By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 55)
Live from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired October 14, 2020 on TNT
[Hour One] The show opened with the normal video and pyro. From there, JR, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone joined from the broadcast booth. Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford were playing video games again. The Tag Team Championship match will start the show. Everyone was already in the ring. Justin Roberts performed introductions for Best Friends and FTR.
1. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler (w/Tully Blanchard) vs. “Best Friends” Chuck Taylor and Trent for the AEW World Tag Team Championships: Wheeler and Chuck started the match. Cash landed a shoulder tackle and then tagged in Harwood. Chuck landed a couple of shoulder tackles on Harwood and then applied an arm twist. Trent tagged in and they landed a double team shoulder block. Trent then landed a kick to the back for a two count, before going back to Harwood’s right arm. Dax got to his feet and escaped, and then tagged in Cash. They took turns working over Trent, and kept him cut off on their portion of the ring.
Harwood landed a back elbow and a leg drop, and then he tagged Cash so they could double team a catapult into the second rope from underneath. Trent was then knocked off the apron with a spear from Wheeler, and then Harwood tagged to go work on him on the outside. Trent traded punches with Wheeler, and then made a break for a tag, but was cut off and pulled into a leg grapevine. Cash tagged in once again and applied a neck twist. Trent broke free again, but Dax tagged in and cut him off before he could make a tag.
Dax tossed Trent in the corner with an Irish whip, and then landed a huge back suplex off the top. Both men were down, but Harwood tagged to Wheeler to prevent Trent from making a tag once again. Trent landed an enziguri to Wheeler, and finally made the hot tag to Chuck. He entered the match and took out both men, and sent them to the floor. He then landed a splash to the outside onto both men, and landed a Falcon Arrow on Harwood back in the ring for a near fall.
Tully swept Chuck’s leg as he landed a suplex near the ropes, but Chuck was able to kick out of the pinfall. FTR collided in the middle of the ring, and then Best Friends went to work on Wheeler. They hit a Sole Food/Half and Half combo, and then a running knee from Trent for another near fall. Harwood pulled Chuck off the apron to the floor to end the double team. Wheeler cut Trent down with a big lariat, and then tagged Harwood. FTR then landed an assisted powerbomb, followed by a Gory Special from Wheeler for a near fall.
Harwood then landed a suplex and covered again, but got just two. He then placed Trent on the top rope for another Harwood went for another back suplex from the top, but Trent turned it around into a splash for a near fall. Wheeler and Trent traded tornado DDT’s, and then Harwood landed one of his own for another close near fall. Best Friends managed to pull off Strong Zero on Harwood a moment later, but Wheeler was able to make the save. Wheeler landed a brainbuster on Chuck on the outside. Trent then sent him into the spectators with a dropkick, and gave pursuit. Trent went for a spear, but Wheeler moved and he crashed through the arcade cabinet.
Back in the ring, Harwood tried to throw Trent with an Irish Whip, but he just fell to the mat. They set up for Goodnight Express, but Trent busted it up. Trent then tagged into the match and traded chops with Harwood. Wheeler tried to hit Chuck with the belt, but he avoided it. They had a clumsy spot near the ropes where the ref was pushed out of position, and then clocked Chuck with the belt for the roll up win.
“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeated “Best Friends” Chuck Taylor and Trent at 16:44 to retain the AEW Tag Titles.
After the match, FTR celebrated and Best Friends looked exhausted and bummed out in the ring. Miro then ran out with Penelope Ford and beat down both men. Schiavone said it was payback for their arcade cabinet. Miro and Sabian are having a match next…[c]
My Take: That was a fine match, but it didn’t reach the level of the best AEW Tag Matches. The Arcade Cabinet spot, and the somewhat disappointing finish took away from what had been a fun match up until that point. Miro’s character remains very underwhelming.
2. Miro and Kip Sabian vs. Sean Maluta and Lee Johnson: Miro kicked the shit out of both guys for a couple of minutes. He slammed both guys around outside and into the barricade. He tagged in Sabian to land a top rope splash. He immediately tagged Miro back in to apply the Camel Clutch to Sean Maluta for the tap out victory.
Miro and Kip Sabian defeated Sean Maluta and Lee Johnson at 2:26
Sabian went on a rant after the match about how “they” had gone too far by destroying “Alan” his arcade machine. Miro said they should destroy everyone for what had happened…
Backstage, Lance Archer was shown beating down Jon Moxley in a hallway before refs separated them. The announce team said the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament begins next week…[c]
My Take: Miro and Sabian were unreasonably angry about an Arcade machine they placed near a wrestling ring. I like the beatdown by Archer backstage. He’s a monster, but he’s willing to go after an unfair advantage.
MJF made his way out with Wardlow. The crowd booed, and MJF said they were all envious of him. He said he had accomplished more in a year than they had in their entire lives. He told them to take that hatred and strap in, because he planned to stay on top. MJF said he was there to bring out someone he looked up to, and had stayed on top of the wrestling business for 30 years. Enter Chris Jericho, with the inner circle. MJF pointed out that Sami had a jacket, but it was about 100 sizes too big after Jericho made him put it on.
MJF pointed out Jericho’s abs, and complimented his hair and arms. He and Jericho went back and forth about touching his hair, and Jericho gave him permission. MJF said it was smooth as a baby’s bottom, and Jericho told him to cut the shit. He said Max had promised an earth shaking announcement, and wanted him to come out with him. He said they were the highest minute to minute draws in AEW, and called him the Demo God. MJF then called himself the ratings ruler, and Jericho said it sucked.
MJF lamented that despite being the biggest stars in AEW, they had never gotten physical in the squared circle. He then started in on a metaphor about Animal Planet, but Jericho cut him off and said he hated Animal Planet. MJF soldered on and said people don’t tune in to see Piranhas eat each other. He called them predators, and then brought up the possibility of working together. Max comedically fought through getting the words out to ask to join the Inner Circle.
Jericho reiterated the question in his own silly way. Santana piped up and said he understood that MJF was living out a fantasy by jerking Jericho’s chain, but they didn’t want him in the inner circle. Jericho told him they needed to think about it, and then they did another elaborate comedy bit before agreeing on a steak dinner next week on dynamite.
Elsewhere, Tony Schiavone was shown with Britt Baker getting a spa treatment. She said she was going to return and be the baddest bitch in AEW, and then they tormented Tony with a waxing and facial. They then had an argument about Tony not being there for her first match back, but she said she’ll be back next week and he better be there.
In the ring, Orange Cassidy made his entrance…[c]
My Take: The Jericho and MJF segment was funny at times, but a bit too cute for my taste. I think it would have played better in an arena full of hyped up AEW fans, but it ended up being a bit too quiet in the arena for this. Britt Baker and Tony’s segment was a brief and silly fish out of water moment for Tony.
Cody Rhodes made his elaborate entrance with Brandi and Arn. He was back to Blonde. Darby Allin was shown up in the stands watching on. Orange Cassidy slinked back into the ring for introductions.
3. Cody vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Championship: Cody had several bandages on his shoulders and neck. Cassidy stuck his hands in his pockets in response to an attempt at a lockup. Cody shoved him into the ropes, and then Cassidy kicked his sunglasses out of the ring. They then locked up, but it went to a stalemate. Cody grabbed a waist lock, and slammed Cassidy to the mat. Cassidy stood up and put his hands in his pockets to break the hold. He then dropped to the ground and shoved Cody off with a mule kick.
Cassidy went for La Magistral pin, but didn’t get both arms hooked, so Cody kicked out easily. He then tried again for a rollup, but Cody kicked out at two. Cody lifted Cassidy up for a delayed vertical suplex, and then tossed Cassidy hard into the corner turnbuckle…[c]
The action spilled outside during the break, with Cody dominating the action. He brought Cassidy back in the ring and landed a double axe handle from the top rope for a two count. He then applied a hammerlock. Cassidy escaped and got to his feet, but Cody landed a body slam.
Cody went up top again, but Cassidy stepped back and avoided another smash from the top. Cassidy tried his light strikes, but Cody had none of it and slapped him across the face. Cassidy knocked Cody to ringside and then dove at Cody on the floor. Dark Order was shown at ringside, and John Silver tried to steal the TNT Title and hit Cody with it.
[Hour Two] Cassidy stole the belt away from Silver, and then the Dark Order was ejected by the ref. Cassidy tossed Cody in the ring and went for a top rope splash, but Cody rolled through and went for CrossRhodes. Cassidy avoided it and hit a stunner. Cody replied with a springboard cutter. They had a strike battle, and Cassidy got the better of it with some rather weak looking palm thrusts. Cody fired back with a lariat, and then wrapped Cassidy’s legs around the turnbuckle. Arn barked at Cody for taking a shortcut, and Cody sold his neck injury.
Schiavone announced that Darby Allin would challenge for the TNT Title at Full Gear. Cody landed a disaster kick and covered for another near fall. Cody complained to Arn about his neck. The ref asked if he wanted to stop the match, and he said no. Cody applied a single leg crab, but couldn’t apply it correctly and went back to selling the neck.
Cassidy surprised Cody with a roll up for a two count. Cody replied with a lariat for a near fall. He then did push ups for some reason. Cassidy escaped a piledriver attempt by crawling away slowly. Cody then placed Cassidy on the top rope, and then landed a reverse suplex for another near fall. Cassidy had landed on the leg Cody has been working on. Cody pulled Cassidy to the corner for another wrap around the post, but Cassidy pulled him into the post. He then landed a diving DDT for a near fall.
Cassidy went to lift Cody, but needed two attempts because his leg gave out on the first one. Justin Roberts announced there were 5 minutes remaining. Cody applied a Figure Four, and Cassidy refused to tap. They rolled over a couple of times reversing the momentum (still stupid), and eventually Cassidy eventually reached the ropes.
Both men struggled on the apron, and Cassidy landed a Beach Break on the apron. Both men spilled to the floor. Cassidy fought to his feet and pushed Cody into the ring. Cassidy struggled to make a cover, but Cody reversed into a Crucifix for a near fall. Cody went for a CrossRhodes, but Orange Cassidy reversed out and landed a Beach Break for another near fall. They went back and forth until Cassidy trapped Cody in a Mouse Trap. The time limit expired before the ref could make the count one second too late.
Cody fought Orange Cassidy to a time limit draw in a TNT Title match
Backstage, Archer was interviewed by Alex Marvez, where he was immediately attacked by Jon Moxley. Tony then interviewed Matt Hardy and family at ringside. Matt said he felt good, and he was proud to be in AEW and celebrating its one year anniversary. He then announced he was back to 100 percent. Just as he said that, a video played that showed Sami Guevara burning photos of Matt Hardy backstage. He said he was the one who attacked Hardy backstage. He busted his knee, and his face, and that this wouldn’t be over until he put him back on the shelf. Hardy said he would make Guevara his first order of business…[c]
My Take: They played a little fast and loose with the clock throughout that match, but I don’t mind so much as it was in service of the story. Cody looked overconfident at times, like he had before he left to film his TV show, and then looked frustrated at others. I presume we are looking at Cody eventually turning heel as he tried to hold onto the TNT Championship at all costs.
In the ring, Tony Schiavone had a bingo drum and drew names for a Fatal Four Way Tag Team for next week to determine who will face FTR at Full Gear. Private Party, Silver and Reynolds, Butcher and Blade, and Young Bucks were selected. Matt and Nick came to the ring and had a brief staredown with FTR. They then superkicked Isaiah Kassidy and Alex Reynolds. We then had a brawl that resulted in Young Bucks and Private Party ending up in the ring. The Bucks suckered in Private Party for a handshake, and then superkicked them.
Hikaru Shida defends her title against Big Swole next…[c]
My Take: Meh. Why does a show that has rankings need a raffle to determine who was in this fatal four way match? Wouldn’t this have been a good time to show off their rankings in action, after the number one ranked challengers lost their title match earlier?
Big Swole made her entrance, followed by Hikaru Shida.
4. Hikaru Shida vs. Big Swole for the AEW Women’s Championship: They shook hands to start the match, and then went into a lock up. They worked through some chain wrestling before Swole used her power advantage to shove Shida down. They then hit the ropes and Swole shut down Shida’s speed with a headlock. They traded rollup attempts for one and two counts. They then tried for a double kip up, but Shida couldn’t quite get to her feet.
Archer vs. Moxley was changed to a No DQ match for later. Shida draped Swole off the apron, and then landed a running knee from the floor. Swole recovered and shoved Shida into the camera man…[c]
Shida draped Swole on the guard rail, and landed a running knee, sending her into the ringside area. She then pulled Swole back into the ringside area with a suplex, and climbed back into the ring for the attempted countout. Both women were climbing the turnbuckle in the corner. Swole went for a sunset bomb, but slipped. She recovered and hit a springboard cutter to the stage area. And then another one back into the ring for a near fall.
Shida returned fire with a german suplex, but couldn’t quite hold the bridge. She then followed up with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Shida went for a running knee, but Swole avoided it and landed Dirty Dancing. She covered quickly, but Shida reached the ropes. Shida got to her feet and avoided another attempt at Dirty Dancing. She then landed a knee to the back of Swole’s head, and a second one from the front to get the win.
Hikaru Shida defeated Big Swole at 8:53 to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
After the match, the announce team plugged the fatal four way tag match, the beginning of the AEW Championship Tournament, and the steak dinner for next week. Orange Cassidy vs. Cody was announced as a return match in two weeks. Eddie Kingston and The Lucha Bros were shown coming out to the announce table.
We then got a video package where Sean Spears said that Scorpio Sky owed him a debt because he stole a moment from him when he saved Matt Sydal from his attack on Dark. He said that he intends to collect on his debts…[c]
My Take: Shida and Swole had a decent match by the standards of this Women’s division, but they struggled through a few spots and had to regroup a couple of times. I want to see the AEW women’s division succeed, but I think the overall quality of the matches needs to improve before they aren’t the lowest rated segments on the show. It’s a bit of a cyclical problem, because the women need more reps, but they aren’t going to get more of them on Dynamite until their segments draw more viewers.
Lance Archer made his entrance, and threw one of the production staff through a pane of glass that was on the stage. Moxley then made his entrance.
5. Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts) for the AEW World Championship: Moxley landed the Paradigm Shift immediately for a two count. Archer took back over and tossed Moxley to ringside. They brawled around the outside of the and traded heavy blows. They worked their way back into the ring, and Moxley hit a big lariat. Archer replied with a pounce that sent Moxley flying. Moxley rolled to the floor, where Archer gave chase and landed another shoulder block…[c]
Archer set up a series of tables on the floor. Moxley gave him the double bird, and Archer cut him down with a kick. Moxley landed a hard forearm to Archer’s face, and then climbed to the top. He dove at Archer, who caught him with a choke. Moxley broke free and landed some forearm shots. He then shoved Archer into the ropes and landed a German Suplex on the rebound. Moxley then hit a series of hard lariats to take Archer off his feet.
Moxley retrieved some chairs and tossed them into the ring. He then tossed the chair into Archer’s face, and flashed an angry face at the crowd. Moxley set up two chairs, and wanted to give Archer a Death Valley Driver through them. Archer slipped out and gave Moxley a chokeslam, with the back of his head colliding with the chair. Archer wrapped Moxley’s head in a chair, and picked up a second one, but Moxley quickly wrapped up Archer’s leg and pulled him into an ankle lock.
Archer cheaped the ropes with the help of Jake Robers. He rolled to the floor to recover. Moxley set up for a suicide dive, but Archer used a trash can to stop him. Archer setup for a powerbomb through the tables at ringside, but Moxley gave him a low blow and drove him through the tables with a paradigm shift. Moxley hit another Paradigm Shift in the ring, but only got two. Moxley went for the Bulldog Choke, but Archer just stood up.
Archer landed a DDT, and then the Blackout. He covered Moxley, but he reversed into a Crucifix and got the win.
Jon Moxley defeated Lance Archer at 12:38 to retain the AEW World Championship
After the match, Archer gave Moxley a big boot and looked like he was in shock. Eddie Kingston and the “Lucha Bros” Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix went to the ring. Fenix hit Archer with a chair, and it didn’t faze him. Jake called him off and they headed to the back. Kingston tried to chum up to Moxley, and brought up old times. They had a rather insincere celebration for Moxley, before hitting him with a spinning backfist, and then a rear naked choke. Moxley went out, and Kingston celebrated with the AEW Championship. Kingston said he never tapped and never quit, and said he stole the title from him…
My Take: A fun match to close the show, but it never quite felt like the outcome was in question. They took a lot of steam off of Archer with the quick loss to Cody, and Moxley is far too popular a Champion to lose on TV for the anniversary show. Eddie Kingston is great, and so the post match happenings were fun. Hopefully they can pay that off with Moxley getting even next week.
I am a fan of AEW, but that was a horrible ending to that tag title match.
“Why does a show that has rankings need a raffle to determine who was in this fatal four way match? Wouldn’t this have been a good time to show off their rankings in action, after the number one ranked challengers lost their title match earlier?”
Because everything AEW said it would be built on was bullshit and it’s just WWE lite with even worse comedy.
“It’s a bit of a cyclical problem, because the women need more reps, but they aren’t going to get more of them on Dynamite until their segments draw more viewers.”
The best worker in the division is Serena Deeb, and it’s not close. The only others who have even a modicum of talent are Shida and Baker. Everything else about their women’s division is garbage.
You can argue that you think Riho is too small or whatnot if you want, but she certainly has ability. She is still part of the roster even if the pandemic has kept her in Japan.
She can do wrestling moves, but she can’t work at all. She’s also completely unbelievable against grown women because she’s too small.
If you think she “can’t work at all”, it’s beyond obvious you don’t have even the slightest clue about working. Even her size only comes into question if she’s in there against someone much bigger like Nyla Rose. Most women aren’t Chyna afterall.
So weird that for their “big” anniversary show, Kenny, Hangman, the Bucks, and Jericho don’t wrestle, but we DO get matches featuring Chuck Taylor, Big Swole, Orange Cassidy, and a squash match that includes Kip Sabian as part of the winning team.
Not a very good show this week, apart from an enjoyable main event. What is going on with Miro is just absolutely baffling. The tag team title much was pretty good until the botched ending, which to looked like the ref’s fault to me.