AEW Dynamite
Episode 78
St. Patrick’s Day Slam
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: March 17, 2021
Event Date: March 11, 2021
(aired on TNT & the FITE app)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Video
Earlier today, MJF, Wardlow, FTR, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard were seen arriving in a private jet.
Match 1
Penta El Zero Miedo vs “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes w/ Arn Anderson
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Cody Rhodes wins via pinfall with a sunset flip
Time: 10:13
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Cody came into the match still angry about the things Penta has been saying about Cody and his family, and Penta jut seemed to want to embarrass Cody. The match was hard-hitting right from the start, and at first it seemed like Penta might dominate the fight. Penta spent a lot of time showboating though, and that allowed Cody, who was taking the match very seriously, to mount a comeback. Penta was resilient and managed to survive some smart attacks from Cody late in the match, but Cody’s tenacity prived to be a difference-maker tonight (even if, regardless of the outcome, Cody’s shoulder was the biggest loser in the fight).
Ring Area
After the match, Penta attacks Cody, focusing on his shoulder. Arn Anerson enters the ring, but it’s not until Dustin Rhodes, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn enter the ring that Penta decides to leave. As Penta heads backstage, QT Marshall finally arrives to see what’s going on. Nobody seems happy to see Marshall.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes the Young Bucks. Matt Jackson responds to his singles loss to Rey Fenix last week, saying a singles win is very different than trying to beat the Young Bucks together in a tag match. Don Callis interrupts and antagonizes the Bucks. Callis admits that the Bucks never kicked him, but he wanted them to. Callis wants to see the Young Bucks he saw in New Japan. The Bucks say Callis changed Kenny Omega, and Callis agrees. Callis made Omega a god, while the Young Bucks are just another tag team living off their name.
Match 2
Jade Cargill vs Dani Jordyn
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Jade Cargill wins via pinfall after Jaded (double chickenwing facebuster)
Time: 1:18
Match Thoughts
Squash. Cargill did a pump kick, a German suplex, and her finisher. Cargill looked fine for the amount of experience she has.
Ring Area
After the match, Cargill antagonizes Red Velvet at ringside. Red Velvet is held back as she tries to attack Cargill.
Ring Area
MJF, Wardlow, FTR, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard head to the ring together. Blanchard starts by talking about how this new group destroyed the Inner Circle last week. When you beat the best, when you climb the mountain and there’s nowhere left to go, you’re at the pinnacle of professional wrestling. Blanchard has been a part of the greatest group in pro wrestling before, and he’s happy to end his career with the greatest group in pro wrestling today.
MJF says it wasn’t easy to pretend to like Chris Jericho for months. Like some terrible spy-movie villain, MJF explains his plan to infiltrate and destroy the Inner Circle in a long-winded fashion. MJF then introduces us to his team made up of a bunch of guys we already know very well. He then goes on to insult Jericho’s body and his age. MJF also introduces his group as The Pinnacle, saying they will take what they want, when they want. Right now they want Jericho’s locker room.
Match 3
Matt Hardy & Private Party & The Butcher & The Blade w/ The Bunny vs Jurassic Express & Bear Country
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Matt Hardy pins Marko Stunt after the Twist of Fate
Time: 8:55
Match Thoughts
Good match. It was kind of a mess, but it was supposed to be. It started out well enough, but Bear Country and Jurassic Express could never get on the same page. Jungle Boy got isolated for a while, and that just made things worse for his team. There wear disagreements and discussions going on in Jurassic Express and Bear Country’s corner, and that allowed Matt Hardy’s team to take full advantage of the situation. Marko Stunt ended up tagging himself in jut to try to get things going, but his partners essentially took each other out of the match with their bickering. This was a strong showing for Hardy’s group even though their opponents didn’t give them the best of fights.
Backstage
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston don’t like the Good Brothers. Not at all. They joke around a bit, but then Kingston gets serious. Kingston calls the Good Brothers cowards while he and Moxley are soldiers.
Backstage
Dasha Gonzalez welcomes Christian Cage and asks him why he came to AEW. Christian goes on a bit of a rant, talking about being THE workhorse in professional wrestling. He also talks about the spot he wants in AEW, Kenny Omega’s spot as AEW World Champ. Why is Christain in AEW? Here’s here to cement his legacy and to out work everyone.
Match 4
Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley vs The Good Brothers
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Jon Moxley pins Karl Anderson with a small package
Time: 9:53
Match Thoughts
Very good match, though about half of the match took place before the opening bell. The Good Brothers attacked Eddie Kingston before he even got out of the entrance tunnel, and Kingston was already hurting by the time Moxley made it to ringside to help him. Anderson and Gallows destroyed Moxley and Kingston at ringside for a few minutes, going so far as to hit Moxley with Magic Killer on the floor. Then the match started. Kingston was isolated and beaten up for another few minutes before Moxley finally made it into his corner. Moxley was tagged in, and even though that opened the match up a little, Moxley and Kingston were still fighting an uphill battle. The finish came soon after that, and I enjoyed it fine, but the biggest story here is probably jut the cementing of the bond between Moxley and Kingston. The match itself was dominated by lots of punches and stomps, mostly directed as Moxley and Kingston.
Ring Area
After the match, Anderson and Gallows attack Moxley as Kenny Omega and Don Callis saunter down to the ring. Omega sits in a chair and looks at Moxley. Kingston attacks Omega, but Kingston is quickly beaten down and hit with Magic Killer. Omega wraps a chair around Kingston’s ankle, and Anderson jumps on the chair from the second rope. Anderson then wraps the chair around Moxley’s neck, but the Young Bucks run out to stop any further attacks. Omega and the Good Brothers want a “too sweet,” but the Young Bucks refuse to return the salute. Omega is pissed as Nick and Matt walk away. Meanwhile, Moxley returns to his feet and clears the ring by swinging a chair. Callis, The Good Brothers, and Omega scatter.
Ring Area
On the stage, Tony Schiavone welcomes Sting and Darby Allin. Now that things are done with Team Taz, Darby Allin wants to become a fighting champion. He also wants to honor the memory of the greatest TNT Champion to date. With that in mind, Allin issues an open challenge to any member of the Dar Order for next week.
As Allin finishes, Lance Archer comes out to the stage with Jake Roberts. Archer is tired of Schiavone interviewing Sting week after week. Archer also thinks Darby Allin is the biggest “indie-rific joke” he’s ever seen. If Allin likes coffins so much, Archer is about to put him in one. Jake Roberts takes the mic and calls Allin a “weenie-boy.” Roberts then issues a warning to Sting, telling him he should be wary of messing with Lance Archer.
Archer and Roberts leave, but before Schiavone can regain control of the segment, Team Taz walks out to the stage. Brian Cage takes the mic from Taz and confronts Sting. Cage says he respects Sting, and Sting is still The Icon. The rest of Team Taz is confused and angry, but Brian Cage pushes past them all as he heads backstage.
Video
Scorpio Sky is tired of being a stepping stone. He’s going to show everyone that he is a wrestling savant even if he has to hurt people to do it.
Match 5
Rey Fenix w/ Pac vs Angelico
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Rey Fenix wins via pinfall after a knee strike and an over-the-shoulder reverse piledriver
Time: 7:34
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This match allowed Rey Fenix to display something different than what we usually see him do in AEW. Angelico’s technical submission style kept Fenix mostly on the mat and away from the ropes, so Fenix has to adjust and show his own technical skills in order to survive. Angelico did initiate most of the attacks throughout the match, but Fenix looked quite good countering, escaping, and fighting back. The finish wasn’t surprising, but they way they got there was great. They’re definitely building up Rey Fenix a lot with these singles matches, and I think it’s great not only for Death Triangle’s eventual tag title match, but for Rey Fenix going into the future. Also, it’s always great to see Angelico on Dynamite.
Backstage
Miro tells Alex Marvez that he’s not interested in a rematch with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy. Miro wants to move on. Kip Sabian walks up, and Kip tells Miro that he can’t move on. Chuck and Orange ruined Sabian’s wedding, and he still wants payback. Sabian also has an issue with Miro apparently not caring about Penelope Ford getting hurt during the tag match at Revolution. Miro gives Sabian some advice: the worst thing you can do for your career is to have your wife at ringside. Miro also says that the only thing he cares about when the bell rings is his destiny to become AEW World Champion. Miro walks away, and Kip Sabian tells Marvez he and Miro accept Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy’s challenge for a rematch.
Backstage
Dark Order decides who will face Darby Allin for the TNT Title next week. It will be John “Johnny Hungie” Silver!
Backstage
The Pinnacle takes over the Inner Circle locker room.
Match 6
Unsanctioned Lights Out Match
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. w/ Rebel vs Thunder Rosa
(referee: Paul Turner; watching in the back: Hikaru Shida)
Result: Thunder Rosa wins via pinfall after a fire thunder driver off the apron through a table
Time: 16:39
Match Thoughts
Fantastic match. Thunder Rosa is a heavy striker and always brings a bit of brutality to her match just because of her wrestling style, but Britt Baker tried to brutalize Rosa tonight. That forced Rosa to up her brutality as well, and that led to a fantastic grudge match.
This felt like a fight. Like a fight between two people who genuinely hate each other. Baker started strong (with some help from Rebel), but Baker’s arrogance allowed Rosa to get in some good shots early in the fight. Baker would manage to hang on to the advantage though, and it was Baker who drew first blood with a stomp to Rosa’s head on the steps up to the ramp. Rebel was moving around ringside to help set up furniture, and her presence helped immensely. One of my pet peeves in matches with lots of weapons and furniture is when it feels like the competitors are taking too long or being too obvious about setting up specific spots. That didn’t happen at all in this match, mostly thanks to Rebel’s efforts. Rosa and Baker were free to just concern themselves with attacking each other, and that’s what they did.
Rosa started to mount a comeback with some smart usage of a ladder, and that led to Britt Baker bleeding profusely from the head. The fight continued on with both women trying to inflict more and more pain on each other. The stakes kept getting higher and higher until someone finally just couldn’t get back up. This is sure to be a classic AEW match, and images from it are going to be used possibly indefinitely throughout each woman’s career. Baker in particular has another bloody memory from Dynamite to build her name on, and Rosa proved once again that she’s one of the toughest wrestlers in the business.
Show Impressions
Most of the show was good, but ultimately just going to remember this episode of Dynamite for the main event. I’m curious to see where Baker and Rosa go from here.
Match of the Night
Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa
I kind of want to watch it again already.