By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 58)
Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired live on November 4, 2020 on TNT
[Hour One] The normal introduction opened the show, and then cut to Dasha Gonzalez with Chris Jericho, Jake Hager and Santana. Jericho ranted about Hager’s toughness, and talked about him being 3-0 in AEW. They were cut off by MJF, and said he thought there was some tension with him last week, and he didn’t want that. He was glad Jericho would be on commentary, because he could show him that he was Inner Circle material. Jericho asked MJF to look at Hager and Santana, and said they were tough as nails with killer instinct. He said MJF didn’t have what it took, and called him soft. MJF said he would prove him wrong right now.
Jericho then made his entrance to join Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone. Jericho soaked in the crowd singing his music. MJF then made his entrance with Wardlow for a tag team match. Jericho pointed out MJF’s scarf as exhibiting a lack of toughness, or for ironic moment of the night. Ortiz and Sammy Guevara then made their entrance.
1. MJF and Wardlow vs. Ortiz and Sammy Guevara: A bunch of tags to start the match, as nobody could decide who would start. Ortiz started with Wardlow. They hit the ropes and Ortiz landed a low dropkick. Wardlow fired back with a slam, and MJF tagged in. He entered and stomped on Ortiz in the heel corner, and then tagged Wardlow back in. They made rapid tags, cutting off Ortiz from his partner.
MJF bit Ortiz after baiting Sammy Guevara and causing a ref distraction. MJF made the first cover at 2:55 for a two count. MJF slowed the pace with holds. He then nearly collided with Wardlow on the apron, which allowed Ortiz to get a tag. Sammy entered the match and landed kicks to both MJF and Wardlow. He then splashed them both in the ring, and then dives onto both of them on the floor. He then landed a soccer kick to MJF’s back for a near fall.
Things broke down and Ortiz and Warldow ended up on the floor. MJF got a thumb to the eyes of Guevara. He then glanded his GTH and covered, but Wardlow broke it up. Sammy and Ortiz landed a standing shooting star, and a running Senton on Wardlow. Ortiz and Sammy placed MJF on the top, and Wardlow created a tower of doom spot by powerbombing both of them. Wardlow landed an F10 on Ortiz and made a cover, but Sammy broke it up with a splash.
Sammy then landed a springboard axehandle on MJF on the floor, but Matt Hardy used a Serpentico mask disguise to throw a chair at his face. MJF then applied his Salt of the Earth armbar on Ortiz and got the tap out victory.
MJF and Wardlow defeated Ortiz and Sammy Guevara at 9:41
MJF then ran out and attacked Jericho at the announce table, and tackled him through some equipment. Hager ended up breaking it up, and Jericho smiled at MJF. Cody and Gunn Club will face Dark Order later. Moxley and Kingston will go face to face tonight, and if they get physical the match is off. Nyla Rose will face Red Velvet, and Pac will break his silence. Miro vs. Trent is up next.
We then saw a sit down interview between Kenny Omega and Tony Schiavone. Tony thanked Kenny for welcoming him into his home. Kenny said it wasn’t his home or his dog, he’s just living in Jacksonville temporarily. Kenny then made mention of how AEW speaks about being a sports based product, and how important it was to qualify for his title shot, rather than have it handed to him. He said he keeps hearing about how this tournament was obvious, but he thought he was going to be facing Wardlow for a minute. Kenny then asked who Tony had in the finals, and he said it would be hard to bet against Omega. Kenny then said maybe it was his destiny to win the tournament and become the AEW Champion. He spoke very tongue in cheek and sarcastic.
My Take: A fun opening tag. I could live the rest of my life without seeing another Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara match, but the chair spot was a clever way of keeping Sammy away from the obvious finish. MJF tackling Jericho looked pretty much exactly like the spot with Orange Cassidy not that long ago. Omega continues to pretend he’s not an asshole.
Trent had made his entrance before the break. Miro made his ring entrance after the break. We saw some video from Miro’s twitch channel where Trent said he would make Miro his young boy again. Miro insulted Trent’s Mom by interrupting Justin Roberts on the mic during the ring announcements. Trent attacked and the bell rang.
2. Miro (w/Kip Sabian, Penelope Ford) vs. Trent (w/Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy): Miro took control almost immediately and stomped on Trent in the corner. He then landed a suplex. Trent got in a few quick shots, but Miro overwhelmed him quickly. Trent kicked the crap out of Kip Sabian on the floor. Penelope tried to intervene, but Orange Cassidy stood in her way. Miro missed a charge in the corner, and landed some chops. Miro fired back with chops of his own and sent Trent out to the floor…[c]
Miro controlled the action during the break. He threw Trent into the ring barricade, and applied a headlock in the ring. The Dark Order appeared on the outside and attacked Orange Cassidy. John Silver was the instigator. Miro didn’t like their presence, and they took off when he confronted them. Trent knocked down Miro with a clothesline, which just seemed to make Miro angry. Trent ducked a big lariat and landed a German Suplex.
Trent lined up for a knee strike, but Miro avoided it and landed a slinging Uranage for a near fall. Miro lined up for a big kick, but Trent avoided it and got a near fall with a roll up. Miro rolled to the floor, and Trent dove on him. He then landed a tornado DDT and a running knee for a near fall. Trent slipped on a springboard, and Miro kicked him in the face. He then applied the Camel Clutch for the win.
Miro defeated Trent at 11:03
After the match, Miro applied the Camel Clutch again. Chuck ran down for the save, and Kip bailed out Miro. Miro grabbed a microphone at ringside to talk some trash, but Orange Cassidy dove on both Miro and Kip. This angered Miro, but Kip pulled him away. They celebrated up the ramp.
JR was shown in a pre-tape interview with Hangman Page. He said he’s had a lot of time to prepare for Kenny Omega looking at the brackets, and he’s had a lot of time to prepare to kick his ass. Hangman said he knows all of Kenny’s moves, and how to reverse them. JR called out Page and said he was lying to him, and said he thought he was nervous based on the bourbon he had in his hand. Page said nobody thought he could be the first AEW Champion, and they were right. He said if he doesn’t win on Saturday, he doesn’t know what’s next. JR told him that moderation is the key, and good luck on Saturday. Jericho said on Saturday that if Hangman shows up inebriated or hung over, Kenny was going to tear him apart…[c]
My Take: Miro looked good in his first singles match. I still don’t think this gimmick and this video game centric story is what I would have done with him, but he stands out in a positive way when it comes to his physical presence in AEW. Hangman Page is a stress drinker, which could be interesting, but I’m not sure I like selling the possibility that he might go into a match drunk. We’ve already seen that ruin a wrestling show.
We got an FTR and Young Bucks video package. It was focused on AEW personnel making predictions for the match, and the stipulation of the Young Bucks never challenging for the titles again. Taz walked out with Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. He spoke to Will Hobbs and said the clock was ticking. He then said he sat outside Tony Khan’s office for two hours, but was told TK was busy with people competing on Saturday on PPV.
Taz made reference to the ranking system, and said that Cage is the #1 ranked wrestler as a heavyweight. He said Ricky Starks has won 10 of 11 matches, and he’s not even in the top 5. Starks said he has crushed every opportunity he’s been given out of the park, and has a hard time figuring out how he can’t even get rank. He asked Taz to make sense of them not having a match on PPV.
Taz said he couldn’t make sense of it. He called out Cody for being an entitled whiner, and said Darby is the same. He said their match would be good, and Cody lives by the motto of doing the work, but those two are getting worked. They left the ring, and Private Party made their entrance with Matt Hardy. Sammy Guevara ran out and gave Hardy a Twist of Fate on the stage…[c]
My Take: A bit of a rambly promo from Taz and crew, but they made some good points about the rankings system and how it’s not as much of a factor as you’d think it would be. I presume we see them made an appearance during the TNT Title match on Saturday. The hype video for the Bucks and FTR spent a lot of time on everything but the personal rivalry between the two, which lets you know how much they fell short in creating drama in that feud.
The Young Bucks made their entrance after the break. Justin Roberts made ring introductions.
3. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. “Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy: Nick Jackson started the match with Marq Quen. Nick landed an acrobatic arm drag, and then pulled Quen in for an arm bar.
[Hour Two] Matt then tagged in and went for an arm drag of his own. Matt walked gingerly on his leg. Kassidy tagged in, and The Bucks landed some double team offense on both members of Private Party. Double suplexes and double splashes to the floor. Matt sold his leg after the drive to the outside.
Kassidy landed a lariat on Matt Jackson, and then pulled him into the corner to Quen to land a kick to the face. They then landed a series of double team moves ending in an combo Camel Clutch and double stomp. They then cleared both Matt and Nick out to the floor, and dove on both men. Kassidy climbed to the top rope, but Matt shoved him off and onto the entrance stage outside the ring.
Matt landed a running bulldog, and tagged in Nick for a swanton. There was a strange sequence where The Bucks set up for the Meltzer driver, but Quen avoided it and landed a DDT/STO combo on Matt and Nick…[c]
Matt and Quen traded strikes in the ring, and Matt continued to sell the damage to his leg. The Bucks isolated Quen in their corner. He broke free with a double huracarrana, and tagged Kassidy. He entered the match fired up and landed kicks to both Matt and Nick. He then landed a springboard stunner on Nick, and then dove to the outside with a tornillo onto both Matt and Nick. Kassidy threw Nick into the ring and made a cover for a near fall.
Matt Jackson sold his ankle on the apron. Private Party managed to land Gin and Juice on Nick, and Matt broke up the pin. Quen missed a shooting star on Nick, and Matt landed a spear on him. Nick then kicked Kassidy to the floor. After another Meltzer Driver attempt, Quen traded a series of rollups with Matt Jackson for near falls. They eventually put him away with a BTE Trigger.
The Young Bucks defeated Private Party at 14:37
After the match, Matt Jackson continued to sell his bad ankle. The Young Bucks got their arms raised, but FTR showed up for the ambush. They landed a Goodnight Express on Matt, and set up to take out his ankle in a chair. Hangman Page ran down with drink in hand, followed soon after by Kenny Omega. The Bucks got to their feet and had a staredown with FTR. Hangman and Omega had a staredown of their own, and Kenny backed down…[c]
My Take: Both of these stories feel like they could have been more effective if they were a bit simpler. There’s a lot of complex dynamics in play, which I think can be really good if executed in the right way, but this just hasn’t been. I can say I think both matches will deliver and be a lot of fun, but the drama building just hasn’t grabbed me the way I hoped it would.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring, and introduced Eddie Kingston. He then brought out Jon Moxley for their face to face. Kingston got right in Moxley’s face, and said he was going to ruin him and take his Championship. He said he would give the title to his Grandmother and say that’s why she didn’t have a Daughter in law or a Grandson. He said it was the only title that mattered in wrestling, and it’s why he sold out and became everything he hated.
Moxley grabbed the microphone and said it was important who you called your friends. It’s better to have four quarters than 100 pennies, but he never thought Eddie would betray him. Jon invoked Eddie’s Mother Ruthie, and said he broke bread with her and made a promise to her to look after Eddie. He said he was happy for him when he signed a contract. He also said the loudest one in the room is the weakest, and Kingston had been doing a lot of talking. Jon said he was the AEW Champion and the best wrestler in the world, and on Saturday Kingston would find out that after 18 years he didn’t really deserve it. And he felt bad for him, because now he has a promise he made to his mother that he can’t keep.
Kingston told Moxley that this was real, and that he better be prepared to kill him on Saturday. Kingston then stormed off, and Moxley said he would find out he’s not the man he thinks he is, and he would say I Quit.
The show then cut to a video of Pac. He was shown watching Dynamite with several versions of himself in the background being angry. He said the thing about isolation is that you’ve got nobody to play with. He was shown at various locations in England, and said not to worry about him, because he’s been lost and abandoned before. He said he would get stronger, faster and more obsessed than before…[c]
My Take: Phenomenal promo from both Moxley and Kingston. A stark contrast with the muddled stories being told by the former members of The Elite and FTR. The Pac video package was excellent too. Being cooped up for 7 months has driven Pac insane….which is actually kind of relatable at this point.
A video was shown of Butcher and Blade attacking Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall backstage. Nyla Rose then made her entrance in the arena. Red Velvet was already in the ring.
4. Red Velvet (w/Brandi Rhodes) vs. Nyla Rose (w/Vickie Guerrer): Red Velted jumped out to some early offense, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the power advantage of Nyla She landed a big lariat, and stared down Hikaru Shida at ringside. Velvet escaped and went for a top rope huracarrana, but ended up in a Beast Bomb. Nyla picked up Velvet, and landed Hikaru Shida’s running knee and got the win.
Nyla Rose defeated Red Velvet at 1:57
After the match, Nyla stared down Shida. Vickie Guerrero grabbed a mic and labeled Brandi Rhodes the Chief Bullshit Officer for managing the loser Red Velvet. She also approached Shida, and told her Nyla was going to break her bones and she would have to surrender her title. She then told her to enjoy her final days as Champion. Shida grabbed Guerrero, and there was a brief scuffle at ringside.
After the brawl, we got another video package where Excalibur, Schiavone, JR, and others gave tidbits of information and predictions about Omega vs. Page. We then got a “Don’t know what you got til it’s gone” playing over clips of their time as a tag team. We then got a rundown of the Full Gear card. Rey Fenix vs. Pentagon rematch will happen next week, as well as Natural Nightmares vs. Butcher and Blade.
A Darby Allin video package was then shown. He destroyed a car window with a skateboard. The car was painted like his face and said “The Face of TNT” on it. He then hit a man with the car wearing a Cody Rhodes mask. In the arena, Dark Order made their entrance. Darby Allin was shown in the crowd. Jon Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana will be competing for Dark Order…[c]
My Take: The video packages have been well put together tonight. The show is very focused on the PPV, which is good, and also necessary because of how little TV time some of these feuds have received.
The Gunn Club made their entrance, followed by Cody Rhodes with Arn Anderson.
5. Cody Rhodes (w/Arn Anderson) and “The Gunn Club” Billy and Austin Gunn vs. Dark Order’s John Silver, Colt Cabana, and 10: John Silver and Cody started the match. Schiavone said Cody trusts The Gunn Club going back years. Cody landed a neckbreaker and landed a clothesline. He then tagged Austin Gunn, who landed some quick offense. He landed a blockbuster on Silver and made a cover for a two count. Billy Gunn then tagged in, and Silver tagged in Cabana.
Billy caught Cabana flying at him in the corner for a suplex. Austin tagged back in. Cabana distracted the referee so 10 could take some cheap shots at Austin…[c]
Billy tagged into the match and took out the Dark Order members with strikes and a tilt a whirl slam to Silver. He set up for a Rocker Dropper on 10, but was stopped by Cabana. He then pulled it off, but Silver broke up the tag. Cody entered and dove onto Cabana on the floor. 10 then landed a cutter on Billy for a near fall. Austin tagged into the match, and landed a CrossRhodes and a Quick Draw on 10 for the win.
Cody and The Gunn Club defeated Dark Order at 9:10
The Dark Order surrounded the ring after the match, and Orange Cassidy rand down to take out Silver with an Orange Punch. Cody grabbed a microphone and said he doesn’t like telling a story that isn’t true. Cody said his opponent is telling people that TNT doesn’t want him as the face of the brand, because he’s too reckless. He said that isn’t true, they’d love to have him, but it’s just not going to happen.
Cody said he pitched him to the other EVP’s, and they were so unsure of him that he had to wrestle him himself. He told Darby to stop lying about the reason that he’s not the champion, because he’s getting his shot for the Ace Championship, he’s just not the Ace.
My Take: Not much happening in that match. Cody’s promo afterward was interesting, because it started to tell a story that I would have loved to see him speak more about on television. Cody is an excellent promo, and it’s a shame we didn’t get to hear him hype this match up more on the microphone before the go home show.
Moxley and Kingston – wow, that was fantastic.