Teased on last week’s AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes confirmed Saturday that Lance Archer will make his promotional debut on this week’s edition of the show.
Following a Jake Roberts promo in which they reiterated he and Archer’s desire to face him, Rhodes said that it was fine for Archer to debut but not against him, something he also reiterated on Twitter:
I appreciate Lance & his skillset. AEW is glad to have him. I’m not interested in social media angles though. He will debut this week, but not against me. He has zero record with AEW, me wrestling him does a disservice to others climbing into the Top-5. Maybe down the road.
Archer was supposed to debut earlier this month after signing a multi-year deal with AEW, but he didn’t appear as advertised. Several weeks later, he came out with Roberts as his new project.
As of now, his debut is the only thing official for Dynamite which is expected to again be live this week from the empty Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Cody Rhodes will join the AEW commentary team this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Cody wrote the following on Twitter: “This Wednesday I’ll be joining @tonyschiavone24 on commentary LIVE for #AEWDynamite (I have a bad habit on commentary that I’ll be totally leaning into, and hopefully it turns into something fun for the fans watching at home) More info to come…”
It isn’t clear if Jim Ross and Excalibur, who normally call Dynamite, will be joining them on commentary.
This week’s edition of Dynamite will not have the Blood & Guts match as originally advertised, as that has been postponed to a later date. Instead, a match between Cody and Jimmy Havoc has been announced. Kenny Omega will also defend the AAA Mega Championship against Sammy Guevara.
Additionally, Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho will meet face to face. Hardy made his debut for the promotion at the end of Dynamite last week.
Dynamite will take place this Wednesday at the Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida in front of an empty crowd due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With last week’s announcement of their Blood & Guts match being postponed indefinitely, AEW began to fill some holes for this week’s edition of Dynamite by adding Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc to the show Sunday.
The two have never faced each other in AEW, but did have a no DQ, no countout singles match for the BPW title in April 2017 that Cody won.
Cody was on last week’s show on the losing end of a six-man tag match featuring The Elite vs. The Inner Circle.
Havoc was last seen defeating Severino Corrente in early-March to extend his singles winning streak to three (Sonny Kiss, Marko Stunt), all on AEW Dark. He hasn’t been on Dynamite since the November 20th Dynamite Dozen battle royal.
As of this point, there is a Chris Jericho-Matt Hardy confrontation booked for the show in addition to a parking lot brawl between the Lucha Bros and the Best Friends, and a lumberjack match between Wardlow and Luchasaurus.
The broadcast is set to go live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL, in front of an empty arena due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Episode 195 of Being the Elite chronicles events surrounding AEW Dynamite in West Valley City, Utah.
Some highlights include:
Kenny Omega was giving an update on his broken wrist. He said he expects to be back in two to four weeks. Colt Cabana kept trying to sneak into the shot, so Omega chased him off.
SCU, Nick Jackson, Brandon Cutler, Cody, Dana Massie and Omega sang ‘”Happy Birthday” and presented gifts to Matt Jackson. Matt claimed it was his 25th birthday. Nick gifted him a pair of Jordan 11 Retro Concords.
Cutler told Omega and The Bucks that fans loved their match at Revolution. Omega and The Bucks were not impressed. Cutler told them that Dave Meltzer gave the match six stars, and they all celebrated.
Matt and Nick asked Omega if he noticed the part at the end of that match. Omega said he did and we are all on the same page. This was in reference to Hangman Page teasing a turn on Omega at Revolution.
Tony Schiavone approached Matt and said that he was impressed with his talent. Matt thought he was referring to the six star match. Schiavone said that no one gets six stars and Matt was no Revival. He said he was referring to Matt’s barista skills. The two put on green aprons and made coffee together.
Public Swole Announcement: Buy and apply deodorant.
Peter Avalon taunted Cutler and Michael Nakazawa over losing their match. Avalon then lost his match and he and Cutler argued over who was worse. Leva Bates told them to shut up.
Cutler asked Page if he had watched the Revolution match back. Page said he had and noticed the part at the end where The Bucks and Omega teased a triple superkick to him. Page acted conflicted about everything and drank beer.
Matt gave a health update on Nick. He said Nick is out indefinitely but will be okay.
Matt talked about the impact of the coronavirus in a message recorded Thursday. He said they may have to move shows or do shows without fans. He said he hopes that they are able to continue doing Dynamite and BTE every week and offered thoughts and prayers to everyone.
The latest edition of Being the Elite chronicles events that took place the day of AEW Dynamite in Broomfield, Colorado.
Some highlights include:
Matt Jackson was working as a barista, serving drinks to “Pirate Party,” “Lince Urcher,” and “Trent Baretta, Trent Beretta, Trent Bearetta, Trent?”
Kenny Omega fed french fries to geese, because Matt said they needed a “wholesome segment.”
Chuck Taylor and Frankie Kazarian played basketball.
Matt said Nick Jackson was not medically cleared after Revolution and would not be on BTE this week.
As Matt set up his “coffee shop,” he had flashbacks to the Hardy compound and the latest “Free the Delete” video. Brandon Cutler asked Matt what happened at the compound and Matt said he’s not sure.
Colt Cabana made an appearance and interrupted dialogue between Hangman Page and Omega.
Public Swole Announcement: Don’t put raisins in potato salad. Also, don’t be afraid of salt and pepper.
Billy Gunn said that he was afraid that he and his son Austin were not connecting and visited a tarot card reader.
Peter Avalon, Brandon Cutler, and Michael Nakazawa had an argument over which of them was the worst wrestler in AEW. Matt entered and had another flashback to Hardy’s compound.
Brandon Cutler played a song from Aladdin on piano.
Hangman confronted Matt and Cody and said he had earned the right to leave The Elite and he would not have their back again. Even after that, he expressed concern over Nick’s well being, casting doubt on whether or not he is standing by his decision.
Participants for the upcoming Blood & Guts match have been announced.
AEW announced on their social media this afternoon that The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz) will face off against The Elite (Cody, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page) in the Blood & Guts match that will take place on the March 25 episode of Dynamite in Newark, New Jersey.
The match was announced during last Saturday’s Revolution event. It will be similar to a WarGames match in that there will be two rings and a covered cage. The specific rules for the match have yet to be announced; that will be revealed this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Already announced for this week’s Dynamite include Hangman Page and a mystery partner against Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, Cody vs. Ortiz, the team of PAC and the Lucha Bros. against Joey Janela and Private Party, and Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade.
Several of AEW’s top stars will get back into action on next Wednesday’s Dynamite from Salt Lake City, Utah’s Maverik Center.
Following his loss to rival MJF at Revolution, Cody Rhodes will take on Ortiz of the Inner Circle. During a skirmish following Jake Hager’s submission Wednesday over QT Marshall, Ortiz hit Rhodes with a chair to the back.
Also announced was the debut match of Death Triangle, the new trio of PAC, Pentagon Jr., and Ray Fenix. Following PAC’s Wednesday win over Chuck Taylor, the Lucha Bros ran out to jump Orange Cassidy and Trent as they were confronting PAC and the three heels did a promo announcing their union. Their opponents weren’t announced.
Another six-man tag team match will feature MJF teaming with The Butcher & The Blade to take on all three members of Jurassic Express. MJF is coming off the aforementioned win over Cody and did a promo on the Wednesday show saying his goal is to become the no. 1 contender for the AEW title.
Finally, the rules for the “Blood & Guts” edition of Dynamite on March 25th in Newark, NJ, will be announced. The concept was announced during Revolution and is expected to be a War Games-style match.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts made his AEW debut tonight, teasing a new client.
Cody Rhodes came out during tonight’s Dynamite to talk about his loss to MJF from this past weekend’s Revolution event. He asked MJF to come out and tell him to his face that he won fair and square.
Roberts came out instead, saying he was tired of hearing Cody cry. He wasn’t there to praise him, he was there to slay him. He said that he had a client, and that “the dark side” is coming to AEW.
He finished the promo by saying someone wise once told him to never turn his back on a man he was afraid of. He then did just that, turning away from Cody as he made his exit..
Roberts hasn’t been featured in any major wrestling promotion in a number of years. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and also made an appearance for the promotion earlier that year.
The latest edition of Being the Elite chronicles the week leading up to AEW Revolution in Chicago, and the immediate aftermath of the show.
Some notable moments include:
The Young Bucks take a mysterious phone call from a North Carolina area code as someone wants them to fly there for a visit.
Nick Jackson revealed he and his wife are expecting their third child.
The Bucks also juggled their executive duties with their meet and greet commitments, while also providing a memorable moment for a member of the All Elite Fleet.
Cody tried to keep his new tattoo hidden while doing a panel at the C2E2 convention.
Peter Avalon and Leva Bates attended a tarot card reading, which revealed that Avalon may not have been telling the truth about his upset stomach on Valentines Day.
Christopher Daniels and Orange Cassidy bond in an unusual way.
Sammy Guevara ribs Brandon Cutler, while Matt Jackson feels bad about breaking Guevara’s sunglasses with a superkick last week.
Here are spoilers for next week’s episode of AEW Dark, which were taped during tonight’s AEW Dynamite taping in Atlanta, Georgia:
Jimmy Havoc defeated Marko Stunt
– This match was taped prior to Dynamite.
After the television portion of the taping concluded, Cody cut a short promo talking about his father and told a story about Dusty and Sting. AEW posted footage of the speech that you can listen to below:
Following the promo, the final three matches of the tapings were held:
Joey Janela defeated Kip Sabian in a Falls Count Anywhere match
The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) defeated CIMA and T-Hawk
Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall (with Brandi Rhodes) defeated Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears (with Leva Bates and Tully Blanchard)
Dynamite next week will take place at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Missouri. Already announced is a 30 minute iron man match between PAC and Kenny Omega. The Butcher and the Blade will also take on Best Friends in a tag team match.
Another segment will take place on the show, featuring a weigh-in between Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho ahead of their title match at Revolution on February 29.
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cody is set to take on Wardlow in a steel cage match. If Cody wins, he will have fulfilled all of MJF’s stipulations and earn a match against MJF at Revolution on February 29.
Jon Moxley is scheduled to face Jeff Cobb in Cobb’s AEW in-ring debut. Cobb was brought in as a mercenary by Chris Jericho on last week’s episode. Jericho will defend the AEW World Championship against Moxley at Revolution.
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page will defend the AEW World Tag Team titles against The Lucha Bros tonight.
A tag team battle royal will also be held, with the winners earning a title shot at Revolution. SCU, Private Party, Alex Reynolds & John Silver, Santana & Ortiz, Jack Evans & Angelico, Best Friends, The Butcher & The Blade, StrongHearts, Jurassic Express, and The Young Bucks will be the teams facing off for the championship opportunity.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The tag battle royal kicked off the show.
THE YOUNG BUCKS WON A NUMBER ONE CONTENDERS TAG TEAM BATTLE ROYAL
Matt Jackson was the sole survivor. Both members of a team had to be eliminated, unlike a traditional tag team battle royal.
Jack Evans was tossed first. Private Party hit T-Hawk with the Silly String and threw him out. SCU was distracted by Dark Order’s spokesperson and eliminated by Reynolds and Silver. Dark Order’s spokesperson said that the Exalted One is coming, and told SCU to take note that Chris Daniels is not there. Raven was there in the crowd, for whatever that’s worth.
The Bucks superkicked Reynolds and Silver out.
Luchasaurus hit a pump kick and eliminated CIMA. Butcher tossed Nick Jackson. Santana and Ortiz eliminated Private Party. Luchasaurus eliminated Angelico. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus got tossed out. Orange Cassidy saved Trent from being tossed. Chuck Taylor and the Blade got thrown out.
The final five were Matt Jackson, Trent, Butcher, Santana and Ortiz. Matt and Trent did the Best Friends hug spot. Butcher tossed Trent. Matt hit a spear to Butcher through the ropes, eliminating him.
Matt vs. Santana and Ortiz was the final three matchup. Matt hit a double northern lights suplex, but got cut off. Santana and Ortiz hit the Street Sweeper. Matt hit a superkick to Santana, a superkick to an interfering Sammy Guevara, then a superkick to Ortiz for the final elimination.
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KRIS STATLANDER DEFEATED SHANNA
Britt Baker was on commentary. She brought Tony Schiavone a skinny latte.
They began very slowly, trading holds. Then they went through a commercial break, still working holds. I think we went about 6 minutes without a bump.
The pace picked up after the ad break. Statlander hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Shanna hit a top rope rana and a DDT for a two count. Shanna hit a low dropkick for another near fall.
The finish came out of nowhere. Shanna tried a tornado DDT. Statlander caught her, then hit her Big Bang Theory for the pin.
This was just a match. I think the idea was more for the in-ring to serve as a backdrop for Baker’s commentary, but she has been much more entertaining in this role in previous weeks.
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A video played, showing highlights of Nyla Rose winning the Women’s title last week. A Nyla Rose promo is next.
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Tony Schiavone interviewed Nyla Rose. She heeled on the crowd. She said she’s the queen bee in this hive, no one can stack up to her, and she’s only going to be a one-time champ, because she’ll never lose the belt.
Kris Statlander and Big Swole came to the stage. Statlander pointed at Rose’s title. Swole got in Rose’s face and they did a pull-apart while Statlander just stood there.
Swole and Statlander have a ton of potential, but Statlander is number two in their rankings, while Swole is unranked. Why bother with rankings?
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A Jeff Cobb video played with a recap of his introduction last week. Cobb vs. Moxley is up next.
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Taz joined the commentary team for this match. I’m a fan of Schiavone, but Taz instantly became the best commentator at the desk.
Jericho, Guevara and Jake Hager entered and sat ringside, showing that they had tickets for the event.
JON MOXLEY DEFEATED JEFF COBB
Cobb hit an overhead throw, then a dropkick. They exchanged strikes on the floor, then Cobb slammed Moxley’s face into the ring steps. Moxley rolled inside, then hit a dive. Cobb hit a series of clubbing forearm shots. During a commercial break, Cobb sent Moxley over the baricade, where Jericho stomped him and hit him with the title belt.
After the break, Moxley went to work on Cobb’s left leg. Cobb responded with a Tour of the Islands. Cobb covered Moxley, but picked him before the three count. Moxley tried a dive off the post to the floor. Cobb caught him and hit an overhead belly-to-belly on the floor.
Moxley blocked a Tour of the Islands. Cobb blocked a Paradigm Shift. The finish saw Cobb hit a superplex. Moxley trapped Cobb’s leg on landing, turning it into a cradle for the pin.
After the bell, Jericho, Hager, Guevara and Cobb started stomping Moxley. Dustin Rhodes entered to make the save, but fell victim to the numbers game.
The lights went out. Darby Allin appeared on the stage to a huge reaction, then came to the ring via skateboard. Allin ran wild, using the board as a weapon.
When the dust cleared, Jericho and Moxley were the last two standing. Moxley and Jericho traded a few strikes, then Jericho bailed.
This was an effective segment to build to the pay-per-view. Well done.
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AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: KENNY OMEGA & HANGMAN PAGE DEFEATED PENTAGON & REY FENIX TO RETAIN THE TITLES
This was a great, great match.
Page and Omega established the early advantage, using a series of tandem moves. The illegal man interfered liberally, aiding their cause. Omega hit a Kotaro Krusher and a you can’t escape, aided by a standing shooting star press from Page.
Pentagon and Fenix began making a comeback before a commercial break. After the ads, it was Page and Omega back in front, until Fenix hit a tornillo to Page, then Penta hit a destroyer to Omega.
Fenix ran the top rope and kicked Omega on the apron. Penta teased a piledriver on the apron, but Omega blocked. Fenix hit a rana out of the ring to the floor on Omega. Page hit a dive off the post to Fenix. This was an incredible sequence.
Page hit a pop-up powerbomb to Penta. Omega hit a V-Trigger. Page tried a Buckshot Lariat, Penta moved, and Page hit Omega. This was a great tease for the big explosion that we all know is coming.
Fenix hit a tornillo to the floor on Page. Penta hit a Penta Driver on Omega for a near fall.
Omega was left to face both Fenix and Penta with Page down on the floor. Omega hit a V-Trigger, kneeing Fenix out of the air.
The finish saw Omega and Page hit Fenix with a combination V-Trigger and Buckshot Lariat, Page covered and pinned Fenix.
The Bucks ran down and helped Omega up. Page left the ring and drank beer with fans.
I can’t say enough good things about this. Fenix and Pentagon are the best tag team in the galaxy and Omega and Page were every bit their equal tonight.
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A video package played, highlighting the upcoming AEW action figure line produced by Wicked Cool Toys.
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PAC vs. Omega in a 30 minute iron man match and Best Friends vs. Butcher and Blade were announced for next week.
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A video package recapping the Cody vs. MJF feud played. The main event is up next.
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The cage setup here was interesting. The bottom of the cage wasn’t secured to the ring, so I don’t think this thing is built for climbing. The truss supporting the cage can be climbed, as it’s secured to the floor.
STEEL CAGE MATCH: CODY DEFEATED WARDLOW
Rules were pinfall or submission only.
Cody hit a high kick. Wardlow no-sold it. Wardlow hit a lariat, then lawn-darted Cody into the cage. Cody bladed along the hairline. Wardlow hit some clubbing forearms during the final ad break.
After the commercials, Cody made a comeback. He hit a Cody Cutter, then ten punches in the corner. Wardlow hit a low blow, then something resembling an F-5. Wardlow tossed Cody into the cage door, which swung open.
Arn Anderson approached the cage door. MJF tried to goad Arn into slamming the cage on Cody just as he did to Dusty years ago. Arn hit MJF with the cage door instead.
Cody hit a powerslam. MJF hit a senton for a near fall. MJF tossed Wardlow the Dynamite diamond ring. Cody hit a low blow and hit Wardlow with the ring.
On the outside, MJF started to climb the truss supporting the cage. Brandi Rhodes nailed him with a chair. Arn then threw MJF over the barricade.
Inside, Cody hit Cross Rhodes for a near fall, then climbed the cage truss, hit a moonsault, then covered Wardlow for the pin.
MJF retreated to the aisle. Cody climbed the cage and taunted MJF, then waved to the crowd.
They didn’t do a ton here, but they accomplished what they needed to.
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Thumbs up to this show. The women’s division continues to be something of a cluster, but the rest of the show was very good with a mix of great wrestling and storyline advancement.
AEW vice president Cody Rhodes spoke to the media for 40 minutes Tuesday afternoon, answering questions on everything from Jeff Cobb’s deal to free agency to Canadian dates and plenty more.
To hear the audio, just click the red button at the bottom of this post.
Some key talking points:
He said it’s unlikely to see the Bash At The Beach name or other events he owns the trademarks to with the exception of one.
He said AEW and Jeff Cobb are still in a “gestation” stage. He’s signed for more dates, but he needs to keep it vague for now.
He said that because of AEW remaining in Las Vegas from Double or Nothing through Dynamite the following Wednesday, they are going to load up those days with AEW appearances, etc.
He said that when it comes to free agents, the doors are open.
He and Taz want to take a trip to the NCAA wrestling finals and possibly the NFL Combine to scout for talent.
He’s taken lead and an ownership role in Norcross, GA’s Nightmare Factory. It’s not affiliated with AEW, but open to all talent and could be something down the road.
He talked about how thier women’s division is growing and to be patient as they continue to work on it and make it stronger.
They haven’t talked to ROH about getting rights to the original All In, but they have a good relationship there. Young Bucks and Dana Massie own the name, so it could happen down the road.
He also talked about Val Venis’ recent comments after Nyla Rose won the AEW women’s title.
The possibility of Roman Reigns vs. The Rock, New Japan’s return to MSG, and Cody’s WOR interview are up for discussion on the newest Wrestling Weekly featuring Les Thatcher and myself, Vic Sosa.
We’ll also discuss the road to this year’s Wrestlemania, with a potentially intriguing matchup on the horizon depending on what happens in Saudi Arabia.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Dave Meltzer and myself, guest co-host Garrett Gonzales, is back. Joining us is AEW pro wrestler and executive, Cody.
Cody tells us how he’s doing after having to take 10 lashes on last week’s AEW Dynamite. He talks about the biggest lesson he’s learned so far and the respect he has for writers and executives doing his job.
He describes his emotion when AEW signed their new TV deal, how they measure business and what metrics they use, his match with his brother Dustin, the critique some fans have who don’t watch Being The Elite or AEW Dark, New Japan, and much more.
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Number one contender Jon Moxley will be in action, facing Ortiz in a singles match. On last week’s episode, Moxley and The Inner Circle had a pull-apart at the start of the show.
Moxley closed the episode by attacking Inner Circle members Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz with a baseball bat. AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Moxley’s opponent at Revolution on February 29, escaped before Moxley could get to him.
Cody receiving 10 lashes from MJF is also scheduled for tonight’s show. Cody agreed to the lashing as one of MJF’s stipulations to accepting a match at Revolution.
AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page will team with The Young Bucks in an eight-man tag. Their opponents will be The Butcher, The Blade, and the Lucha Bros team of Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix.
Dr. Britt Baker is also set to take on the returning Yuka Sakazaki in a singles match.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Chris Jericho, Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara joined the commentary desk for the opener. Jericho is quite good on commentary.
JON MOXLEY DEFEATED ORTIZ
Ortiz targeted Moxley’s eye patch with strikes. He sent Moxley eye-first into the steps to get the heat. Back inside, Ortiz used a camel clutch. Moxley came back with a figure four, a suicide dive, then a black hole slam.
Ortiz sent Moxley over the top to the floor, then hit a tope. Ortiz tossed Moxley back inside. He hit a top rope splash and a fisherman suplex for a pair of near falls.
Santana jumped on the apron to provide a distraction. Moxley sent Ortiz into Santana. He teased a Paradigm Shift, but Ortiz blocked. Moxley then hit a double-arm DDT, but not the high-angle Paradigm Shift, for the pin out of nowhere.
Santana jumped Moxley after the match. Moxley fought him off, then pulled the keys to Jericho’s Ford GT from his pocket.
Moxley said, “An eye for an eye,” and spiked Santana in the eye with a car key. Moxley retreated through the crowd while Jericho, Guevara and Hager ran to the ring.
Medical personnel attended to Santana. An effective segment.
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Orange Cassidy entered with Best Friends. Best Friends vs. SCU is up after an ad break.
SCU DEFEATED BEST FRIENDS
The first half of this was all action. After a standard tackle and drop down sequence. Trent speared Sky on the floor. Kazarian hit a German suplex on Trent on the floor. Taylor hit a flipping neckbreaker off the steps to Kazarian. All four men were down on the floor. Orange Cassidy approached them, then laid down to join the group.
Trent sold the damage from the suplex on the floor the rest of the match. SCU took over with a swing DDT from Kazarian. Trent made a comeback with knee strikes and one-legged dropkicks.
The finish saw Sky dropkick Kazarian in the back as Kazarian hit a destroyer on Trent and pinned him.
After the match, Dark Order ran in. They laid waste to the two teams. Orange Cassidy climbed into the ring. Dark Order offered him a mask, but he refused, so he was beaten down as well.
Chris Daniels ran in for the save. He dared Dark Order to come after him, but they retreated. The commentary team put over the fact that we still don’t know the identity of the Exalted One that Dark Order takes their orders from.
The wrestling here was quite good, though a commercial in the middle of the match hurt the flow. That’s TV wrestling, though.
The angle was quite bad. They continue to try with Dark Order. It doesn’t work.
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Britt Baker vs. Yuka Sakazaki is up next.
YUKA SAKAZAKI DEFEATED DR. BRITT BAKER
They traded left arm wringers, jockeying for position. Baker forced Yuka into the corner, then choked her. Baker hit a Zack Ryder boot in the corner for a near fall.
Yuka made a comeback, including hitting her Magical Girl splash, a springboard off the top rope to the floor. Jim Ross made fun of the size difference between Baker and Yuka, then mocked the name of her move.
Back inside, Yuka hit a lariat and a rolling elbow. Baker cut her off with a superkick, then hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. Baker went for Lockjaw. Yuka pulled Baker into a crucifix and pinned her for the upset.
After the match, Baker grabbed the ring bell. She used the bell on Yuka. Aubrey Edwards took the bell from Baker, leaving Baker and Yuka in the ring.
Baker placed Yuka’s mouth over the bottom rope, then hit a curb stomp. Yuka sold her mouth, then supposedly pulled one of her teeth out of her bloody mouth. Baker then used Lockjaw.
This was a good attempt at getting real heat here in 2020. I think the AEW crowd wants to help, and were willing to play along. Picking Yuka for the angle probably helped with the squeamish feel they were going for, as she looks like a child.
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Time for a soapbox rant.
On commentary, Tony Schiavone is the perfect third man in the booth. He has enthusiasm, he tries to get things over. Excalibur is very good at what he does. In my opinion, Ross should either get with the program, or transition to a new role. He just doesn’t put over what he doesn’t like, or he outright mocks it. He gets names wrong. He doesn’t call moves.
I understand the value of his voice being the first you hear on the broadcast every week. Fine. Have him do the intro and serve as host, then throw it to the guys who are trying to be good at their jobs.
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The eight-man tag is next.
BUTCHER, BLADE, PENTAGON & FENIX DEFEATED THE YOUNG BUCKS, KENNY OMEGA & HANGMAN PAGE
This match was GREAT.
The story here is that Page has good chemistry with the other Elite members, but isn’t on the same page with them.
Page and Blade started out. Page hit a series of chops. Omega tagged in for a Kotaro Krusher. Nick got a tag. The Bucks hit dropkicks on an interfering Pentagon and Fenix. Butcher jumped in and ate a triple dropkick from Omega and the Bucks, who then hit a triple pescado. Page stood on the apron, looking sullen.
Just before a commercial break, Fenix hit a crazy springboard swanton off the top rope to the floor, wiping out Omega and the Bucks. Back inside, the heels worked over Nick during the break.
Back from break, Matt got a hot tag and ran wild with his locomotion northern lights suplexes on both Lucha Bros. Fenix hit a springboard armdrag to Matt. Pentagon and Fenix doubled up on Omega.
Omega and Butcher ended up the legal men. Omega hit a hurricanrana and tagged Page, who ran wild with an absolutely electric hot tag. He hit dives, suplexes, and a spectacular moonsault off the post to the floor.
Things were bonkers from here on.
Pentagon hit a destroyer to Matt. Butcher hit a powerbomb to Nick. Omega hit Fenix, Pentagon and Blade with snap dragon suplexes. Matt hit a sliced bread to Butcher. There was a superkick party. Omega hit a V-Trigger on Fenix.
Page and Penta ended up the legal men at the end of this insanity. The Bucks wanted Page to tag them in. Page refused. Penta hit a destroyer to Page. Fenix and Penta hit the combination double stomp/package driver on Page. Fenix then hit a tope to Omega. Penta pinned Page.
After the match, there was more trouble between the Elite. Page argued with the group, then left, then drank beer with fans.
I would enjoy this angle more if I had a better understanding of why Page wants to be his own man, and the relationships between all of these guys. It feels as though there’s an assumption that the audience knows who all these guys are and sees them as stars. This is week 18 of their TV. I don’t think the audience knows. I could watch BTE, or I could have it explained to me on TNT every week.
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After a break, Schiavone was in the ring with Omega. PAC was shown on the screen, with interviewer Lexy, and Women’s Champion Riho.
PAC said he’s supposed to be having a contract signing with Omega right now, but Omega ruined that. How? By having a match? PAC said clearly Omega doesn’t care about Michael Nakazawa, who he left for dead. Twice, actually. So I guess that’s what happened to Michael.
PAC then said we’ll find out how much Omega cares about Riho. I assume they’re a couple, but that’s never been explained.
PAC said he’s a bastard, but not a beast, and he won’t attack a woman. So Nyla Rose entered and laid out Riho instead.
Riho vs. Rose for the title was announced for next week. Omega and Page vs. SCU for the tag titles was announced for next week also.
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KIP SABIAN DEFEATED JOEY JANELA
Sabian hit a dropkick. Janela then no-sold some kicks and went on offense with strikes. Sabian sent him up and over to the apron, then hit a leg sweep, sending Janela crashing off the apron into the steps. Penelope Ford then slammed Janela’s face into the steps.
Sabian stayed on offense through a commercial break. After the ads, Sabian missed a springboard 450 to the floor. Janela hit a German on the floor. Back inside, Janela hit some more strikes. Sabian hit a backstabber.
Janela hit a DVD for a two count. They traded strikes. Sabian hit a DDT. Ford jumped up on the apron and kissed Sabian. Janela hit the ropes. He tried to hit Sabian, but nailed Ford with a back elbow, sending her to the floor. Sabian then used a schoolboy with a handful of tights for the pin.
Ford sold her knee, and Sabian helped her to the back. Good match, not a lot of heat.
Sabian should come out on top in this feud, there’s more chance for upward mobility for him than Janela, but Janela has to get a win here at some point. So far, he’s been punched in the balls and lost the only match.
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Jericho and his stablemates cut a promo backstage. Santana promised an eye for an eye next week.
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The Bucks confronted Page backstage. They wanted to know what happened out there and what his problem is. Matt said he thinks he knows what the problem is, intimating that it’s alcohol. He said if Page keeps it up, he’ll lose the tag titles next week.
After the Bucks left, Page drank from a pitcher of beer.
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Santana vs. Moxley was officially announced for next week.
A tag team battle royal was announced for two weeks from tonight in Atlanta, with the winning team getting a title shot at Revolution.
A PAC vs. Omega 30-minute ironman match was announced for three weeks from tonight.
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Dustin Rhodes cut a pre-taped promo. He told MJF that his brother is a lot tougher than MJF thinks.
First MJF and Wardlow, then Cody, entered for the main event lashing, which takes place next.
Cody took his shirt off during the commercial break. MJF said that his belt is too nice to touch Cody, then demanded that Cody give him his belt.
MJF hit Cody with the belt once. Cody fired up. MJF tried to bait him into an attack. Some heels came to the stage to watch. Butcher, Blade, Bunny, Guevara, Baker and Sabian watched on.
MJF hit another belt strike. Arn Anderson pushed his way past the heels and came to the ring for moral support. MJF hit a few more lashes. Dustin ran down and asked to take the remaining lashes for Cody. MJF said that’s not how this works, and told him to watch with everyone else.
The Bucks ran down after the next belt lash. Cody’s back was starting to welt up. Cody flipped off MJF. Wardlow asked for the belt with two lashes left. He hit a big one, drawing blood.
Dustin and the Bucks fired up the crowd before the last lash. Cody tried to fire up so he could stand up and take the last one, then collapsed.
Brandi Rhodes came to the ring and told Cody he could do it.
MJF hit the tenth lash across the chest. Cody dropped to the mat. The Bucks, Arn, Dustin and Brandi jumped in to tend to Cody.
MJF kicked Cody in the balls, then ran off through the crowd. Some babyfaces ran down to try to get to MJF, but he escaped with Wardlow.
MJF was posing with Wardlow in the crowd at the top of a concourse when it appeared that a fan tried to attack him. MJF got a couple of shots in on the guy before Wardlow and Security dragged the guy away. It appears that this was a plant, not an actual fan.
This was a good old school angle on a night where the angles were underexplained at best, and left a lot to be desired at worst.
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After a stretch of thumbs up shows, I didn’t care for a lot of the angles tonight.
After 18 weeks of TV, the legacy of this promotion so far is a lot of good matches that no one remembers, and some of the dirt worst angles since TNA.
I don’t want to be an “everything sucks” guy. I’m not trying to be contrarian. I just want wrestling that makes sense, with good angles that are fully explained, with characters that are properly developed.
