Reviews by Dave
By David E Houston II
Show air date: May 3, 2022
AEW Dynamite was broadcast from the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in the historic wrestling city of Baltimore.
Jeff Hardy defeated Bobby Fish
Adam Cole (BAY BAY!) greeted the live and TV audience, working commentary for the opening match: Jeff Hardy vs Cole’s ally, Bobby Fish of The Undisputed Elite.
Easily the best Hardy match in a long time as Fish is the kind of opponent he tends to work well with: a highly proficient technical grappler with high-level strikes. The kind of opponent where the story is Fish trying to ground Hardy and offset his high flying moves.
Fish failed, as Hardy overcame him with a Swanton Bomb. Almost as good as the match was the interaction–or non-interaction–between Adam Cole and Tony Schiavone. UE members Nick and Matt Jackson–the Young Bucks–decide to come down and check on their teammate, giving us a face-off with the Hardys. That’s got to happen soon.
The Blackpool Combat Club defeated The Andrade Family Office
Following an excellent video featuring William Regal, Regal’s Blackpool Combat Club (“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and ROH Pure champion Wheeler Yuta) beat The Butcher and the Blade and Angelico in a six-man match. Regal popped me bringing up his having wrestled Antonio Inoki. Not only did he, but he also did so on TBS. Good match with BCC dominating but the ostensible Andrade Family Office team (no Andrade and I don’t recall that being said by commentary) getting in a proper amount of offense considering they’re a more experienced and successful unit than the BCC’s opponents last week (QT Marshall’s Factory guys).
An odd segment where World tag champs Jurassic Express–Jungle Boy Jack Perry and Luchasaurus with Christian Cage-reneged on their promised title shot to “Absolute” Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs and put forth the condition that Perry gets a shot at Starks’ FTW title. The talking was fine but…what???
Wardlow defeated W. Morrissey
Wardlow faced Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s latest bounty hunter, Impact Wrestling’s W. Morrissey in a good big man match. I have no love for this angle as it doesn’t make real sense and Wardlow is doing the most Goldberg entrance since Big Bill first got his sparklers in WCW. I liked that they gave the visiting talent so much of the match but not that Wardlow only used one powerbomb to win and not his normal Powerbomb Symphony.
Credit Jim Ross for remembering to put over the outside guy, something it sounded like Excaliber kept forgetting. Some more of this feud I don’t find that interesting with MJF agreeing to a match with Wardlow to end his contract but only with conditions. Conditions he’ll reveal in a contract signing next week when they’re in his hometown of Long Island, NY. The after-match stuff was only okay to me.
Someone must have gotten the memo on Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter so this week, they didn’t talk much at all in the weekly installment of them. Storm’s friend Ruby Soho and Hayter’s friend, Dr. Britt Baker DMD’s interview with Tony Schiavone. This was the first one that was good.
Very Good Promo by Page
Very good promo by World champion Hangman Page on his upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view title defense against CM Punk.
Nice video package on Konosuke Takeshita. Deonna Purrazzo needed one of these last weeks, but I’ll get back to that.
Chris Jericho defeated Santana
“Le TRUMPion” Chris Jericho beat Santana in a good match but one that felt a little long and had a weak ass finish. Then Jericho’s flunkies beat up Santana and Ortiz. Okay.
Gunn Club being cool with the Acclaimed (the modern-day New Age Outlaws) makes so much sense.
Death Triangle Shows Up Late
Why is Brian Pillman Jr talking and talking so long? Julia Hart clearly doesn’t wash her face that’s why that got infected. I like a good Varsity Blands beat down as much as anyone but..FF. Death Triangle shows up late AF for the save but really just so Fenix can get his Owen Hart Foundation qualifier match with Dante Martin started.
Rey Fenix defeated Dante Martin
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifying Match
I expected a fun, high-flying spotfest and they gave it to me. I enjoyed it even if a part of me wanted Martin to win. Introduce one of these young guns to the tournament.
Thunder Rosa vs Serena Deeb at DoN?
Serena Deeb challenges Thunder Rosa for the World title? Well alrighty then. The match will have to be better than their little face-off that went on way, way too long.
Main Event: Mercedes Martinez defeated Deonna Purrazo (c)
For the ROH Women’s World Championship
Mercedes Martinez got her biggest win in months, defeating ROH Women’s champion “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo, making her AEW debut (good job again name-checking Impact Wrestling) to become the undisputed champion in a solid match, with Martinez forcing Purrazzo to tap out to a Dragon Sleeper. It had the makings of a classic but wasn’t given the time and not even remotely the build to allow it to unfold and they had a commercial break in the middle so we got only about 10 min worth of action.
There were at least 3 segments/matches that needed time shaved off and given to this match, revealing Tony Khan doesn’t just need help in booking but also structuring TV time. They had a better one last year in Impact. Good show but not a great one.
The Real Uncle Dave grade: B
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Reviews by Dave is the best wrestling review on the internet! It’s written by David Houston II, who writes about WWE NXT 2.0, AEW Dynamite, and IMPACT Wrestling.
