By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 91)
Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place
Aired June 26, 2021 on TNT
The Dynamite video intro aired, after which Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur welcomed the TV audience to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. They threw to a video of Alex Marvez greeting Sammy Guevara as he arrived at the building, where he was immediately jumped by Shawn Spears. He was hit with a chair, and Spears said it was compliments of MJF. Powerhouse Hobbs made his entrance, followed by Hangman Page. The announce team hyped the main event of Omega vs. Jungle Boy. Taz was on commentary as well for this Team Taz match.
1. Hangman Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs: Taz mentioned that Powerhouse Hobbs chose to go solo for this match, and asked the other members of Team Taz to stay away from ringside. Hobbs landed a big shoulder block, and then slammed Page into the corner. He followed up with shoulder charges to the ribs. Hangman avoided getting dumped to the floor, and Hobbs quickly responded by bailing to the floor when he threatened a Buckshot Lariat.
Page approached Hobbs on the outside, and got clubbed down for his trouble. Hobbs rolled in to break the count, and then used the barricade to focus on Page’s right arm. The action spilled back in the ring, where Page attempted a comeback, but was stuffed quickly and thrown shoulder first into the ring post. Hobbs pursued Page to the outside, and pulled him shoulder first into the ring post multiple times.
Page was bleeding from the top of the head. The announcers thought he hit his head on the post when he was tossed out of the ring. Page fired up and landed a big boot in the ring, and played to the crowd. He then landed a second and third big boot. Hobbs ran at Page, who dumped him out to the apron. Page then landed a springboard lariat, and the dove on Hobbs on the floor.
Hangman tossed Hobbs back into the ring, and then landed a moonsault from the top rope for a near fall. Hobbs shut down Page’s momentum with a lariat, and then landed a bodyslam. He then went for a headbutt from the middle rope, but Page got out of the way. Hangman landed a big lariat and made a cover, but only got a two count. He tried to follow up with Deadeye, but Hobbs avoided it and hit the ropes for a cross body that got a two count.
Hook and Rick Starks headed to the ring, but Brian Cage walked out and thwarted them. Page went for a Buckshot Lariat, but Hobbs reversed into a spinebuster for a close near fall. Hangman recovered and landed a lariat, followed by Deadeye for the win.
Hangman Page defeated Powerhouse Hobbs at 12:44
After the match, Page celebrated with a beer. Tony brought up the Main Event again, and then threw to a video package that summarized the feud. The package focused on how Jungle Boy could shock the world like Brodie Lee did when he won the TNT Title. Dante Martin vs Matt Sydal is up next…[c]
My Take: A very enjoyable opener. Hobbs looked really sharp in defeat, and had a great near fall on the spinebuster reversal of the Buckshot Lariat. AEW TV really benefits in comparison to WWE right now due to the live crowds. The announce team made a point to say that this match could have implications on the title picture, so hopefully that means Hangman Page gets off the treadmill and starts moving towards challenging Omega.
A video was shown from earlier with Brandon Cutler and The Young Bucks. They complained about haters calling them overrated, and said they were the longest running AEW Tag Team Champions. Matt said they don’t just beat people, they hurt people, and listed off SCU, Jon Moxley, Pac, and said their next victims would be Penta and Eddie Kingston. They said they were certain they would beat them because they were EVPs…..extremely violent people.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring with Tully Blanchard. He then brought out Konnan. Tony called it a gentlemen’s discussion. Tully deferred to Konnan first. Konnan said the mind games and intimidation are starting already, but they would not be intimidated. He said they had been shot, stabbed, kidnapped, strangled, and left for dead. He said FTR claimed to have the same upbringing as Proud and Powerful, but it’s not even close. North Carolina is where the men is men and where the sheep are scared, and it’s nothing like growing up on the streets of New York City.
Konnan mentioned people of color being arrested at 5x the rate of their white brethren, and mentioned gang members trying to hunt them down every day. Konnan then said Tully was a mentor to FTR, but he was a father to Proud and Powerful. Tully said he had enough, and told Konnan that FTR would come to the ring and end the game. Konnan told Tully he would send him back to a job as a Walmart greeter, and told him to learn some spanish so he could communicate with his grandkids.
Konnan brought out his backup, who had their faces covered. Tully showed some footage of the backstage area where Santana and Ortiz were laid out. FTR revealed themselves in the ring and gave Konnan a spike piledriver. Tully and FTR celebrated to close the segment while the crowd was furious.
Dante Martin made his entrance for the next match. Vickie walked out and brought out Andrade after antagonizing the crowd. Matt Sydal interrupted them and made his entrance. Vickie had to hold Andrade back…
2. Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal (w/Mike Sydal): Some quick offensive pacing to start the match, with quite a few acrobatic reversals. Dante ate a spinning heel kick from Sydal for a two count…[c]
My Take: A fun interview from Konnan, who emptied both barrels on Tully with insults. FTR got the last laugh, which made sense in the context of the beating that Tully took verbally. Konnan looked a bit silly for not sniffing out the face coverings on FTR sooner, but it wasn’t that egregious a sin.
The action spilled outside during the break, where the action continued to go back and forth. Sydal focused on Dante’s knee. Dante landed a kick and a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. He then landed an enziguri, and a double springboard moonsault for a near fall. Both men met on the top rope, where Sydal shoved Dante down and landed a meteora for a close near fall.
Dante hit the ropes and landed a high hangtime sunset flip for a near fall. He quickly landed a stunner for another two count. Dante went up top again, but came up empty, and Sydal landed his Lightning Spiral for the win.
Matt Sydal defeated Dante Martin at 9:35
After the match, Mike Sydal checked in on Matt, and they celebrated the victory. Sydal helped Dante to his feet. Jungle Boy was shown in a pre-tape, and he called tonight the biggest night of his life. Christian appeared and shook his hand. He told Jungle Boy that he shouldn’t just be happy to have a title shot, he should be pissed that people keep saying he doesn’t deserve to be there. He told him to shock the world tonight…[c]
My Take: I think I would have preferred to hear from Jungle Boy there. I like Christian, and it wasn’t a bad pep talk, but we need to hear a lot more from AEW’s younger talent to develop their personalities.
Mark Sterling and Jade were shown backstage, and they plugged her T-Shirts. MJF, Shawn Spears, and Wardlow were interviewed by Alex Marvez. MJF called Marvez Pig Vomit, and said nobody wants to hear his voice. MJF took credit for all the beatings tonight. He said he can’t believe people are so upset at him for what he did to Dean Malenko. He said he’s too old and infirmed to be involved in a dangerous industry like wrestling, with his heart problem and Parkinson’s Disease.
MJF said he gave Malenko what none of “you poors” ever could, and that’s an early retirement. Chris Jericho and Jake Hager appeared from off screen and started a big brawl. The action spilled out to the ring, where the numbers advantage of the pinnacle eventually flipped things their way. MJF trapped Jericho on the mat, and Spears was about to hit his elbow with a chair when Sammy Guevara made the save. Sammy grabbed the chair and hit Wardlow and Spears on the shoulder with it.
Guevara grabbed a microphone and said MJF likes to say he’s better than him and he knows it, but on Wednesday he would prove he’s the best ever. MJF hid behind Wardlow and yelled at Guevara from the stage…[c]
My Take: Decent hype for the upcoming match on Wednesday. The Inner Circle and Pinnacle feud still has some legs, but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to hold it together all the way until the next PPV at the end of the Summer.
Miro gave a backstage promo, and offered a prayer to keep himself strong and his hot wife flexible. He then addressed Brian Pillman Jr, and said he didn’t respect his champion, and he would have to fine out whey he’s God’s favorite champion and his redeemer next Wednesday on Dynamite.
In the arena, Ethan Page made his entrance, accompanied by Scorpio Sky. His opponent will be Bear Bronson of Bear Country. He made his entrance with Bear Boulder.
3. Ethan Page (w/Scorpio Sky) vs. Bear Bronson (w/Bear Boulder): Page slapped Bronson across the face, and Bronson was enraged and landed a series of hard right hands. Page landed a kick to the gut and mocked Bronson, who immediately power slammed him for a two count. Bronson then followed up by slamming him into the turnbuckle. Bronson made a dive to the the floor, and Sky shoved Page out of the way and took the brunt of it.
[Hour Two] Page complained to the referee that Bear Boulder touched him, which was enough to create a distraction that caused Bryce Remsburg to miss all kinds of interference from Scorpio Sky. He tossed Bronson into the ringside barricade…[c]
Page applied a bear hug during the break (har har), and Bronson had to struggle out of it. Page taunted the crowd, and tried and failed to land Ego’s Edge. Bronson landed a big splash in the corner, and then landed a series of clubbing lariats. He then sent Page into the air, and let him pancake to the mat. Page attempted a sunset flip, but Bronson sat on him for a near fall. Both men ended up on the top rope, and Page pulled Bronson off with a superplex.
Bronson landed a Bossman Side Slam for a near fall. He then went up to the middle rope, and Sky jumped up on the apron. Boulder took out Sky, but Page used the situation to his advantage and landed a low blow, followed by Ego’s Edge for the win. He pulled Bronson off the second rope for the Ego’s Edge.
Ethan Page defeated Bear Bronson at 10:28
After the match, Page grabbed a mic and said he wasn’t stupid. He said he knows for a fact that Darby Allin isn’t done with him, and he isn’t done with him either. Page said he would be the nail in Darby’s Coffin. He then repeated himself a couple of times, and said he might as well put him in one. He then challenged him to a Coffin Match in Miami on July 7th.
After the match, Reba and Britt Baker gave a pre-taped interview. Baker said she would ask for a football team or a car, instead Vickie Guerrero asks for a wrestling match. She said she doesn’t care how old she is, she will kick her ass in their tag team match on Wednesday. Vickie was then shown, and they said their tag match was about establishing Nyla Rose as the number one contender. Vickie then said Rose would challenge Baker for the title at Fyter Fest. Rose said she would have to deal with the beast, but they should watch out for the claws of the Cougar…[c]
My Take: Page and Bronson got more time than I would have expected. Getting to the Ego’s Edge by avoiding Page having to do a lot of the Heavy Lifting was smart, although it would have also been a good time to have him show off an alternate finisher that he can use on a wider variety of opponents. It feels too soon for Page and Sky to get their comeuppance, so the Coffin Match has an element of mystery about the outcome.
The Bunny made her entrance with The Blade. They were followed by Kris Statlander with Orange Cassidy.
4. The Bunny (w/The Blade) vs. Kris Statlander (w/Orange Cassidy): The Bunny charged at Statlander to start, but got dumped with a waistlock takeover. She then landed a couple of arm drags, but Bunny returned fire with a slap across the face. Statlander replied with a kick and a body slam. She then landed punches in the corner. The Bunny slipped out. Statlander attempted a handstand on the turnbuckle for some reason, and Bunny kicked her and sent her out to the floor…[c]
Bunny dominated the action during the break. They traded punches as the show returned. Statlander landed a Blue Thunder Bomb, but couldn’t make a strong cover and got a two count. Statlander climbed to the second rope, but Bunny pulled her down and landed a superkick for a near fall. The Blade distracted the referee and tossed Bunny her knuckles. Orange Cassidy stole them from her, and Statlander landed Big Bang Theory for the win.
Kris Statlander defeated The Bunny at 8:34
After the match, Statlander and Orange Cassidy celebrated. The Blade then took out Cassidy. The Hybrid2 then ran down and held Cassidy so The Blade could blast him with the brass knuckles.
Backstage, QT Marshall was interviewed earlier by Tony Schiavone. He complained about Brock Anderson getting a spotlight instead of him, even after he pinned Cody Rhodes a couple of weeks ago. He then said he hopes Cody gets cast in Hollywood so he never has to see him again. He and Cody will have a strap match in Miami.
Brian Pillman Jr. gave his own pre-tape interview. He accused Miro of picking fights he thinks he can win to pad his ego. Pillman said he will always fight for his friends, and he will check Miro’s ego when he defeats him for the TNT Championship. The announce crew then ran down the card for Wednesday. Omega vs. Jungle Boy is next…[c]
My Take: Statlander continues to look good since her return. They haven’t leaned into the Alien aspect of her character much, which is fine by me, but it’s come at the cost of developing any personality at all. She’s going to need to elevate herself in that area to reach the next level in AEW in my opinion.
Eddie Kingston spoke backstage, and said the way they would take out the Young Bucks for real. He said they took people out in wrestling, not in real life, and he’s done that. He said the way they would really hurt them is to bruise their egos and take their World Tag Team Championships. Penta then spoke up, and said that the Young Bucks like to hear themselves talk, and they would shut them up on Wednesday.
In the arena, Jungle Boy made his entrance with Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt. He was followed by Kenny Omega, who walked out with Don Callis and The Good Brothers. Justin Roberts performed ring introductions. Paul Turner was the referee for the Main Event. Marko Stunt got fired up by The Good Brothers, and that resulted in Paul Turner tossing all the extra participants from ringside.
5. Kenny Omega vs. Jungle Boy for the AEW World Championship: Don Callis sat in on commentary. Omega backed Jungle Boy into the corner and slapped him in the chest. Jungle Boy applied an arm twist, and Omega responded by pulling him down by his hair. Omega landed some chops, and Jungle Boy returned the favor. He then tried some springboard offense, but Omega caught him. Jungle Boy escaped, and landed an acrobatic arm drag to a reaction from the crowd.
The action spilled to the outside, where Omega sent Jungle Boy into the apron. Omega pulled him back into the ring, and immediately tossed him to the floor…[c]
Omega pressed the advantage during the break. He attempted a suplex, but Jungle Boy blocked it, and pulled him into an inside cradle for a two count. He followed up with a brainbuster, but couldn’t cover Omega. Jungle Boy sent Omega to the floor, and landed a suicide dive. He then landed a DDT back into the ring, and Omega escaped back to the floor. Jungle Boy then dove over the top onto Omega on the floor.
Jungle Boy went up top, but Omega quickly knocked him down onto the top turnbuckle. Omega pursued and positioned himself, and took his time in landing a Superplex. He then made a cover, but only got two. Jungle Boy avoided a V-Trigger and landed a superkick. Omega shook it off and landed a V-Trigger anyway. Jungle Boy avoided the One Winged Angel and landed a poisoned rana, and then a low dropkick for a near fall.
Omega recovered and landed a ripcord V-Trigger. He then landed a powerbomb and another V-Trigger for a near fall. Omega went for another knee, but Jungle Boy avoided it and pulled Omega into his Snare Trap submission. Interference poured in from the Good Brothers, but they were stopped by Kazarian and Jurassic Express. Omega reached the ropes to break the submission. Jungle Boy landed a clothesline, but Omega replied with a Brainbuster. He then landed a V-Trigger, and picked him up for a One Winged Angel.
Jungle Boy slipped out the back and rolled Omega up for a near fall. He then transitioned into the Snare Trap, but Omega broke the hold by pulling his hair and gouging at his eyes. Jungle Boy placed Omega on the top rope and climbed up, but Omega slipped out and dropped him on the top turnbuckle. Omega then landed a V-Trigger and Tiger Driver 98 for a close near fall. Omega went up and landed One Winged Angel for the win.
Kenny Omega defeated Jungle Boy at 16:03 to retain the AEW World Championship
After the match, Jungle Boy’s Mom and Sister were shown in the crowd, and they looked concerned. Omega wound up for a belt shot, and Christian ran down to make the save. Matt Hardy then ran down and use Private Party as a distraction to get after Christian. Just as Christian was about to land a Killswitch on Christian, The Young Bucks landed a double superkick on him. Hardy then landed a Twist of Fate. The heels celebrated to close the show.
My Take: I could have lived without all the post match nonsense. It seemed like an opportunity at a character building moment for Jungle Boy that was dashed because they had to end the show with 12 people in the ring. The match itself was highly enjoyable, and I recommend everybody check it out if they didn’t have the opportunity to watch the show live. Jungle Boy continues to deliver in big match situations, and Omega deserves a lot of credit for shining him up every chance he got.
First match in and there’s already outside distraction crap going on. AEW is even worse than WWE when it comes to doing the same bad things over and over again.
Ok I put on aew. Right now it’s a verbal spat between Konnan and Tully. What is this 1991?
Notice how Powell harps on everything WWE does, with repetitive segments, match distractions/interference, etc., but doesn’t type a single word about it when AEW does it in nearly every segment?
We haven’t had anything other than the Miro and Baker promos that wasn’t filled with interruptions, swerves, interference, etc. It’s just been constant nonsense from start to finish, but it’s okay because they’re all so “athletic.”
Ummm… Jason Powell isnt covering this show, dummy. Try again.
I’m pretty sure this goober only watches the show to bitch about it. What a miserable existence.
He never said Powell was covering it, he was just making a point, you AEW cultists really can’t handle any criticism, such babies
Did Statlander break the Bunnies neck?
The clip going around on twitter is nasty.
Considering how many people she’s already injured, it wouldn’t be surprising. She broke Britt Baker’s leg and has hurt a few other wrestlers along the way, so I’m guessing AEW won’t get rid of her no matter how awful and dangerous she is.
“It seemed like an opportunity at a character building moment for Jungle Boy that was dashed because they had to end the show with 12 people in the ring.”
That’s AEW in a nutshell. They’ve got talented people who might actually get over, and they’re too busy doing 97 faction wars and over booking nearly every segment they put on TV.
The “booker of the year” is the worst part of the company, with the EVPs a close 2nd. That roster and that money behind it could be huge if there was a good booker in charge.
Man, you’re such a tool.
When’s the last time this Thotless guy was invited to a party?
1991?
He said the party sucked and he hated it, then asked if he could come back every week to complain about it.