Well, that was another fun episode of Dynamite now wasn’t it? I have to say they are definitely on a streak of putting together solid episodes on a weekly basis. If you pay close attention you’ll notice that Dynamite and Collision flow from one to the other with storylines and follow up matches. It seems my impression from last week, where AEW has found its stride, putting together a nice blend of wrestling, promos, and one or two obligatory brawls.
Kicking off the show we get a very intriguing taped promo featuring Maxwell Jacob Friedman apparently getting his AEW tattoo removed from his leg. Either this is legit, or going to be some type of patch concealing it. He verbally thrashes the fan base turning on him, and taking the side of a deranged, mentally unstable cowboy. Oh don’t worry, this isn’t the last we see of good old MJF.
“Hangman” Adam Page abruptly arrives at the arena, storms the ring and defeats Aaron Solo in a matter of minutes. After the match he cuts a promo demanding MJF meet him in the ring. His rival complies to a point, remaining on the entrance stage rather than approaching. After some verbal jabs, MJF nearly forgets why he showed up in the first place, stating that Page might want to check on a good friend. Added drama showing MJF wiping blood off his hands. Hangman gives chase with a chair in hand, and finds a bloody Christopher Daniels backstage.
Without a doubt they always find a way to turn a feud into something deeply personal and this was the way to do it. Put Christopher Daniels in the middle, the man who Adam Page looked up to and idolizes. Adam Page appears to show both compassion and absolute venom in one segment. when they collide at the upcoming pay-per-view, it’s going to be a bloodbath. There is no doubt about it.
Renee Paquette interviews Chris Jericho, commenting about his recent title defense against Bandido. Jericho gloats for a while and then is revealed to be working with Don Callis by loaning out “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith for a match against Will Ospreay tonight. Interesting, as this is not the first time Chris Jericho aligns with Callis. I do question what happens next for a Bandido, and Chris Jericho, along with the Ring of Honor World Championship. If Bandido is no longer in the title picture, we could really use a strong contender in the near future. Powerhouse Will Hobbs per chance?
Will Ospreay defeats Bryan Keith after a grueling back and forth contest. Fantastic match. My buddy who is watched Dynamite commented that Keith moves and strikes are similar to The Great Muta. After the match is over Kyle Fletcher and Ospreay brawl through the crowd until security breaks them up. again a deeply personal feud culminating at the upcoming pay-per-view. This seems to be where AEW is thriving where these rivalries are becoming very intense to a point where we anticipate some explosive wrestling in the very near future.
Mercedes Mone cuts a promo on Momo Watanabe. In a surprise, Bille Starkz shows up to taunt the TBS champion, as Watanabe sneaks up from behind and nearly takes her head off. While I am excited for this upcoming match at Revolution, seeing how the TBS Championship is on the line I don’t have much hope for a title change. Had the New Japan Strong Championship been on the line I could believe Watanabe winning.
The Outrunners defeated the Murder Machines in tag team action. My buddy and I popped huge for the victory, including the post match celebration where The Outrunners attempted to celebrate with the hurt syndicate. If this is going to be our Tag Team Title match at Revolution, that alone is worth the price of admission. Am I a mark for the Outrunners? Absolutely.
Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana hit the ring for a promo, a very passionate promo about being on top of the company until losing the AEW world championship. That being said, even though he is not the champion he is still number one in the company and is the number one most dangerous man in the business. Ricochet arrives to interrupt this promo taunting the former champion. It is revealed that Swerve has got his rematch against Ricochet, with the honor of the Embassy robe on the line. As Ricochet storms off with a tantrum, Prince Nana lets Swerve know that he’s been doing this for almost 30 years, but it’s coming time where he’s not sure he can keep up with these feuds anymore. This leaves fans stunned and silent, the idea of Prince Nana leaving is heartbreaking. While the winner of their match will become the #1 contender for the AEW World Championship, Prince Nana desperately wants Swerve to restore his legacy and save the robe which has such meaning to him.
Backstage Adam Page searches for MJF but is informed that he has left the building. He lets him know that if Page doesn’t find him and run him over with the car, he’ll wish he had. ouch.
In another fantastic trios match, the Undisputed Kingdom defeated Danny Garcia and FTR in a phenomenal match. The highlight was a series of marathon strikes and mad dashes all over the ringside area. one after another each man flew the other on the arena floor, in one of the most fluid and seamless streaks of action I have ever seen. Adam Cole gets the pinfall on Garcia as FTR locks on submission holds. This leads to an immediate announcement that this week on Collision, Adam Cole challenges Danny Garcia for the TNT championship. that one is going to be hard to call, not sure if we’ll see a title change or not.
I have to comment that Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are phenomenal wrestlers and are deserving of at least chasing the Tag Team Championships in the near future.
A brawl between Adam Copeland and Claudio Castagnoli finds its way to the ring, and while it seems the Death Riders have the advantage, the arrival of Jay White changes everything. Wheeler Yuta is quickly dispatched leaving Copeland the opportunity to clobber Claudio with a chair! Number one is a con-chair-to on Claudio. Marina Shafir attempts interference but she is accidentally floored by a flying Yuta. This mistake costs the Death Riders dearly but Copeland seems hesitant to bash a woman with a chair. Enter Willow Nightingale, who is more than happy to provide Con-chair-to Number Two. Mox is at ringside fuming that his soldiers are being taken out one by one. all he has left is Yuta, might as well just feed him to the dogs.
Harley Cameron defeats Deonna Purrazzo. Fun and entertaining match, it’s clear to see that Harley is going to get a significant push in the near future. Much like Anna Jay, Skye Blue, Julia Hart, and Willow, getting a considerable push through promos and in-ring time will be the way to go for Harley to continue to thrive and improve in-ring skills.
Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Orange Cassidy (AEW International Championship)
Fantastic Main Event match. Absolutely fantastic. At the beginning I did not believe that Takeshita could lose. However, after the first few minutes this opinion changed. I had a prediction that somehow the match would go to a draw, making the International Championship match at the pay-per-view a triple threat. Unfortunately, my prediction did not come to pass. The constant exchanges were fast-paced, executed perfectly, and there seemed to be a shine of Brilliance with each sequence of holds. Ultimately Takeshita would catch the righteous fury of Orange Cassidy, but would score the pinfall following a huge Raging Fire falcon arrow.
I truly hope that all the intense buildup in hype for AEW Revolution pays off. I feel as though the company has found a formula which works tremendously well. as long as they keep following this formula and don’t deviate too far off the path I imagine they’ll be just fine.
I just need them to roll out the red carpet when Eddie Kingston finally returns.
