AEW Dynamite: The Elite vs. Lucha Bros and the Jurassic Express

This week’s AEW Dynamite was the go home Dynamite before AEW All Out and featured interviews with CM Punk, & Chris Jericho. It also featured a main event with the & Lucha Bros. & Jurassic Express joining forces to take on The Elite.

AEW Dynamite wasted no time after the announcers introduced the matches for the night, with FTR making their entrance for their match against Santana & Ortiz.

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FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) w/ Tully Blanchard (The Pinnacle) vs. Santana & Ortiz (The Inner Circle)

Santana and Harwood started the match, exchanging shops, and attempts at an armdrag, but neither were able to throw the other. After this, it broke down into a fist fight and FTR was sent to the floor. Stereo suicide dives by Santana and Ortiz dropped both members of FTR. Santana cannonballed off the back of Ortiz into both Harwood and Wheeler.

Wheeler dodged a corner charge and Ortiz flew into the ring post. Wheeler and Harwood started to work over the arm of Ortiz, making him pay for the injury that happened to Wheeler. Harwood stomped on the arm like Arn Anderson would, living up to his reputation of being like the Horsemen.

Wheeler ripped the turnbuckle pad off a corner, and before they could send Ortiz into it, Santana made the save. Ortiz made the tag to Santana soon thereafter, who took out both members of FTR, and then hit Wheeler with snap suplex off the shoulders of Harwood on Wheeler, which was so cool.

Santana hit the Three Amigos and then a frog splash, but Harwood kicked out. Santana and Ortiz hit a series of double team moves, ending in a German suplex on Harwood, but Wheeler made he save. Wheeler hit an uppercut on Ortiz, and then Harwood hit a brainbuster on Ortiz, but unlike their last match, he kicked out this time.

Santana was sent from the top rope to the floor, and Wheeler hit a Gory Special on Ortiz for a 2-count. Harwood hit a superplex on Ortiz, but Wheeler missed a splash off the other corner. However, Ortiz got smashed into the exposed turnbuckle and then hit a Big Rig, but Santana flew off the top rope with a clothesline on Harwood and both crashed into Wheeler, breaking up the pinfall.

Santana and Ortiz managed to hit a wheelbarrow type move and score the pinfall, to the delight of the crowd. This was a great tag match.

Result: Santana & Ortiz

Rating: ***3/4

Fantastic opening match here, with Santana and Ortiz getting the win, making this series between the two teams 1-1. Honestly, I would love to see if they could go to a best of 7, given how good this match was, but AEW rarely does stuff like that, so it might just end with a grudge match street fight down the line. Either way, great tag team action to start the show.

2.0 and Garcia promised to ruin the main event of AEW All Out by having Garcia take out Allin on AEW Rampage.

CM Punk came out and talked about how this return could be over if he can’t go like he wants to at AEW All Out. Punk wanted to make a promise to the fans though, that every time he was going to give it his all, but before he could finish making that promise, 2.0 and Garcia ran down and attacked Punk.

Sting and Darby Allin came down to the ring to make the save, and Allin hit a Coffin Drop on Garcia, Sting hit a Scorpion Death Drop, and Punk hit the GTS, and all three faced off. Punk came face to face Allin, to a huge pop from the crowd.

Sting grabbed a mic and said he always wanted to be across the ring from Punk, and it felt great for all of them to hit their moves in the ring. Sting promised that he wasn’t going to get in the way of their main event, and he was going to go backstage after fist bumping Allin, and when they faced off, it was going to be showtime. This was so awesome. Sting cutting a promo, Punk hitting his move, and Allin facing off with him. I can’t wait for this.

A great hype video aired for Christian Cage vs. Kenny Omega, with the announcers and crew talking about how good both men are, and how this was going to be a clash of two of the best in the world. Simple things like this always help in building anticipation for a PPV.

MJF was with Tony Schiavone, and Schiavone introduced him as the most disgusting human being he has ever known, which MJF complimented Schiavone on his professionalism. MJF listed all the nicknames of Chris Jericho, and then promised that he was going to take Jericho’s place.

He said it wasn’t easy shoes to fill, but like Muhammad Ali, Jericho just keeps coming back, and he’s a shell of his former self. MJF said Jericho was on a downward spiral, but just like Ali, Jericho is an addict for the spotlight. He said that Jericho’s drive to be in the spotlight would be his undoing, and that he was going to take it all away from him. This was an incredible promo from MJF.

Orange Cassidy vs. Jack Evans (The Hardy Family Office) w/ Matt Hardy

OC was immediately attacked by Matt Hardy, but the referee cut him off and sent him to the back, leaving this match one on one. Cassidy, however, had some damage done and Evans was able to get the early portion of the match. OC dumped Evans over the top rope and when Evans came back in, OC spiked him with a tornado DDT for a 2-count.

OC hit a Michinoku Driver for a 2-count, and then taunted Evans with the weak kicks. OC and Evans exchanged standing switches to roars from the crowd, which was hilarious. Evans cut off OC from the top rope. Evans and OC exchanged attempts at suplexes before Evans hit a Spider German suplex, and a sky twister kick for a 2-count. Back on the mat, Cassidy actually cut him off with an inside cradle and pinned Cassidy.

Result: Orange Cassidy

Rating: **1/2

Matt Hardy ran down to attack Cassidy after the match, and the Best Friends tried to make the save. The Hardy Family Office all came down and continued the beat down, but the Jurassic Express ran down to make the save. It’s nice to see babyfaces have friends to help save them.

A video aired for Eddie Kingston and Miro, with both men cutting promos on each other. Kingston promised use the DDT to take God’s Favourite Champion through hell in their match, and said he was going to send Miro to meet him. Miro said that he didn’t lose and lay down for anyone. This was awesome.

A video aired for Moxley vs. Kojima, and if I couldn’t be anymore excited for this match, here we are. Moxley put over Kojima as highlights aired of his career in Japan, which is fantastic.

Jim Ross was in the ring, and he was interviewing Chris Jericho. Jericho said he started his main event journey in Chicago, and it was Jim Ross that recruited him. Ross asked why Jericho picked the stipulation. Jericho said that MJF only had 3 things over him – the 3 wins he scored. Jericho said that was why he needed to do this.

He couldn’t look himself in the mirror and say that he couldn’t beat MJF. He said looking in the mirror like that was when he knew it was the beginning of the end of his career, and Jericho said he didn’t want it to be, because he wanted more. He wanted the main event, and he wanted to keep going.

This is why he had to take the risk, and if he lost, he was going to thank the fans and become a full-time commentator. Jericho said that MJF would have to be the best he’s ever been to take this away from Jericho, and he doesn’t have what it takes. This was an excellent promo.

A video aired for Allin and CM Punk, with Allin talking about how his favourite wrestler when he was 15 was CM Punk, but it bothered him when Punk said Allin was the first on the list, because it meant that Punk was overlooking him. Another good promo.

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Brian Cage vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (Team Taz) w/ Hook

Cage attacked Hobbs on the ramp and they spilled down to ringside. Hook distracted Cage as they went into the ring, and Hobbs took advantage and overpowered Cage and started to get the heat on him. During the break, JR commented on Hook’s hair, and Taz cracked and said that he won’t listen to him or his mom about it, but he’s sure someone likes it. That was hilarious.

Hobbs continued to control the match when they came back from break, and both men hit clotheslines against each other before Cage started to hit a series of big kicks and an exploder suplex on Hobbs. It was good enough that even Taz put it over. Hobbs hit a big spinebuster, but Cage kicked out.

Cage hit an F5 and then a deadlift suplex. Cage called for the Drill Claw, but Hook distracted the referee and Ricky Starks hit Cage with the FTW title and Hobbs hit the Emerald Frosion for the 3-count.

Result: Powerhouse Hobbs

Rating **1/2

Malakai Black cut a promo about Lee Johnson and threatened to send him to the grave for what he did last week on Dynamite.

QT Marshall and The Factory were in the ring, and they called out Paul Wight. Wight refused to back down and The Factory attacked him. Wight took on everyone, throwing them all from the ring. The Gunn Club came down to the ring to even the odds and faced off with The Factory.

Billy Gunn nailed White with a chair and it looks like the Gunn Club have turned heel and joined The Factory. Holy cow! The Gunn Club left and The Factory picked up Wight and QT Marshall hit the Diamond Cutter on Wight, leaving him laid out. This actually got great heat, as the fans were not expecting the turn from the Gunn Club here.

Britt Baker was backstage with Tony Schiavone, and announced Jamie Hayter and Rebel (not Reba) would be in the Casino Battle Royal. Baker also announced that she has signed a new contract AEW for several years, and she wasn’t going anywhere, and to get the deal she wanted, she got Tony Khan to book a handicap match with Rebel & Hayter against Kris Statlander on Rampage. This was, of course, a tease about Adam Cole, but ended up being about Baker herself.

Penelope Ford w/ The Bunny vs. Tay Conti (The Dark Order)

Conti hit a crossbody off the apron onto The Bunny and Ford, and then hit several judo throws on Ford. As Conti was beating on Ford, Schiavone and JR talked about how they thought the announcement might have been about someone else, so they continue to say Adam Cole is coming without saying it.

Ford knocked Conti off the top rope to start getting the heat in this one. Ford continued to get the heat with submissions and strikes to the back of Conti. Conti broke a surfboard and then dodged a handspring elbow, but Ford hit a handspring shoulder tackle, before Conti hit a diving crossbody. Ford went for the Muta lock, but Conti countered into the Calf Killer, but Ford made the ropes.

Conti hit a series of pump kicks in the corner, but Ford hit a gutbuster on Conti. Conti did an inside cradle for a 2-count, but the Bunny pulled the ankle of Cotni, but Conti was able to send Ford crashing into The Bunny and rolled Ford up for the pinfall.

Result: Tay Conti

Rating: **1/4

Ford and Bunny attacked Conti after the bell, but The Dark Order’s music hit, and Anna Jay made her way down to the ring to make the save. Jay and Conti hugged and they announced that Anny Jay was going to be in the Casino Battle Royal.

Thunder Rosa was going to cut a promo about the Battle Royal, but Jad Cargill and Nyla Rose showed up and beat her down before facing off with each other, but Mark Sterling and Vickie Guerrero talked their clients down, saying to wait for Sunday.

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) w/ Marko Stunt & The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Pentagon Jr.) vs. The Elite (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson) w/ Brandon Cutler & Don Callis

Luchasaurus and Doc Gallows started the match, while the fans chanted for Penta. Luchasaurus hit a vertical suplex on Gallows, and soon Nick Jackson and Fenix were in the ring exchanging moves so quickly, I couldn’t keep track. Both the Bucks and the Lucha Brothers superkicked each other’s legs at the same time, and faced off before Gallows sneaked in and took out the Lucha Bros.

Jungle Boy went for his hurricanrana over the top rope on Nick Jackson but Matt Jackson helped catch him and Nick Jackson powerbombed Jungle Boy onto the apron. Fenix hit a series of superkicks in the ring before hitting a lucha armdrag on Nick Jackson. Fenix hit a Death Valley Driver, but Matt Jackson broke up the near fall.

Nick Jackson and Pentagon exchanged superkicks, the they superkicked their other tag partners before superkicking each other again and both going down. Luchasaurus came in and suplexed Anderson and kicked Gallows all over the ring. Luchasaurus threw Nick Jackson onto Gallows & Anderson, and then sent Jungle Boy onto everyone.

Luchasaurus hit a chokeslam on Anderson, and scored a near fall. The Lucha Bros were going for the assisted Fear Factor, but Cutler shoved Fenix off the top rope. The Good Brothers hit the Magic Killer, but Luchasaurus broke it up. The Bucks went for the BTE Trigger, but Fenix dodged and hit a handspring cutter, but caught him on a springboard crossbody and hit a Meltzer Driver on Fenix for the pinfall.

Result: The Elite

Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was a fantastic main event that saw The Young Bucks get the win with a lot of help from Cutler, further putting over the cage match as needed. Kenny Omega came out and they all started beating on everyone.

The cage for Sunday was already above the arena, as AEW All Out is in this arena on Sunday. Omega. Omega said Callis had the controls to the cage, and after Christian Cage came out, Omega had the cage lowered and they continued to beat on everyone. Omega and the Bucks hit a BTE Trigger on Christian, and the Lucha Brothers were left laying too, as the show went off the air.

Show Rating: **** (4 stars)

This was a great go home AEW Dynamite for the PPV on Sunday, as we saw a lot of good promos and angles here that setup and hyped all the matches. I believe that CM Punk and Darby Allin should close the show on Sunday, but we shall see if that happens. Regardless, every match was built fairly well on this show, and we will see the final build happen on Friday for everything else. It feels like AEW is peaking everything at the right time for the PPV right now, and this was a very entertaining episode.