‘AEW Dynamite: Road Rager’ Review (June 15th 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast live from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO! As usual, we have Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, and Jim Ross on commentary AND a huge hair vs. hair match to open the show!
Match #1: Chris Jericho def. Ortiz
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
William Regal joined the commentary team for this match. They brawled outside the ring but Ortiz placing Jericho in the barber’s chair and dropping right hands. Back in the ring, Ortiz blasted Jericho with a shotgun dropkick. Ortiz began to bite Chris Jericho’s forehead. Jericho gouged Ortiz’ eyes. Jericho attempted a hurracanrana off the top turnbuckle but Ortiz countered into a powerbomb. Ortiz was about to connect with a top suicida but Jericho blocked it with a forearm. Jericho followed up with a suplex off the ring apron onto the arena floor. Ortiz rallied back with a lariat to Jericho. Ortiz lit up Jericho with rapid-fire chops. Ortiz brought Jericho off the turnbuckles with a cutter. Jericho was looking for the Walls but Ortiz cradled him for a near fall. Ortiz DDT’ed Jericho in the center of the ring for a two-count. Jericho fought back with a Code Breaker for a near fall on Ortiz. Jericho blocked a hurracanrana attempt by Ortiz and then locked Ortiz in the lion tamer. Ortiz made the crawl and reached the bottom rope. Eddie Kingston began to brawl with the Jericho Appreciation Society and then Wheeler Yuta and Santana sprinted down to even up the odds. While ref Aubrey Edwards was distracted, Kingston nailed Jericho with the spinning backfist. Jericho lifted up his shoulder just before Edwards counted the three. Fuego Del Sol, with a baseball bat, jumped into the ring and knocked out Ortiz, allowing Jericho to score the pin! Fuego Del Sol unmasked and it was…Sammy Guevara! Ortiz cut his own hair off.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: 20-on-1 “Class Action” Handicap Elimination Match – Wardlow def. the Plaintiffs
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
“Smart” Mark Sterling was standing ringside. The plaintiffs were surrounding the ring. The bell rang and the plaintiffs all stood onto the apron. They swarmed Wardlow. Wardlow began to knock them all down. Wardlow powerbombed one of the guards over the top rope! Wardlow took down more men with spinebusters and chokeslams. Wardlow eliminated all plaintiffs, and the case was dismissed!
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Will Ospreay def. Dax Hardwood
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
They began with chain wrestling. Harwood started to chop away at Will. Harwood followed up with a snap suplex and then a back body drop. Ospreay used a jawbreaker to escape Harwood’s grasp. Will grabbed Harwood’s leg and pulled him out of the ring. Ospreay flew out of nowhere with a shotgun dropkick, sending Harwood crashing into the steel ring steps! Dax Harwood caught Will off a springboard back in the ring and drilled him with five consecutive German suplexes. Dax attempted a headbutt off the top rope but Ospreay dodged it! Ospreay countered a suplex from the top and landed with a crossbody on top of Dax. Will Ospreay connected with a pescado over the top to Dax Harwood. Will smacked Dax with an elbow from the top rope to the back of the head! Ospreay staggered Dax with a roundhouse kick. Dax used a slingshot Liger bomb for a near fall on Ospreay! Dax and Will began to headbutt one another from their knees. They got to their feet and traded strikes. Dax nearly decapitated Will with a massive lariat. Ospreay used a Liger bomb on Dax for a near fall. Ospreay got Dax with the Os-cutter for a two-count. Ospreay landed the hidden blade to the back of Dax’s head and was able to finish off Harwood! The United Empire jumped in the ring after the match. Cash Wheeler and Roppongi Vice joined the fray to even up the numbers. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy returned and strolled to the ring to help his friends! Ospreay stared at Orange in the center of the ring.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: All-Atlantic Championship Qualifying Match – Miro def. Ethan Page
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Page clubbed Miro with shots to the back. Page ducked a clothesline from Miro and then dropped Miro with martial arts kicks. Miro smashed Ethan Page with a massive clothesline. Miro rammed Page into the steel ring post! Miro dropped sledgehammer-like blows on Page’s chest. Outside the ring, Page rammed Miro’s bad shoulder into the steel ring steps. Page hit a diving shoulder tackle, taking Miro off his feet! Miro launched off the bottom rope and nailed Miro with a cutter for a near fall! Miro planted Page with two suplexes! Dan Lambert jumped on the apron but Miro clocked him! Miro connected with a thrust kick to Page. Miro locked on the Game Over submission and Ethan Page tapped out! Miro advances to the next round.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Toni Storm def. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Toni Storm came out swinging! Britt retreated to the outside of the ring. Britt rammed Toni into the ring post. Back in the ring, Toni hit a diving crossbody for a near fall on Britt Baker. Hayter swept out the leg of Toni Storm while the ref was distracted. Thunder Rosa ran to the ring and then chased off Jamie Hayter. Toni Storm followed up a DDT with another DDT to Baker, the second DDT landing on the floor! Toni sent Britt for a ride with a German suplex! Toni smashed Britt with a high velocity hip attack! Baker played possum and rolled up Toni for a near fall. Baker went for the lock jaw but Toni countered with a German suplex and then pinned Britt with a spiked piledriver!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match – The Young Bucks def. Jurassic Express
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Young Bucks went right after Jurassic Express. Luchasaurus shoulder blocked the Bucks. Jungle Boy hit a tope suicida to Matt Jackson. Jungle Boy used a springboard hurracanrana to take Nick Jackson off the ladder! Luchasaurus kicked a ladder out of the hands of the Bucks! Nick set up another ladder in the corner. Jungle Boy scaled the ladder and jumped onto the Bucks. Matt Jackson used a Northern lights suplex on Jungle Boy, smashing him into the ladder. Jungle Boy drove Matt Jackson through a table with a hurracanrana. Nick Jackson powerbombed Jungle Boy through another table. Nick spiked Luchasaurus with a Canadian destroyer. He followed up with a 450 splash on Luchasaurus through a table on the arena floor! The Bucks used anti-air superkicks on Jungle Boy. Luchasaurus choke slammed Nick Jackson onto a ladder! Luchasaurus used a moonsault off the apron onto the Bucks. Luchasaurus climbed the ladder with Matt Jackson on his back. Jungle Boy rammed a ladder into Matt’s back. The Bucks powerbombed Luchasaurus off the ladder onto a ladder that was propped on the ropes. Matt Jackson dropped an elbow off the top rope to the outside onto Luchasaurus, smashing Luchasaurus through the table! Jungle Boy German suplexed Matt Jackson! Jungle Boy and Nick Jackson climbed separate ladders. Matt Jackson jumped on the other ladder. The Bucks tried for the BTE Trigger on the ladder but Jungle Boy pushed them to the mat! Luchasaurus climbed the ladder but the Bucks shoved the ladder, sending him crashing through double decker tables on the arena floor! The Bucks nailed Jungle Boy with the BTE Trigger! The Bucks climbed the ladder and grabbed the belts! Your new AEW World Tag Team Champions—Matt & Nick Jackson—The Young Bucks! After the match, Christian Cage double-crossed Jungle Boy and planted him with the Kill Switch! Christian Cage grabbed a steel chair and cracked Jungle Boy with a con-chair-to!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Whilst not every match was a banger, this was easily one of the most all-round watchable episodes of Dynamite in some time – with no let-up in the action and promos that didn’t slow down the show. The ridiculous-sounding hair vs hair match turned out to be a proverbial banger, whilst the Ospreay/Harwood match was an instant-classic – further cementing FTR/Harwood as the best in the game (and how badly they were done by WWE). The Toni Storm/Britt Baker match was interesting, especially considering I’d read reports online saying Baker was going to lose to set up Storm/Rosa in future; here’s hoping the other half of that report, Baker and Jamie Hayter feuding to put the latter over, comes to fruition too! As for the main event… we all know the controversy that turned this from a 3-way tag ladder match into a regular tag ladder match, so let’s not dwell on that. Instead let us dwell on the fact the Bucks won the tag titles for the second time – the only team to do so in AEW – and the long-awaited turn of Christian Cage against Jungle Boy. It will be interesting to see what happens with that given that many have expressed (pun intended) that Jungle Boy gets a solo run outside of Jurassic Express – a feud with Cage would certainly be a good way to do that!
