AEW Dynamite broadcasts their Maximum Carnage episode with an opener worthy of the moniker.
Darby Allin defeated PAC in an absolutely brutal match. Fans live and at home witnessed some of the most brutal suplex spots seen in recent memory. PAC suplexing Darby right onto the steel ring stairs within the first few minutes was unbelievably surreal. Darby fell victim to more suplexes and throws, leaving him in a heap of pain. Fans of Darby know this is his fuel. Despite being brutalized, Darby refuses to cave in. Later on, he took the approach to injure PAC’s ankle. Late in the match a misstep by PAC gave Darby the opening to do serious damage. Even with the Death Riders’ interferene, it backfired, allowing Darby to crush PAC’s ankle in a chair. PAC was forced to submit to the Scorpion Death Lock.
Darby has finally defeated all members of the Death Riders. Does this mean his feud is finally over, or will there be more for him to do here? The Death Riders feel less intimidating as of late, despite two members holding championships.
“Hangman” Adam Page defeats “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith
Really good match. Keith is an adept wrestler who believably can win any match the longer it goes. Page, however, continued his warpath of rage, and was able to thwart the hunter following a Buckshot Lariat.
After the match, Page and Swerve Strickland cut promos targeting MJF and the Men’s World Championship. However, Kenny Omega arrives to include himself on the hunt, putting extra emphasis on his need to climb the ranks to qualify for the title shot. This was driven home further as Don Callis arrives and offers a challenge in the form of Josh Alexander. This match will take place next week.
The segment felt a bit odd, Page and Swerve, individually-yet-unified in their quests against Samoa Joe and MJF. Omega inserting himself seems fine on paper, giving MJF yet another credible threat. However, based on the promo, Omega’s “threat” is going to be long-term since he isn’t pursuing just yet.
Let’s be real for a minute, doesn’t everyone eventually want to challenge for the world championship?
Backstage, Jon Cruz hypes up MJF, only to be informed he has a match against Brody King.
It doesn’t end well. However, Jon Cruz sold like death herself came for him. Cruz is clearly the MVP here and needs to be featured a lot more on television.
Mark Davis & Jake Doyle defeated The Young Bucks, JetSpeed, and the Gates of Agony to challenge FTR for the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championships
On the surface this appeared like a glorified spot-fest, but digging deeper one could see this was a test of which team could outlast all others. Using the “Tornado Tag Team” rules, all four teams jumped from the bell and didn’t stop. JetSpeed and The Bucks primarily used high flying and fast-paced tactics, while D&D and GOA went for brute force artillery. However, big guys can fly as Toa Liona pulls off an out-of-nowhere turnbuckle moonsault to the floor. Ricochet interferes which prompts a Wild Jungle Jack Perry to appear! The finish comes when Davis hits his absolutely brutal piledriver for the win.
Jake Something Doyle had a ridiculous spot, catching Bailey in a hurricanrana, appearing to be taken down but instead rises up to powerslam him. Davis and Doyle did a lot of grunting and yelling. If they can tone it down a bit, they could be a solid team in the future. Will they defeat FTR for the titles? Not a chance, but they’ll make a win believable.
Davis and Doyle sounds like the name of an old time saloon. They need bowler hats, curly mustaches, and most importantly, monocles.
Triangle of Madness defeated The Cosmic Babes of Wrath
Thekla pinning Stat will set up both their title match and allows for the Sisters of Sin to challenge for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Championships. An excellent match by all six women. Safe to say the AEW Division is certainly at its best. Blue, Hart, and Cameron all prime examples when rookie women work hard and develop extremely well together in the ring. Willow always comes off strong, even on the losing side.
Let’s keep Kris, Harley, and Willow together for a while, please?
A promo aired earlier from Collision, showing the continued decent into madness for Mercedes Mone. She is “leaving” AEW for a while. I wonder if we will hear about more title losses in the coming months.
Backstage: Swerve and Hangman praise JetSpeed and put them over as future of the wrestling business. Page goes a step further to lock in a match to challenge The Opps for the AEW World Trios Championships.
MJF retains the AEW Men’s World Championship against Bandido
Rarely can a match feel both modern and classic at the same time. The first half felt like a trip back to the late-eighties or early-nineties. A gradual build of tension and uncertainty. Lock-ups. Headlocks, MJF in heel fashion working over the arm, sabotaging Bandido’s efforts to on the offensive. The occasional eye poke or hair pull. Bandit then rallied back, overwhelming the champ with speed and his uncanny power. Twice Bandido held the champ with a press slam. Bandido spikes MJF with a Poisonrana and a smooth-looking Code Red. All near-falls. MJF and Bandido traded rolling pin attempts, then smoothly transitioned into submissions, where MJF held the LaBell Lock for a long time, forcing Bandido to pass out.
A hell of a match. While Bandido becoming AEW World Champion was never likely, it felt like there was a chance. MJF put Bandido over heavily in a non-heel role, but like the Salt of the Earth, easily transitioned back into character with a post-match attack. This forced Brody King to rush out for the save.
Brody King vs. MJF in the future? Yes please.
Most importantly, Eddie Kingston and Ortiz will face the Grizzled Young Veterans on Collision.
