Reviews by Dave
Show air date: August 22, 2020
Saturday Nitro…AEW Dynamite was a good show with some big highs. But when they would blow it, they blew it big and by a mile. A lot of good heel heat attained as they close in on the All Out pay-per-view.
FTR defeated Private Party
Coming on late, delayed by the NBA Playoffs, AEW kicked it off with a perfect tag team match: FTR, now managed by Tully Blanchard vs Private Party. Both teams stayed in their lanes and pulled off one of the better pure tag matches of the month with PP looking like a more complete team while still getting off their usual signature spots. FTR with the win off the Goodnight Express.
Moxley and MJF All Out Promos
World champion, Jon Moxley, cut a very good promo on his All Out challenger, MJF. He didn’t come off as trying too hard and it worked well. By the way, I hope MJF isn’t the standard-bearer for AEW for the next 25 years. I hope he gets gone and goes to other places. MJF counters with a decent promo with his campaign staff. Looks like they’re angling towards Mox not using his Paradigm Shift DDT.
The Natural Nightmares and Jurassic Express defeated Lucha Bros and The Butcher and The Blade
The Natural Nightmares–Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall–teamed with Jurassic Express–Jungle Jack Perry and Luchasaurus–to beat the Lucha Bros and Butcher and the Blade in a good six-man that went by really fast. Losing an eight-man they should have won over miscommunication, the Luchas and Butcher and Blade were interrupted in a heated argument by the returning Eddie Kingston, who was hot on the mic as usual. This was what he did as King in IMPACT a couple of years ago. I like all these guys, but I have no interest in another heel faction in AEW.
Reba Will Do Her Make Up for a Year
Dr. Britt Baker bribes Penelope Ford to team with her against Big Swole with some free dental care and free makeup by Rebel (or Reba).
Backstage Segment with FTR
Good backstage segment with FTR and Tully, which is interrupted by Adam Page, who came across like a doofus.
Mimosa Mayhem Match
Big segment to set up the rubber match between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho that ends with the Inner Circle leaving Orange and Best Friends laying and them dousing OC with (cheap) champagne. Jericho challenges OC to a Mimosa Mayhem match. This smells of a Jericho idea that Tony Khan should have shot down. Inner Circle still looking like Jericho’s flunkies and not their own guys. I hate that. They’re practically the Dark Order with no masks.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks defeated The Dark Order
Speaking of, some DO numbers lost a by the numbers six-man to Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. Yawn.
Darby Allin defeated Will Hobbs
Darby Allin beat big Will Hobbs (who gave me Bill Tabb vibes for old schoolers) in a well-worked match considering the size difference. Taz introduces the newest member of Team Taz, just Ricky Starks cosplaying as Allin and doing a good job. Starks and Brian Cage then beat the hell out of Allin. Heels are getting it in this show.
Matt Hardy Beats Up Sammy Guevara
Matt Hardy beats the hell out of Sammy Guevara and while an exciting segment, didn’t make any sense. Did Guevara have a match or promo or something? Why was he out there? Did the rest of the Inner Circle go home? Where were they?
Diamante and Ivelisse defeated The Nightmare Sisters
Ivelisse and Diamante not only won the AEW Women’s Tag tournament, but they also earned a bonus for carrying Allie and Brandi to an almost watchable match. Not good but it could have been worse. We’ve seen that. Brandi got to look strong and that’s what counts.
Brodie Lee defeated Cody (c) for the TNT Championship
The Exalted One of the Dark Order, Mr. Brodie Lee, got the biggest win of that group’s history, defeating CODY for the TNT championship in the main event. In the really surprising part, the much bigger Lee just kicked the shit out of CODY, a complete blowout and I liked it. Powerbomb, discus lariat, pinfall. CODY even did a stretcher job (I know but let him do his thing), which the DO decided to stop and flip over. They apparently even went backstage and beat up his Nightmare family, with Anna Jay finally earning her keep, choking Brandi out like she was watching old Taz videos. Cody and Brandi got to be laid out holding hands. They couldn’t help themselves in being lame.
A strong finish to a good but uneven show that seemed to aim for moments whether they made sense or not. Like watching a good Raw or SD.
