(Promotion: All Elite Wrestling – Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC – Announcers: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur – Episode: 6 – Date: 11/6/2019)
Last week on AEW Dynamite: Full Coverage HERE!
Quick Results
PAC defeated Trent.
In-ring: Cody Rhodes. Said that if he does not defeat Chris Jericho this Saturday at Full Gear, he will never challenge for the AEW title again.
Private Party defeated the Dark Order.
Jamie Hayter/Emi Sakura defeated Shanna/Riho.
Shawn Spears defeated Brandon Cutler.
Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara defeated Hangman Page/Kenny Omega.
Jim Ross opens the show. He, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur rundown the matches scheduled for the evening.
PAC v. Trent (w/ Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy)
Story of the match: JR compares PAC to Dynamite Kid. The announcers sell his street toughness. Trent is a tag team specialist, who is also a great solo wrestler. How will the two pair off?
Within minutes, the match spills out of the ring. PAC dives over the ropes. He is dominating the pace & direction of the match.
Audience: “Let’s go, Trent!”
There is some terrific camera work during this match, particularly a shot from the audience POV.
Orange Cassidy is in the ring. He kicks PAC in the shins multiple times before getting leveled by his British opponent. PAC is heavily booed.
JR: “The Orange got crushed.” (Yikes!)
Trent is making a comeback and connects with a tope con hilo.
Audience: “This is awesome!”
At ringside, Trent spears PAC. The two are in danger of being counted out.
Back in the ring, Trent hits a V-Trigger for a two-count. He turns PAC inside out with a lariat.
PAC hits a brainbuster on the floor. There is a race to get back in the ring. PAC hits the “Black Arrow” for a very close two-count. He locks in the “Brutalizer” for the submission win.
PAC addresses the audience. He tells the people in the crowd to “shut your stinkin’ mout’!” He promises to make an example out of Page at Full Gear.
Overall: This was a competitive match that primed PAC for Saturday. Trent looked solid in the role of the tag guy who hung with a singles contender.
In wrestling, the natural comparison is between PAC and Dynamite Kid. However, he reminds me in many ways of George St. Pierre of the UFC/MMA world. He might not have the magnitude of star power, but their physical work is crisp, devastating and *beautiful* to witness.
Commercial.
In-Ring Promo: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes comes out looking sharp, dressed in a cream suit and gold tie. Tony Schiavone asks him about his “big announcement.” He mentions Eddie Graham, Bill Watts, and Dusty Rhodes. They were great bell-to-bell as well as at the box office. However, the one strike against them was that they were also “management.” He calls AEW “Ellis Island” for professional wrestlers. He says that he can’t not hear the criticism about him also being management.
Audience: “You de-serve it!”
He says that if he does not defeat Chris Jericho at Full Gear, he will never challenge for the AEW world championship ever again.
Rhodes says that Jericho called him an “entitled Millenial bitch.”
He smirks as he points out that he can get Jericho’s most recent book on Amazon for $3 or at any flea market.
He admits that they both grew up privileged.
He calls “Le Champion” a “carny succubus,” and notes that Jericho needs this generation far more than they need him.
Rhodes passionately declares that it took him 14 years to go from “undesirable” to “undeniable.”
He promises that it will be a “match beyond” when the Elite meet the Inner Circle, and that the Elite will eat them alive.
Overall: This was a five-star interview. It was passionate, based in reality and tied-in with previous names who have been in Rhodes’ particular position. He set up serious stakes for the match and motivated viewers to want to see it. He is angry and has a point to prove. He even laid seeds for a potential War Games bout.
This was an impactful promo cut by a star.
Commercial.
Winners to be added to the tag title bout at Full Gear
The Dark Order (Stu Grayson & Evil Uno) v. Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy)
SCU is observing the match from the commentary booth.
I feel like the DO needs this win, this push, a bit more than PP at this point.
Quen and Uno start the match. Man, PP has some clever double-team moves.
Audience: “Pri-vate Par-ty!”
Grayson plants Kassidy with a “Uranage.”
Commercial.
Uno kills Quen with a lariat for two.
Quen rocks opponents with a tope.
Uno hits a neckbreaker on Quen.
JR reminds viewers about the 10-second in-ring count after the tag.
PP hit the “Silly String” on Uno. They follow up with the “Gin & Juice” on Grayson for the victory. (I guess I called that one wrong. LOL.)
Overall: With the inclusion of PP, the tag title match on Saturday will be hot. That being said, I’d really like to get to know PP a bit more. Very little is known about their personalities or motivations at this point. AEW will do them a service by sharing more about them.
And if this was the old day, the Dark Order would be managed by no“#1” Paul Jones. He managed semi-interesting villains who just never quite clicked.
Video Package: Chris Jericho
A package runs about Chris Jericho. It features Sammy Guevara, Soul Train Jones (Virgil), Ortiz, Santana, Jake Hager and Patricia Bobski (Jericho’s aunt’s friend from church). It’s another terrific piece of business. For example, Bobski, an elderly woman, says that Jericho will “beat the shit” out of Rhodes. Jones says that Jericho’s talent is like Olive Garden’s breadsticks: unlimited. Ha! The video has a snarky & arrogant, yet breezy, tone. The shots at Rhodes are cocky and disrespectful, but delivered in the manner of a charismatic high school bully. Plus, it was so well-written and genuinely funny. I laughed out loud multiple times. It is clever and just inside enough so that it works for both smart and casual fans. It was so thoughtfully produced and chock full of humor. Jericho’s fingerprints are all over the segment. It’s a classic vignette.
Jamie Hayter/Emi Sakura v. Shanna/Riho
Announcers inform home viewers that Sakura trained Riho.
Minutes into the bout, Shanna is prone in the corner and crossbodied by Sakura. She, however, blocks a “Vader Bomb” with her knees. She hits her opponent with a step-up hurricanrana. Shanna then dives to the floor from the top rope, taking out both opponents.
Riho is out at ringside.
Shanna wrecks Sakura with double-underhook brainbuster.
Sakura tags in Hayter, who uppercuts Shanna and wobbles her with a V-Trigger for two. She hits a powerbomb for two. She follows with a gourdbuster and lariat. RIHO makes the save.
Sakura hits a double-underhook backbreaker on Shanna and a “Vader Bomb” for two. Riho makes the save again.
Sakura and Riho trade neckbreakers.
Sakura locks up a “Magistral” to get the pin on Riho.
Overall: Teacher beats student. This pin allows for ramifications on Saturday.
Vignette: Brandi Rhodes
The vignette is composed of shots of Rhodes sitting in a dark room cast in red. She is sitting in a chair, holding a glass of wine. As she speaks, there are quick cuts to Awesome Kong. Rhodes says that she doesn’t get credit because of who her husband is and how she looks. However, the combination of Kong’s body and “her brains” will be unstoppable. She wants to know “who are the bullies now?”
Overall: I’m intrigued. This isn’t necessarily the direction that I’d predict Rhodes would go in the company. I was full expecting her to be the “Stephanie McMahon” of AEW. The new persona is dark, faintly evil, and kinda sexy. It still needs some work but at least has me intrigued enough to want to see where this is headed. Plus, Kong’s involvement at least offers the promise of genuine violence. I’d like to see Kong pass over the women’s division and have the true target be the men’s division. If played properly, this duo could be a modern twist on Shawn Michaels and Diesel.
Commercial.
Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard) v. Brandon Cutler
Spears is wearing a shirt that reads “No More Garbage Wrestling.” (A-men to that!)
A clip airs of Spears trying to rip out Joey Janela’s tongue with pliers. Jesus.
Spears mauls Cutler. He clips him with a running knee strike into the barrier.
The announcers give their best to Jerry Lynn, who is having health issues.
Spears pins Cutler after a “Death Valley Driver.” This was a lopsided squash, which is should have been.
Janela runs out and throws a chair at Spears. This feud has potential. Janela has personality and Spears is surprisingly good at being dastardly. Spears has a solid “bully” aura about him. He is in incredible shape. I still like, and more importantly REMEMBER, the sitdown interview he did a number of months ago when Blanchard was introduced as his manager. I’d like to see more of that type of promotion done with him.
Commercial.
Main Event
Kenny Omega/Hangman Page v. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara
Guevara streams from his phone as he comes to ringside.
Le Champion gets PYRO.
It’s advertised that Jericho will appear on Inside the NBA on Thursday (11/7) on TNT.
Commercial.
The audience is heated over the Inner Circle. Must’ve been some great vamping during the break.
Bell rings.
Omega and Guevara start the match. The two chain-wrestle while the announcers put over Omega and Jon Moxley at the PPV.
Omega chops Guevara. He stumbles him with a jumping back elbow and a belly-to-back suplex. Guevara is on his heels. Omega delivers a leg-lariat from behind.
Page tags in. He drives his knees into Guevara.
Jericho: “C’mon, Sammy!”
Man, Guevara is only 26. What a future is ahead of this kid.
Page gets a two-count on the youngster after a fallaway slam.
Jericho finally tags in. He dropkicks Page off the second rope.
Guevara is back. It’s nice to have a younger body to carry the workload for Jericho.
Jericho in. He chops Page. Page responds with a running lariat.
Double tag. Omega is kicked in the gut by Guevara. Omega’s chops have malice behind them. He hits a moonsault from the second rope for a nearfall.
Guevara retaliates with a step-up enziguri.
Omega catches Jericho with a “Frankensteiner.”
Commercial.
Page hits a pretty moonsault to the floor.
PAC runs out and low-blows him.
Jericho connects with the “Judas Effect” on Page for the win.
Jake Hager and the Inner Circle mug Page.
Out from the back runsSan Cody Rhodes, who takes out Guevara.
Jericho inches toward the locker room: “I’ll see you on Saturday.” However, MJF cracks him with a chair from behind and tosses him in the ring. Cody hits the champ with “Cross Rhodes.” He picks up the AEW belt, stares at it and hoists it up.
Moxley comes through the audience with a barbed-wire baseball bat. He and Orton stare each other down. Omega backs off because he is unarmed. He retreats and gets his barbed-wire broom.
Santana & Ortiz attack them both before they are able to get into it.
The Young Bucks are out and superkick Santana & Ortiz.
Mox and Omega take out Proud & Powerful and then immediately start brawling with one another back through the tunnel.
Nick Jackson flips off the top of the set onto opponents.
Dustin Rhodes is out.
Ross: ” Bodies may be broken. Dreams may be shattered.”
The brawling continues.
JR closes the show pushing the PPV.
Overall
The Rhodes promo/Jericho package combo was a homerun. It was a 1-2 punch that stirred the pot in different manners. The chemistry between Schiavone and Rhodes lends gravity to their interactions. And the cheekiness of Jericho’s vignette is equal parts enraging and entertaining.
I also love that Cody/AEW creative didn’t forget the “big announcement” that was interrupted in Pittsburgh a couple weeks ago. They tied up a loose end. So refreshing.
Spears left the show feeling hot. Brandi isn’t hot yet, per se, but the potential is there for her to heat up.
While watching the program, I surfed a bit online. There are a vocal minority on social media who really seem to not dislike but HATE the product. They were particularly harsh about the women’s division. I’m a bit confused. While AEW can certainly make improvements, and I’m sure they will, this is in no way a fundamentally BAD show. The negativity is a real bummer.
Next stop, Full Gear. Rhodes has painted himself into the corner and pretty much guaranteed a victory over Jericho. But what if he doesn’t? What does that mean? And if he does, how will that affect the perception of the Inner Circle as a threat?
Does Brandi have anything up her sleeve for Saturday?
To be continued…
-Ted Zep
Do you have any comments? Questions? Suggestions? Hit me up at SuperNoBueno@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.
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