TJR: AEW Fight for the Fallen (Dynamite) 07/15/20 Review

Welcome to the AEW Dynamite review on TJRWrestling for the Fight for the Fallen show where AEW is raising money for charity.

This is episode #42 of 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 opening video aired promoting the matches coming up this week. The pyro went off at Daily’s Place and we got a shot of the wrestlers in the crowd. There were other AEW personnel in the stands as well a small group of fans as well. JR screwed up saying it was “Fyter Fest 2” but it was really Fight for the Fallen. JR said he was there with Excalibur and Tazz. No Tony Schiavone because his test results for Coronavirus were slow getting back, so he was off this week. It doesn’t mean he had the virus.

Cody was up first as the TNT Champion joined by the coach Arn Anderson with JR noting that Cody has won 11 singles matches in a row. It’s good to be an Executive Vice President, I guess. Sonny Kiss did some dancing with members of the Jacksonville Jaguars joining Sonny for the entrance. The TNT Title idea is that Cody will give title shots to whoever steps up and it’s Sonny Kiss this week.

TNT Championship: Cody (w/Arn Anderson) vs. Sonny Kiss

The bell rang with Cody hitting a pump kick followed by a suplex into the top rope and Cody did some pushups. Arn urged Cody to focus on his opponent. Sonny sent Cody to the ropes, Cody with a Disaster Kick that didn’t really come close and Sonny sold it anyway as they showed Tully Blanchard in the crowd. Arn was giving Cody a pep talk at ringside. Back in the ring, Sonny with a forearm to the face and a stomp on Cody’s back. Back in the ring, Sonny with a kick to the chest and an enziguri kick. Sonny with a corner attack, but Cody was there with a Full Nelson submission that grounded Sonny as they kept showing Tully in the crowd. Sonny broke free with a hip toss, a running dropkick and an overhead suplex. Sonny with a boot to the face and a hurricanrana off the middle ropes, Sonny ducked a clothesline and a headscissors. Sonny with a hard punch to the face and a flipping kick to the ribs for two. Sonny went for a leg drops off the ropes, Cody moved and Sonny hit the mat, which led to Cody getting a kick to the head. Cody wanted Cross, but then Sonny connected with a Cross Rhodes for a two count. Sonny went up top and hit a 450 Splash for two. Sonny tried a headscissors, but Cody blocked and tossed Sonny onto the ramp that had a thin layer of carpet on it. Cody hit an Alabama Slam on the ramp and that was just a two count when they were back in the ring. Cody picked up Sonny on his back and hit a Vertebreaker for two straight two count. That’s a move that Shane Helms used to do, but this one looked like a rough landing. Cody hit a superplex off the top rope for a two count. They kept showing Tully Blanchard watching in the crowd.  Cody argued with the referee about the count as the announcers kept talking about how Cody was off his game. Sonny with a rollup and then Cody came back with a Crossface submission and Kiss got his feet on the bottom ropes. Cody worked over Sonny with punches. Cody made the referee check on Sonny, so Cody took the turnbuckle pad off. Sonny ended up countering a move and sent Cody face first into the exposed steel in the turnbuckle, but that wasn’t a good looking bump. Cody and Sonny exchanged forearms, then Sonny with a spin kick. When Sonny charged with another move, Cody caught Sonny and hit a Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. It went 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Cody

Analysis: ***1/4 This was pretty good with Sonny getting a lot of offense, but I don’t think many people watching this thought that Cody was going to lose. I think Cody did a nice job of showing desperation to try to win the match. Sonny has improved a lot from when he first started in AEW and it showed it this match. There were heel tendencies by Cody throughout the match, especially when he took off the turnbuckle pad. It seems like the rumors of Cody possibly turning heel to form a Four Horsemen style group may be true.

Post match, they showed Tully Blanchard watching the crowd again and almost looked like he was nodding in approval. Cody picked up Sonny and they shared a hug in the ring.

Analysis: The fact that they kept showing Tully will lead to more Four Horsemen group rumors. I think Cody with Shawn Spears and FTR is a possibility. Maybe they go with somebody other than Spears there, but I think it would work well. The Inner Circle is already a heel group is AEW, though, so I don’t think there should be two groups. It’s about timing it right.

The announce team of Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tazz were on commentary with Tazz filling in for Tony Schiavone this week. They plugged the AEWFightfortheFallen.com website because they were raising money for people that need it. The announcers also did a rundown of what’s coming up. It’s FTR vs. Lucha Brothers up next.

(Commercial)

The Lucha Brothers entered for their match with The Butcher and The Blade driving them up to the building in FTR’s car. The FTR duo entered from the backstage area instead of driving into the building. They are 2-0 in AEW.

FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) vs. Lucha Brothers (Pentagon and Rey Fenix)

Dax and Pentagon exchanged chops and punches with Pentagon following up with a superkick. Pentagon with a kick on Dax, Fenix was in the ring and Pentagon slammed Fenix onto Dax for a two count. They messed up the first time they tried it, but then got it done. Cash tagged in and Dax held Fenix leading to Cash jumping over the top with an elbow drop. Dax was back in with an elbow drop to the head of Fenix after a drop toe hold by Cash. The announcers mentioned Tully Blanchard watching FTR, as well. Cash tagged in and Pentagon tagged in, which led to Fenix kicking Cash. Double superkick by Lucha Bros and Fenix hit a running dropkick on Dax on the floor.

(Commercial)

The match returned with Cash and Fenix both down in the ring as Dax got the tag for his team. Dax with punches, then two snap suplexes to Fenix and he suplexed Pentagon onto Fenix. Dax with a clothesline on Pentagon and he sent Fenix face first into the turnbuckle. Dax with a suplex on Fenix and then a clothesline. Dax was bleeding from the chest after taking some hard chops to the chest. Cash got the tag, Dax was sent to the floor, Pentagon got the tag and Lucha Bros each kicked Cash. Fenix jumped off Pentagon’s shoulders with a splash and Pentagon with a leg drop for two. Cash avoided a piledriver, Fenix kicked Dax and Cash picked up Fenix, which led to Dax hitting a bulldog off the top for two. Pentagon was in the ring illegally as he broke up the pin and brought his brother to the corner. Pentagon tagged in, Dax went after him with forearms, Fenix got the tag, Dax got a superplex, Cash with a splash off the top, Pentagon blocked and Fenix tried a splash off the top, but Dax blocked. All four guys were down in the ring. All four guys in the ring as they got into a brawl with punches. Fenix used his legs to send Dax over the top to the floor. Pentagon with a slingblade on Cash, who went to the apron. Cash and Pentagon exchanged chops on the apron, then Pentagon with a kick to the face and Cash avoided an attack. Cash with a suicide dive onto Pentagon with a Tornado DDT on the floor. Fenix with a cross body block off the ropes on Cash. Fenix and Dax went into the ring, Dax with a punch, Fenix with a hook kick and Dax took Fenix’s mask off followed by an inside cradle. Fenix was holding his hands over his face to cover his exposed face. The match went about 13 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler)

Analysis: ***1/2 This was a very good tag team match, which is no surprise considering the teams. They did follow the rules (FTR!) for the most part and it wasn’t as chaotic as most Lucha Brothers matches. The finish was very creative because you don’t see it where a masked guy gets the mask taken off and that’s the finish, but I think it worked in terms of showing that FTR would do anything to try to get the win. The FTR guys were on Twitter saying that this would be a Match of the Year contender type match. I like them a lot, but it was not that. I do like how AEW has booked FTR to be a very successful team with wins in every match they have had.

Post match, Butcher and Blade taunted FTR with the car keys. The Young Bucks showed up behind Butcher and Blade and gave them superkicks. Matt Jackson got the key back for the truck that belongs to FTR.

Kenny Omega walked out with a bucket that had three beers. Last week, Omega poured out a beer that was offered to him. They were three cans of beers. The FTR guys opened the beer and they poured it on Kenny’s head. Kenny is not a beer drinker and he did not drink it. Omega was not happy about that while the Young Bucks pulled him back. The FTR guys left in their ring gear in the truck. Cash had trouble starting the car and it went to break there.

Analysis: It feels like all three tag teams (Young Bucks, Omega/Page and FTR) are faces at this point, but there’s a competitive nature between them. I’m sure we’ll get a tag team title match at some point soon, perhaps at the next PPV or even before that.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho led out The Inner Circle group with Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz joining him. Jericho had a container of orange juice with him and Hager had some too. Taz left commentary to get Brian Cage ready for the main event.

Jericho said that last week on AEW Dynamite he had one of the best matches in AEW history against Orange Cassidy. Jericho said that he won the match and the ratings war. Jericho wanted to explain to us about the ratings while noting it was great to have overall viewers, but it’s greater to have the 18-49 age demo. Jericho claimed he has never been beaten in that demo, he’s the king of the demo and the demo God. Jericho said that it was great to be in the ring with Cassidy and one of the best matches he’s had in a long time. Jericho said that everybody is saying they loved that match because Orange Cassidy looked like a star just being in the ring with Chris and Chris said that is true. Jericho said he understands the concept of drawing money. Jericho noted that Cassidy wants a rematch, the network wants a rematch, the advertisers in the important demo want a rematch and he claimed that everybody wants a rematch. Jericho said that you aren’t getting a rematch. That drew boos.

Jericho said that Orange had his chance, he did good, but not good enough. Jericho said that Orange took him to the edge and did a great job. The fans chanted that Jericho was scared, so Ortiz covered Jericho’s ears. Jericho said that the “Demo God” is never scared. Jericho said that there will never be a rematch between “Cassidy and Orange.” He misspoke there. Jericho toasted Cassidy and drank some orange juice while pouring some of it in the ring.

Orange Cassidy made his entrance through a different part of the arena and he slowly walked in the crowd.

Jericho said that he gets that Orange wants to hear from Jericho’s mouth face to face as the audience chanted “you scared” at Jericho again. Jericho said that Orange showed the world that he can really go. Jericho called him lazy with a bad attitude, he said he was entitled and said there will never be a rematch. Jericho told him to take those sunglasses, fold them up and shove them straight up your ass. Jericho told Cassidy to get the hell out of the arena and Jericho called him a piece of shit. Cassidy gave him a thumbs down, so Jericho asked what he was gonna do and that led to orange juice dropping from the ceiling and it went on Jericho, Hager, Santana and Ortiz. That was pretty funny because Ortiz was stumbling around the ring and swimming in the orange juice. Jericho yelled that it was a $7,000 jacket. Jericho asked for a towel and it was an Orange Cassidy towel.

Analysis: Jericho was terrific in the promo as usual and then they did the “liquid from the roof gimmick” as a reply from Cassidy, who doesn’t speak. I think the part about talking about ratings is silly with Jericho doing it to get heat, but he also does it on Twitter as well. I think that stuff is too inside because most wrestling fans have no interest in that. You’re really only catering to a small percentage of the audience by talking about that. It’s going to confuse some fans wondering what he’s talking about. With that said, heels can get away with anything. The ending was a good comedy gag and whoever booked it was obviously a fan of The Brood from over twenty years ago. The “liquid from the roof” stuff has been done many times since then too.

(Commercial)

The Jurassic Express trio of Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt were interviewed by Alex Marvez with Stunt laughing about the orange juice. Luchasaurus talked about how after 65 million a dinosaur finally getting a chance to wrestle The Elite.

Chris Jericho joined the announcers with Jericho complaining about how his $7,000 jacket was ruined. Jericho ripped on Stunt for laughing about it and ripped on Cassidy again. They showed replays of what happened before the break. Excalibur said you can buy the Orange Cassidy on AEW Shop and Jericho said he can shove his boot up your ass. Jericho said there will now be a rematch with Orange Cassidy. JR said that Jericho smells tropical and Jericho yelled at him.

The Jurassic Express trio of Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt entered for a six-man tag. The Elite trio of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks were next up.

Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) vs. Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt)

There’s no story here. They are all babyfaces. Nick with an arm drag, then Boy with an arm drag and Nick hit a spin kick to the ribs. Nick went for an X-Factor, but Boy got his hands in front of him and that blocked the move. They showed “Hangman” Adam Page watching the match from a bar and it said “Unlicensed Barter” on the nameplate. That was funny. Omega faced off with little man Stunt with a chop, then Stunt with a hiptoss and a kick to the gut. Stunt with a headscissors attack off the ropes and Omega wanted him to pause. Luchasaurus made the tag against Matt. Luchasaurus launched Matt into the air and hit a kick. There were a lot of quick tags, Matt was sent out of the ring and Boy and Stunt took him out with dives. Nick went into the match illegally to take out Boy and Stunt with kicks. Omega went into the ring illegally with a dropkick that sent Luchasaurus out of the ring. Omega ran the rope leading to a somersault dive over the top onto Luchasaurus on the floor. They went back into the ring to continue the match.

(Commercial)

The match returned with Boy jumping over the top and hitting a hurricanrana on Nick, who was on the apron. Boy with a clothesline on Omega on the floor. Boy with an outside in dive with a Tornado DDT on Matt. Luchasaurus tagged in against Nick with a clothesline, the three Elite guys were all in the ring as Luchasaurus cleaned house. Luchasaurus with a chokeslam on Nick, he knocked Matt down and hit a standing moonsault onto Nick for two. Omega was in the ring punching with Luchasaurus as FTR were shown in the bar with Page. Omega with a V-Trigger knee to Luchasaurus, then a lefty knee to the face and a Snapdragon suplex. Stunt jumped into the ring illegally, Kenny hit Snapdragon suplexes on Stunt and Boy. Stunt was launched into the ring and he hit a headscissors. Double team slam by Jurassic Express for two as the Bucks made the save. The referee stopped caring about the rules in this match. Young Bucks hit double superkicks on Luchasaurus and Omega picked up Luchasaurus for a triple Tiger Driver 98 for a two count. Stunt and Nick tagged in as if tags matter all of a sudden. Boy with a springboard hurricanrana on Nick and Stunt with a 450 Splash off the top on Nick for two as Matt broke up the pin. Matt with a back body drop on Marko onto his two teammates. They did a ridiculous spot where Stunt was launched into the air over Luchasaurus and hit a flipping Canadian Destroyer on Matt for a two count as Omega made the save. Nick was standing there holding Matt’s leg to help him keep his balance as Matt was about to take a move. Omega tagged in with a Snapdragon Suplex on Stunt, then a kick to the face and Omega hit a V-Trigger knee on Luchasaurus followed by a knee on Stunt. Omega punched Boy down. Stunt got out of a One Winged Angel and got a pin attempt for two. Omega back up with a V-Trigger knee on Stunt and a One Winged Angel on Stunt for the pinfall win. This went about 18 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson)

Analysis: ***1/4 It was an entertaining match and I’m sure some people loved it more than me, but it’s hard to talk about it without mentioning how they ignored tag team rules for most of the match. Just book a tornado tag team match if you’re not going to do a regular tag team match. There were some cool spots in the match like that Canadian Destroyer off the ropes and some usual great stuff the likes of Nick and Jungle Boy. It would have been nice if Luchasaurus stood out more because he’s got so much untapped potential as a singles guy. In the end, Kenny keeps on winning as the Bucks come along for the victory also.

Post match, Omega was on top of Stunt and beat on him with punches. Nick stopped Omega telling him that the match was over while Jericho said that he liked that. Omega tried to say he was sorry. Jericho: “Beat him up some more!” Luchasaurus was mad at Kenny for attacking after the match. Omega had a sick smile on his face.

Analysis: I’m not sure if Kenny is going heel, but those were interesting actions. The story is that Kenny was mad about FTR pouring beer on him and by having him take it out on a small guy like Stunt, it makes Omega look like a bad guy.

Hikaru Shida was interviewed by Alex Marvez, who asked if Shida will give Nyla Rose a rematch. Shida said that anybody can be a challenger, she said if you have passion and you’re tough enough then you can show her because she’s waiting.

Analysis: The AEW women’s division is not a strength in the company now. Shida is a talented wrestler that is a good champion. They just don’t have a deep division.

(Commercial)

Jon Moxley was shown outdoors talking about how the last several weeks have not been the best for yours truly and he’s been pissed off about many things. Moxley said tonight he gets to go out to the ring, feel that adrenaline and tonight the World Championship is on the line. Moxley said tonight they fight for their loved ones, their heroes and people they care about. Moxley said that according to Taz, he can’t do the Paradigm Shift, so maybe he won’t even try and maybe he’ll rip Cage’s bicep in half while noting that Cage had surgery on it recently and missed five months. Moxley left.

The announcers showed the replay of the orange juice going on the Inner Circle earlier. Jericho continued to rant about it as he sat at the announce table.

The Nightmare Sisters team of Brandi Rhodes and Allie entered with Dustin Rhodes. They are 3-0 with those matches taking place on Dark, which I don’t watch. They don’t get along even though Allie likes QT Marshall (Dustin’s tag team partner), but they win.

Nightmare Sisters: Allie and Brandi Rhodes (w/Dustin Rhodes) vs. Kenzie Paige and MJ Jenkins

Brandi with a pump kick on Paige followed by a back elbow. Allie tagged in with a running clothesline. Allie with a running knee, Brandi made a blind tag and hit a superkick. Brandi hit a running neckbreaker. Allie tagged in against Jenkins with a kick, then a slap to the face and a bulldog. Brandi went in with a Spear on Paige. Jenkins with a knee to the ribs. Alli grabbed a headlock and then an elbow to the chest for the pinfall win after about two minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Nightmare Sisters: Allie and Brandi Rhodes

Analysis: 1/2* An easy win to put the contracted wrestlers over the enhancement talent. Allie and Brandi didn’t get along the whole way, but they found a way to win.

There’s an announcement from Nyla Rose up next.

The commercial aired for AEW action figures that are coming out in August.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Nyla Rose

Dasha Gonzalez was in the ring to conduct an interview as she called out the former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose, who mentioned last week that she would announce a new manager this week. They showed Britt Baker and Rebel sitting on the wheelchair throne.

Rose didn’t like that Dasha called her a former champion. Rose said she won’t tell her anything. Rose said she’ll let her manager say it for herself. Vickie Guerrero showed up as Rose’s new manager.

Vickie shouted “Excuse Me” repeatedly. Vickie said that she won’t talk about her strategy, but she said when they are ready to go after the Women’s Championship it will be the perfect time. Vickie said that from this moment on, she said Rose is going to steal every opportunity that they have ever dreamed of. Vickie laughed.

Analysis: Vickie was my guess last week. I think she’ll do well. The problem is that AEW’s sorely lacking in the women’s division right now in terms of depth. Part of it is due to injuries, but also due to weak storytelling. At least Vickie’s presence will help and make Rose come off as an even bigger heel with Vickie annoying everybody around her.

Next week on Dynamite:

* Cody defends the TNT Title

* “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Five (w/Brodie Lee)

* Ivelisse vs. Diamante

* MJF in action

* Falls Count Anywhere: The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher & The Blade

* Jurassic Express vs. Jake Hager and Chris Jericho

Analysis: That’s not a strong lineup, but it’s also because the last three weeks have been like PPV-level lineups. The tag team matches should be good.

Brian Cage made his entrance with Taz for the main event. Ring announcer Justin Roberts didn’t mention the FTW Title that Cage was wearing, so Cage got in his face. That’s when Roberts announced the FTW Title as well with Excalibur noting it was not an officially recognized title.

(Commercial)

Taz did a pre-match promo talking about Cage getting an opportunity that he earned. Taz said that Moxley chirped some “propaganda bullshit” that The Machine is not 100% and Taz said that while Moxley was quarantining with his wife, Cage was wrestling his ass off. Taz told Moxley to come out there and bring that AEW Title with him.

Jon Moxley made his entrance in the back part of the arena. Moxley was wearing a tribute shirt to his late friend Danny Havoc. Moxley said, “this is for you, brother” into the camera and kissed the camera. It’s day 137 of Moxley’s AEW World Title reign and his 2020 singles record is 13-0 going into this match. When Moxley entered, you could see some of the non-wrestlers that were in the crowd.

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage (w/Taz)

They started out brawling with Cage hitting a clothesline. Cage with forearms followed by another clothesline. Moxley went for an armbar on the left arm that he mentioned earlier, but then Cage picked up Moxley and gave him a fallaway slam. Moxley with a boot to the face followed by a missile dropkick off the middle ropes. Moxley worked on the left arm of Cage with an armbar, then a kick to the chest and an armbar again. Cage with forearms to the head followed by a high angle belly to back suplex. Moxley wrenched on the left arm of Cage against the ropes and then he sent Cage left shoulder first into the ring post. Moxley with a suicide dive, but Cage caught him and sent him into the barricade. They were out on the floor with Cage chopping Moxley. The referee went out to the floor with the wrestlers with JR putting over the importance of the match and Excalibur said it was up to the referee’s discretion. Moxley kicked Cage’s arm against part of the guard rail. Moxley put some of the guard rail against the ring and Cage hit a German Suplex into the guard rail that was against the ring. Big bump there.

(Commercial)

Cage was in control with a torture rack where he had Moxley on his back and then he turned it into a slam. Cage slapped on a Camel Clutch submission, Moxley got out of it and Cage knocked Moxley off the apron to the floor. Cage gave Moxley a suplex onto a chair that was on the floor. Back in the ring, Moxley got an inside cradle for two. Moxley got another rollup as JR noted that Moxley is 18-0-1 in singles matches in his AEW career. Cage went for a body slam, then for a moonsault, but Moxley moved and Moxley hit two running knees to the face. Moxley with a third running knee, but Cage hit a clothesline. Moxley came back with a clothesline of his own. Cage with a jumping knee, Moxley avoided a strike and hit a double arm DDT Paradigm Shit for a two count. It was not a lifting Paradigm Shift and Jericho noted that Moxley hit that move to beat the “Demo God” Jericho for the AEW Title earlier in the year. Moxley hit a superplex off the middle ropes for a two count. Moxley slapped on a kimura lock armbar on the left arm, but then Cage hit a Buckle Bomb that sent Moxley into the turnbuckle. Moxley was on the apron, Cage was on the middle ropes and hit a suplex into the ring. Moxley was aggressive as he flipped over and slapped on a cross armbreaker of Cage. Moxley was on the right arm, then Cage got back up, so Moxley hooked on the left arm. I think they recognized they were on the wrong arm for a moment there. Moxley pulled back on the right arm of Cage again and Moxley gave Taz the middle finger. Taz was freaking out about and threw in the orange towel meaning that Cage lost and Moxley got the submission win. This match went 14 minutes.

Winner by submission: Jon Moxley

The announcers did a good job of saying that Taz was protecting his investment. Jericho asked Ross to explain and Ross said that if Moxley maintained the hold, Cage may have had another major arm injury, so Taz made the right call.

Analysis: ***1/2 I liked the story of the match a lot with Moxley going after the left arm the whole match just like he said before the match. It was not an amazing World Title match or something that people are going to remember years from now, but it was a competitive match from the moment it began. Cage’s selling of the left arm could have been better because there were times when she stopped selling it, but it wasn’t enough for me to hate the match or anything like that. I just think Cage should have grabbed his left arm when he was on offense. I thought Moxley was outstanding in this match. He really was relentless as a fighting champion in terms of the way he attacked Cage and he sold everything great. Cage was good, but Moxley is the better overall performer. It was also smart to have the announcers try to explain why it was smart for Taz to throw in the towel to save Cage from a more serious injury.

Post match, Cage had the FTW Title in his hands and he ran into Moxley with it. Cage worked over Moxley with punches when the lights went out in the arena.

When the lights came back on, Darby Allin was back and he was on the top rope with a skateboard. Allin jumped off the top with the skateboard and he hit Cage with it. Cage bailed to the floor while Allin stood tall in the ring as the announcers talked about how Cage took out Allin in the past.

Moxley stood tall in the ring wit the AEW World Title and then he nodded at Allin in the ring with him. Taz tried to kept Cage back on the ramp, Cage got close, but he stayed out of the ring. There were officials and other staff members trying to keep Cage back. Moxley and Allin were about to touch fists as the show ended. Jericho: “I’m covered in orange juice, Jim!” Ross: “You stink!” End show.

Analysis: It’s nice to see Allin back after he was injured. They can build to a big match between Allin and Cage at the next PPV or maybe before that.

Three Stars of the Show

1. FTR
2. Lucha Brothers
3. Jon Moxley

The Scoreboard

This week: 7.5 (out of 10)

Last week: 8.25

2020 Average: 7.18

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this week’s Dynamite. It wasn’t as great as last week, which was one of the best episodes of the year, but this was still an easy show to watch.

There were a bunch of good matches this week. I don’t think any of them really stood out. The six-man tag team match had the usual frustrations of watching AEW due to many instances of ignoring the rules even though they had some cool moves. Yes, it’s cool when a guy does a Canadian Destroyer off of somebody, but when Nick Jackson has to hold Matt Jackson’s foot to keep him in place to take the move, the spot looks silly. At least FTR and Lucha Brothers had more of a regular tag team match thanks to FTR (Follow the Rules!). Cody and Sonny had a competitive match with Cody showing more of those heel tendencies to tease a possible Four Horsemen-like group in the future.

There was all this build up for Moxley vs. Cage as an important AEW World Title match and by the time it ended, the match really didn’t feel that big. With that said, Moxley had a great performance. It was nice to see him back. Cage could have sold the arm injury more too. Welcome back to Darby Allin as well.

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John Canton

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter: @johnreport