The TNT Championship tournament semifinals take place tonight on AEW Dynamite.
One semifinal bout will see Lance Archer face off with Dustin Rhodes. Rhodes earned his spot in the semis with a win over Kip Sabian on last week’s episode. Archer secured his place by winning against Colt Cabana.
The other semifinal will see Cody take on Darby Allin. These two have faced off twice before in AEW. They wrestled to a time limit draw at Fyter Fest last June, and Cody defeated Allin in their second matchup on the January 1, 2020 edition of Dynamite.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley has been advertised as delivering a promo on tonight’s show. Moxley retained the championship with a win over Jake Hager two weeks ago. With no card yet announced for next month’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, this promo could be about establishing a contender for Moxley’s title.
“The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee will be in action tonight against Marko Stunt in a match that was set up on Dynamite last week. Also announced is a Best Friends vs. Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc no countout/no DQ match. Penelope Ford will be in Sabian and Havoc’s corner, while Orange Cassidy will accompany Best Friends.
Chris Jericho and Tony Schiavone will once again be on commentary for tonight’s show.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Schiavone and Jericho previewed the card. A Wardlow squash match was added to everything that had already been announced.
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TNT Championship Tournament semifinal: Cody defeated Darby Allin
These guys had a hell of a match. This took up nearly the first 30 minutes of the show.
The story of this match was Allin working over Cody’s left knee.
They began with some chain wrestling. Allin targeted the knee with kicks.
They brawled outside where Allin dodged a charge from Cody. Cody accidentally took out Brandi. Cody briefly got the upper hand until Allin went back after the left knee. Back in the ring, Allin used a heel hook, a kneebar and an Indian deathlock variation.
As Cody rolled outside to collect himself, Britt Baker hit him with her shoe from the audience.
After a commercial break, Cody made a comeback. He landed a lariat, an x-plex and a disaster kick. Allin cut Cody off and hit Cross Rhodes for a near fall.
Allin used a figure four. Brandi returned to the ring with a bottle of water. Cody took a swig. Allin connected with a forearm and Cody did a spit take.
Allin went for a second rope Coffin Drop. Cody caught him coming in and hit Cross Rhodes. Allin kicked out. Cody went for a top rope Coffin Drop. Allin got his knees up.
The finish saw Allin go up top for a Coffin Drop. He landed it, but Cody pulled him over into a backslide and pinned him. This was the Triple H/Jeff Hardy finish from No Mercy 2007.
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We got another Scorpio Sky personality profile.
Sky said Kazarian and Daniels had been looking for a third guy for SCU. They picked him.
He said he really started to get over with the “worst town” spots in Being The Elite.
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MJF gave an injury update from “his rat’s mansion” in Massapequa, NY.
He said he’s made a miraculous recovery from his life-threatening hangnail.
He said he nicked his neck while shaving and put on a neck brace.
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Wardlow defeated Musa
Wardlow won a quick squash with a knee to the face and an F-10.
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A Bubbly Bunch episode aired. They spoofed the stunt performer video that went viral this week.
This featured a ton of celebrity cameos, including Kevin Smith, Lou Ferrigno, Jericho’s dad Ted Irvine, Virgil and Vickie Guerrero.
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Best Friends (w/Orange Cassidy) defeated Jimmy Havoc & Kip Sabian (w/Penelope Ford) in a no DQ/no countout match
This was chaos. Everyone worked hard but this went nearly fifteen minutes which was just too long.
Trent and Sabian hit topes early on. Havoc threw a chair at Cassidy’s head and took him out. Cassidy went backstage.
Havoc suplexed Taylor on a pile of chairs on the floor. Trent speared Havoc on the floor. Havoc used a ladder and hit a slingshot on Trent into the ladder. This ladder didn’t appear to be a gimmicked ladder and it didn’t break until late in the match.
Trent and Taylor threw chairs at Havoc’s head and did their hug spot. Havoc pulled Trent off the top rope onto the ladder. Taylor hit a piledriver on Sabian onto a pile of chairs. Taylor went for a cover but Ford pulled him out of the cover.
Cassidy ran back down to the ring and topped Havoc from sending Taylor through a ladder. Ford accidentally hit a knee strike and a spear to Sabian as she tried to hit Cassidy. Cassidy hit a dive off the post to Ford and Sabian.
The finish saw Taylor hit an Awful Waffle on Havoc on a pile of chairs for the pin.
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A tremendous Britt Baker “role model” video package aired.
This co-starred Rebel, formerly of TNA, who is one of AEW’s makeup artists. Baker referred to her as “Reba.”
Baker said not everyone can be a role model. People who wear glasses can’t unless they’re a doctor. Fat people can’t be role models. People with snaggle teeth can’t. Baker used a photo of Schiavone to illustrate these points.
This was a comedy home run.
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Shawn Spears defeated Baron Black
Spears won a squash with a sharpshooter.
Earlier in the match, Spears hit a vertical suplex, a C4 and also tried to twerk.
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Taz broke down Lance Archer’s Blackout in a video package.
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Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Marko Stunt
Lee hit a big boot, a series of throws, then pinned Stunt with a sit-out powerbomb.
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Jon Moxley cut a promo. This was excellent.
He said he’s thankful for Jack Daniels, his wife, and steel chairs. He said DDTs are always better on steel chairs than not. He said they didn’t teach Jake Hager that at Oklahoma.
He said he’ll be back swearing and bleeding in front of a crowd again soon and we’ll all be together again soon.
Moxley said Dynamite is live next week. He’s throwing some Metallica cds in his truck and driving east. He knows he has a target on his back with Double or Nothing coming up.
Moxley ended the promo by telling us to support local businesses by ordering takeout, and most importantly, not to forget to call our grandmothers.
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Jon Moxley vs. Frankie Kazarian and MJF returning were advertised for next week’s show.
Also announced was Kenny Omega and Matt Hardy vs. “Le Sex Gods” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a street fight.
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TNT Championship Tournament semifinal: Lance Archer defeated Dustin Rhodes (w/Brandi Rhodes)
This picked up in the last segment, but they had to go through two commercial breaks and worked at a lethargic pace in the first two segments.
Archer sent Rhodes rolling outside with a pounce. Archer grabbed a chair from under the ring. Rhodes grabbed the chair away. Archer kicked the the chair into Rhodes’s face. Rhodes bladed.
Archer continued to work on the cut after a commercial break. The idea was to let the blood provide drama and tell the story. They worked very, very slowly.
Rhodes fired up and hit a series of strikes. He hit a last shot in the corner, which was not worthy of a DQ. Rhodes missed a knee drop and Archer used a chinlock before another ad break.
Rhodes hit a destroyer. They traded strikes. Rhodes ducked two lariats and hit his own lariat. Archer ducked a bulldog but Rhodes hit a powerslam.
Rhodes went for ten punches in the corner. He hit five punches before Archer cut him off. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes but Archer kicked out at one.
Rhodes came off the top rope into a chokeslam by Archer for a two count.
Archer walked the top rope and hit a moonsault for a near fall. That was nuts.
Archer went for Blackout but Rhodes blocked. Archer hit a chokeslam for a two count. Rhodes used a backslide for a quick two count.
Archer exposed a turnbuckle, then rammed Rhodes face-first into it.
QT Marshall came to ringside with a towel. He threatened to throw in the towel. Cody ran out and stopped him.
Cody asked Dustin if he wanted him to throw in the towel. Dustin refused.
Archer pulled Rhodes to the center of the ring and used the EBD Claw to pin him.
