AEW Dynamite Results, Grades and Analysis: That Bullet Club Feel

AEW Dynamite featured the follow up from last when the Young Bucks turned on Jon Moxley. Tonight we see Chris Jericho face Dax Hardwood with Mike Tyson as the special enforcer.

AEW Dynamite opened with the Young Bucks turning on Moxley recapped, and they provided all their motivation, saying that they believed that Don Callis was right and that they had lost their edge. This was an excellent promo.

Mike Tyson was backstage and he was interrupted by MJF, who tried to tell Mike that Jericho was his enemy. Tyson got right in his face, and MJF kept backing down. MJF then offered a blank cheque to Tyson, and Tyson ripped it up, chewed it up, and spit it back at MJF.

AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Death Triangle (PAC & Rey Fenix) (2-1) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) (2-0) w/ Don Callis

As the Young Bucks came out, the camera man, by default, went to focus on the babyface tunnel, but turned quickly to the heel one once the Bucks came out of there. I like that subtle touch, saying the camera man was on autopilot, but something has changed.

PAC and Matt Jackson started the match, exchanging a few hold, but it wasn’t long before Fenix and Nick Jackson got in there and exchanged a series of awesome lucha exchanges. Fenix and Nick Jackson are both incredible wrestlers, and it’s a delight to watch them work. There was so many cool spots in this match that there is no way I can recap them all and do it justice.

The Bucks slowed it down with heel tactics, including a handspring back rake by Matt Jackson. They beat on PAC for most of the heat segment, using a lot of their cheating offence that we would see when they were heels in NJPW, and it’s quite a change. Matt Jackson did a mock hot tag, but after showing off too much, PAC took his head off with a lariat.

Fenix tagged in and ran wild, running up the ropes and hitting a combo armdrag on Matt and hurricanrana on Nick off the top rope at the same time. I don’t even know how to properly describe how amazing that was. Nick Jackson hit a rebounding Canadian Destroyer, which has to be seen to be believed, as he somehow did it out of a Monkey Flip position.

Rey Fenix and Nick Jackson hit stereo poison rana’s on Matt Jackson and PAC respectively. Nick and Fenix exchanged moves on the floor into all 4 men were down. Nick Jackson low blowed PAC and then ripped Fenix’s mask off. The Bucks hit a double superkick on Fenix and then pinned him for the win.

Result: The Young Bucks (3-0)

Rating: ****1/4 (4.25 stars)

Excellent tag match to open AEW Dynamite, as AEW is leaning heavily into this new heel turn for the Bucks. Now that we know where the lines clearly are, the Bucks were awesome in that role.

Hangman Page was backstage with the Dark Order and Alex Marvez asked him what he thought about what the Bucks were doing. Hangman ignored the question, updated us on John Silver’s recovery from his separated shoulder, and left to buy egg rolls for everyone.

Alex Marvez was backstage with Mike Tyson and the Inner Circle. Jericho explained quite logically why Mike Tyson joined Jericho when they previously were at odds on Dynamite. Jericho explained that after the Pinnacle beat them down, Jericho had time to really rethink his attitude, and decided to call everyone he wronged and apologize to them.

He said the first person he called was Tyson, as 10 years ago on Monday Night, they got in a fight and Tyson knocked him out. He apologized and then asked Tyson if he would be in his corner, and Tyson said he would be if they needed anything. Jericho then asked Tyson to call the match tonight right down the middle, and Tyson promised he would be tough, by fair.

Red Velvet (5-0) vs. Jade Cargill (3-0)

This match was not good. You can tell they took advantage of it being pretaped to cover for some of the botches, but Jade Cargill got a lot of the offence, hitting a fallaway slam into the front row, and a stalling vertical suplex on Velvet.

Red Velvet missed a moonsault, then Jade hit her finisher for the pinfall.

Result: Jade Cargill

Rating: DUD (0 stars)

This was not good at all. I’m very glad they edited it down to make it work, but man, this was rough.

Britt Baker was backstage with Tony Schiavone, cutting a promo about the AEW rankings and how she has moved into the #2 position.

Anthony Ogogo (0-0) w/ The Factory vs. Cole Carter

This was a quick squash to highlight Ogogo. Carter got a takeover, but Ogogo got up and hit a huge right to the ribs which immediately dropped Carter and he couldn’t continue. I really liked this finish, as it’s quite realistic for a guy that was an Olympic level boxer to finish a fight with a punch, and a hard one to the ribs at that.

Result: Anthony Ogogo (1-0)

Miro was backstage and cut a promo about how he was coming for everyone in AEW, and he was trying to get in contact with Kip Sabian after they lost their match against the Best Friends to smooth things over, but implied it with a huge menace in his voice. I fear for the future of Kip Sabian.

Mike Tyson as the Special Enforcer: Dax Hardwood (The Pinnacle) (19-4 in Tag Team Wrestling) w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Chris Jericho (The Inner Circle) (3-1) w/ Sammy Guevara

Given how personal the feud is between these two groups, Jericho and Hardwood immediately started brawling. Jericho went for a chair, but Tyson took it away. Hardwood went for a bat, but Tyson took that away too, and so far he is calling it down the middle as promised.

Both men brawled into the wrestlers at ringside, throwing chair everywhere before going back into the ring. The action spilled to the outside again, and Hardwood asked the doctor to look at his stitches from the beating they took from the Inner Circle. As the doctor was checking, Hardwood grabbed a microphone and hit Jericho with it. Jericho grabbed a pen and jabbed it into Hardwood’s head.

Jericho grabbed a camera and filmed Hardwood as he kicked him in the head. Hardwood sent Jericho flying into the guardrail, and then got in the face of Mike Tyson. Harwood tried to hit a superplex on Jericho, but Jericho shoved him off and hit a flying crossbody for a 2 count. Hardwood was still able to maintain control afterward.

Harwood missed a diving headbutt and Jericho got up and locked on the Liontamer. Cash Wheeler got on the apron and hit a cheap shot on Jericho while the ref wasn’t looking. Sammy Guevara and Tyson handled Cash, but Harwood hit a brainbuster on Jericho but Jericho kicked out.

Jericho hit a codebreaker, but when he went for the pinfall the Pinacle and Inner Circle ended up on the stage brawling all over the place. Cash Wheeler grabbed a baseball bat and Tyson cut him off and knocked him out with a big right hand. Jericho hit Harwood with a Judas Effect and managed to get the pinfall.

Result: Chris Jericho (4-1)

Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was a wild, old school brawl between Jericho and Harwood and I loved every second of it. The intensity between The Pinnacle and the Inner Circle is growing, and this really helped build it.

After the match, Chris Jericho announced that Mike Tyson was a member of the Inner Circle, which was awesome.

Alex Marvez was backstage with the Good Brothers, The Young Bucks, &Kenny Omega, but Callis kicked him away and grabbed a mic to cut a promo. He said that just when you think you had it all figured out, he promised that there was more to come. Callis said that the Young Bucks coming back to the fold was just the beginning.

Kenny said that they were finally being the old Kenny Omega and Young Bucks again, and Matt Jackson said that it didn’t matter who came for them for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, as they were the greatest tag team of all time, and no one could stop them. Don Callis then superkicked the camera man before they faded to black.

Thunder Rosa was in a promo video, and she said that she wasn’t just satisfied with becoming the AEW World Women’s champion. She wanted to hold the NWA World Women’s Championship too, and that she was coming for the winner of Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti and for Serena Deeb. This was very good.

Kris Statlander (0-0) w/ the Best Friends vs. Amber Nova (0-0)

Statlander locked up with Nova, and pushed her back to the middle rope before letting her go to fal on her face. Statlander booped her nose, which she didn’t like, then bodyslammed her, which I assume she also didn’t like. Nova shoved Statlander a few times before Statlander hit a gorilla press, a leg drop, and a senton on Nova.

Statlander hit a huge running knee, threw a bad roundhouse, and then hit a Super Nova for the win. Effective squash outside of the missed roundhouse kick.

Result: Kris Statlander (1-0)

Statlander had a great return to action here, and adding her to the Best Friends was a great choice, as she fits in with them quite well.

Team Taz was with Dasha, and Taz said that he was still waiting for a response from Christian Cage, but Ricky Starks was tired of waiting. Taz said that it was best if Starks and Cage stayed backstage as they were both combustible, so having him and Hobbs handle it would be wiser.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1382508666939600898

Christian Cage came out to be interviewed by Tony Schiavone, and Christian talked about how he was intending to really outwork everyone, and he was taking his open contract seriously. Taz cut him off and asked why he hasn’t responded yet, and Christian said that he was going to bbe a professional about it and talk privately, but since Taz wanted to do it publicly, Christian had his answer.

Christian said that he wasn’t interested, and insulted Taz’s height. Taz got increasingly upset saying that he never liked Christian and went to rant more, but Hobbs had Taz lower the mic and then slowly walked into the ring and started to fight with Christian. That was awesome. Hook distracted Christian, and Powerhouse Hobbs took Christian out and beat him all around ringside.

Hobbs then picked Christian up and slammed him face first into the ring steps before standing on Christian’s head and leaving him laying. This was a hugely effective angle to put Powerhouse Hobbs over as a monster. I loved this.

A short video aired for Hikaru Shida and Tay Conti next week, then AEW announced Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Christian Cage, Hangman Page vs. Ricky Starks, and Trent vs. Pentagon Jr.

Falls Count Anywhere for the TNT Championship: Matt Hardy (Hardy Family Office (7-2) vs. Darby Allin (6-0)

Matt Hardy started the match with a chair, but as Darby Allin went for a springboard Coffin Drop on Hardy, Hardy smashed his bac with the chair. Hardy beat on Allin with the chair in several different ways over the next 3-5 minutes. Allin had welts on his backas Hardy went for a Twist of Fate with Allin’s head in the chair, but Allin countered out and started smashing Hardy in the back with the chair.

As Allin started to attack, the HFO came out and started beating on Darby Allin. As they were setting up an attack on the stairs, Sting and the Dark Order came out. Sting took out Private Party while the Dark Order brawled out of the arena with Butcher & Blade. I wasn’t a fan of all the interference, but I do get why they did it. It’s just becoming a bit of an old thing with this happening a lot lately.

Sting kept Private Party away, and the Dark Order continued to brawl all over the empty stands. Allin’s back was red all over, absolutely covered in welts. Hardy sent Allin crashing into the steps that were setup earlier, which sent his body flipping over the stairs into the and over the guardrail.

Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky came out to confront Sting, but Lance Archer cut them off and entered the ring to take out Private Party instead. Him and Sting shared a look, and then Sting thew his bat to Allin. There was way too much going on here. Hardy hit a low blow on Allin and then hit a Twist of Fate on a chair for a 2-count against Allin.

Allin and Hardy then brawled backstage and Hardy put Allin on a table and hit a legdrop off a ladder onto Allin for another 2-count. Allin, as he crawled back to ringside, he grabbed Sting’s bat and cornered Hardy against the announce table. Allin smashed Hardy with the bat, put him on the announce table, and hit a Coffin Drop off a huge lighting rig through the table for the pinfall victory.

Result: Darby Allin (7-0)

Rating: ***½ (3.5 stars)

There was way too much happening in parts of this match in terms of outside interference. I get what AEW was trying to do, but there had to be a more effective way to do it than have so many run ins. The match between Hardy and Allin was a good brawl with lots of plunder, but all the run ins took away from it, making everything less impactful.

Final Thoughts:

This was a very good episode of AEW Dynamite, but the overbooked mess of the main event honestly dragged it down a little bit for me. I felt like most of the stories they are beginning to advance were advanced well, for the most part. The Young Bucks going full heel and the build to Kingston and Mox vs. the Bucks is on the way.

I liked the full heel turn, I liked the squash matches, and I liked the actual long matches as well. Everything in the Hardy/Allin main event was good in terms of the action itself, but they tried to accomplish way too much with all those run ins. It would have been more effective to see Archer come out and squash someone and then point at the rafters where Sting was sitting than what they did here.

I also understand that The Dark Order is feuding with the Hardy Family Office, but there was likely better ways to achieve that than having them both run in during the main event. I think it would have been more effective to show them brawling backstage earlier in the show, explaining why no one could interfere in the main event.

Regardless, I understand what they were trying to do, but it felt like way too much.

Show Rating: *** (3 stars)

This was a perfectly fine episode of Dynamite, but the main event took away from what was otherwise a really good show. Even then, the match itself was fine, it’s just that way too many people got involved at once, and it got distracting to the point that Tony Schiavone said it was too hard to keep track of what was happening. He was right.