Reviews

The John Report: AEW Dynamite 07/07/21 Review (Road Rager)

Welcome to the AEW Dynamite review here on TJRWrestling. This week marks AEW’s return to the road after spending the last 16 months or so stationed at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville during the pandemic. They have these “theme” episodes every week it seems and this week they are calling it “Road Rager” with some Miami Vice style colors as part of the setup. I don’t think they need a theme for every week like Fyter Fest next week and the week after, but AEW seems to think they need to do this stuff. I know NXT did it with the Great American Bash but they only do that like every two months. When you do it every week, what’s the point? It’s just more words on the name of the show. It’s AEW Dynamite. That’s it.

This is AEW Dynamite from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Here’s my AEW Dynamite TV review archive. Let’s get to it.

There was some pyro that went off on the stage and the fans were making a lot of noise. Jim Ross called it a new era and a new season. I think that’s right. The announce team was Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur as usual. JR greeted us with the classic line: “It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means.” It was a live show this week and they tape content before the live broadcast for their Youtube shows that I don’t watch.

Cody Rhodes entered for the first match with Arn Anderson. Poor QT Marshall got the jobber entrance without an introduction, so you know who was losing. Cody gave his leather strap to a man at ringside. It said QT Marshall is 19-2 in 2021. I watch Dynamite every week and I don’t remember him winning much, but I guess he wins on the shows I don’t watch. Anyway, there was a ramp from the entrance to the ring.

South Beach Strap Match: Cody Rhodes (w/Arn Anderson) vs. QT Marshall (w/Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solow)

This is a Strap Match where you have to touch all four corners in succession to win the match. Cody hit a suicide dive before they were strapped together. The strap was connected to the left wrist of both men.

Cody was in control early on, then Marshall got in a body shot and Cody hit a powerslam. Cody with a strap shot to the back. Marshall went for a moonsault off the middle rope and Cody hit him in the ribs. Cody hit Marshall in the back with the strap. Cody touched two turnbuckles, but then Solow hit Cody in the back. Dustin Rhodes ran out to ringside to help his brother and Dustin tossed Solow over the barricade and they fought up the stairs. Comoroto left as well. Marshall with a low blow using the strap. Marshall touched three turnbuckles while Cody also touched three turnbuckles behind them and then Marshall hit a German Suplex on Cody as the count reset. They left the ring with Cody using the strap to send Marshall into the ringpost. Marshall did a blade job after that. Cody touched a turnbuckle, then the lights went out to black and came back on. Marshall hit a flatliner to stop Cody from touching turnbuckles. Cody used the strap to choke Cody on the top rope. Cody went for a hurricanrana that was never going to happen and Marshall countered with a sitout Powerbomb. Good spot. Marshall used the strap to wrap around Cody’s arms and JR called Excalibur “Mark” so I guess that’s his real name if you care. Marshall hit a Diamond Cutter off the top. The fans barely reacted to it. Marshall touched three turnbuckles, Cody stopped it and Marshall hit Cody in the back with the strap. Cody no-sold multiple strap shots, then Cody with a pump kick, then punches and headscissors takedown. Cody jumped off the top and hit a Cody Cutter. Good job by Marshall standing in the right spot. Cody touched three turnbuckles, then a back kick low blow and Marshall spit on Cody. That led to Cody hitting three Cross Rhodes neckbreakers in a row. Cody restarted the turnbuckle touching leading to four turnbuckles being touched to win the match.

Winner by pinfall: Cody Rhodes

Analysis: **1/2 It was just an average match. The Powerbomb off the top was the highlight of the match. I thought the blade job was unnecessary, but AEW has a blood fetish. A Strap Match isn’t easy to do because the rules are different from a normal match and there are less dramatic spots. Is this supposed to end the feud? I don’t know, but I found it to be boring. The entire feud hasn’t been that exciting since Cody beat Anthony Ogogo and beating Marshall multiple times. I guess this boring feud is over. Good.

The announcers did their “talk really fast and yell loudly” routine to go over the matches coming up this week.

Shawn Spears was shown talking to the camera backstage about how he hit Sammy Guevara with a chairshot last week to cost Sammy his match against MJF. Sammy showed up and hit Spears with a chair. Sammy: “Got ya bitch. This is far, far from over.”

Analysis: Sammy lost to MJF due to Spears, so I assume Sammy gets the win against Spears, who almost never wins matches on Dynamite anyway.

Kenny Omega is up next.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from Kenny Omega and Don Callis

The AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis made their entrance for an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone. Omega brought the AEW World Title with him, but he did not have his other titles with him.

Callis took the microphone from Schiavone and told Tony to stand in the corner. Callis gave us a history lesson saying they Kenny and Don made history. The fans chanted “you got fired” at Callis, who said real men don’t quit, they get fired. Callis said that Omega beat Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix, Jungle Boy and they have won so many titles that they had to get an entourage just to transport the belts. Callis said that we are in the shadow of the God of pro wrestling. Callis said that they have a very big problem that they have beaten anybody and there is nobody left for Kenny to beat. The fans chanted “Hangman Page” at them as Callis repeatedly said that it’s a problem for Fight for the Fallen. The fans chanted “We Want Hangman.”

That led to the Dark Order making their entrance with Evil Uno speaking for the group. Evil Uno got in the ring with Omega and told Callis to take a step back because the men would like to talk. Uno asked Omega why he’s ignoring the crowd and the number one ranked wrestler in AEW. Uno asked why Kenny was afraid of their friend. The fans chanted “Cowboy Shit” for Page. Omega said that Uno is a smarter person than he is a wrestler and asked Uno the capital of Thailand and Kenny kicked Uno to let him know it was “Bangkok.” That led to a brawl between the Dark Order guys and members of The Elite helping Omega.

There’s the entrance of “Hangman” Adam Page. Page went out to the ring to beat up Michael Nakazawa, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. Page cleared the ring of Kenny’s friends. Kenny set up for the Buckshot Lariat, but then he stopped as Omega stared at him. Page got in the ring with Omega with the fans chanting for Page. Page punched Anderson off the apron, so that led to Omega escaping with the title. Page stared at Omega from a distance and that was it.

Analysis: This was great! I think all of us that watch AEW know that they were eventually going to build to Omega vs. Page and that Page is a guy that could be the next AEW World Champion, so I’m glad that they are taking steps to slowly set that up. Callis did a tremendous job of riling up the crowd by saying there was no competition for Omega, which led to the “Hangman Page” chants and I thought it was done really well. There was no physical contact by Page and Omega, but the staredown led to a big reaction. Page has doubted himself a lot during his AEW run, but the Dark Order guys that are his friends have helped to motivate him, so now Kenny believes in himself. I know Callis mentioned Fight for the Fallen, but I hope this Omega/Page match is saved for the All Out PPV coming up in less than two months.

Interview with Ethan Page and Darby Allin

There was a sit-down interview with Jim Ross sitting in between Darby Allin and Ethan Page. JR said he was uneasy because they talk about ending the other man’s career. JR asked what has gone on in their past to create this animosity. Allin says that Ethan is jealous of him and it’s not his fault that Ethan got married, stayed in his hometown and had kids. Allin said that he dropped everything to make sure he made it to AEW. Allin said that Ethan was a big fish in a small pond and the fact that Allin made it to AEW before Ethan meant that Ethan couldn’t stand it. Ethan said that Allin spoke the truth. Ethan said that if it wasn’t for him, Allin would still be living in his career. Ethan said that he brought him up in professional wrestling and those checks that he cashes are because he got to work with Ethan Page. Ethan ripped on Allin for painting his face and hiding his face. Ethan said that he brought Allin into this business and next week in this Coffin Match, Ethan will take Allin out. JR said he doesn’t have an easy feeling about the Coffin Match next week.

Analysis: It was a nice way to add more backstory to this personal rivalry leading to a Coffin Match. The main reason that Allin made it to AEW before Ethan is because Ethan was under contract to Impact Wrestling, so Ethan couldn’t go to AEW before he did. As soon as Ethan was free, he was off to AEW. That’s not going to be mentioned when they tell the story, though. The Coffin Match should be awesome.

The Pinnacle’s Wardlow and FTR with Tully Blanchard made their entrance for tag team action. Their opponents were The Inner Circle’s Jake Hager, Santana & Ortiz with Konnan.

Jake Hager, Santana & Ortiz (w/Konnan) vs. Wardlow & FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (w/Tully Blanchard)

Santana hit two vertical suplexes on Harwood and a release German Suplex. Ortiz tagged in with a jumping kick and Ortiz hit a Northern Lights Suplex. Wheeler tagged in with a powerslam on Ortiz. Wardlow hit a Gutwrench Powerbomb for a two count. Harwood went for a slingshot suplex, Ortiz got out of it and Ortiz did an STO trip. Ortiz hit a sitout Powerbomb and Santana with a kick to the face. Hager hit the Hager Bomb off the ropes and a clothesline on Wheeler. Hager with a clothesline on Harwood over the top to the floor. That led to a PIP break.

(Commercial)

Ortiz battled with Wheeler, then Hager hit a corner splash and Santana hit a cannonball although it looked like he missed Wheeler. Hager with a powerslam and Wardlow broke up the pin. Harwood with a Powerbomb into a suplex from Wheeler and Harwood got a two count. Ortiz with a brainbuster on Harwood. Hager tagged in with multiple clotheslines. Hager with an Ankle Lock on Wheeler, Harwood with a forearm to the back and Hager hit a boot to the head. Hager wanted to face off with Wardlow, who went into the ring as they exchanged punches. Hager with a sunset flip into an Ankle Lock on Wardlow, but FTR was back in the ring to save. Blanchard distracted the referee and FTR hit the Big Rig double team move with Wardlow getting the pin on Hager. I don’t know why Santana and Ortiz were unable to make the save. This went about nine minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Wardlow & FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)

Analysis: *** Good action here. More time would have been nice or maybe do it without having a commercial in the middle of it. These teams continue to trade wins as the rivalry continues. They could have done a better job of showing what happened to Santana and Ortiz that prevented them from saving their partner because it made Hager look like he had no help. The FTR guys always have good matches, but I don’t think they’ve had a 2 on 2 tag team match on Dynamite since February, so I hope they get to wrestle a regular tag team match soon.

After the match was over, Konnan hit Wardlow with a sock that had a ball in it. Tully Blanchard attacked Konnan from behind with a chop block leading to Konnan selling a knee injury. Santana and Ortiz finally went into the ring, so the heel retreated.

There was a video with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows with Karl talking about how Moxley was a problem since he’s the IWGP US Champion. They showed highlights of Anderson in NJPW beating up AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura (I don’t think they were chosen in the highlights by accident) and Anderson is going to challenge Moxley for the IWGP US Championship next week on Dynamite.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman made his entrance alone for a promo segment.

(Commercial)

Chris Jericho made his entrance to a big pop as the fans in Miami sang along with the “Judas” theme song. That’s still a cool sight to me. I like the song and I’m a Jerichoholic, so of course I enjoy it.

Face to Face Standoff: MJF and Chris Jericho

Jericho and MJF sat on the ends of a table. There was some dumbass fan that went on the ramp and we saw Jericho punch the guy while security got the guy before he got in the ring. MJF said he welcomes any fat hicks to jump in the ring too so he can beat their ass. Here’s a video of that shared by a fan on Twitter.

MJF said that he beat Jericho twice and Jericho is groveling for one more opportunity to face MJF. That led to MJF saying everybody wants the MJF rub off the king of All Elite Wrestling. Jericho said he should have let that fat bastard come in there and beat MJF’s ass. The fans cheered. Jericho said that he is not going to back down from MJF. Jericho said he’ll accept any stipulation that MJF has for him. Jericho said he’ll stand in front of a mack truck, he’ll swim in a lake with piranhas or even have sex with MJF’s mother (they are probably around the same age – just saying)…again. That was a funny way to end it.

MJF said that he doesn’t give a crap about what the fans want. MJF said that he used to look up to Chris and he followed every single step of Jericho’s career. MJF said that one of the favorite parts of Jericho’s career was when he was at odds with Jon Moxley and reminded Jericho that he made Moxley wrestle everybody in the Inner Circle. MJF said he’s taking that blueprint and he will make it better. MJF mentioned he loved Greek Mythology while saying Jericho is the Demo God that is no longer in the key demo. MJF talked about the Labors of Hercules saying that Chris will have five labors. MJF said that Jericho will face four opponents of his choosing with different stipulations and Chris has to win back to back to back to back and if he wins all of those then he gets to face MJF again. MJF said that he’s better than Chris and he knows it. MJF asked “Hercules” if he’ll sign on the dotted line.

Jericho said that if he can’t last against these four guys and can’t beat MJF then maybe he doesn’t belong in AEW anymore. Jericho said he’ll accept because he’s the God of Battle, God of Thunder and the God of War in AEW. Jericho said he’s going to beat MJF and ruin his life the way MJF tried to ruin Jericho’s life and that ain’t no mythology. Jericho signed the contract and tossed it at MJF.

MJF said that he doesn’t come from a dumpster like Miami. MJF said that he comes from Long Island, New York and Chris has to shake his hand or the deal is off. Jericho shook the hand then pulled MJF in and Jericho hit the Judas Effect elbow to knock out MJF in the ring.

Analysis: There was strong promo work by two of AEW’s best talkers. That’s a cool way to build up the next eventual match between Jericho and MJF. Jericho will likely win the four matches to give him some positive momentum. I assume the Jericho/MJF match would be at All Out and MJF is probably going to win that since he’s the younger guy and Jericho has no problem putting people over.

(Commercial)

They showed UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Amanda Nunes along with Dan Lambert of America Top Team.

There was an interview with AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker conducted by Tony Schiavone. Baker complained about Nyla Rose last week. Baker said that it was another win, but poor Reba got hurt and Tony Khan should feel terrible. Baker claimed she is drawing millions while mentioning ratings that AEW is obsessed with. Baker said that she almost died in a 2 on 1 ambush, but now TK has Andrade because Vickie Guerrero brought him to AEW. Baker said “enjoy your blood money” and maybe next week they can run in Saudi Arabia. Baker trashed Rose saying she’s never getting this title back. Baker said when she beats Rose in two weeks she’ll send her back to obscurity. Baker said that they call Dallas “The Big D” and said that they will be calling Dallas the big “DMD.”

Analysis: The Saudi Arabia “blood money” line was a shot at WWE because AEW can’t resist doing stuff like that. The same WWE that pays her boyfriend Adam Cole really well. Anyway, Baker did a nice job there. I doubt Baker loses the title there.

Matt Sydal made his entrance to lose a match. Andrade El Idolo made his entrance with manager Vickie Guerrero. Andrade had on a suit-style top and a mask on, so he took that off on the way to the ring.

Andrade El Idolo (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal got a rollup early. Andrade hit a twisting brainbuster. Andrade to the middle rope, Sydal went after him, Andrade knocked him down and Andrade hit the moonsault onto his feet followed by the standing moonsault. That’s a spot that Andrade likes to do. Sydal with a flipping splash for two. Sydal jumped on the leg and then a spinning kick to the head. Sydal went up top, but then Andrade shoved him off the apron. They went to PIP break.

(Commercial)

Andrade was in control with a knee to the ribs and a whip into the turnbuckle. Sydal hit a spin kick to the head. Sydal with a kick to the head and he hooked the arms for a pin attempt. Andrade came back with a clothesline. Andrade did an Eddie Guerrero shake, pointed at Vickie and Sydal was back up. Andrade tripped him up by the turnbuckle leading to a foot stomp attempt, but Sydal moved. Sydal with the double knees off the top for two. Andrade with a hiptoss that sent Sydal into the turnbuckle. Andrade with the double knee attack against the turnbuckle. Andrade hit the Hammerlock DDT (it didn’t look smooth at all) for the pinfall win after about seven minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Andrade El Idolo

Analysis: **1/2 A decent match to put Andrade over in clean fashion. That’s the right way to book him. Andrade’s offense was similar to everything he did during his WWE career. The finish didn’t look great, but it got the job done.

Post match, Andrade hooked the arms of Sydal with his belt and pulled back on the arms in a submission. One referee tried to stop it. Andrade eventually let go to end it.

Christian Cage and Matt Hardy did promos in separate parts of the backstage area. They talked about how they have been 23 year friends/enemies with Christian eliminating Matt from the battle royal. Christian said he didn’t come back to be Matt’s friend, he came back to cement his legacy. Matt said that they have a match next week. Cage told Hardy to get on his level or get out of his way.

Analysis: They are two older guys with a long history. They are still good performers. I assume Christian will win the match.

The AEW Debut of Malakai Black

Arn Anderson was interviewed in the ring by Tony Schiavone. Arn said it was great to be in Miami tonight and he said that they have missed the fans. Arn said he’ll get right to it. The power went out with the building going to black, When the lights came back on, the former Aleister Black was in the ring. Black approached Anderson and hit him with a spin kick (Black Mass) to the head. I don’t think the foot touched Arn at all, but Arn sold it anyway. Cody Rhodes showed up to check on Arn in the ring. Excalibur claimed he wrestled Tommy End 15 years ago, but said that is not Tommy End. Cody stood over Arn and instead of trying to fight the guy, had to stand there like a dumbass and Black kicked Cody as well. JR said “Tommy End or whatever he is going to be called” and Excalibur said that was “Malakai Black.” The fans popped for him as Black stared into the camera with an evil look in his eyes.

Analysis: Great debut for Malakai Black. That is the name they are using for him. What I didn’t like is how Cody was booked. Instead of going after this guy with punches leading to an exchange in the ring, Cody had to stand there and basically wait for a kick to the head. Fans want to root for faces that fight bullies, not just stand there. Cody should have taken the fight to Black for a bit, then you can have Black hit the spin kick after a brief exchange. Having Black kick Arn is going to get him heat on his own, but I would have liked to see Cody do more. Good for AEW signing Malakai Black just like Andrade. I think WWE was dumb to let them go. Hopefully Black beats Cody when they have a match. Anyway, the reports are that Black had a 30-day no-compete clause instead of a 90-day no-compete clause, so that’s how he was able to arrive in AEW already.

(Commercial)

The announcers talked about the AEW debut of Malakai Black with JR mentioned Tommy End again. Excalibur said that is a different man that is twisted and mentioned the new name Malakai Black.

There was a promo from earlier in the night when Ricky Starks did a promo in the ring with Starks Special Security beside him. Starks said he is not medically cleared yet, so he can’t trust Brian Cage to put his hands on an injured guy. Taz said that Starks doesn’t need security. Starks said that Brian Cage doesn’t know what it means to be a teammate. Starks said that next week he’ll win the FTW Title from Brian Cage and where he’s from the “W” means your wife and he is talking about Brian’s wife. (Hello Melissa Santos, wife of Brian Cage.) That led to Brian Cage going out to the ring and he beat up the security guys. Starks ran away.

The entrances took place for the mixed tag team match. This was the only women’s action on the show.

Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander vs. The Blade & The Bunny

The referee Aubrey Edwards checked The Blade’s outfit and found some brass knuckles, so she took them away. Cassidy did a dropkick on Blade with Cassidy’s hands in his pockets. Blade blocked a DDT leading to a powerslam. Bunny cheered on her husband. Cassidy countered a move into a Stunner. Bunny tagged, so alien girl Statlander had to go in and Bunny hit a running knee. Statlander with a powerslam. Statlander with a delayed vertical suplex on Bunny. Statlander missed a splash, then Blade grabbed Statlander’s boot and Bunny hit a forearm to the back to send Kris into the ropes. That led to a PIP break.

(Commercial)

Statlander was in control of Bunny with a sitout slam for a two count. Blade tripped up Cassidy on the apron and Bunny hit a German Suplex off the ropes. Blade tagged in with JR saying he didn’t understand the strategy. Cassidy tagged back in looking fine and hit a cross body block off the top. Cassidy hit a Tornado DDT on Blade for a two count. Bunny shoved Cassidy off the apron to the floor. Statlander with a headbutt to Bunny. Statlander hit a 450 Splash called Area 451 for two as Bunny pulled Cassidy out of the ring. Blade had another set of brass knuckles and Cassidy ran right into a punch. The referee did not see it. Blade covered Cassidy, but Edwards said that Statlander was legal. Statlander hit Bunny with the Big Bang Theory for the pinfall win after about nine minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander

Analysis: **1/2 This felt like just an average match to me. The babyface team that won is pushed and tends to win most of their matches while the heels are usually there to lose matches. Statlander is likely going to get a push as a title contender, so she should win a match like that. I don’t remember the last time The Blade won on Dynamite, so of course, he was going to lose. I don’t know. It just felt like a random match without any story or much interest.

Jungle Boy was shown posing with a trophy for being the first man to win 50 matches in AEW. That’s a strange thing to get a trophy for, but they care about wins a lot.

There was an interview in the crowd with America’s Top Team Dan Lambert along with Jorge Masvidal and Amanda Nunes. Lambert took the microphone from Tony Schiavone and said that when they showed up, nobody said that they would do an interview or endorse the show. Lambert went into the ring talking about running a successful business and he’s going to Las Vegas to watch Dustin Poirer knock out Conor McGregor. Lambert said that AEW sucks while saying if he wants to enjoy wrestling then he’ll watch some matches from the 1970s and 1980s. Lambert mentioned older wrestlers from that era. Lambert said that pro wrestling has gone downhill since the late 1990s. Lambert said that Tony Khan said that they have a mix of veterans and young talent, plus awesome fans. The fans chanted “AEW” and Lambert said maybe he was wrong. Lance Archer got into the ring with Lambert. Archer hit Lambert with a forearm followed by a slap. Archer hit the Blackout slam on Lambert. Archer stood tall.

Analysis: This was like a heel promo and then he went over the positive things about AEW like a guy that was told what to say to put over the company. Anyway, Lambert did a decent job here. It’s nice to see Archer since the creative team has forgotten about him for months now.

Anyway, the announcers did a rundown of next week’s “Fyter Fest Night 1” show.

* Coffin Match: Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin

* Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage

* FTW Championship: Brian Cage (c) vs. Ricky Starks

* Penelope Ford vs. Yuka Sakazaki

* We Hear from “Hangman” Adam Page

* IWGP United States Championship: John Moxley (c) vs. Karl Anderson

The main event tag team match is next.

Penta El Zero Miedo entered with Alex Abrahantes and tag team partner Eddie Kingston. They won non-title last week, so now they get a title match.

(Commercial)

The Young Bucks made their entrance as the AEW Tag Team Champions looking obnoxious as usual, but they didn’t have the bad facial hair this week. Don Callis and Brandon Cutler joined them. Callis joined commentary for the match.

Street Fight for the AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (w/Brandon Cutler) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo & Eddie Kingston (w/Alex Abrahantes)

The Street Fight rules means that all four men are legal and the bad AEW refereeing won’t hurt the match.

The challengers attacked early on and Matt hit a running dropkick on both heels. Michael Nakazawa was at ringside holding the challengers, but then the challengers moved and the Young Bucks kicked poor Michael. Nick hit Kingston with a chair to Kingston’s back and a chair to Penta. Kingston and Penta hit double kicks on the Young Bucks at the same time. Neck held a chair on his own groin while Kingston held his legs and Penta did a double dropkick. That looked like a dumb spot since Nick was holding the chair and should have just let go. Penta and Kingston each grabbed tables with Eddie ripping off the legs of the table. Kingston teased a suplex Matt onto the upside-down table, but Nick saved his brother. Nick gave Kingston a Powerbomb onto the table legs. Ouch. Penta hit a Destroyer off the apron on Matt and they went through a table on the floor. Damn! That was brutal. Nick kicked a trash can into Penta’s face.

(Commercial)

There were about eight minutes left in the show as Nick hit a Senton Bomb on Kingston on a trash can for two. Eddie had to hold the trash can in place. Penta came back in with a superkick, then Slingblades for both Bucks and Penta with a double knee attack on Matt. Penta went for a DDT, but Matt hit a Northern Lights Suplex. Matt and Nick hit a double team cannonball/kick at the same time. Penta knocked Nick off the top and a superkick on Matt. Kingston with an overhead suplex on Matt and Penta with a DDT on Matt. Kingston went for a rear naked choke submission on Matt, but Nick saved his brother with a 450 Splash onto the terrible referee Rick Knox. Matt was tapping and there was no referee. That led to Anderson & Gallows going out to ringside. Anderson & Gallows beat on Kingston with punches, but then Penta hit a somersault dive onto the heels on the floor. Matt with a Spear on Eddie. Cutler nearly went for the aerosol spray and then Franke Kazarian “The Elite Hunter” gave Cutler a Powerbomb through a table. Pentagon with the Fear Factor piledriver and Kingston with a spinning back fist leading to another referee Paul Turner going to the ring for a two count because Nick pulled him out of the ring. Kazarian hit Nick with a clothesline on the floor. G&A gave Kazarian the Magic Killer double team move on the floor. Kingston poured thumbtacks into the ring. Matt hit Eddie with some thumbtacks, but then Penta was back in with a trash can shot to Matt’s head. Penta with a kick while Nick was on the apron. Penta and Nick were on the top rope with Nick giving Penta hurricanrana off the top onto the tacks. Kingston pushed Matt onto the pile to break up the pin. The Young Bucks hit a double superkick on Kingston and they threw thumbtacks on Penta. Nick put thumbtacks in Kingston’s mouth and Matt hit a superkick on Kingston for the pinfall win with referee Rick Knox counting the pin. It went about 15 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a pretty good match, but not as interesting as most Young Bucks matches. I know I complain about some Young Bucks matches when they ignore the referees and, in this case, you don’t have to ignore the referees since there are no tags. However, it wasn’t as entertaining as the match from last week. They usually don’t do referee bumps in general, yet they did two spots in the match with Nick taking out referees and Anderson/Gallows getting involved. Pentagon and Kingston worked well together with some good nearfalls like that spot with the piledriver leading to a spinning back fist for two when the referee was taken out. I thought the Young Bucks might lose here, but it’s fine that they won. Hopefully there is a babyface team that is built up as credible challengers to beat them at some point this year.

The Young Bucks celebrated the win with their buddies Anderson and Gallows. The announcer signed off. That was the end of the show.

Three Stars of the Show

  1. Malakai Black
  2. Chris Jericho/MJF
  3. Young Bucks

The Scoreboard

This Week: 7.5 out of 10

Last Week: 7.75

2021 Average: 7.32

Final Thoughts

I think the in-ring action was a bit below the high standards that AEW has set for themselves. Some of the matches were fun, but I was a bit disappointed in the six-man tag because I thought they should have got more time. The main event Street Fight was pretty good, but they did a better job last week when it was just a regular match. Some of the other matches were just average including Andrade El Idolo’s debut match.

The highlight of the show was the confrontation between AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page, who is beloved by the fans and you can tell how much the crowd wants to see that match. Save it for All Out in early September hopefully. It was cool to see Malakai Black (former Aleister Black) making his AEW debut with Black Mass kicks for Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes. I would have liked to see Cody try to fight the guy instead of just stand there, but this was all about putting over Black. The Jericho/MJF segment was also very good in terms of being a promo to set up a future showdown. Those guys know how to sell big matches, that’s for sure.

It was cool to see an AEW show away from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. It’s still a Florida show because it was Miami, but at least it looked and felt different. The crowd was hot for most of the night, especially for certain things, so that helped a lot.

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

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