Dynamite 6/28 kicks off with a slaughterhouse of a match, Jon Moxley defeated Tomohiro Ishii. I was surprised cleanly too. This one is pretty simple to describe. Onslaught. Chop-fest. Who can hit the other harder. They chomped for blood, headbutting each other, german suplexes and the like. It was a damn war. As they brutalized each other, A WILD EDDIE KINGSTON APPEARED to keep the BCC away. After the match Kingston attempted to confront Mox, but the winner brushed past Eddie, which as we know, is never a good idea.
In the parking lot, Adam Cole arrives to talk about the blind tag team tournament, but is interrupted by MJF, who is in full comedy mode, yucking it up with Cole who has no patience for it. Cole plays cold and straightforward, while MJF unveils their new merch, a “Better Than You Bay Bay” shirt. Hilarious. Apparently, they gonna have a night out on the town. Oh boy.
Vikingo, Orange Cassidy, and Keith “Fountain of Youth” Lee defeated Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker
Not the prettiest match, but fun to watch. Keith Lee found a way to de-age, and all it took was putting some hair dye back in. Lee rampaged through everyone, ultimately pinning Menard. I thought Garcia would eventually break away, but now the fans love the dancing, so looks like he may stick around the entertainment shtick a little longer.
Backstage: Chris Jericho vows to put Sting in the dirt, thanks to “The Painmaker.”
The Elite (Young Bucks and Hangman Page) defeated The Dark Order (Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, John Silver)
Good match, Dark Order being on Dynamite again is nice, and they looked damn good in trios. Hopefully we get to see more of them again, I know they aren’t considered main event, but it wasn’t that long ago they were main eventing shows. Lots of drama portrayed here with Hangman, being conflicted about fighting his friends, however, friends no more. Despite the valiant efforts, The Elite win the match after Hangman hits the Buckshot.
Post match, the BCC rush the ring and take out The Elite. However, Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver stand back, leave the ring, and offer no aid. Is this the heel turn? Seems so. A lot of personality changes lately. A WILD EDDIE KINGSTON APPEARS AGAIN but he too is felled by the united force of the BCC and Konoske Takeshita.
Jack Perry cuts his first heel promo and it’s not bad. Better than babyface promos for sure. It took a bit for the live crowd to get going, but taking shots at the wildfires and then going after Taz and Hook riled the live audience into some verbally vulgar chanting. Hook rushes out to retaliate but Perry runs away. I imagine a match for the the FTW Championship is on the horizon.
Unfortunately due to illness Dr. Britt Baker was unable to compete tonight, instead, Ruby Soho faced off and defeated Alexia Nicole, a local (Editor’s Note: She wrestled for Impact for a short stint in 2019 as well). Their match in the Owen Hart Memorial will take place next week. Soho mocks the absent Baker by putting on a dental glove, and forces Alexia Nicole to submit to the Lockjaw, which we all know is Baker’s submission finisher. This was a complete squash. Long-winded promo followed.
AEW Dynamite 6/28 Main Event: Sting and Darby Allin defeated “Painmaker” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
Not the prettiest match, but it wasn’t meant to be. A tornado team match with weapons like bats, and chairs, led to Sting diving off a ladder and putting Sammy through a table. Jericho bloody after a ladder shot, and of course, Darby Allin doing Darby Allin things. Sting forced Jericho to submit to the Scorpion Deathlock for the win.
Hopefully this caps the feud, but I have a sneaking suspicion there will be one more match, possibly a one-on-one. I would love it if it would be Sting vs. “Lionheart” Jericho.
Tonight’s Dynamite definitely toned down and served its purpose in setting up the next feuds and story heading towards All In (and Out). The challenge for Blood & Guts has been made. I don’t mind a less eventful episode, gives everyone a chance to recoup and slowly gets fans anticipating what will come next. After all, not every Dynamite needs to be epic-level. Fans have been spoiled with so much incredible wrestling. Hell, even AEW’s harshest critics has to admit Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay was fantastic.
