22nd Jan2021

‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Jan 20th 2021)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s AEW: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the big triple tag match between the members of the Inner Circle. You want some crack? Once Upon A Time In America is not better than The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and Dynamite starts now.

Match #1: Adam Page & The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana, & John Silver) def. TH2—Angelico & Jack Evans, and Chaos Project—Luther & Serpentico!

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“This was really underhanded by Chaos Project. The Dark Order didn’t even get a chance to cut the birthday cake,” said Tony Schiavone. Back in the ring, Luther hit a butterfly suplex on John Silver for a near fall. Jack Evans tagged in and Luther slammed Evans on Silver! Luther bulldogged Angelico—his own partner in the match—onto Silver for a near fall. “That’s some great team work,” said Schiavone. Page tagged in and cleaned house on the opposition with a spine buster to Jack Evans and a big boot to Angelico! He tossed Serpentico with a suplex for a near fall! Silver nailed a cannonball senton on Serpentico! Alex Reynolds flew over the top onto them! Page followed up with a moonsault to the outside! The Dark Order worked together, with Page hoisting up Reynolds and Silver and back slamming them onto Serpentico, with Colt following it with a pin attempt! Page powerbombed Jack Evans over the barricade! Back on the ramp, -1 blasted Luther with a kendo stick, and Luther went face-first into the birthday cake! Page hit the Buckshot with Reynolds there to grab the German suplex combo and then scoring the pin on Serpentico.

My Opinion: 4 out of 10

Match #2: Cody Rhodes (with “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson) def. “Pretty” Peter Avalon

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“Peter Avalon has been on quite a winning streak on AEW DARK,” noted Excalibur. “Cody has gained 19 pounds of muscle in three weeks,” said Tony Schiavone. Cody hit Avalon with the CrossRhodes! Jade Cargill’s music hit and she walked out onto the ramp, distracting Cody and the ref. Cody turned around and was drilled by a low blow from “Pretty” Peter. Cody turned the tables with an overhand chop on Avalon, and then dropped down to the mat and connected with an uppercut. Cody climbed to the top and Peter met Cody up there—superplexing “The American Nightmare”! Avalon attempted a moonsault but Cody got out of the way. Cody tried for a leap frog but Cody’s knee was tweaked. Avalon wasted no time going after it, hitting a tope suicida on Cody! Avalon came off the ropes and Cody countered with the Cody Cutter! Cody powerslammed Avalon. “I think this match may have slipped up on Cody a little bit,” said Jim Ross. Cody locked the figure four on Peter Avalon, but Avalon was able to reverse it! Cody turned it back around and threatened to slap “Pretty” Peter in the face and Avalon tapped before Cody could do it. “Jade almost cost Cody the match but Cody battled through that,” said Tony Schiavone.

My Opinion: 7 out of 10

Match #3: Jon Moxley def. Nick Comoroto

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“The man who had his title stolen by Kenny Omega and Don Callis. His first match since December 2nd, 2020, here tonight,” said Excalibur of Mox. Mox took the boots to Comoroto and then chopped him in the corner. Mox attempted a crossbody but Comoroto caught him and slammed him! “He’s a student of QT and Dustin,” noted Schiavone. Comoroto planted Mox with a backbreaker over his knee, and then hit another! Mox tried to bite his adversary but Comoroto countered by pancaking Mox and getting a near fall on him! Comoroto sprinted toward Mox but Mox dodged him and then began to kick Comoroto across the sternum. Moxley laced in the kicks hard, and then used his opponent’s momentum to suplex him. Mox got the hooks in and put Comoroto to sleep!

My Opinion: 2 out of 10

Match #4: Matt Hardy & Private Party—Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen vs. Matt Sydal & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)!

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“Private Party are the #1 contenders for the Impact World Tag Championships after last night,” noted Excalibur. Dante Martin and Marq Quen started the match for their teams with a handshake. Top Flight looked amazing early on with dropkicks to the opposition. Matt Sydal hit a spinning kick after a triple leapfrog with Top Flight. “Private Party are aggressive tonight. This is a side we haven’t seen,” noted Schiavone. Quen splashed Sydal with a beautiful cross body from a springboard position, matching some of that newfound aggression with a beautiful aerial assault. Kassidy tagged in and worked over Sydal’s neck, isolating him in the corner. Private Party attempted a double suplex but Sydal countered and took them down and tagged in Darius! Matt Hardy was sent over the top and Darius drilled him with a tope suicida! Private Party attempted Silly String but Top Flight had it countered. Dante had a European clutch on Kassidy for a two-count! Matt Hardy tagged in and dropped Darius and Dante with two side effects! Hardy caught Sydal off the top and countered with another side effect! Top Flight and Sydal got the advantage on Marq Quen until Matt Hardy pushed Darius Martin off the top. As the ref was distracted, Isiah Kassidy swung a steel chair at Dante’s ribs. Marq Quen smiled at his partner’s antics, followed up with a shooting star press, and pinned Dante! “They have come around to Big Money Matt’s way of thinking,” noted Excalibur.

My Opinion: 6 out of 10

Match #5: Penelope Ford def. Leyla Hirsch

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Orange Cassidy was seen watching from ringside. Leyla used an ankle trip on Ford, holding onto a waist lock. Ford kicked Leyla’s kneecap. “Dirty but effective,” said Excalibur. Leyla applied the cross arm breaker in the center of the ring but Penelope made it to the bottom rope to force the rope break. After Kip distracted Leyla on the outside, Ford had Leyla seeing stars with a blindside pump kick! Back in the ring, Leyla used a deadlift German suplex and then double knee strikes on Penelope for a two-count! “We could be seeing an upset in the making,” said Jim Ross. Leyla avoided an ax kick from Ford. Leyla ran up to the top rope and jumped onto Sabian and Charles Taylor! Penelope stole the pin after Kip Sabian held down Leyla’s ankle.

My Opinion: 3 out of 10

Match #6: (Main Event) Chris Jericho & MJF (with Wardlow ) def. Ortiz & Santana and Sammy Guevara & Jake Hager

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Anyone can tag anyone, but whoever gets the pin will win for their team, explained Schiavone. Sammy chopped at Jericho’s chest! He hit a corkscrew dropkick on Jericho and flipped him off with a middle finger. Jericho tried for a dropkick but Sammy caught it and catapulted Jericho into Hager’s fist! Santana was tagged in and he took Hager off his feet with a dropkick, and then tagged in Ortiz. They double teamed Hager but Jericho made a blind tag on Hager. Santana used a moonsault press on Jericho for a near fall! Hager tagged in and trucked MJF with a lariat! Sammy tagged in and connected with a cutter on MJF! Sammy superkicked Jericho on the outside. Sammy hit a corkscrew over the top onto MJF! Santana kicked Sammy in the spine as Sammy had his back turned. But Sammy was on fire and little could stop his momentum. Sammy planted MJF with a reverse hurracanrana. He decimated Ortiz with a Spanish fly! Jericho called for his baseball bat, but Hager knocked him down with a big boot! MJF asked for his “Dynamite” ring, but Hager rocked him! MJF power bombed Sammy and Jericho followed up with a lionsault for a near fall. Santana and Ortiz tagged in and blindsided Jericho. Ortiz got a two-count on Jericho, but Jericho came back with a code breaker! Ortiz kicked out at two! Sammy connected with a jumping knee strike and then blasted Jericho with the GTH! Sammy tried to finish off MJF but as he had MJF hoisted on his shoulders, he walked into Wardlow, who had popped up onto the apron! As Sammy fell backwards from the collision, MJF rolled up Sammy for the victory!

My Opinion: 7 out of 10

Final Verdict: 5/10

This was…a dull week. I didn’t think anything was bad, but it all felt timid at best. Take the main event for example. What was the point of this? Was this to push a storyline? Was this to establish that Santana and Ortiz are going to leave The Inner Circle? Do we have a dissention in the ranks of the aforementioned faction? Why does a faction need a designated tag team anyway? Why are singles wrestlers being given that spot when a full-time tag team is available to have that spot? The action in the match was excellent, but it felt like it meant nothing when all was said and done. How does Tony Khan even know that this angle of having an official tag team is even something we actually want to see? I’d rather just see Santana and Ortiz go after the tag titles. How many other people feel the way I do? Did Khan even put out a questionnaire to check? For another example of the malaise that this show had glazed over it, look at the Cody Rhodes/Peter Avalon bout. Cody and Peter had a fabulous match, but Peter was never promoted as being an opponent of note for Cody. Cody was the only person here that felt like he mattered, even when Peter was winning the match. I felt like I was watching the Hulk Hogan/Billy Kidman bout all over again (albeit a better version). Then, you have Jade Cargill coming out to interrupt the match, which is WWE bull-s— all the way. If you’re going to have a match, then make sure it’s about the match and not some angle that might not even be what the fans want to watch. Once again…did Khan even check to see if we want Jade Cargill on the show, let alone in one of Cody Rhodes’s numerous feuds and TV spots? Peter put in a great performance and never felt like he mattered less than when the match ended. Adam Page won his bout and came across like a shell of himself after the whole match was over. The Dark Order still isn’t over, even when they get a good crowd reaction. Their whole shtick just feels like cheap comedy that doesn’t have the guts to be funny…even though they actually were tonight. Also, they need to be careful with putting Brodie Lee’s son on this show so much. I don’t personally mind them making his son feel better with the TV appearances, but this is a slippery slope they are on and having the boy become the leader of the faction has so far been used to make The Dark Order look stupid instead of formidable. Just because I find their antics funny, doesn’t mean it should be on the show. I just wish AEW would pay attention to history and stop making the same mistakes as WCW, TNA and the WWF/WWE.

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