do is strongly suggest, watch it tomorrow on the TBS app or the clips posted by AEW on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Congrats, this made it onto the list of potential Match of the Year Candidates.
For those who “needed a build” or “where’s the story?” You don’t. Just watch the match and enjoy it. I jumped off my couch, I smiled, I got sucked in. No one complained in the mid-’80s and ’90s when main events were announced for supercards and pay-per-views were announced first and then there would be some build. Some, which involved simply wanting a title bout or two guys where the only reason for the brief feud is to get one step closer to a championship contendership. Not sure when or why a storyline became mandatory, or perhaps it is the needs of the modern fickle fans.
However, the show isn’t over yet! As Kenny and Vikingo recover, Tony Schivaone heads to the ring but before any interview can get going, Mox, Claudio, and Wheeler Yuta rush the ring to blindside Omega. The confirms the “rumor” they were behind the attack on the Young Bucks earlier. However, we hear ambulance sirens blaring as one pulls up, being driven by “Hangman” Adam Page! He storms the ring with a 2×4 loaded with nails! He may ave driven off the BCC but Don Callis seems to try to pull Hangman, only to feign a fall which Omega doesn’t see!! Omega recovers and believes Page floored his manager! Show goes off the air with an irate Hangman imploring Omega to listen to reason.
Well, The Elite are in disarray, the BCC have no fear. Don Callis seems to be sowing some seeds of dissension and clearly sinister plans are at work.
Oh, I like this. I like it a lot.
AEW Dynamite 3/22 was a fantastic show, despite what the angry folks feel compelled to cry about on Twitter. Notice this? Those who need to vent anger for the sake of attention turn to social media while those who simply enjoy wrestling have no such need. They can sit back, relax, and go about their lives.
Comments are closed.