Reviews by Dave
Show air date: July 22, 2020
This was a pretty strong Dynamite, especially the first hour, where the work and the booking made sense. A lot of debuts for the company and the show.
Cody (c) defeated Eddie Kingston for the TNT Championship
Tony Khan promised CODY would be defending his TNT Championship against a major independent star and bruh, he did that. Eddie Kingston debuted and set the tone for the show with the best mic work all week (and that’s saying something). I did think when he said he grew up around alcoholics and junkies, Cody had to think “Hey man. Go look at that WWF locker room in 90 when my dad was there.” Sign Kingston now. Right now. That’s what he was doing in IMPACT and the NWA and even Urban Wrestling Federation where I first saw him.
Great no-DQ match that was nearly flawless except Cody no-selling a picture-perfect Saito suplex at the end. Cody took advantage of an early knee injury and won with the Figure Four. Tony Schiavone was kayfabing when he said Kingston had lost 20-30lbs. The time off has not been his friend but if anyone can put on an excellent match with a belly, it’s Kingston.
Jon Moxley Cuts a Good Promo
World champion Jon Moxley cuts a good promo on his opponent last week, “The Machine” Brian Cage and Taz.
MJF with Wardlow defeated Griff Garrison
MJF with Wardlow, come out doing some good heel mic work, for his match with Griff Garrison, who really did look like he’s Jungle Man or, for old schoolers, Steve Simpson to Jack Perry’s Shaun. The match was a decent squash, meant more to let MJF heel it up. Started to drag though. One of those times less would have been more.
Dr. Britt Baker Returns
Another great segment with “The Roll Model” Dr. Britt Baker and her assistant Rebel and her good friend Schiavone.
Taz Has a Message for Darby Allin
Taz and Cage give a rebuttal to Moxley, explaining Taz’s Arnold Skaaland play last week. They’re interrupted by Darby Allin. Ricky Starks, the newest ally of Taz and Cage, rung all his bells. I was concerned that they followed through on the bumps when Darby looked out legit at first. Moxley came down for the save with a barbed wired bat. Hot segment.
AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Interesting AEW pulled the trigger on a Women’s Tag Tournament before IMPACT, especially considering they have one team (Brandi and Allie 🤮) to IMPACT’s four.
The Young Bucks defeated The Butcher and The Blade
The falls count anywhere between the Young Bucks and the Butcher and the Blade was a huge spectacle. First, they need to pay Butcher and Blade better so they can quit their real jobs. Second, Blade was the MVP of that match. He missed that dive like a mfer but no one was hitting harder or working harder than he was. It was a Buck’s match, so they did stupid shit so and the Bucks won.
Lance Archer Beats Up People
Jake Roberts brought Lance Archer to the arena for no reason, I guess. He ends up beating up the DARK undercard guys.
Diamante defeated Ivelisse
In the best women’s match of the week (calling it now), Diamante made her Dynamite debut beating Ivelisse, making her AEW debut. Great match that was light on BS but heavy on strong work. Diamante now gets a title shot at Women’s World champion Shida. How dare these two women have been off national TV for so long.
Adam “Hangman” Page defeated Five
Hangman Page, half of the tag champs, beat 5 of the Dark Order in a match that also went on too long. Somehow the DO are the number one ranked team (did they beat any other ranked teams?). The DO attack Page after, and he’s saved by FTR (no, you do not get to throw a cooler filled with ice and beers at me) and a late AF Kenny Omega. Where dat ninja was when they were doing all the talking? Why does Mr. Brodie Lee do all the talking? They should split that with Uno, a superior talker, and the guy who started the whole thing.
Main Event: Chris Jericho and Jake Hager defeated Jurassic Express (Luchasuraus and Jungle Boy)
In the main event, “Le All Lives Matter” Chris Jericho and Jake Hager beat the Jurassic Express in a good match. The best work was between Hager and Luchasaurus. Marko Stunt’s interference was annoying. What are Santana and Ortiz there for if he can do that with impunity? There was a moment when Jericho started arguing with the ref over a bat and it killed some of the momenta and felt like a pointless stall. The Inner Circle finally get some heat on someone (the Elite were always exempt from heat) and beat the Express down with the returned Sammy Guevara but it’s interrupted by Orange Cassidy and Best Friends-Trent and Chuck Taylor. They all face off in a ten-man tag on the upcoming.
A good ending to an exciting and intense show.
