By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 59)
Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired live on November 11, 2020 on TNT
[Hour 1] A new video opened the show. JR, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone opened the show on commentary and spoke about Veteran’s Day. Team Taz made their entrance and Taz made an introduction of FTW Champion Brian Cage and said that he would be wrestling right now. Darby Allin was in the audience, and Taz reminded him that the last time they got a hold of him they splatted him across the hood of his car, so if he knew what was good for him he should stay in his chair. He then told him to contact his buddy Cody, and tell him he can come get an ass whooping again too.
Taz said Cage was about to wrestle someone who was respected in locker rooms all around the world, unlike Darby Allin. He said while Darby has a win over Cody, Cage’s opponent Matt Sydal has a win over Chris Jericho. We then got official ring introductions for Cage, and Sydal made his ring entrance. Taz joined on commentary.
1. Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage: Cage slapped and threw Sydal around early. He landed an over the head throw and a backbreaker. He then landed a lariat and some clubbing blows. Cage picked up Sydal for some bicep curls and then threw Sydal over his head. Sydal got no offense other than brief hope spots, but managed to flip out of a suplex attempt. Sydal went for a rana, but Cage stuffed it. Cage went for a rana himself, and got powerbombed for his trouble. Cage rolled to the floor to recover, but Sydal jumped on him with a meteora onto the ramp.
Sydal went up top, but Cage recovered and picked up Sydal for a powerbomb. Sydal reversed out and landed a series of kicks and a neckbreaker for a near fall. He then landed a standing moonsault for another two count. Sydal landed a series of kicks, and avoided a pumphandle slam. Cage managed to land a lariat. He then picked up Sydal for a Drillclaw, but Sydal reversed into a head scissors into a near fall.
Sydal went to the top and dove at Cage, but he was caught and pulled into a Drillclaw for the win.
Brian Cage defeated Matt Sydal at 9:33
After the match, Ricky Starks got on the microphone and said that was incredible. Starks then mentioned both of them were now ranked, they wanted to make things happen. He said anybody who gets in their way would be put into the grave, because the Team Taz Revolution will be televised. Penta vs. Fenix, Spears vs. Sky, Tay Conti vs. Red Velvet, MJF’s induction into the inner circle, Butcher and Blade vs. Natural Nightmares in a Bunkhouse Brawl, and Cody were all plugged for later. Cody is actually up next…[c]
My Take: A solid opener, if a little too predictable based on how much promo time was dedicated to Team Taz. Sydal looked impressive, and Cage works well with smaller guys. Darby didn’t react at all to their statements while the cameras were on him, so it seems all his character development will take place in his vignettes.
Cody Rhodes made his entrance, and got a mixture of cheers and boos when he got to the ring. He congratulated Darby Allin first thing, and said he wanted to do it in person after he already had done it on social media. He then said he will not be seeking a rematch at this time. Cody then threw out another loss on his record that he wanted to vindicate, and that was MJF. Suddenly, a woman walked up from behind Cody and he asked if he could help her. She grabbed his tie and said “Can you?”
The woman said Cody is a liar, and introduced herself as Jade Cargill. She said she was the total package, and had been studying her competition as well as Cody Rhodes. She said he once called himself a giant killer, and asked him what he knew about Giants, because there was nothing Giant about him. Jade then said she knew a giant, and statements like his create an echo loud enough to wake him. So the next time he decided to think out loud, he better keep that shit to himself, because she is nothing to be played with.
Jade left the ring, and said congratulations to him on his name, but it’s too bad he wasn’t man enough to go by one name. She then named the man that she knows as Shaq. Brandi came running out and told Jade she was running her mouth on her stage about her man, and called her all manner of bitches and heffas. She said Jade can take her ass off her stage, and not come back until she sent for her. She also said that she would never speak about her husband that way again, and called her ratchet. They were eventually separated by Jerry Lynn.
After that cleared out, Brian Cage came back to the ring and powerbombed Cody Rhodes. Starks walked back down to jump in, but Will Hobbes and Darby Allin cleared them out. The Bunkhouse Match is next…[c]
My Take: A wild segment with Brandi suddenly becoming a very different character. Shaq coming into AEW to have a feud with Cody would be something. Here’s hoping they don’t expect him to come in to work a straight match. I have to assume Cody will finish up with Team Taz before they get to that at the next PPV.
We saw a Hangman Page and Kenny Omega video package. We then got a Jon Moxley promo, and he spoke about how he initially didn’t want the responsibility of being the AEW Champion, but he grew up in the business and realized that the title represented everybody that felt disenfranchised. He spoke about Kenny Omega being one of the best wrestlers ever, and that he had already beaten him one, but beating him twice would take a special kind of wrestler. He said he is that wrestler, and the best in the world right now, and said he would never quit. He said Kenny Omega might be the guy to put his lights out, but good luck.
Butcher and Blade made their entrance with Allie. The Natural Nightmares made their way out and started brawling immediately.
2. “Natural Nightmares” QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny) in a Bunkhouse Match: Things spilled around the ring immediately. QT Marshall got whipped by his own belt. Dustin Rhodes dropped Butcher in a chair on the outside with a facebuster. Blade then grabbed a guitar and smashed it over QT’s head. Dustin Rhodes and Blade ended up back in the ring. Dustin had a bullrope and set up Blade in the corner for Shattered Dreams. The Butcher recovered and broke it up by using a chair on Dustin’s chest and back.
Allie helped Butcher handcuff Dustin in the corner, and QT came up bleeding from the guitar shot. Butcher and Blade then isolated QT in the ring…[c]
Chaos reigned as Dustin escaped his handcuffs. Butcher swatted a ladder out of Dustin’s hands with a chair. All the action spilled outside, and Butcher and Dustin ended up in an equipment area near the ring. QT Marshall used a fire extinguisher on Butcher, and Dustin bulldogged him onto a nearby crash pad that was covered in thin plywood. QT and The Blade were both bleeding, and brawling in the ring. QT hit him with a trash can lid and grabbed a ladder. He set it up near the corner, but The Butcher knocked him down with a chair.
The blade was absolutely covered in blood. Butcher and Blade landed full death on Dustin Rhodes through some chairs that Allie provided. QT broke it up with a trash can shot to Butcher. After a series of near misses, The Bunny was put through a table after she was bumped off the apron by The Blade. Dustin then hit The Blade with a cowbell, and QT landed a Diamond Cutter for the win.
“The Natural Nightmares” Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall defeated Butcher and Blade at 12:52
After the match, we got a video recap of the Elite Deletion and Matt Hardy vs Sammy Guevara’s feud. Matt thankfully declared the end of the feud, but said Sammy had earned his respect and told him he’d be a bigger star despite losing the rivalry. MJF’s induction is next…[c]
My Take: That was an absolute bloodbath. I don’t know if the feud had really earned it, but it was an entertaining watch in the same way that you can’t turn away from a car crash. The Matt Hardy video package felt like it lacked subtlety. Like something you’d hear a wrestler say during a podcast interview or something.
[Hour 2] Justin Roberts kicked off the induction ceremony by playing a very hair metal video package of MJF and Jericho. Jericho then made his entrance with his sparkly jacket. Jericho said he was excited to induct two new members into the Inner Circle, but before he did, he wanted to bring out the OG Inner Circle. He called them his brothers and gave them introductions. They didn’t know where Sammy Guevara was. Jericho said the show must go on, and brought out MJF and Wardlow.
MJF said it was a long road to get here. In his five years in the business, he made it with only a small loan of 1 Million Dollars from his father. He was crying and said real men cry. He then said he wrote a poem, and hoped his homies in Proud and Powerful would dig it. The poem was Drake lryics from the song “Come Up”. Ortiz called him out, but he insisted he wrote it.
Jericho said they were the strongest force in the world, stronger than the Walls of Jericho. He told Ortiz and Santana that they needed to make it work. MJF said he started from the bottom, and now he’s here in the inner circle. MJF then said it wasn’t just about him, they were there to celebrate his birthday.
We got balloons and confetti, and MJF announced he was taking the entire Inner Circle to Vegas on him for Jericho’s birthday. They all joined arms and celebrated. Ortiz still looked pissed off…[c]
My Take: MJF was hysterical here. Really funny stuff. He’s got Jericho completely gaslit, and he wants to hear nothing of what Ortiz has to say. Hopefully they are able to be disciplined enough with this story to keep it moving every week without having it run out of gas before the next PPV.
We got an FTR and Young Bucks recap. Backstage, The Young Bucks were interviewed backstage by Alex Marvez. Nick said he was happy to be a Tag Team Champion and it was the highest honor of their career. Matt said they were looking for fresh competition, and said they had taken notice of Top Flight, and said they would have a match with them next week. In the arena, Shawn Spears made his entrance. A video package was played during his entrance that set up his feud with Scorpio Sky. Then Sky made his entrance.
3. Scorpio Sky vs. Shawn Spears(w/Tully Blanchard): Sky dominated the early going, and the action spilled to ringside after a big boot. Sky bit spears on the side of the face on the floor, and then landed a lariat. Cody and Darby Allin vs. Team Taz was announced for next week. Spears recovered and pulled Sky off the ropes into the ring with a suplex…[c]
Sky splashed Spears out on the floor and landed a springboard cutter back into the ring for a near fall. The ref checked Spears glove during the break in case it was loaded. Sky climbed the ropes again, but Spears charged after him. They met on the floor outside, and Spears landed about 5% of a superkick, and then dropped him into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Sky avoided some offense and Sky applied a Scorpion Deathlock. Tully distracted the ref, which allowed spears to discover a metal slug that Tully had left in the ring. Spears punched Sky with the slug and got the win.
Shawn Spears defeated Scorpio Sky at 9:13
After the match, the ref wasn’t able to discover the slug in the glove, meaning that Spears had ditched it somehow.
Dasha Gonzalez had a scheduled interview with Kenny Omega, but he bailed on her. Alex Marvez caught up with him in the parking lot. Kenny said Jon Moxley has something he wants, and not just the AEW Championship, but being the face of all the magazines and the man in the conversations around who is the best in the world. Kenny then said that they had never faced each other in a one on one singles match with regular rules, and so he considered them 0-0. He said he had heard everyone talking, and while he hadn’t really gone anywhere, he wanted to resume the role of being the guy that gave everyone 7 star matches in New Japan. Kenny said Moxley seemed like he was ready for the match, and so is he.
My Take: Kenny continues to send mixed signals with his promos. He’s doing the “I’m a huge asshole” thing with his entrance and mannerisms in the ring, but in his promos he’s talking about returning to being the kind of guy that fans wanted him to be from the beginning.
Tay Conti made her entrance with Anna Jay. Red Velvet made hers with an irritated Brandi Rhodes.
4. Red Velvet vs Tay Conti: Velvet started out the match on offense and backed Conti into the corner with some kicks. Tay landed some Judo throws and a kick for a near fall…[c]
Conti landed a nice suplex for a near fall. Velvet avoided a charge in the corner and landed two lariats. She then landed a bulldog, and then double knees against the ropes. She then landed another knee in the corner, followed by a stunner for a close near fall. Anna Jay offered a chair for Tay to win the match through underhanded tactics, but she kicked it out of the ring. Things got kind of clumsy for the finishing sequence. Tay Conti held wrist control and did a cartwheel. I think Velvet was supposed to pop up, but Conti had to pull her up to her feet to land a pump kick. She then landed a clumsy looking Gory Special into a knee lift for the win.
Tay Conti defeated Red Velvet at 7:50
Backstage, Alex Marvez interviewed Jericho and the inner circle. They celebrated their Vegas trip, and Sammy Guevara walked up and got fired up because he got an e-mail that told him to meet at the beach. MJF said he sent a second e-mail, but Sammy must not have gotten it. Everyone else in the group said the got the second e-mail. Sammy got in MJF’s face, but Jericho settled things down. MJF gave Sammy his ticket, and said the ticket was on him.
We then got a video package to recap the Best Friends and Miro/Kip situation. Eddie Kingston then watched out on stage. He got tears, which he shut down quickly. Kingston said Moxley made him quit, and that’s something he has to live with. He said while the fans might quit, he will keep fighting and be world champion someday. He then said up next were two brothers that were the greatest luchadores in the World. He told the fans “You’re Welcome”, and walked over to the commentary table. Fenix made his ring entrance.
My Take: Conti vs. Velvet was a bit of a mess. If you were going to pick one of them to face Hikaru Shida, I’d probably say Velvet, but she continues to take losses on TV. The division continues to be a struggle to watch.
Pentagon made his entrance as the show returned.
5. Rey Fenix vs. Penta El Zero Miedo: Things got wild quickly as we got a series of pinning combinations and reversals for two counts. Penta got dumped over the top rope, but quickly returned to the ring and landed a dropkick. Penta then applied a standing cloverleaf, and then tore at Penta’s mask. Penta held part of Fenix’s mask in his teeth while applied a chinlock….[c]
Penta controlled the offense during the break, and kept Fenix grounded. Fenix fired back with a spin kick in the corner, followed by springboard huracanrana for a near fall. He then landed another kick and covered for a two count. Fenix then ripped and tore at the mask of Pentagon, and then they had a hockey fight while holding onto each other masks.
Penta landed what I would describe as a front flip reverse DDT that spiked Fenix on his head. He then covered for a close near fall. Fenix replied by tossing Penta to the floor and landing a diving tornillo that landed flush. Fenix then climbed the ropes and landed a senton atomico for another near fall. Penta rolled to the apron and landed a superkick, followed by a package piledriver on the ring frame.
Fenix struggled to his feet, and then Penta landed a Canadian Destroyer out on the floor. There was then another package piledriver in the ring for the win.
Penta El Zero Miedo defeated Rey Fenix at 12:34
Eddie Kingston called the crowd marks on the house mic, and said his best friend had showed his brother who was boss. He told Penta he didn’t need that dead weight, but Pac made his return to interrupt.
He asked Eddie if he thought he’d be gone forever, and called him a scumbag. He told Kingston he had made a terrible mistake, and charged the ring. It was announced that Pac will face The Blade next week. About a dozen refs and officials had to keep Pac away from Kingston in the ring.
My Take: A surprise ending for the show, as I wasn’t sure how soon Pac would be back. I assumed Pac and Kingston would be the next feud for the two of them, and their mic work has high potential. This is a strong feud that could set up a rematch between Pac and Kenny Omega down the road, as I assume he will be AEW Champion sooner than later. Penta vs. Fenix was a great example of how strong the chemistry is between the two brothers. Some really brutal looking offense, and exceptional athletic ability on display throughout.
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