‘All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite’ Review (Sept 16th 2020)

Welcome to this week’s All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m editor Phil and I’m phil-ing in for Nathan this week on Dynamite, where we have on of THE best parking lot brawl matches I’ve ever seen! Let’s get right to it…

Match #1: Jurassic Express — Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy (with Marko Stunt) vs. AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR — Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler (with Tully Blanchard)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Jurassic Express were awaiting FTR when the Young Bucks—Matt and Nick Jackson—walked with swagger to the ring. The Young Bucks superkicked AEW ref Mike Posey! The match began after ref Paul Turner replaced Mike Posey, who had to be helped to the back after the Bucks’ SuperKick Party. FTR worked over Jungle Boy’s arm and wrist, with quick tags in and out. Jungle Boy was able to utilize an unorthodox array of offense to take Dax to the mat with a nice deep arm drag. Luchasaurus tagged in and FTR slowed the pace and decided to regroup. Cash used a diversion tactic so Dax could hit Luchasaurus from behind. Luchasaurus powered back using clotheslines on Cash and Dax! Luchasaurus caught Dax midflight with a powerslam after a failed aerial assault from one-half of the tag champs! Jungle Boy hit a flipping senton off the back of Luchasaurus onto Dax for a near fall! FTR tried to cut the ring in half on their opponent but Jungle Boy countered with a double hurracanrana! Cash Wheeler was able to float over Jungle Boy with a leapfrog and then got a near fall after a powerslam on Jungle Boy! Cash Wheeler relentlessly dropped knees on Jungle Boy’s back and then applied the Bow & Arrow submission stretch! Dax came in with a mean toe kick to Jungle Boy’s ribs and then a snap suplex! Dax dropped Jungle Boy across Cash Wheeler’s knee, hanging him out to dry! Jungle Boy showed tremendous resiliency by trying to fight out of no man’s land from his opponents’ corner of the ring, but FTR grabbed him, flattening him with their deadly tandem offense. Jungle Boy finally connected with a colossal clothesline on Dax! And with that, Jungle Boy jumped, arms outstretched, and got the hot tag to Luchasaurus! Luchasaurus took down both members of FTR with his ferocious striking ability and then ran through both the tag champs with a double lariat! Luchasaurus had Wheeler up on his shoulders and hurled him at Harwood! He followed up with a giant chokeslam on Wheeler and then a standing moonsault press! Wheeler barely kicked out before three! Luchasaurus used a hook kick and a roundhouse on FTR while Jungle Boy got the blind tag! Luchasaurus nailed Dax with a spinning kick and then Jungle Boy followed up with a shot to the head but Dax kicked out for a very, very near fall! Jungle Boy opened up a brand-new bag of offense and had Dax reeling after some close calls! Jungle Boy and Dax traded uppercut forearms. Jungle Boy rolled up Dax with an inside cradle for another near fall! On the outside, Cash moved out of the way from a diving Luchasaurus, who was sent crashing over the guardrail! Jungle Boy made up for it with a tope suicida of his own! As Jungle Boy climbed back into the ring, he connected with a sunset flip on Dax, but Cash yanked on his partner to reverse it and Dax scored the pin on Jungle Boy!

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – For the second week in a row Jurassic Express open Dynamite with a superb display of wrestling. The high flying, fast-paced style of Jungle Boy really got a chance to shine against the hard-hitting style of the rest of the guys in this match. And boy did he shine! Once again, Jungle Boy confirms that he is the future of this company, standing toe-to-toe with the veterans of FTR – with his succession of pinning combinations truly shining on TV.

Match #2: Frankie Kazarian vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Excalibur told Kenny that over this past week he heard this match was offered to Kenny as a tag bout to reunite with Page against Kazarian and either Scorpio Sky or Christopher Daniels of SCU. Frankie grappled Page to the mat. Page used his strength to hoist Frankie up but Frankie countered with a roll-up for a near fall. Page connected with very stiff knees while he held onto Page’s neck and then dropped him to the canvas! Page used his farmer’s strength to take Frankie off his feet with a powerslam and then followed up with knife edged chops to the chest! “Hangman” Page utilized a great snap suplex on Frankie Kazarian. Page began to struggle as Frankie countered with chops and an elbow. Kazarian ate a clothesline from Page! And then Page followed up with a beautiful pescado to Kazarian on the arena floor. Both Kazarian and Page were showing their guts, not holding anything back with forearms and strikes to one another! They elbowed one another right in the jaws! Page nearly clotheslined Frankie right out of his wrestling boots. Frankie booted Page right in the mush but then Page caught Frankie with a fallaway slam! Page got incredible height on a standing shooting star press, good for a near fall on Frankie! Hangman tried for a clothesline but Frankie dodged it and spiked Page with an explosive DDT! Frankie attempted a backslide for a near fall. Page was able to hold onto it and tried to counter, but Frankie popped out and blasted Page headfirst onto the canvas! Page hit the ropes and then connected Frankie with the sliding lariat! Page hoisted up Frankie on his shoulders and planted him with a pump handle style Death Valley Driver! Somehow Frankie found the fighting spirit to kick out before the three-count! Frankie hit a cutter out of nowhere for a near fall on Page. Frankie scooped Page and slammed him. Frankie went for a springboard off the middle rope but Page caught him midair and powerbombed Frankie! Finally after some final see-saw, back and forth action, Page pinned Kazarian with the buckshot lariat!

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – Whilst the match featured some great wrestling, I couldn’t help but think that we would have seen better if AEW weren’t sticking with the Hangman-as-a-drunk storyline and just let him wrestle. I’m getting tired of this angle and it, for me, is wasting Hangman’s potential. That said, Hangman managed to wrestle well whilst trying to look like he had issues which is a credit to his skill. Kazarian? Well he never disappoints these days does he?

Match #3: MJF (with Wardlow) vs. Shawn Dean

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

MJF poked Dean in the eyes. MJF quickly applied his Salt of the Earth arm bar and Shawn Dean tapped out!

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – SQUASH!!!! And a piss-poor squash at that. OK, this wasn’t REALLY a match, more of a set-up for MJF to grab the mic once again and talk more than he wrestles.

Match #4: Private Party — Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen vs. “Demo God” Chris Jericho and Jake Hager of Inner Circle

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Hager shoved Quen to the mat. Kassidy tagged in while Quen captured Hager in a drop toehold. Kassidy drove Hager down hard! Private Party launched stereo tope suicidas onto Jericho and Hager! Private Party double vertical suplexed Hager, attempting to destroy the big man’s vertical base. Hager got up and booted Quen in the jaw and then tagged in Jericho. Jericho began to pummel Marq Quen with fists and then a suplex. Hager tagged in with toxic body shots to Marq Quen. Jericho and Kassidy both got tags. Kassidy crashed down on Jericho after a springboard from the top rope! He took down Hager with a low drop kick. Kassidy then used a lionsault on Jericho for a near fall, taking a page out of Jericho’s playbook! While the ref had his attention on Jericho, who was playing possum, Hager blasted Kassidy from behind with the baseball bat! Hager and Jericho dismantled Kassidy. A HagerBomb from Hager knocked the wind right out of Kassidy! Private Party were able to connect with Silly String, and Kassidy spiked Hager with the DDT. Jericho and Quen both tagged back in. Quen took Jericho and Hager off their feet with dropkicks! Quen went over the top with a tope con hiro onto Hager! He followed up with a springboard into a crossbody block on Jericho inside the ring for a two-count! Quen flew off the top for a foot stomp-neck breaker combo onto Jericho! The Demo God kicked out at two! Kassidy connected with a hurracanrana but was slow to the cover because his back was injured earlier in the bout. Kassidy ducked a Judas Effect elbow from Jericho and rolled him up for a near fall! Kassidy went back up top for a senton but Jericho moved! Jericho was quick to capitalize with the Judas Effect, this time hitting Kassidy right on target and scoring the pin. Jericho punished Kassidy with the Walls of Jericho long after the match was over. Marq Quen came to the aid of his partner and knocked down Jericho with a Pele kick.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – Another solid match. Private Party get better and better each and every week – has Matt Hardy’s promise to teach Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen paid off that fast? The dichotomy between the high-flying fast-pace of Private Party and the Inner Circle’s Jake Hager & Chris Jericho made the duo of Kassidy and Quen look a million bucks. Given we know Jericho has guys (and girls) he wants to push in AEW, here’s hoping this is the start of Private Party’s next big moment in AEW – after all, they’ve been floundering somewhat since that big win over the Young Bucks…

Match #5: Ivelisse (accompanied by Diamante) vs. NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

AEW Women’s World Champ Shida was sitting ringside observing diligently. Ivelisse and Thunder Rosa traded arm drag takedowns on one another in an early stalemate. Ivelisse slapped Thunder Rosa and then pie-faced her. Thunder Rosa gave her a receipt with a wicked slap of her own. Soon Ivelisse connected with a thrust kick and then a hurracanrana on the champ! But Thunder Rosa rocked Ivelisse with a powerful shotgun dropkick! She charged into the corner and nailed the challenger with a leaping elbow strike! Diamante was able to distract Thunder Rosa just long enough for Ivelisse to capitalize with a knee strike! Thunder Rosa took down Ivelisse with a dragon screw leg whip! She trapped Ivelisse in the corner turnbuckles and dropped her knees across the challenger! Ivelisse turned a butterfly into a tiger driver for a near fall on Thunder Rosa! Ivelisse kicked out of a Death Valley Driver from Thunder Rosa! Thunder Rosa hit a tombstone piledriver and pinned Ivelisse! Diamante jumped Thunder Rosa from behind after the match. Shida came to the aid of Thunder Rosa and knocked Diamante and Ivelisse out of the ring with her fiery kicks!

My Opinion: 4 out of 5 – Rumour has it that Ivelisse decided she wanted to no-sell this match and so Thunder Rosa actually traded real blows with her! True or not, this match featured some hard-hitting action from these two women. The right woman won (obviously) but She looked dominant in doing so too, despite Ivelisse’s attitude! I’m hoping against all hope that Thunder Rosa will either get to be a two-brand performer or will make the move to AEW permanently when the time is right – she’s clearly the best female wrestler in AEW right now… and she’s not even on their roster!

Match #6: Santana & Ortiz vs. Best Friends — Trent & Chuck Taylor, in a Parking Lot Fight!

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Santana and Ortiz had their faces painted straight out of Dead Presidents. The fists were flying right away! Chuckie T. rammed Santana into the driver side mirror of a parked car! Meanwhile, Trent repeatedly slammed the hood of a car onto Ortiz! Chuck did a flipping senton off the roof of the car onto the hood, crashing down onto Ortiz! Trent followed up with a huge sit out senton onto the car’s hood (and Ortiz underneath). Trent and Chuck bridged a sheet of plywood over the bed of a pick-up truck. Santana pulled out a steel baton that he had hidden in a wheel well. He walloped Trent across the spine with the steel baton! Santana catapulted Trent into the truck! Ortiz hurled a sledgehammer but Chuck moved just in time. The sledgehammer smashed right through the car’s windshield. Ortiz suplexed Trent onto the roof of the car! Santana splashed down onto Chuck for a near fall! Trent speared Ortiz through a wood door that had been propped up on one of the vehicles! Ortiz brained Trent with a dustpan! Chuck suplexed Ortiz directly onto a steel bicycle rack, bending it right in half from the force! Ortiz powerbombed Trent on top of a car! Then Ortiz and Santana hoisted up Trent and double powerbombed him into the windshield of a car, his back shattering the entire glass windshield! Santana backdropped Chuck into trash cans. Santana smashed Chuck with right hands, one after another. Santana pulled out a lead pipe! Orange Cassidy popped out of the trunk of the car and blasted Santana with the Orange Punch! Cassidy’s fist was wrapped in a steel chain too! Chuck spiked Santana with a piledriver on the hood of a car! Trent smashed Ortiz with a Crunchy through the plywood that was set up earlier across the bed of the truck! Trent pinned Ortiz! Best Friends won this fight! Trent’s mom, Sue, pulled up in her minivan and gave Best Friends a lift out of there and just before leaving Sue flipped the bird to Santana and Ortiz!

My Opinion: 4.5 out of 5 – If you’ve watched wrestling for as long as I have, you’ve seen your fair share of parking lot brawls – be they actual matches or backstage segments. However I don’t think I’ve seen a parking lot brawl as well put together, as brutal (yet obviously safe) a match as this. These guys have been feuding for what feels like forever, with their “battle” seemingly getting stupider and stupider each week. Yet here all the comedy was gone, this was serious stuff. I honestly don’t think Santana & Ortiz and Trent & Chuck Taylor have looked this good EVER whilst in AEW. These guys put on a clinic in terms of a “hardcore”-like match. Honestly, AEW are right when they called this a MUST SEE in their YouTube clips!

News of the Night:

1. MJF teased setting up a new stable/faction in AEW.
2. Lance Archer and Moxley picked their tag team partners for next weeks match: Archer gets Brian cage and RIcky Strak, whilst Moxley announced Darby Allin and (welcome surprise) Will Hobbs will fight alongside him.
3. Thunder Rosa and Shida tag together versus Ivelisse and Diamante next week.
4. Also next week Orange Cassidy will challenge Mr. Brodie Lee for the TNT Championship
5. Next week there’s an extra 1-hour episode of Dynamite PLUS the regular 2-hour show!

Final Verdict: 4/5

Easily one of the best episodes of Dynamite in some time. Apart from the squash match (which to be fair is in character with MJF) every match hit it out of the park, really letting the roster shine; and that parking lot brawl, and Sue’s “reaction”, was the best way to end the show!