The John Report: AEW Dynamite 06/26/21 Review (Saturday Night Dynamite)
Welcome to the AEW Dynamite review here on TJRWrestling. It was a Saturday night show this week. Next week they are back on Wednesdays for the July 30th show and then on July 6 it’s back on the road.
The format I will use for this review is to summarize the matches without doing play by play and then putting in my analysis after. I’ll do play by play for the main event since it was a big match.
This is AEW Dynamite from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Here’s my AEW Dynamite TV review archive. Let’s get to it.
The announce team was Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur as usual. It was a live show, so there was a crowd at Daily’s Place, which makes for a fun atmosphere.
There was a parking lot interview with Sammy Guevara, who was attacked by The Pinnacle’s Shawn Spears, who hit Sammy with a chair to the back. Spears: “I told you I’d get ya. Compliments of MJF. Good luck next week.” Sammy was down selling the attack.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
Taz was on commentary to support his guy Hobbs. It’s always smart to put Page on first since he’s one of the most popular guys in AEW. Hobbs used his power early on and then Page came back with fans chanting “cowboy shit” for him. Hobbs bailed to the floor to avoid Page doing a big move. Hobbs took over with a clothesline on the floor and Hobbs kicked Page’s arm while it was against the barricade. Hobbs kept on working over Page’s arm repeatedly. Hobbs took way too long going for a Vader Bomb and Page got the boots up to block. Hobbs continued his dominance shoving Page into the turnbuckle. JR noted that Page is 16-1 in his last 17 matches, so why doesn’t he get a title shot? They talk about records, but then they don’t give out title shots. Page shoved Hobbs into the ring post. Page was bleeding at the top of his head when he hit the ring post. Page with three kicks to the face and a springboard clothesline. Page hit a moonsault onto a standing Hobbs. After Page ran the ropes, Hobbs decked him with a clothesline. Hobbs did another “miss something off the ropes” spot like he did earlier. Page with a clothesline for two. Hobbs got a two count of his own with a running cross body block. Hook and Ricky Starks walked out to ringside with the FTW Title, but Page took off Ricky’s jacket and Cage took the belt back. Hobbs countered a Buckshot Lariat with a spinebuster for two. Nice nearfall. Page hit an impressive German Suplex and the Deadeye for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: “Hangman” Adam Page
Analysis: *** This was pretty good with Hobbs using his power early on. There was a bit of a story with Hobbs working on Page’s right arm to try to weaken him for the Buckshot Lariat, but Page still won with it. I think Page could have sold the injury a bit more than he did. Hobbs continues to impress although they don’t book to beat bigger names. Hobbs loses when he faces the top guys, so he’s still lacking significant wins.
There was a video about Kenny Omega defending the AEW World Title against Jungle Boy, who earned the shot after winning the Casino Battle Royal last month.
(Commercial)
The Young Bucks, the AEW Tag Team Champions, were with Brandon Cutler for a promo. The Young Bucks claim that they not only beat teams, but they hurt them. They spoke about guys they have taken out. Next week Penta and Eddie Kingston will face them and if they beat the Young Bucks then they get a title shot. Matt Jackson said that they will win because they are EVPs – Extremely Violent People (also Executive Vice Presidents). That match is next week.
Confrontation Between Tully Blanchard and Konnan
Tony Schiavone was in the ring with Tully Blanchard of The Pinnacle. Tony also introduced Konnan for a confrontation of sorts. Tully said that the last time he saw Konnan, he wanted to interview in a barroom. Tully said he would let Konnan go first. Konnan said he won’t be intimidated. Konnan said that FTR had the same upbringing as Proud N Powerful (Santana & Ortiz), but PNP had it rough. Konnan said that he is like the father of PNP while Tully is the mentor of FTR. Konnan talked about how Santana lost his dad, so he called Konnan because they needed him. Konnan spoke in Spanish and told Tully to learn Spanish so he can communicate with his grandkids (Tully Blanchard’s daughter Tessa is married to Mexican wrestler Daga). Tully said he knows very much about Spanish and Konnan. Tully said that as great a star as Konnan was, he doesn’t know who he is dealing with. Tully said that his guys can come out there and Konnan will be flight. Tully said Konnan has one big entrance, but then it’s over with because FTR will end the game. Konnan said when this is said and done, Tully will be happy to know that Walmart is still hiring greeters. Konnan said that he knew Tully would try some cheap attack, so Konnan had his boys ready.
Two wrestlers walked out there with masks on. Tully told Konnan to look at the big screen. It was a video of Santana & Ortiz down on the ground. The wrestlers revealed to be FTR’s Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood. Dax picked up Konnan and Wheeler jumped off the ropes with a Spike Piledriver on Konnan.
Analysis: That was a great heel attack. It was a nice surprise since FTR was dressed like PNP to set up the cheap attack. I thought Konnan’s promo was really good while Tully did well too. I’m excited about the eventual FTR match with PNP since those teams really don’t wrestle on Dynamite that much. Overall, I liked this a lot. FTR is by far my favorite tag team in AEW and Santana/Ortiz might be my second favorite. Whenever that match happens, I’ll be pretty happy to see it.
After Dante Martin made his entrance, Vickie Guerrero showed up doing her “excuse me” bit to piss off the crowd. Vickie introduced us to the future champion of AEW, Andrade El Idolo. Andrade walked onto the stage in a suit. Vickie claimed they had a huge announcement and then Matt Sydal made his entrance with his brother. Vickie and Andrade went to the back.
Analysis: I guess creative has nothing for Andrade yet. Maybe next week.
Matt Sydal (w/Mike Sydal) vs. Dante Martin
Martin is 20 years old while Sydal has 20 years of experience, so big age gap here. Martin hit an impressive springboard dropkick. Sydal got some momentum going with a spinning kick to the head. Sydal hit a spinning splash for two.
(Commercial)
Sydal was in control with a leg lock on the mat. Martin got some offense going with kicks to the body and a slam off the shoulders for two. Dante hit an impressive double springboard moonsault for two. Sydal knocked Dante off the top and hit a Meteora double knee attack for two. Martin did simple stuff like a sunset flip in impressive fashion because he got so much height when he did it. The fans chanted “this is awesome” after a flipping Stunner from Martin. After Martin missed a move jumping off the top, Sydal hit a spinning neckbreaker called the Lightning Spiral for the pinfall win after 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Matt Sydal
Analysis: ***1/4 A pretty good match with a lot of action. Neither guy is pushed on Dynamite, so I don’t think the result is an upset. It’s just a random match without advancing any storyline, so it’s hard to get that excited about it. Martin is very talented for his age (20 years old) because he’s doing a lot of cool stuff in terms of aerial ability. When you can make difficult moves look easy, it’s going to make you stand out more than others. Sydal is a great athlete too, so their styles meshed well.
They showed some pre-match comments from Jungle Boy with his buddy Christian Cage showing up to talk to him. Christian told Jungle Boy that he should be pissed off because people like Kenny Omega don’t believe JB should be in this spot. Christian told JB to shock the world when he wins the AEW World Championship tonight.
(Commercial)
There was a video with Jade Cargill and her lawyer Mark Sterling, who tried to sell Jade’s shirts. Jade said she is undefeated, she ripped a shirt and said: “I am that bitch.” What a catchphrase.
There was an interview with The Pinnacle members with Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Shawn Spears and Wardlow. MJF wasn’t sure why people are so upset by what he did to Dean Malenko last week. MJF said Malenko is 60 with a bad heart and Parkinson’s Disease. MJF said that you are throwing rocks at him when you should be throwing flowers and thanking him. MJF claimed that he gave Dean an early retirement. The Inner Circle’s Chris Jericho and Jake Hager got into a brawl with The Pinnacle and the fight went out into the arena.
It was Jericho and Hager against MJF, Spears and Hager, so the faces were outnumbered. The heels were in control with Wardlow taking down Jericho with knees to the body and Hager was down as well. Spears teased hitting Jericho’s left arm, btu Sammy Guevara’s music hit and Sammy made the save. Sammy was on fire against the three heels with a huge chairshot to Wardlow. MJF left. Sammy hit Spears with a chair as well. The fans chanted “Sammy” for Guevara. Sammy said that on Wednesday, this company finds out they chose the wrong guy for action figures and every single poster. Sammy told MJF that he will show him he’s the best ever and MJF knows it.
Analysis: It’s a big match for Wednesday with Sammy facing MJF. That match has been building for months now, so there’s a lot of anticipation for it. I’m glad that the match is finally happening. Good segment overall although AEW has too many brawling segments sometimes due to how many stables they have. It gets repetitive sometimes.
(Commercial)
There was a video with Miro sitting in a chair with the TNT Title. Miro talked trash about Brian Pillman Jr. did not respect the champion, so they will have to talk about that next Wednesday on Dynamite. Miro said you’ll find out why Miro is the redeemer and God’s favorite champion. Miro called Brian stupid for trying to attack.
Analysis: I’m so happy that Miro is finally booked well and that he gets time do to promos like that.
Ethan Page (w/Scorpio Sky) vs. Bear Bronson (w/Bear Boulder)
This is the second Page in a match with no relation to the other Page. Ethan delivered a slap, so Bronson came back with a barrage of punches. Ethan mocked the bear gimmick leading to Bronson hitting a powerslam. Bronson tried a suicide dive on Ethan, Sky pushed Ethan out of the way and Bronson hit a suicide dive on Sky on the floor. Ouch. The heels double-teamed Bronson while Boulder wasn’t looking, so Bronson was sent into the barricade.
(Commercial)
Bronson hit a corner splash, clotheslines and a spinebuster. Ethan avoided a senton and then Bronson sat on top of Ethan for a two count. Ethan hit a big move with a superplex off the top for two. Bronson hit a Bossman Slam for two. Sky went on the apron, so Boulder punched him and Ethan hit a low blow on Bronson that the referee didn’t see. Ethan hit the Ego’s Edge for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Ethan Page
Analysis: ** Just an average match with some boring moments. The superplex by Page was one of the best moves of the match. I don’t think this match needed ten minutes. Shave off four minutes and it would have been better. That’s an issue in AEW where they often have these random matches go on too long. It’s also another match without a storyline, so it’s hard to get that excited about it. Anyway, Ethan Page is pushed more than Bronson is, which made the outcome of this match obvious.
Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky did a post match promo. Ethan said he knows for a fact that Darby Allin isn’t done with him. Ethan said that pinning Darby is not enough for Page. Ethan said that he’s going to be the nail in Darby’s coffin. Ethan said it three times. Ethan challenged Allin to a match at the Road Rager show on July 7 and he wanted it to be Coffin Match.
Analysis: That’s a big match for two episodes of Dynamite. I guess they don’t feel like calling it a Casket Match, but a Coffin Match is the same thing.
Britt Baker, the AEW Women’s Champion, did a promo with Rebel. Baker mocked Vickie Guerrero for wanting a rematch. Baker said that she’s the face of a whole new era and doesn’t have time for old chicks in a ring. Baker said she’ll send Vickie home with a prescription signed Britt Baker, DMD.
Vickie Guerrero and Nyla Rose did a promo about the tag team match next week. Rose told Baker to beware of the “Claws of the Cougar” referring to Vickie.
The Bunny (w/The Blade) vs. Kris Statlander (w/Orange Cassidy)
The Bunny is married to The Blade in case you don’t know. Statlander is doing the alien gimmick while the announcers are talking about her diet, which really doesn’t help the whole stupid gimmick she has going. Statlander was in control with a body slam and a suplex. They did a spot by the turnbuckle where Bunny hit a superkick while Statlander was by the turnbuckle and then Statlander bumped to the floor. Bunny hit a running dropkick.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Statlander hitting a powerslam on the floor and then you can tell they were talking to eachother while on the floor. They went into the ring as they exchanged punches and Statlander hit a sitout slam for two. Statlander hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Statlander to the ropes, Bunny hit a German Suplex and a superkick for two. The Blade slipped Bunny the brass knuckles, but Cassidy went into the ring and put them in his pocket. The referee never saw any of that. Statlander hit the Big Bang Theory for the pinfall win after nine minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Kris Statlander
Analysis: **1/4 It was okay. Statlander hit a lot of power moves while Bunny had some impressive moments too. I thought they could have set up the finish better. After taking the knuckles away, Bunny shouldn’t lose right there. They should have got a couple of nearfalls and then have Statlander hit the finish. It made Bunny look dumb. There were reports that The Bunny may have been hurt during the finish there, but Dustin Rhodes tweeted that both women were okay.
After the match, The Blade knocked down Cassidy into Statlander. The team of TH2 Angelico and Jack Evans went out to the ring to attack Cassidy. Blade got the brass knuckles from Cassidy and punched Cassidy in the face with the brass knuckles.
Analysis: Poor Cassidy. It should set up a singles match or mixed tag match and Cassidy will get the win.
QT Marshall was interviewed by Tony Schiavone with Marshall facing Cody Rhodes in a South Beach Strap Match on July 7. Marshall trashed Cody trying out in Hollywood and Marshall said he wanted to be a champion in AEW.
On the next episode of Dynamite on Wednesday, June 30:
* Dr. Britt Baker & Rebel vs. Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero
* Miro defends the TNT Championship vs. Brian Pillman Jr. They showed a promo from Pillman, who has no chance next week.
* MJF vs. Sammy Guevara. That’s the main event.
* The Young Bucks vs. Penta & Eddie Kingston
The main event was next with plenty of time left in the show.
(Commercial)
There was a promo from Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes) facing The Young Bucks next week. Kingston said that the Young Bucks really are about their ego and the Tag Team Titles feed their ego. Kingston said that they will take them out. Penta spoke in Spanish with Alex translating that next week they run over the Young Bucks.
Jungle Boy made his entrance with the little man Marko Stunt and big man Luchasaurus as the crowd chanted along with the catchy theme song (“Tarzan Boy”) as part of the entrance. It was really smart of AEW’s Tony Khan to get this song for Jungle Boy because it’s a great fit.
Kenny Omega made his entrance with his four World Championships including the AEW World Championship. Omega was joined by Don Callis, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. The graphic for ring announcer Justin Roberts says “The Dapper Yapper” (that’s what JR calls him) as Justin did the championship introductions. Jungle Boy’s family including his mom and sister were at ringside. Omega is 5-0 in singles matches in 2021. He’s only wrestled five singles matches in AEW this year? That seems wrong, but I assume it’s right.
Stunt got into the ring to try to go after Anderson and Gallows, so referee Turner kicked out Stunt and Luchasaurus. Referee Paul Turner also tossed Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson from ringside. Don Callis was on commentary.
AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Jungle Boy
Omega used his size advantage to shove Boy into the turnbuckle. Omega worked over Boy with punches, chops and elbows. Boy came back with elbows, Omega with a thumb to the eye and when Boy went off the top with a move, Omega caught him. Omega hit a back elbow on a charging Boy, who came back with an arm drag followed by a dropkick that sent Omega to the outside. The fans popped big for that. Omega ducked to avoid a dive and Omega pulled Boy out of the ring. Omega tossed Boy into the barricade twice. Omega tossed Boy back into the ring and then back out of the ring leading to a picture in picture break.
(Commercial)
Omega hit a backbreaker for a two count. Omega delivered multiple chops to the chest, Omega blocked a suplex attempt and then Boy got an inside cradle for two. Boy came back with an impressive brainbuster for two. Boy with a dropkick to the knee. Omega wanted a suplex, but Boy hit a back elbow to knock Omega out of the ring. Boy hit two suicide dives back to back. Omega was back in the ring, Boy with a shoulder to the ribs and a jumping DDT off the ropes. Omega to the floor, so Boy hit a somersault dive over the top onto Omega. Boy went up top, Omega stopped him with punches they battled on the turnbuckle. Omega hooked the legs of Boy with a huge superplex for a two count. Boy landed on his feet after a suplex, Boy with a superkick, Omega with a jumping knee and Snapdragon Suplex. Omega with a V-Trigger knee to the back. Boy countered Omega with a reverse Rana. Boy with a running forearm to the back for a two count. Good spot for a nearfall. Omega with a knee to the face, then a Powerbomb and another V-Trigger knee for two. Omega went for another knee, but Boy avoided it and captured the leg into the Snare Trump submission. The fans were going crazy for Jungle Boy. There was a fight on the ramp with Anderson/Gallows fighting Luchasaurus/Stunt and Kazarian went after Anderson/Gallows since he’s the “Elite Hunter” now. Omega got out of the Snare Trap submission. Omega and Boy exchanged strikes in the ring, Omega with a V-Trigger knee and Boy came back with a huge clothesline. Omega came back with a brainbuster for two. Omega hit a V-Trigger knee. Omega set up for the One Winged Angel, Boy countered and stacked up for a pin for two. Great nearfall! Boy applied the Snare Trap submission on Omega again, but Kenny got out of it by grabbing Boy’s hair. Callis said that’s what you get for having long hair. That’s funny. Nice. Boy set up Omega on the top turnbuckle, but Omega dropped down to send Boy into the top turnbuckle. Omega with a V-Trigger knee to the back. Omega hit the double underhook Tiger Driver ’98 for two. Omega hit the One Winged Angel for the pinfall win after 17 minutes. Nobody kicks out of that.
Winner by pinfall: Kenny Omega
Analysis: ****1/4 Awesome match as expected any time Omega has a long match and Jungle Boy was more than capable against him. I’m glad it was an even match the whole way because it told the audience that it could end at any time. Did I expect Jungle Boy to win? Absolutely not. However, the way it was booked made it seem like Boy had a shot and that’s important. If Omega controlled all of it and Boy was made to look like a fluke then it wouldn’t have been as good. Since it was so even, I enjoyed it a lot more. This is the kind of match where you can remember now and think about it in the future if Jungle Boy can beat Omega down the road. It’s amazing to see how good Jungle Boy is at 24 years old and he’s got his best years ahead of him. Omega is such an outstanding in-ring performer. This was a clean match without any cheating or interference, so it allowed Kenny to remind us how great he can be. I liked this match a lot.
There were a few minutes left in the show. Omega teased an attack with the AEW World Title, but Christian Cage showed up for the save as he punched Omega. Private Party showed up at ringside with Matt Hardy, so Christian fought them off until Matt hit Christian with a clothesline. The Young Bucks went into the ring and hit a double superkick on Christian Cage. Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Christian Cage. No faces tried to save Christian or Jungle Boy. The Elite celebrated with Hardy’s crew and that was it.
Analysis: That is AEW’s favorite way to end shows with heels outnumbering faces and standing tall. It feels like half of AEW’s shows have ended with this kind of ending.
After the show was over, Eddie Kingston did a promo for the local crowd. They taped it and put it on Youtube as well as other social media. Kingston used the promo time to take shots at the other channel (WWE) because that’s what AEW does.
Three Stars of the Show
- Kenny Omega
- Jungle Boy
- “Hangman” Adam Page
The Scoreboard
This Week: 7.5 out of 10
Last Week: 6.75
2021 Average: 7.29
Final Thoughts
This was an entertaining episode of Dynamite this week. The main event between Kenny Omega and Jungle Boy was great, so that helped this episode a lot. Any time you get a nearly 20-minute main event match that was as good as this match, that’s a wonderful thing. I say all the time that we are spoiled by great matches. Some of the other matches felt random without a purpose, but that tends to happen in AEW sometimes. Good work by Hangman Page/Powerhouse Hobbs and the Sydal/Martin match was crazy athletic too.
What I really liked also were the non-wrestling segments. There were several good promos including the Konnan/Tully Blanchard face off that worked well as an angle to get heat on FTR for hitting a Spike Piledriver on Konnan. I liked all of the interaction with Pinnacle/Inner Circle as well. I’m really looking forward to Sammy Guevara vs. MJF next week. Miro’s promo was cool too.
Next week is when AEW is back on Wednesday night for another live show in Jacksonville. After that, they head out onto the road again. That should be fun for the talent and for those of us that watch the show every week. They have done a nice job of setting up some big matches in the weeks ahead.
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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Blue Jays. You can contact me using any of the methods below.
John Canton
Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter: @johnreport