By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 32)
Taped May 6 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired live on May 13, 2020 on TNT
[Hour One] The Dynamite opening aired and then some pyro shot off on the stage… The spectator wrestlers who were behind the ringside barricade were shown… Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary…
Lance Archer’s entrance video played. Archer tossed a man through the entrance chute and roughed him up while on his way to the ring. Jake Roberts walked out behind Archer while footage aired of the snake angle from last week. Roberts took the mic and said he was asked to apologize for what he did last week. He said he would issue an apology once Brandi Rhodes kisses his ass.
Roberts said a woman is great at home cooking, wiping baby’s butts, diapering them, and keeping him warm if it’s very cold outside. Roberts said Archer’s work makes him very excited. He said “Cody Rhodes'” time is about up. He said it’s time to pay the piper.
A revving engine sound interrupted Roberts. Cody was shown outside the building revving up a truck with his logo on the hood. Cody rammed the truck into a small barricade that was knocked over. Cody and Archer brawled in an area behind the spectator wrestlers. Archer tossed Cody over the barricade and onto a table. They ended up at ringside where Cody fired away with some punches.
Cody grabbed a chair and slid it into the ring. Archer grabbed Cody by the throat. Cody climbed onto the apron and Archer swept his legs out from under him. Cody grabbed Archer from behind and fish-hooked him. In the ring, Cody threw a chair at the face of Archer. Roberts continued to bark instructions. Archer took offensive control. Cody went for a springboard cutter, but Archer pushed him off. Roberts called off Archer while Cody shouted at them from the ring…
Powell’s POV: The truck into the barricade bit was underwhelming, but the rest of the brawl was really good. Cody showed the right kind of fire coming off the angle where Roberts put a snake on his wife last week.
Excalibur hyped Brodie Lee vs. Christopher Daniels as the main event of the show. Ross said he believed Jon Moxley would make his presence felt before all is said and done. Schiavone hyped Chris Jericho vs. Pineapple Pete, and Ross hyped MJF returning to the ring. Excalibur hyped the four-way women’s match, and Schiavone hyped the Santana and Ortiz vs. Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega match, and Ross hyped Best Friends vs. Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy…
Ross set up a video package on the AEW tag team division. A narrator recapped The Young Bucks being taken out by the Inner Circle. He said the Best Friends are one of the teams that stepped up and have climbed the ratings. The narrator also spoke about The Dark Order, Private Party, Santana and Ortiz, SCU, and the Lucha Brothers as teams that are out for the tag titles held by Kenny Omega and Hangman Page…
1. “Best Friends” Chuck Taylor and Trent (w/Orange Cassidy) vs. Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy (w/Marko Stunt). Cassidy wore a mask while standing at ringside. Ross hyped the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view and said they would have a lot more information on the lineup for the pay-per-view.
Luchasaurus caught Trent going for a suicide dive and grabbed him by the throat, but Taylor broke that up. The Best Friends double suplexed Luchasaurus and did their hug. Jungle Boy performed a flip dive onto the duo. The spectator wrestlers chanted “this is awesome” going into the first commercial break. [C]
Orange Cassidy went to the stage and fired up while the action continued in the ring. Suddenly, Rey Fenix came out and took out Cassidy with a kick. MJF pulled Jungle Boy to ringside and ran him into the ring post, then rolled him back inside the ring. Taylor performed an Awful Waffle on Jungle Boy and pinned him.
Chuck Taylor and Trent defeated Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy in 11:00.
After the match, Wardlow attacked Marko Stunt. Luchasaurus checked on Stunt while MJF pulled back Wardlow…
Powell’s POV: Good in-ring action. The mellow Cassidy suddenly going to the stage and showing fire just in time to be attacked by Fenix felt way too convenient. MJF attacking Jungle Boy was logical given that they have a match scheduled for pay-per-view. I wonder if they will turn that singles match into Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. MJF and Wardlow instead? Ross was really good at showing outrage when Wardlow attacked the undersized Stunt.
The broadcast team spoke briefly and then sent it backstage where Alex Marvez tried to get a word with Jon Moxley, who stormed past him. Marvez said he’s never seen Moxley like that and they may need to get security…
2. Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford (w/Kip Sabian) vs. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander in a four-way. All four women received televised entrances. Statlander was on bottom of a tower of doom spot with Shida and Baker taking the bumps, then she caught Ford on the ropes. Statlander nearly dropped Ford, but she held onto her before dropping her onto Baker. Shida threw a knee at Statlander, which left all four women down heading into a break. [C]
Baker performed a Canadian Destroyer on Statlander, but Ford prevented her from going for a cover. Ford performed a handspring into the ropes and then hit Baker with a cutter. Ford also hit a cutter on Shida. Baker performed a neckbreaker on Ford. Statlander used a sit-out slam on Baker to get a near fall.
Ford caught Shida with a missile dropkick for a near fall. Sabian grabbed Shida. Ford charged at Shida, who escaped Sabian. Ford stopped and made out with Sabian for a moment. Ford performed a Poison Rana on Statlander. Baker ran Statlander into a ring post. In the ring, Shida executed a wicked backbreaker on Ford and pinned her while Baker had her Lockjaw finisher applied on Statlander at ringside.
Hikaru Shida defeated Penelope Ford, Britt Baker, and Kris Statlander in 10:15 in a four-way.
Baker held the Lockjaw for a bit after the match. Shida celebrated in the ring while Nyla Rose stood at ringside holding up the AEW Women’s Championship…
SugeD/Pineapple Pete was shown seated and delivered a promo. He said he has gone by the name Suge D for 15 years, but Jericho had no respect for that name. He said that life has been sweet ever since Jericho called him Pineapple Pete. He sipped a drink from a pineapple cup and there was multi-colored lighting behind him. He said he would face Jericho one-on-one and there would be no more insults…
Powell’s POV: The four-way had some good moments and some clunky moments. It was noted that Shida entered the match as the No. 1 contender, so I assume she will challenge Rose at the pay-per-view. The Pineapple Pete promo was nothing special. This was a chance for him to connect with the fans in some way, but it was pretty basic and forgettable. Even so, I am looking forward to his match with Jericho.
Ross officially announced Rose vs. Shida for the AEW Women’s Championship for Double Or Nothing…
3. Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega vs. Santana and Ortiz. Omega was attacked by the heels during his entrance. Hardy walked out in “broken” or Damascus mode. Hardy bit the leg of Santana while fire pyro shot off. Hardy headed to the ring and Santana wasn’t far behind. Hardy had some blood in his mouth. Omega set up for a springboard move, but Ortiz tripped him up from the floor. Ortiz ran Omega into the barricade. [C]
Santana and Ortiz set up for their Street Sweeper move, but Hardy was able to avoid it. Omega took out Ortiz with a pescado. Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Santana and covered him, but Ortiz returned to break up the pin.
[Hour Two] Santana and Ortiz went for their finisher again, but Omega performed a huracanrana to avoid it. Hardy tagged in and applied a butterfly submission hold on Ortiz. Sammy Guevara limped out wearing a neck brace and brought a chair with him. Guevara entered the ring. Hardy kicked the chair away and then performed a Twist of Fate on Guevara. Omega returned and hit Ortiz with a V-Trigger knee, then Hardy followed up with a cutter from the ropes and scored the pin.
Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega beat Santana and Ortiz in roughly 17:30.
Afterward, Omega and Hardy both did the “delete” bit… [C]
Powell’s POV: I really miss the Santana and Ortiz from Impact Wrestling. LAX were badasses as heels or babyfaces. Proud & Powerful come off as comedic henchmen far too often. I thought they might be booked to win this match to set up an eventual tag title match. Instead, this was about redemption for Hardy and Omega after they lost last week’s main event.
Backstage, Taz stood with Darby Allin and recalled how Cody beat him. Taz said Allin doesn’t get it, he can help him. Allin stood up and said Taz doesn’t get it, he knows what a tilt is. He said he took third place in his state in amateur wrestling. Taz said he didn’t know that and was about to say more, but Allin stormed away…
The broadcast team discussed the Casino Ladder Match for a shot at the AEW Championship. A graphic showed Allin, Fenix, Cassidy, and Colt Cabana as the entrants thus far…
Backstage, Lexi interviewed Shida and asked her what her expectations are going into the AEW Women’s Championship match. Shida said the happiest thing for her is going after the AEW Women’s Championship and winning the title would make her happy. Nyla Rose showed up and talked nicely to Shida. She said she knew she had a tough match earlier and got her a present. Rose slammed a kendo stick over Shida’s head. “It found your kendo stick, bitch,” Rose said…
4. MJF (w/Wardlow) vs. Lee Johnson. Ross announced that Orange Cassidy will face Rey Fenix next week. Excalibur announced Statlander vs. Baker for the pay-per-view. MJF dominated the match and powerbombed Johnson on the apron and then jawed at the babyface spectator wrestlers. Back inside the ring, MJF performed a shoulder breaker and then applied his submission finisher for the win…
MJF defeated Lee Johnson in 2:45.
After the match, MJF took the mic and said he hasn’t done this in a while and had some ring rust. MJF looked down at Lee Johnson and asked, “Don’t you think so, Lee?” MJF said he could use a tuneup. He said he showed up and saw that Marko Stunt had an open contract, so he did them both a favor and signed the contract. MJF closed with his “I’m better than you and you know it” line while Wardlow put the Dynamite Diamond Ring on MJF’s finger…
Powell’s POV: MJF doesn’t look like a guy who spent his quarantine time lying around the house watching Netflix (that would be me). He looks like he’s adding some muscle to his frame. MJF vs. Stunt should be fun and is a logical way to build to MJF’s match against Jungle Boy at the pay-per-view.
5. Chris Jericho (wSammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, Jake Hager) vs. Pineapple Pete. Guevara wore his neckbrace, but he sang his little heart out to Jericho’s “Judas” entrance theme along with the heel spectator wrestlers. Jericho wore a Pineapple Pete t-shirt and slapped him to start the match. Pete returned fire. Pete got the better of Jericho and backed into the corner and then ran into a Judas Elbow. Jericho covered Pete and pinned him…
Chris Jericho beat Pineapple Pete in roughly 1:00.
After the match, Guevara handed Jericho an Inner Circle baseball bat. Jericho took a mic and said now that the threat of Pineapple Pete has been vanquished, it was time to move on to the matter at hand. Jericho brought up The Elite and said it’s been a while since they’ve seen some of the members. He said he hard Hangman Page was in the woods bushwhacking. He said the Young Bucks were at home pouting about how great the Inner Circle is.
Jericho said the Inner Circle are fair and honorable gentlemen. Jericho told Guevara to say in Spanish. “El honorable,” Guevara replied. Jericho said they were going to give The Elite a chance to get their shit together to face them one more time. He said that while the world reacts to the coronavirus, the Inner Circle acts. He said that while history stands still worldwide, the Inner Circle is writing history.
Jericho said they created the Stadium Stampede match. He said that if you thought the street fight was wild, wait until you see what happens when the Inner Circle get The Elite in a football stadium that holds 80,000 fans. Jericho said the Inner Circle was challenging The Elite to the first ever Stadium Stampede match for Double Or Nothing. Jericho said they would wait for their response.
The Vanguard 1 drone showed up carrying the Inner Circle t-shirt. Jericho took the shirt back and said he had warrants out in seven states for his arrest on grand larceny charges. Jericho asked if The Elite accepted the challenge. A “We Accept” graphic was shown. Jericho asked Vanguard if he’s thought about the invitation to join the Inner Circle. Jericho said it’s too late and they have the sixth member named Floyd. Jericho hit Vanguard 1 with the baseball bat repeatedly. Guevara joined in on the beating and then Hager placed the Inner Circle t-shirt over the biggest remaining piece.
Matt Hardy headed to the ring. The Inner Circle members scrambled to ringside despite having a five-on-one advantage. Ross questioned how Hardy would explain this to his kids..
Powell’s POV: Noooooooooo!!!!!!!! Please join me in bowing your head in a moment of silence for the dearly departed Vanguard 1.
The broadcast team said the AEW Women’s Championship match between Rose and Shida will now be a No DQ, no count-out match… They also recapped footage of The Dark Order working over Jon Moxley last week…
Ross and company announced MJF vs. Marko Stunt, Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson going face to face in an interview, Rey Fenix vs. Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley vs. 10 in a non-title match, and Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara for next week. Schiavone said Mike Tyson will present the Cody vs. Archer match at the pay-per-view…
SCU made their entrance for the main event… [C] Brodie Lee, 10, and other Dark Order members made their entrance. Lee carried the AEW Title belt with him and barked at Dasha Gonzalez, who then introduced him as the self proclaimed AEW Champion. The random Dark Order members headed to the back…
6. Brodie Lee (w/10) vs. Christopher Daniels. The broadcast team indicated that 10 is Lee’s chosen stooge. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky watched the match from behind the barricade. Lee got caught up jawing with the babyface spectators and Daniels capitalized on it with a brief burst of offense. Lee quickly regrouped and was dominant heading into a break. [C]
Lee continued to dominate Daniels coming out of the break and got a two count off a big kick. Lee went for a back body drop, but Daniels countered into a DDT. Daniels performed a huracanrana from the middle rope and then blasted Lee with a running elbow in the corner. Daniels went to the ropes, but he was distracted by 10. Kazarian and Sky hopped the barricade and pulled 10 to the floor and worked him over with punches.
Daniels caught Lee with a chair and ended up hitting him with it. Daniels applied a submission hold. The other Dark Order members ran in. Some of the babyface spectators ran in and fought the Dark Order members to ringside. Daniels hit his Angel’s Wings suplex on Lee and covered him for just a one count. Lee came up laughing and talking.
Daniels went for Angel’s Wings again, but Lee blocked it. Daniels performed a moonsault from the ropes and got a two count. Daniels went up top and jumped right into a powerbomb. Lee followed up with a discus lariat and scored the clean pin…
Brodie Lee defeated Christopher Daniels in 12:40.
After the match, Lee went to ringside and barked at Gonzalez, who once again labeled him the self-proclaimed AEW Champion while introducing him as the winner. The other Dark Order members joined Lee in the ring.
Jon Moxley headed to the ring from the concourse area. Moxley left the Dark Order underlings lying while Lee and 10 headed to the back with the AEW Title belt. Moxley got a mic from Gonzalez and said he can admire guts and seizing the opportunity, but he does not suffer disrespect. Moxley added that he does not suffer fools and said Lee made a very foolish decision that he will pay for with interest.
Moxley said the AEW Championship is a lot more than a piece of metal. He said Lee would find that out at Double Or Nothing when there is a hail storm of violence. Moxley said Lee might fight that his AEW career is over before it started. Moxley went to ringside and tossed a Dark Order flunky over the barricade, then picked up a chair and threw it. Ross said next week will be even hotter as they get closer to Double Or Nothing. He plugged the Shaq Life TNT show that followed Dynamite and wrapped up the broadcast…
Powell’s POV: The usual good intensity from Moxley during his promo and post match attack. Moxley vs. Lee may not feel like a pay-per-view main event worthy match because Lee is still rehabbing from being wasted in WWE, but I have no doubt that both men will go balls to the wall and deliver a hell of a match. And given the hype of Mike Tyson presenting the TNT Title match, it seems possible that Cody vs. Archer will close the pay-per-view, but I guess we’ll find out.
Overall, this was a step down from last week’s top notch show, but it was still a solid outing. The spectator wrestlers continue to make such a huge difference and it’s downright astonishing that WWE has refused to budge on this. I will be back shortly with my same night audio review for Dot Net Members. Let me know what you thought of the show by assigning it a letter grade in our post Dynamite poll available via the main page. Thanks for watching along with me tonight. I believe Jake Barnett will be back in this slot next Wednesday, which means I’ll be back on Smackdown live coverage on Friday nights (sigh).
I’d like to see Penelope Ford score a win here. I expect it’ll be a babyface but I think the heels would make for more interesting programs.
This show was dreadful. Just garbage from start to finish.
Cool, even Cody’s truck has a hideous neck tattoo. Driving it 5 feet and lightly hitting a table almost made me forget about Jake’s tired “a woman’s place is in the kitchen” lines.
Seriously, him revving up his big boy truck then tapping that barricade was laughable.
In fairness, Jake is a heel, and the comment was meant to get heat. It wasn’t a babyface making it to cut down a female heel. Plus it runs counter to Brandy’s character.
I thought Best Friends vs. Jurassic Express was a little underwhelming. The rest of the show was pretty good to me, though.