By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 56)
Live from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired October 21, 2020 on TNT
[Hour One] Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary. Ross hyped the eliminator tournament…
1. Wardlow vs. Jungle Boy in an AEW Title Eliminator first-round tournament match. Wardlow stood at ringside early in the match and caught Jungle Boy going for a huracanrana from the apron. Wardlow slammed Jungle Boy into the ring post, then rolled him back inside the ring.
Wardlow turned Jungle Boy inside out with a clothesline and then covered him for a near fall. Jungle Boy came back with a knee to the head and followed up with a nice missile dropkick that sent Wardlow to ringside. Jungle Boy dropkicked Wardlow as he tried to return to the ring, then performed a dive onto him on the floor.
Back inside the ring, Jungle Boy performed a nice springboard DDT and went for a cover, but Wardlow kicked out aggressively. Ross noted on commentary that the first round matches have 20 minute time limits and both wrestlers would be eliminated in the event of a draw.
Wardlow came back and set up for a powerbomb on the ropes, but Jungle Boy countered into a huracanrana. Jungle Boy followed up with a Backstabber and a double knee drop from the ropes for a near fall. Jungle Boy went for another springboard DDT on the stage, which is level to the ring, but Wardlow blocked it and tossed him back inside the ring. Wardlow performed his F10 finisher and scored the clean pin…
Wardlow defeated Jungle Boy in 8:20 to advance to the semifinals of the Eliminator Tournament.
The updated brackets showed that Wardlow will face the winner of Colt Cabana vs. Hangman Page in the second round on next week’s show…
Powell’s POV: An enjoyable opening match. Wardlow going over is logical if the plan is for Hangman Page to advance and face him in the next round. By the way, I am filling in for Jake Barnett tonight. He’s doing me a solid by covering Smackdown on Friday night so that I can properly celebrate my gal’s birthday. So, um, any suggestions for what the hell we can actually do safely during the pandemic?
The broadcast team hyped the previously advertised segments and noted that Britt Baker would be in action…
Highlights aired from after last week’s Dynamite concluded with Eddie Kingston. Pent El 0M and Rey Fenix held Moxley in place while Kingston made him look at the AEW Championship belt…
Ross announced Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston in an I Quit match for the AEW Championship for the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view. Ross said Moxley demanded the match….
Ross hyped upcoming matches going into a break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Here’s a twist. There was an ad for Monday’s WWE Raw during the first break.
A video package aired on the Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston match. Moxley said no one was happier than he was when Kingston signed with AEW because he knew where he came from. Moxley said he doesn’t know the Kingston he sees now because he’s bitter. Moxley said he won’t apologize for being successful and buying his mother a house. Moxley recalled choking out Kingston, who later said he never quit. Moxley said the I Quit match will force Kingston to verbalize it and then he won’t have anyone to blame but himself…
2. Kenny Omega vs. Sonny Kiss in an AEW Title Eliminator first-round tournament match. Ring announcer Justin Roberts delivered an over the top introduction for Omega, who had swimsuit wearing women sweeping the stage to signify “The Cleaner” gimmick. Ross said Omega seemed to be sending the message that he was reinventing again.
Excalibur noted that Kiss replaced Joey Janela in the match due to COVID-19 precautionary measures. He stated that Janela pulled himself from the match after coming in contact with someone who tested positive.Ross said Omega might be the favorite to win the tournament.
Omega blasted Kiss with a V-Trigger knee, then performed his One Winged Angel and scored the quick pin.
Kenny Omega defeated Sonny Kiss in 0:25 to advance to the semifinals of the Eliminator Tournament.
After the match, Omega helped Kiss to his feet and hugged him. Kiss seemed thrown off by Omega’s antics. The updated bracket showed that Omega will face the winner of Penta vs. Fenix…
Powell’s POV: Omega’s over the top entrance was followed by a decisive victory and some quirky post match behavior. I’m intrigued.
Footage aired of a pre-taped interview that Tony Schiavone conducted with Orange Cassidy. Schiavone asked him about the draw he had with Cody last week. “Sometimes calls go your way, sometimes they don’t,” Cassidy said. Schiavone asked him about his preparation for the rematch. “We’re onto Cincinnati,” Cassidy replied. Schiavone reminded him they were in Jacksonville. “Whatever,” said Cassidy…
Highlights aired of Dasha greeting Cody and Arn Anderson as they arrived in a limo. Cody said he wasn’t surprised that AEW wanted a rematch between him and Cassidy, but he was surprised by how quickly they want it. He said there are whispers of a stipulation being added to the match. Cody spoke about facing bigger opponents and said he’s basically become AEW’s giant killer. He said he had the night off and was looking forward to watching the tournament matches…
The broadcast team checked in from their desk. Ross said he hopes viewers are protecting their loved ones by wearing a mask and staying safe (amen). Ross hyped Penta vs. Fenix and said “it could be the match of the damn year”… [C]
Ross set up a pre-taped Eddie Kingston sit-down promo. Kingston said he doesn’t forget people unlike Moxley, so he started by talking about Penta, Fenix, The Butcher, and The Blade’s matches. He said FTR might call their old bosses and beg them to let them come back. “Speaking of sports entertainers,” Kingston said while shifting the focus to Jon Moxley.
Kingston said he doesn’t like what he’s become and can’t look at himself in the mirror, but he had to become a snake because the ends justify the means. He said he got nothing when he didn’t play the game before, whereas now he’s getting an AEW Title shot. He aid he hasn’t quit at anything in life and won’t quit when they meet. Kingston said Moxley will need to go to a dark place when they meet whereas he lives in that place…
Powell’s POV: I’m leery of Moxley and Kingston potentially going the death match route with their match, but their promos tonight were both excellent. If nothing else, AEW finally made it clear that while the finals of the tournament will be held at the pay-per-view, the winner won’t get a same night title match.
3. Penta El 0M vs. Rey Fenix in an AEW Title Eliminator first-round tournament match. Eddie Kingston sat in on commentary. The brothers shook hands after the bell rang. Kingston noted that Penta and Fenix made their names in the U.S. by facing one another in the past.
Penta and Fenix exchanged big chops in the middle of the ring. Fenix went for an early springboard move, but Penta caught him with a superkick on the way down and covered him for a two count. A short time later, Fenix performed a cool corkscrew dive from the top rope onto Penta at ringside.
With Penta back in the ring, Fenix tried a fast rope walk, but his brother pulled the rope down heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C] Penta performed a sling blade clothesline from the middle rope and got a two count. Fenix came back with a superkick and got a near fall of his own.
A short time later, Fenix performed a Spanish Fly from the top rope and got a near fall. Penta came back with a big powerbomb for another near fall. Penta wrenched the arm of Fenix over his knees. Fenix sold the injury. Penta hesitated and the broadcast team wondered if he was failing to capitalize due to Fenix being his brother.
Penta made his hand gesture in Fenix’s face and then ran the ropes, but Fenix ended up performing a Destroyer and scored the clean pin…
Rey Fenix beat Penta El 0M to advance in the Eliminator Tournament in roughly 14:00.
The updated brackets showed Fenix will face Kenny Omega in the semifinals of the tournament…
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match, but these two have definitely had better. They didn’t get enough time to really work their magic, but this gave fans who haven’t seen their past matches a taste of what they can do and ideally left them waiting to see more. Fenix vs. Omega should be terrific.
A video package recapped the drama involving Best Friends, Kip Sabian, Miro, and the arcade game… [C]
Alex Marvez interviewed Colt Cabana, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds on a backstage set. Reynolds said Brodie Lee taught them to seize every opportunity and they would do just that. Cabana said they will get the tag titles and he will win the AEW Title. Cabana said he feels zero pressure. Silver barked at Cabana about the Dark Order feeling pressure. He said he doesn’t like Cabana, but he will win the AEW Title, they will win the tag titles, and Brodie Lee will take back the TNT Title. Silver said the entire Dark Order will be there for the TNT Title match next week and they will beat up the winner…
[Hour Two] 4. Hangman Page vs. Colt Cabana (w/Evil Uno) in an AEW Title Eliminator first-round tournament match. Ross noted that neither man was ranked in the singles division. Uno watched the match from the stage. Page was the early aggressor and performed a tope onto Cabana, then rolled him back inside the ring and covered him for a two count going into a PIP break. [C]
Cabana got a near fall and then followed up with a hip attack style move in the corner, but Page caught him and performed a suplex that resulted in a two count. Page sent Cabana to ringside and went to the ropes, but Cabana got back on the apron and shoved Page, who took a bump on the apron to the floor. Cabana performed a splash from the apron.
Cabana rolled Page back inside the ring and went for a top rope splash, but Page rolled out of the way. Page powerbombed Cabana for a two count. A short time later, Cabana set up Page for the Chicago Skyline, but Page slipped away. Page went for a Buckshot Lariot, but Cabana ducked it and then performed the Superman pin attempt for a two count. Page came back with the Buckshot Lariat and scored the pin.
Hangman Page beat Colt Cabana in 10:50 to advance to the semifinals of the Eliminator Tournament.
After the match, Uno and a few other Dark Order members helped Cabana out of the ring. The updated brackets showed Page vs. Wardlow, and Fenix vs. Omega for next week’s semifinal matches…
Powell’s POV: Another enjoyable match. I wondered if Page would plow through Cabana similar to the way Omega plowed through Sonny Kiss, but they went the competitive route instead. It was interesting to see the Dark Order members take care of Cabana afterward. I wonder if that’s setting up a Brodie Lee meltdown.
A video package showed a demented Sammy Guevara looking at a collage of Matt Hardy photos on a wall. Guevara said it’s not over until he sends Hardy home for good… [C]
Taz stood on the stage with Brian Cage and Ricky Starks and delivered a promo. Taz recalled offering Will Hobbs a spot on Team Taz. He said he hadn’t heard from him, but he better soon or he would send Cage after him again.
Taz said he was called into the office of Tony Khan earlier in the day. He said Khan told him that if Starks had beaten Darby Allin, then he would have been challenging for the TNT Title. Taz boasted of Starks’ record and questioned why Allin gets everything he wants.
Starks said he has proven his worth, but he keeps getting the rug pulled out from under him. Starks said Allin will pay. He said he didn’t know when or where, but when they meet again then he will put him in the grave. Allin called him a half face painted little bitch…
Ross set up the Le Dinner Debonair footage and asked, “Where’s the sauce?”…
Chris Jericho and MJF were shown drinking wine at a restaurant style table. A waitress named Zelma approached. MJF called her Velma. Jericho corrected him. MJF accepted the correction, then continued to call her Velma. They went back and forth trying to one-up the other with their steak order by going rarer than the other.
Jericho said MJF was rude to everyone they’d come in contact with. He said there would be a town hall meeting next week to see what everyone thinks of MJF joining the faction. Jericho wondered if there was even a point. MJF kissed up to Jericho and called him the ratings ruler.
Jericho said the ratings ruler name sucked. “It has as much chance of getting over as…” They said Orange Cassidy simultaneously and laughed. They broke into a Rat Pack musical number. Yes, really. There were even five dancing girls.
Once the song was over, they sat down and the waitress delivered their ultra rare steaks and potatoes. They agreed to send back their rare steaks and called for the waitress… [C]
Powell’s POV: Sebastian Bach would have sang Jericho’s part better. Anyway, this will be adored by some and despised by others. It’s not what I want to see on a pro wrestling show. Even so, it’s a moment that people will be talking about for years to come.
5. Britt Baker (w/Reba) vs. KiLynn King. The broadcast team clarified that Reba’s name is actually Rebel (lies!!!). King caught Baker with a nice roundhouse kick. Baker came back with a sling blade clothesline. Baker performed a neckbreaker and a Stomp, then had Reba pass her the surgical glove. Baker applied the Lockjaw (Mandible Claw) and won via submission…
Britt Baker defeated KiLynn King in 4:00.
Powell’s POV: A showcase win for Baker, who needs some wins. She entered the show as the only person with a losing record to be listed in AEW’s divisional top five rankings. I believe she’s evened up the record at 6-6 now.
The broadcast team hyped the tournament semifinals, Tay Conti vs. Abadon, Cody vs. Orange Cassidy in a Lumberjack match for the TNT Championship, and the Inner Circle’s town hall meeting to determine whether MJF can join the faction for next week’s Dynamite. They also ran through the pay-per-view lineup and noted that Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Hardy will be an Elite Deletion match. They also said next week’s TNT Title match was made a lumberjack match in hopes of preventing Dark Order interference.
Powell’s POV: So the story could have been that AEW vowed to fire The Dark Order if they interfered in the TNT Title match just as ROH has vowed to fire anyone who interferes in Pure Title tournament matches, but instead they are going with a lumberjack match that almost guarantees outside interference.
A black and white video with Darby Allin and Steve O from “Jackass” aired. Steve O set up a stunt with Alin rolling down a half pipe in a body bag…
The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny (Allie) made their entrance. Excalibur showed highlights from Dark of Eddie Kingston reuniting The Bunny with Butcher and Blade. They went to a PIP break that included the entrances of Private Party, and Alex Reynolds and John Silver… [C] The Young Bucks made their entrance…
6. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. “Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver vs. The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny) in a four-way tag match for a shot at the AEW Tag Titles. The “FTR” duo of Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood sat in on commentary since they will face the winners at Full Gear.
Schiavone made a point of saying that there are no disqualifications in a four-way tag match. Quen performed a nice shooting star press on The Blade and had him pinned, but The Butcher broke it up heading into a PIP break. [C]
Silver had a big burst of offense on multiple opponents. Silver and Reynolds had Quen pinned, but the Bucks broke it up. Schiavone hyped the next live show for Daily’s Place for November 4 (next week’s show will be taped tomorrow).
Private Party rallied and performed a top rope leg drop and top rope splash combo on Reynolds, but the other teams broke up their pin attempt. The Butcher suplexed Kassidy onto the knees of The Blade, which led to another near fall.
Nick Jackson took worked over Reynolds and Silver with a series of kicks and moves, then blasted both Private Party members with kicks fro the apron. Nick went to the top rope and performed a dive onto Butcher and Blade. Nick looked into the camera and said he and his brother are the best in the world.
The Bucks performed a double superkick on Butcher, then Nick performed a dropkick that pushed Quen into a piledriver from Matt, while Nick fell into a senton on Butcher. The other wrestlers broke up the pin attempt that followed.
Kassidy tried to tag out, but Quen was apparently pulled from the apron. The Bucks set up for their Meltzer Driver finisher on Kassidy, but Quen stopped Nick. Meanwhile, Kassidy rolled Matt into a pin, but Matt reversed it and scored the pin to win the match.
The Young Bucks defeated Private Party, Alex Reynolds & John Silver, and The Butcher & The Blade in a four-way in 13:30 to earn an AEW Tag Title shot at the Full Gear pay-per-view.
After the match, the FTR duo of Harwood and Wheeler headed to the ring with their belts and beers in hand. They offered the beers to the Jacksons, who slapped them out of their hands. A man that Schiavone said had been working as the timekeeper entered the ring wearing a hat and a bandana. The masked man Matt from behind with a chair. The mystery man helped FTR perform and spike piledriver on Nick. FTR wrapped Matt’s leg in a chair, then Wheeler leapt from the ropes and stomped it. The masked man revealed himself to be Tully Blanchard. Ross closed the show…
Powell’s POV: So we are finally getting FTR vs. The Young Bucks, but it’s coming at a time when the Bucks have shown heel tendencies. Odd. I hope this makes sense when all is said and done. The attack on Matt may have been the company’s way of trying to get the Jacksons back in babyface mode, but they will need to explain away their recent actions somehow if that’s the case. Either way, I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see a “rise of the Bucks” stretch of matches where they got their mojo back and earned the tag title shot in the process.
Overall, this was a solid edition of Dynamite. The tournament matches were largely predictable, but they were entertaining and set up a couple of good semifinal matches. Omega vs. Fenix has the potential to be off the charts good if they get enough time. The Moxley and Kingston promos were really good. The Jericho and MJF musical ruined the show for some viewers and made it for others. To each his own. Let me know what you thought of the show by assigning it a letter grade in our weekly post show poll available via the main page. I will return shortly with my weekly same night audio review of Dynamite for Dot Net Members.
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This was a fantastic show right up until Jericho and MJF started singing. I am a massive Jericho fan and have loved MJF in AEW, but this was just utterly diabolical.
Kingston and Moxley though – just sensational promos.
I’ll admit, the bit with the steaks made me laugh. The ‘musical’ number was terrible, though. You just can’t position two of your main heels that way. It’s also just not something I want to watch.
Overall though, that’s the only ‘Miss’ for me. It was a strong show. Moxley vs. Kingston is going to be great!