Nerdly » ‘AEW: Late Night Dynamite’ Review (Sept 22nd 2020)

24th Sep2020

‘AEW: Late Night Dynamite’ Review (Sept 22nd 2020)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this special review of All Elite Wrestling: Late Night Dynamite, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have three matches to cover on this review of this special on hour card. I even bought an elephant to mark the occasion. Late Night Dynamite starts…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Match #1: Scorpio Sky def. Ben Carter

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

The action kicked off early on this LATE NIGHT edition of DYNAMITE with our opening contest—highflying specialist Ben Carter vs. Scorpio Sky! “Scorpio Sky is one of the best athletes here in AEW, really multifaceted, and this is the biggest test of Ben Carter’s career thus far,” noted Excalibur. They began with some impressive chain wrestling. Carter managed to catch Sky with a Steamboat-esque armbar. “He went for it earlier but Sky moved out of the way. This is impressive,” observed Le Champion Chris Jericho. After a collar and elbow lockup, Sky used his strength to push Carter into the turnbuckles. Sky hit a crossbody for a near fall, but Carter got right back up to his feet and neutralized Sky with another deep arm drag! Scorpio Sky clocked Carter with a couple of forearms. “I’m glad to see Scorpio Sky looking to make it as a single competitor, getting out of the tag team scene, which is packed,” said Jim Ross. After a waist lock leapfrog, Carter connected with a quick dropkick to Sky. After that, Scorp went outside the ring to take a walk and gather his thoughts. Sky got back in and concentrated his attack on Carter’s left arm, wrenching down on it. Carter snuck out of the wristlock like Houdini but Scorpio Sky blasted him with a mean knee and then a sky-high dropkick! Sky floated through with a Russian leg sweep, putting all the impact on the head and shoulders of Ben Carter. Sky followed up with a bow and arrow and then an abdominal stretch. “Carter has lit a fire here under Sky,” said Tony Schiavone. Carter escaped Sky’s stretch and then ran into the corner and delivered a stiff knife edge chop to his opponent. Sky dropped to the mat after repeated Kawada chops from Carter. Sky walloped Carter with a straight righthand! “That was a bazooka shot! Maybe the shot of the night,” said Jim Ross. “I’m impressed with Ben Carter, but I’m more impressed with Scorpio Sky. He’s looking savage tonight,” noted Chris Jericho. Sky attempted to bring Carter over the ropes with a vertical suplex from the ring apron, but Carter nailed Sky with a Kawada-style high face kick. Carter jumped into the ring with a springboard, then a reverse DDT, followed by a running shooting star press on Sky for a near fall! Scorpio Sky rolled out of bounds, outside the ring, just like the savvy ring veteran he is, to break Carter’s momentum. Carter didn’t want to wait and rushed Sky, but Sky booted him in the face. Carter rallied back, though, with a tope con giro to Sky! Ben Carter climbed to the top rope and dropped a frog splash on Sky in the center of the ring for a very near fall! “He calls that frog splash ‘frozen in time,’” noted Jim Ross. Carter tried for a phoenix splash but Sky moved and swept out his legs! He stepped through and grabbed a hanging neck breaker on Carter for a two-count! Carter blocked a fishermen buster from Sky and avoided it by delivering rapid-fire forearms to Sky. Finally Sky got the fishermen buster he was looking for earlier but Carter kicked out at two! Sky was shaking his head in disbelief. Sky ducked two roundhouse kicks from Carter and Sky had enough, stomping down with both feet onto Carter’s spine! Scorpio Sky finished off Carter with the TKO and won via pin! “Scorpio Sky was more vicious and aggressive than ever,” remarked Chris Jericho.

My Opinion: 4 out of 5 – Now this was a hell of a debut for Carter and fabulous return to form for Sky, who has been in need of a great one. This was all action, but not at the expense of the psychology. Every-thing had gravitas to it and it made the whole bout feel like a happening. This felt like some-thing important and the wrestling was the reason why. You get technical, aerial and power wrestling all mixed together into a thick brew that goes down easy. I’d like to have another match between these two as soon as possible.

Match #2: Anna Jay (with Dark Order) def. Brandi Rhodes

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Dark Order left ringside before the match began. “Conspicuous by their absence, where’s the rest of the Nightmare Family?” asked Jericho. The two wrestlers started slugging away in the center of the ring! Brandi ducked a clothesline and speared Anna Jay! Brandi dropped Anna Jay down with a face buster on the ring apron! “This is just a fight right now! I love it!” said Chris Jericho. Brandi whipped Anna Jay into the steel guardrail. Back in the ring, Brandi connected with a Thesz Press and then dropped big rights and lefts on Anna Jay’s face. Brandi chopped away at Anna Jay in the corner. “Holy smokes, she is beating the life out of her here,” said Tony Schiavone. Anna Jay caught Brandi with her Queen Slayer sleeper hold! Brandi countered by dropping down and rolling up Anna Jay for a two-count! Brandi started to punch Anna Jay in the face again and ref Paul Turner had to remind Brandi to loosen up those close fists. Brandi missed a clothesline and Anna Jay followed up with a back rake and then a stomp! Anna Jay popped her hips and hit a snap suplex on Brandi. “Anna Jay looks like she’s possessed, possessed by the spirit of the Dark Order,” said Chris Jericho. Anna Jay choked Brandi with the sole of her boot. She ran into Brandi with a flipping neck breaker for a near fall. Brandi put together a string of offensive maneuvers including two clotheslines and then a sling blade. Just as the momentum was shifting in her favor, Stu Grayson and Evil Uno appeared on the ramp. Brandi blasted Anna Jay with a kick but the referee was distracted long enough to nullify the impact. By the time he turned around, Anna Jay was able to kick out of Brandi’s pin attempt. “They provided a very crucial distraction there for Anna Jay,” noted Excalibur. After a swift kick to Brandi, Anna Jay applied the Queen Slayer and put Brandi to sleep! “Wow, I would call that an upset,” said Jericho. “I would completed agree,” replied Excalibur.

My Opinion: 2.6 out of 5 – Anna may still be a rookie, but she is coming a long way. Anna carried Brandi through enough parts of this match to keep this thing from falling apart. You know what? This was okay. Anna proved her worth here and Brandi…well, she lost…good.

Match #3: (Main Event) Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard) def. Matt Sydal

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

It was time for our main event! Matt Sydal, making his DYNAMITE debut, fought Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard). They began with some traditional chain wrestling until Sydal quickened the pace and used his agility to take the bigger Spears to the mat. “Sydal has the upper hand over Spears because of all this technical wrestling he knows,” noted Jericho. Spears fought his way up to his feet and rammed Sydal’s head into the corner. Spears went for a kick on the ring apron but Sydal swept out his leg, sending him crashing down onto his lumbar region! Sydal tried to return Spears to the ring but Spears surprised him with a sliding dropkick! Spears tried to build a head of steam but Sydal landed a beautiful leg lariat on Spears! “Sydal wrestling with purpose here tonight in his DYNAMITE debut,” said Excalibur. Shawn Spears was on the top rope but Matt Sydal grabbed him with a leaping hurracanrana! Sydal chopped away at Spears with kicks to the outer thigh. Sydal captured Spears’ lariat attempt for a near fall! “How about that for a pinning combination?” wondered Schiavone. Sydal followed up with a roundhouse kick and then a leg slice for another close call on Spears! Sydal set up Spears for the Shooting Sydal Press but Spears grabbed Sydal’s ankle to stop him. Matt Sydal went for a swinging DDT but Spears tossed him away. Spears sat down with a powerbomb but Sydal kicked out at two! “Very close! Sydal cannot take much more of the heavy, heavy impact,” said Jim Ross. They traded chops but Spears got the better of the exchange with a left hook to Sydal. He lifted Sydal for a vertical suplex but Sydal dropped a knee to Spear’s skull. Sydal followed up with a jumping knee strike! Out of desperation, Spears planted Sydal on his knee! Spears lifted Sydal onto his shoulders for the C4 Death Valley Driver, but Sydal grabbed the ropes and escaped. Sydal found his mark with a big right roundhouse kick across Spears’ temple! Sydal dropped both knees down onto Spears’ chest with the meteora for a two-count! Spears was sitting on a chair at ringside and Sydal knocked him off with a running dropkick! At this point Tully Blanchard loaded Shawn Spears’ left hand glove, unbeknownst to Sydal and the referee. Spears went for C4 but Sydal escaped and tried to roll up Spears—Spears looked down and knocked out Sydal with the loaded glove! Spears blasted Sydal with the C4 and scored the pin! “Spears put Sydal down with that loaded left hand and it was elementary after the C4,” said Excalibur.

My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – This was a nice debut for Sydal and a big victory for Spears, who has been in need of this for a while. This wasn’t necessarily the smartest match around, or the quickest or the anything like that, but it was energetic and thrilling all the same. Sydal was a great person to put over Spears, because he could conceivably lose to Spears, retain his credibility and do so in style. Nothing in here was as memorable as anything in the opener, but this was still a quality ending to a fine little card.

News of The Night:

Scorpio Sky and Matt Sydal were positioned as friends after Sky pledged to pursue the TNT Title.
Scorpio Sky saved Matt Sydal from Shawn Spears’s attack.