16th Jul2020

‘AEW Dynamite: Fight For the Fallen’ Review (July 15th 2020)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we’ve got the big Moxley/Cage main event to get to, as well as the location of the stolen Death Star plans. There’s a very nice card here to enjoy, so let’s make like Chewbacca and pull the arms out of the sockets of this review ya fuckin’ Wookies, because it’s time for AEW: Fight For The Fallen.

Match #1: Cody [Rhodes] (with Arn Anderson) def. Sonny Kiss – AEW TNT Championship Match

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“This is the biggest night of Sonny’s career,” said Excalibur. Cody booted Sonny with a pump kick right at the bell! Cody tried to end it quickly with a Disaster Kick! Sonny kicked out at two and rolled to the outside while Arn gave Cody some tough coaching. They went back into the ring and Sonny blasted Cody with a forearm and then an axe kick! Sonny attempted an elbow out of a backflip but Cody caught him with a full nelson. Sonny escaped with a split, then popped to his hips and suplexed Cody! Sonny sprung off the middle rope and landed with a moonsault. “Cody has not found his rhythm,” noted Jim Ross. Tully Blanchard was sitting in the crowd scouting the match. Sonny countered Cody’s offense with CrossRhodes for a near fall. Sonny was quick to follow up with a beautiful 450 splash onto Cody for another near fall! Sonny had Cody in head scissors but Cody powered out. Cody planted Sonny onto the ramp and then hit the Alabama slam! Cody dropped Sonny on the crown of his head but Cody was unable to seal the deal. Cody seemed frustrated and pulled off his weight belt, tossing it to Arn Anderson on the outside. Cody went up top and executed a precise superplex on Sonny but Sonny kicked out again! Cody had Sonny in the cross-face submission but Sonny forced the break when he reached the ropes with his powerful legs. Cody started dropping straight right hands on Sonny, and then removed the turnbuckle pad from the corner. Sonny reversed the hold and sent Cody flying headfirst into the steel of the exposed turnbuckle! Sonny swung wildly at Cody, but “The American Nightmare” dodged the strikes and pinned Sonny after a vicious CrossRhodes!

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – Kiss did a fine job with Cody and showed that he can be a star attraction in a match where it wasn’t quite as good as you’d hope for, but it was dynamite…HA! There’s not much in the way of great wrestling here, but this was a spirited performance that was highlighted by Kiss’s personality and athleticism. Cody winning was the right call, but I hope that this is not the last time that Kiss gets a title shot.

Match #2: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Squaring off for the first time ever it was FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler—vs. The Lucha Brothers—Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix! The Lucha Brothers pulled up in FTR’s stolen truck with The Butcher and The Blade dropping them off at the arena. “Both teams stand for two different things in pro wrestling,” noted Taz. “These two teams stylistically couldn’t be farther apart,” added Excalibur. Pentagon stomped on Dax Harwood, but Dax got back up quickly and they traded stiff chops! Fenix came in and they double-teamed Dax. Fenix went for a suplex but Dax blocked it! Dax got the tag and Cash came in with an elbow drop onto Fenix! FTR cut the ring in half, isolating Fenix, working him over with quick tags. Pentagon came in and he and Fenix hit stereo superkicks on Cash! The Lucha Brothers lit up Cash’s chest with knife-edged chops. Fenix jumped off the top rope but Cash caught him with an uppercut and tagged in Dax, who proceeded to clean house on the opposition! Dax suplexed Fenix and followed up with a running uppercut. Dax’s chest was bleeding from the chops earlier in the match. The Lucha Brothers took down Cash with tandem offense. They looked for the spiked piledriver but Cash avoided it. Cash carried Fenix over to FTR’s corner and Dax came off the top turnbuckle with a bulldog onto Fenix! Dax went back up to the top for a superplex on Pentagon. Both teams wrestled defensively at this point until the match broke down into a Donnybrook! Pentagon connected with a sling blade on Cash! Penta tried for a package piledriver on the apron but Cash blocked it. Cash then countered with a tope suicida into a DDT on the outside on Pentagon! Dax pulled the lucha libre mask off Fenix! As Fenix was distracted trying to conceal his identity, Dax rolled him up for the pin!

My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – The clash in styles was a striking visual that saw old-school technical match-up with new-school lucha. There is lots of dynamite action here (HA!) that you will go gaga over…Lady Gaga. I loved the way FTR used takedowns to move the match forward, while giving the Lucha Brothers an opening to use a dive or flip to change the course of the match in an instant. I never knew what was going to happen next and that is the way I like it. If you like smart, exciting tag wrestling, then this match is what you’re looking for.

Match #3: The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks [Nick & Matt Jackson]) def. The Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy & Marko Stunt)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Jericho, covered in O.J. and outraged, joined Jim Ross and Excalibur on commentary. Jungle Boy and Nick Jackson began the match for their respective teams. They exchanged arm drags off the top rope, going hold for hold with one another. “Hangman” Adam Page was shown pouring himself a stiff drink backstage. He was alone watching the match on a monitor. Marko Stunt tagged himself in and Kenny Omega batted him to the ground. Marko avoided a hip toss from Omega and then came off the top with head scissors, taking Omega down by surprise. Luchasaurus and Matt Jackson were both tagged in. Matt ducked one monstrous kick but Luchasaurus followed up with another for a near fall on Matt! “Offensive perpetual motion in this six-man tag,” said Jim Ross. Marko was outside showing off his dance moves—flossing—but Nick Jackson took his head off with a superkick. Kenny wiped out Luchasaurus with a dropkick and followed up with the Terminator dive to the outside onto The Jurassic Express! Jungle Boy planted Matt Jackson on the crown of his head with a DDT! Luchasaurus was tagged in and began dishing out chops, clotheslines, and kicks, taking on The Elite by himself! FTR joined “Hangman” Adam Page backstage for a drink. Luchasaurus ate a V-trigger from Kenny, who then dropped him with a snapdragon suplex! Kenny followed up with snapdragons on Jungle Boy and Marko! Jurassic Express rallied back and managed to connect with the Extinction Event on Kenny! The Bucks came in and hit stereo superkicks on Luchasaurus to save Kenny. The Elite used a triple Tiger Driver ‘98 on Luchasaurus for a near fall! Marko Stunt crashed down with a 450 splash on Nick but Matt Jackson broke up the pin fall attempt. Luchasaurus grabbed Matt by the throat for a chokeslam and out of nowhere, Marko sailed off Luchasaurus’s shoulders with a Canadian destroyer on Matt! Kenny set up the V-trigger and blasted Luchasaurus and then Marko! Kenny tried for the One-Winged Angel but Marko rolled him up for a near fall! Kenny had enough and scored the pin after another attempt at the One-Winged Angel on Marko, this time successfully.

My Opinion: 3.7 out of 5 – This became a great spectacle that had some huge moves from LE that had me tweaking like a crack-head in Harlem. Kenny showed the most here that he’s shown in quite some time, like my Salty Chocolate Balls. I couldn’t believe that Luke Perry’s son and a freakin’ dinosaur made a talkin’ bird-turd look tough, but they did so with some of the best team spots I’ve seen in quite some time. Psychology was not the name of this game, but top-notch action was, so take it as it is and enjoy.

Match #4: The Nightmare Sisters (Brandi Rhodes & Allie with Dustin Rhodes) def. MJ Jenkins and Kenzie Paige

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Brandi took down Kenzie with a fiery pump kick. Allie was tagged in and used a sliding clothesline and a knee on Kenzie. Brandi had a blind tag and winded Kenzie with a superkick. Allie used a bulldog on Kenzie and Brandi speared MJ Jenkins! Allie dropped the elbow and pinned Jenkins!

My Opinion: 1.5 out of 5 – This was a few moves and some Mickey Mouse underwear, so cop a squat and wash the shit out of Mickey Mouse’s mouth, because this was…not very good.

Match #5: (Main Event) Jon Moxley def. Brian Cage (with Taz) – AEW World Championship Match

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

“The FTW Championship is not a recognized championship by AEW,” said Excalibur. Mox was wearing a Danny Havoc shirt in honor of his fallen friend. Cage took the champ down with a powerful clothesline. He followed up with massive forearm strikes on Mox. The champ went for the armbar on Cage’s surgically repaired arm. Cage powered out and charged Moxley with an uppercut. Mox flew at Cage with a Johnny Smith-like dropkick off the second turnbuckle, taking Cage off his feet. Mox kicked Cage’s chest and went for another arm breaker. Cage powered out and folded Mox in half with a suplex! “There’s a singular focus here for Jon Moxley and that makes him extremely dangerous,” said Jim Ross. Moxley went to the outside onto Cage with a tope suicida! Mox tried for Cage’s bicep again but Cage rammed Mox into the guardrail. Mox trapped Cage’s arm inside of the guardrail, and then he kicked it hard with his combat boot! Moxley was looking for the Paradigm Shift but Cage countered with a suplex onto the guardrail. Taz pointed at Mox and laughed. Cage body slammed Mox onto the steel guardrail! Cage took Mox back into the ring and worked over the champ’s back with a human torture rack. Cage sat on Mox and stretched him with a camel clutch. Cage hit Mox with a body block, sending the champ flying outside the ring. Cage suplexed Mox onto a steel chair! Inside the ring, Mox rolled up Cage for a near fall. Cage shut Mox down quickly with a powerslam! Cage came off the top with a moonsault, but Mox moved! Cage tweaked his knee on the way down. Cage went for a discus lariat but Mox countered with the Paradigm Shift! But Cage kicked out of the Paradigm Shift! Mox applied an armbar but Cage escaped and manhandled Mox, throwing him straight into the turnbuckle! “Cage is a machine!” said Excalibur. Cage went for Drill Claw but Mox escaped! Mox applied a cross armbar on Cage, wrenching backwards with all of his weight! Mox transitioned the submission, effectively putting himself in the way of the ropes to prevent an escape by Cage. Mox gave Taz the middle finger and then Taz threw in the towel, ending the match! Jon Moxley retained the AEW World Championship! “Taz is wisely protecting his investment by throwing in the towel. If he didn’t, Mox would have continued to damage Cage’s arm and it would have cost Cage ten more months of rehab,” noted Jim Ross.

My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – This was a strong brawl that had enough slams and submissions to make you feel like you were watching a red-neck do math (stupid numbers). Cage was a big ol’ beast here that just ripped the champ a new asshole. These guys went all over the place and tore it apart as they went along, like Picasso as a plastic surgeon. It felt like a proper prize fight, but it didn’t quite have the luster of the great championship matches either. Maybe there was a lack of first act grappling that I’m getting upset wasn’t here? In any case, this did have a lot of hard-hitting wrestling mayhem (like my wedding to Chachi The Sexy Bear) and that is damn good for the main event. Cage should have won, but the finish they picked was effective enough to keep Cage looking tough in defeat.

News Of The Night:

  1. Nyla Rose has Vickie Guerrero as her manager now.
  2. Darby Allin returned to protect Jon Moxley from Brian Cage.
  3. Half of The Elite was teased to turn heel (Cody was scouted by Tully Blanchard, Adam Page was teased to team with FTR and Kenny Omega attacked Marko Stunt after being slighted by FTR).
  4. Orange Cassidy dumped a ton of orange juice on Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle after Jericho declared himself “The Demo-God” to cover for AEW’s lower rating to NXT.

Final Verdict: 3.7/5

There were several exciting matches on a show with less dumb comedy than usual.

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