AEW Booms and Duds: Are Butcher and Blade a worthy threat for FTR?

AEW Dynamite was loaded last night, topped with two championship matches. We also heard from FTR as they sat down with Tony Schiavone. Here are the “booms” and “duds” for Jun. 3.

Black Lives Matter. Black Women’s Lives Matter. Black Queer Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. Black Disabled Lives Matter. BLACK LIVES MATTER.

It’s been a terrible week in the United States as we keep enduring instances of unarmed Black people murdered at the hands of law enforcement. The solidarity being shown between people of different identities during these uprisings has somewhat alleviated how tired, exhausted, and frustrated many Black people and people of color have been feeling for, well, centuries.

As I head into discussing last night’s episode of Dynamite, keep in mind this is a company that has stressed they’re an open, diverse, and inclusive brand. While they have failed in one main area on-screen (elevating men’s wrestlers of color to the World Championship picture), the women’s and tag divisions at least have worked towards achieving their goals for diversity.

Off-screen, how many of the decision-makers in AEW are of color, women, or LGBTIQA+ identities? Brandi Rhodes is a woman of color, and she’s the only one in these positions who’s a woman and of color, no?

As fans, we should hold companies accountable not only for what we believe in, but for how rarely their words match their actions. AEW has done better than most, but that doesn’t mean we can stop holding them accountable.

Seeing AEW actually have Black Lives Matter to start the show was more than I anticipated, so I’ll give AEW their due for doing more than a lot of other companies.

However, as Rich Fann noted on Twitter, we have another receipt to show if in six to 12 months, AEW has progressed or if those words were just some more of the public relations spin we’ve seen the past week from corporations across the country and from AEW themselves.

We’re still waiting for men’s wrestlers of color not named Scorpio Sky to be in the World Championship picture after all, something Tony Khan and Cody promised would happen by the end of 2019. Oops.

With that said, let’s review last night’s show.

(We do know that Fyter Fest won’t just be “sometime this summer,” but actually a two-night event spanning Dynamite episodes on Jul. 1 and 8. Here are some bold predictions I made that published before last night’s episode.)

It was a rather loaded show topped with two championship matches. First, and the big draw to many, was Cody defending his TNT Championship against recently-minted number one contender, Jungle Boy.

After impressing in a hard-fought loss to MJF at Double or Nothing and emerging victorious in last week’s battle royal, many fans are finally starting to see him go from “having potential” to “undeniable growth.” Would Jungle Boy topple the champion, or would Cody remind Jungle Boy of his standing?

Second, we had Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page defending the Tag Team Championship against The SuperBad Squad, Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc.

The latter won a number one contender’s match last week by beating SCU, and have shot up the tag team scene even though they’ve only been teaming for a short time in AEW. The winners of the titles already knew their next opponent: Best Friends at Fyter Fest. Who would emerge with the belts to face Best Friends?

Brian Cage was in action for the second straight week as he looked to continue his hot streak since debuting at Double or Nothing. Under the tutelage of Taz, it will be interesting to see if Cage adds more suplex variations and submission maneuvers to his arsenal (hint: he did), or if he helps focus Cage on psychology and promos.

Regardless, with his World Championship match against Jon Moxley set for Fyter Fest, what did Cage and Taz have in store for us and Moxley?

Next, Big Swole returned! After voluntarily being away due to the pandemic (she has a preexisting condition in Crohn’s disease), she stepped right into arguably the toughest match outside of Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida as she faced former champion Nyla Rose. Who added to their accolades as each seeks a Women’s Championship match?

Lastly, FTR sat down with Tony Schiavone to speak their first words on AEW television. Why are they in AEW? Why did they help Young Bucks only to turn their backs on them? Most importantly, what is/are their goals and mission statement? In WWE, it was “No Flips, Just Fists” as they were basically this generation’s version of The Brain Busters.

As a reminder of my criteria, I’m not going to run through each match/segment. Rather, I will identify a couple of segments that either worked (“boom”) or didn’t for whatever reason (“dud”).

My criteria includes quality of match/segment and how it starts and/or builds stories. After all, we watch partly to be caught up in the stories. If a great work-rate match happens with no context or bearing on the stories, it’s going to be a miss.

Also, just because something is a hit/miss doesn’t mean it was an overwhelming choice. The selection could be 51 percent hit, 75 percent miss, and so on.

There are other subtleties to my criteria, but those are pretty much the parameters.

Boom: a solid match and continued growth from Jungle Boy

Dud: the contender process for the TNT Championship

This was your standard Cody match: probably three to five minutes too long, a huge spot, hope spots for his opponent, Cody bleeding, and Cody winning with the Cross Rhodes.

(Depending on if you think Cody is booked above his abilities, this version of his championship might tickle your fancy.)

It wasn’t really Cody that drew my attention in this match, for better or for worse. Even Arn Anderson was more interesting to me with his play sheet that had “JUNGLE BOY” written on it so you just knew they had a plan tailor-made for this opponent.

Jungle Boy was who kept my attention. He came out looking both confident (sending Jurassic Express to the back) and nervous; it was his first championship match in AEW after all. Much like a different match last night, Jungle Boy used his advantages in speed and athleticism to befuddle Cody for a bit.

Yes, Cody won by countering Jungle Boy into the Cross Rhodes (a pretty fluid sequence), but coupled with his match against MJF at Double or Nothing (also a loss), AEW has given a pretty good blueprint on how to elevate young, emerging talent even through losses. It’s much like Jungle Boy lasting 10 minutes for a draw with then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho.

Jungle Boy continues to improve with each match. Him vs. MJF was my favorite actual wrestling match on the pay-per-view, and last night’s match showed his performance at Double or Nothing wasn’t a fluke, but the beginning of what will hopefully be a long pattern.

Speaking of MJF, I love how they’ve continued this feud between the two with the battle royal last week and their spat during the match last night. MJF was upset that Jungle Boy received any championship shot before he did, and from MJF’s perspective, he has a point.

Again, MJF did defeat Jungle Boy in singles competition. MJF has also been ranked #1 for several weeks, seemingly putting him in line for a World Championship or TNT Championship match. He’s had both opportunities snatched from him by other wrestlers winning gimmick matches.

He wasn’t in the Casino Ladder Match that Cage won, but why wasn’t the wrestler ranked #1 already in line for the next shot? Why did he have to be in the battle royal ranked #1 when he should have just been granted the first match against Cody for the TNT Championship?

This should lead to another match between Jungle Boy and MJF, but what happens first: the rematch or a championship match for MJF?

That brings me to the “dud” of the weekly TNT Championship matches: how are Cody’s opponents determined? Shortly before the match, AEW informed us Marq Quen faces Cody for the title next week, but how and why was he chosen?

(I’m shocked a wrestler of color is receiving a TNT Championship match so quickly. Then again, I quipped this might be where AEW slots men’s wrestlers of color for a while and justify it by saying they’re receiving championship matches even if they’re not World Championship matches as promised.)

There just doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason, any process in determining Cody’s next challenger. I wrote in this space last week on how I would have liked to see title defenses every other week with a contender’s match between each defense. That way, there would at least be some coherence and story reason for any given wrestler receiving a TNT Championship match.

It’s early, true, but these are little things that tend to irk fans when they watch WWE programming. I guess, at the very least, the next title match didn’t go to the person who confronted Cody and demanded a match as it so often happens in WWE (like Seth Rollins losing at WrestleMania only to be the first person to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship).

Even just taking a look at the rankings, one would think it should be MJF next with World Champion Moxley locked into a match with Cage. #2 Lance Archer just lost to Cody, so he probably needs a win or two before another shot at the TNT Championship. #3 Brodie Lee is in the same boat as Archer after losing to Moxley.

#4 Omega is Tag Team Champion with Page, but I also questioned in my predictions for Fyter Fest how Omega’s singles record may affect their partnership. #5 Darby Allin has his eyes focused on Taz and Cage, and also needs to pick up a victory or two.

Looking at Quen, he hasn’t had a singles match in AEW. While Private Party is ranked #3 in the tag division, I’m still trying to figure out what Quen did to warrant a shot at a singles championship besides not being involved in a distinct feud.

Maybe his new association with Matt Hardy as the “Hardy Party” led to some backstage workings to give Quen his match. Questionable booking aside, I’ve thought Quen has more potential than his partner in Isiah Cassidy, so I’m excited to see how he fares in not only his first singles match on Dynamite, but a high-profile championship match to boot.

Hopefully, AEW provides some sort of justification or path that determines who Cody faces every week rather than just throwing a wrestler out there. Yes, I might be nitpicking here, but it’s something to note; why have the rankings if they don’t actually determine title challengers?

Boom: a great showing filled with little stories between Omega and Page

The SuperBad Crew of Sabian and Havoc have meshed very well considering their lack of time as a team. There is a great chemistry between the two Englishmen. Their contrasting styles both visually and in the ring provide a unique teaming experience. They’re an exciting young team, and I’m looking forward to their journey in the tag team division.

Then again, their opponents in Tag Team Champion Omega and Page have a very similar dynamic, only to a higher degree and with better results.

It was a fun match, but what drew me in the most during this match were the subtleties in the acts of Omega and Page. Maybe this is just me looking for clues in this long-standing saga of Page and The Elite, but I thought there were some interesting points during the match.

First, let me quickly jump back to last week, where Omega and Page went back to their hotel to have some drinks (milk and whiskey, respectively…at least I think it was whiskey). This week, the lower third informed us that Omega prefers 2% (like me) and Page prefers 80 proof. Well done.

This is notable because it seems like Omega is making a more concerted effort to not only be there for his tag team partner, but also to help Page feel like he’s not the outcast of The Elite. It’s almost like Omega can feel a turn coming, so he’s doing what he can to both prevent the turn and make up for the time Page felt alone in the group.

I also still wonder how the addition of Hardy as a pseudo-The Elite member affected Page. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t, but that could be one reason he was so quick to leave last week during the backstage segment with Hardy and the Young Bucks, and walk off into the tunnel after their victory in the Stadium Stampede match.

To last night’s match, I found it intriguing the first half of the match was Page taking most of the damage for his team with Omega incapacitated on the outside. It’s just another addition to the ledger of potential reasons for Page to turn on Omega. Interestingly enough, Page also inflicted a heavy portion of offense through this first part of the match, almost as if to say, “I can go it alone if needed; it’s what I’ve always done.”

The spot wit Penelope Ford attempting to hit a huricanrana off the top onto Page only to be caught was pretty funny. Seeing Ford just hang from Page’s neck like that while referee Rick Knox and Page both looked perplexed was a great comedy spot. It was topped by Page just dropping Ford.

They also nearly lost their titles if it hadn’t been for Page breaking up what would have been a three count on Omega after a sequence ending in Havoc’s fisherman’s DDT.

They won by hitting The Last Call (buckshot lariat/V-Trigger combo) on Havoc, who crumbled to the ground. The timing on The Last Call from both competitors is always on point as they seem to hit their opponent at the same time.

(The Last Call is very similar to the name of NXT Champion Adam Cole’s finisher, his Last Shot shining wizard variant. I already had enough troubles remembering if it was the Last Shot, Final Shot, or Last Call and now this?!)

Now, they defend their titles against Best Friends at Fyter Fest (unclear which night), a match I predicted will see Best Friends become the new champion. We have between three and four shows until Fyter Fest (depending on which night the match happens), so it’ll be interesting to see how this match will be built, and if we will have any other interactions that make us question if a turn is coming sooner rather than later.

Boom: fantastic promos from Taz and Moxley

Boom: telling the story without resorting to a physical altercation…yet

Wow, what a promo from Taz. Then again, what a promo from Moxley.

Even though his promo was interrupted, Taz was able to convey his message in that short time through his words, passion, and intensity. He didn’t appreciate Moxley laughing at his words last week, and reiterated to Moxley that Cage is “going to kick the living s**t out of you.” He punctuated this by saying Moxley needs to get his head on right “or it’ll get taken off.”

Out comes Moxley through the crowd area and into the ring, looking as confident and focused as ever. I really liked how Taz sold the tension by telling Moxley he needs to think and be careful before entering the ring. Moxley, of course, heeded the warning for about two seconds before shaking his head as he does and entering the ring.

First, Moxley said he smiled because (as I said last week about his masochist tendencies) the thought of fighting someone as strong, powerful, and intense as Cage “makes me happy” (see? Masochist). He even complimented Cage as seemingly indestructible (his injury history might beg to differ), but that it would take him “all night” to beat Moxley.

Cage might be an entirely different thing than anyone else in AEW, according to Moxley, but Moxley also said that he’s a different thing entirely. He capped it off by telling Taz and Cage to stop trying to intimidate him or get in his head, and to “remember just who the hell you’re talking about.”

He left the ring, championship in hand, with no physical blows.

You know what? I’m glad they didn’t come to blows already. We can feel the tension between the two, aided by Taz’s consecutive weeks of great promos, and Moxley’s time on commentary last week and his promo last night. Having them come to blows here only for it to go unsettled would seem a bit flat.

It is something that we would probably see in WWE, and while there was a pull apart brawl last week between Tyson’s crew and Inner Circle, that was the genesis of their feud in AEW. Having Cage and Moxley come to blows 11 days after the genesis of their rivalry stemming from Cage’s victory at Double or Nothing would be backwards booking.

Saving that altercation for the first night of Fyter Fest (I expect this match to headline night two) should garner more interest and passion among fans to see the match because that little taste of action will come to a conclusion only a week after rather than three or four weeks later.

This allows Cage to pick up more victories to reiterate the threat he poses to Moxley, probably against stiffer competition than he’s faced the last two weeks in Lee Johnson and Sean Dean. Poor Marko Stunt is probably up soon, but don’t be surprised if he demolishes Joey Janela and/or Christopher Daniels, too.

Moxley should have a match or two to stay fresh, also possibly against Stunt or Janela. If he doesn’t wrestle, then videos of him training (much like in the build to his match with Jake Hager) would do the trick.

Promos/videos from Moxley and Taz, regardless of potential matches, might be all we need to keep us intrigued and sell us on their match at Fyter Fest. I just hope they hold off on the physical altercation until the go-home show for their match. I also wouldn’t be surprised if their match is their first physical interaction.

Boom: a wonderful story in a great match

Boom: keeping Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. involved even while injured

I’m a noted fan of Big Swole, and was so glad to see her back the past few weeks in the crowd. Her yelling, “YOU AIN’T S***!” at all the heels during Double or Nothing was such a highlight.

Interestingly, it was her chanting, “WHOOP THAT TRICK!” at Rose during her Women’s Championship loss to Hikaru Shida that Swole credits as making Rose set her sights on Swole.

Well, if that’s the case, then THANK YOU! What a tremendous match these two put together for last night’s show. As with Jungle Boy earlier, the story was about Swole using her speed, agility, strength (at certain points), and athleticism to literally run circles around Rose. Swole showed some great offense, including a modified question mark kick she used to drive Rose (who was dazed on her knees) face-first into the mat.

I also loved Swole’s Yellow Power Ranger cosplay, coming off her Storm cosplay prior to the pandemic.

Rose, with her size and strength advantage, looked to be utilizing a pure power game plan, and it took her a good while to adjust. However, when she did adjust, it didn’t take long for her to capitalize and win. She hit a nasty spear on Swole to reverse momentum, setting up for a Beast Bomb.

That was countered into a sunset flip by Swole, but Rose kicked out and hit a sit-out spinebuster for the victory. Rose seems set for a rematch with Shida come Fyter Fest.

(Side note: the match ended with that? When has Rose finished an opponent with a spinebuster? When was the last time a spinbuster was actually a match-ending move? Last week, it was Shida winning with the Falcon Arrow; this week it’s Rose with a sit-out spinebuster.)

Schiavone interviewed Swole post-match at ringside. While she lost, she said the time off allowed her to recenter herself. This was when Baker started talking over and at Swole, including having Reba, I mean Rebel drive the golf cart her “Roll Model” wheelchair was on (called the “Role’s Royce”) into the barricade.

Swole, justifiably angry, grabbed a chair to attack Baker, who told Rebel, I mean Reba to drive off before she was hurt. The best part of the segment: MJF reacting like a scared child and almost hiding behind Wardlow when Swole went after Baker.

Props to AEW on the Baker rehab video they aired earlier in the night as well. It was downright hilarious and had me chortling from the moment I saw the five pound weight tied to the back of her wheelchair. It was topped by her only being able to roll the chair up the ramp once Schiavone, her frienemy, appeared and cheered her on. Classic heel stuff that was true to her character.

While it looks like Swole and Baker will remain in a secondary feud that began before the pandemic and now must weather Baker’s injury, where does Swole go from here until Baker is healed for All Out? I predicted she would wind up in a championship triple threat at Fyter Fest, but her loss last night makes that path more difficult.

I hope we gain more clarity for Swole next week.

Boom: only needed one promo to tell us who they are and their mission statement

Dud: presenting The Butcher and The Blade as a threat when they’ve been booked as anything but

THAT is the kind of character and promo ability we longed to see for FTR when they were on RAW or SmackDown. It was confident, laid out a mission statement, and gave us an ultimate goal: beat Young Bucks at their best and prove that FTR truly is the best tag team in the world.

They also didn’t come off as comedic idiots or goofballs as they so often did in WWE.

After a bit of playing around about what FTR stands for, they named some tag teams they want to wrestle, including Lucha Bros, who they described as the complete opposite of FTR as a team and that they would teach them tag team wrestling, “Emphasis on ‘tag.'” Remember, their old slogan was, “No Flips, Just Fists” and well, Lucha Bros are “All Flips, Just Kicks,” basically, who don’t really seem to utilize tags during their matches…

When Schiavone mentioned Young Bucks, FTR laughed a little and discussed how everyone always compares the two. When you talk about one, you talk about the other. It’s a “dream match” to everyone except FTR; they just want to punch Nick and Matt Jackson’s mouths.

They turned their backs on them last week after running off The Butcher and The Blade because they want to face Young Bucks “as healthy as they’ve ever been” so that there are no excuses when FTR defeats them. Then, they want everyone to come to them and apologize for not calling FTR the greatest team all this time.

As they stood to end the interview, Schiavone said what he thought FTR stood for: “(Bleep) The (Bleep).” I mean, “Revival” was actually bleeped out! I thought WWE was petty, but either FTR, AEW, or both were a bit petty with this one.

Then, we had the appearance of AEW’s resident mimes, I mean The Butcher and The Blade enter to go after FTR. They were separated before they came to blows, but now we know they will face each other next week.

Does anyone actually think The Butcher and The Blade are a serious threat as a tag team? They’re unranked and somehow doing worse than a team with QT Marshall. To add insult to injury, The Blade’s real-life wife in Allie (formerly The Bunny) is flirting with Marshall and, dare I say, making him even slightly more interesting?

We know who’s going over next week. I hope it isn’t a back-and-forth match, either, but it probably will be. I also hope the earliest we have the first FTR-Young Bucks match is All Out. Let’s build out a nice, in-depth story, yeah?

Another week of Dynamite is in the books, and we now definitively head towards Fyter Fest. We still only have the World Championship and Tag Team Championship matches set, so the next three weeks are going to be full of booking angles for the two-night event.

I’ll see you all back here next week as we discuss Cody’s second defense of his TNT Championship against Marq Quen and the AEW in-ring debut of FTR. Until then, please stay safe, healthy, and remember that Black Lives Matter.