AEW Dynamite
Episode 82
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: April 14, 2021
Event Date: April 8, 2021
(aired on TNT & the FITE app)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Don Callis (1)
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Video
The Young Bucks talk about choosing friendship as clips of them superkicking Jon Moxley in last week’s main event are shown.
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Backstage
MJF tries to convince MikeTyson that Chris Jericho is still his enemy, and Tyson should think about being on the right side of history. When Tyson doesn’t buy anything MJF says, MJF tries to buy Tyson with a blank check. Tyson rips up the check, chews it, and spits it back at MJF.
Match 1
AEW World Tag Team Title Match
Rey Fenix & “The Bastard” Pac vs The Young Bucks (AEW Tag Champs) w/ Don Callis
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Nick Jackson pins Rey Fenix after tandem superkicks (Nick & Matt) after pulling Fenix’s mask off, and the Young Bucks retain the titles in their fourth defense
Time: 23:22
Match Thoughts
Great match. With the Young Bucks fully engaged in the ongoing story with Omega and Moxley (and with Don Callis by their side), I didn’t have a lot of hope that Death Triangle would dethrone the champs tonight. Regardless, I knew the match would be exciting, and it certainly was. It was high-speed and high-risk pretty much from bell to bell, and it was incredibly fun. The Bucks are always aggressive whether they’re on the side of good or evil (and really, so are Pac and Fenix), so Nick and Matt had to do other things to remind people that they’ve fallen (returned?) to the dark side.
For starters, they came out of the heel entrance tunnel (the left one), and their corner was the one nearest to the camera. Attention to detail like that is something that lots of people in AEW do very well, and the Young Bucks are two of the best at it. I especially enjoyed the fact that the camera tried to focus on the babyface tunnel before quickly panning over to the heel tunnel as the Bucks came out for their entrance. As for the action, the Bucks still did a lot of their signature moves, but they also intentionally teased some of their moves before doing something else entirely (like a back rake). They also mocked their own babyface antics from time to time.
Maybe unfortunately, Death Triangle ended up being caught in a losing situation where most of the attention was being paid to Nick and Matt and their new allegiance. The action was great though, and hopefully this match will set up an even bigger match down the road where the Death Triangle can get revenge for the dubious tactics the Bucks used tonight.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes Adam Page who is hanging out with Dark Order. Marvez asks Page about Omega and the Young Bucks, but Page ignores the question. Instead, Page tells Marvez that John Silver’s rehab on his shoulder is looking good, and he should be back in action in about four to six weeks. Page then leaves to go get some egg rolls.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes the Inner Circle and Mike Tyson. Chris Jericho says that the Inner Circle has been looking to right some of their wrongs, and the first call he made was to make amends with Mike Tyson. That’s why Tyson helped Jericho last week. This week, Tyson is the special enforcer for Jericho’s match, but he doesn’t want any favors. Jericho wants Tyson to call it right down the middle. Tyson says he’s firm but fair. He’s Jericho’s friend, but he won’t take anyone’s side tonight.
Match 2
Red Velvet vs Jade Cargill
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Jade Cargill wins via pinfall after Jaded
Time: 6:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. Red Velvet was smart and attacked Jade Cargill as soon as she entered the ring. Cargill was able to brush off a lot of Red Velvet’s strikes, and Cargill began to take over the match. Velvet used her speed and agility to get some offense late in the match, but it felt like it was only a matter of time before Cargill’s size and strength came into play. The finish wasn’t a surprise, but I think this was a solid match for both women who are currently rising within AEW.
Backstage
Tony Schiavone welcomes Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. and Rebel (not Reba). Baker, who now respects the AEW rankings, explains why she should now be in the #2 spot just behind Tay Conti. Baker also reminds us to watch Dark: Elevation on Monday as she continues to rise through the ranks.
Match 3
Anthony Ogogo w/ Aaron Solow, Nick Comoroto, QT Marshall vs Cole Carter
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Anthony Ogogo wins via Referee Stoppage after a punch to the midsection
Time: 0:52
Match Thoughts
This was a squash, and I don’t know that I liked it very much. Ogogo and Cole locked up to start the match, and after each man took a moment to look for an advantage, Ogogo punched Cole in the stomach. Cole went down, and the referee stopped the match almost immediately. I appreciate the fact that they’re trying to put over Ogogo’s strikes as a former boxer, but I didn’t really buy the finish here tonight. A knockout blow would have been better in my opinion. I would have even bought the punch to the gut if Carter had audibly given up, but the way it happened looked like Paul Turner stopped the match prematurely. We’ve seen referees allow matches to continue with people in way worse condition than Carter was.
Video
Miro says he has been looking for Kip Sabian, but he’s disappeared ever since Arcade Anarchy. Regardless, Miro is moving on, with or without Kip, as he fulfills his destiny of becoming a champion in AEW. If you have gold in AEW, you might want to disappear like Kip before Miro finds you.
Match 4
Dax Harwood w/ Cash Wheeler, Tully Blanchard vs “The Demo God” “Le Champion” Chris Jericho w/ Sammy Guevara
(referee: Aubrey Edwards; special outside enforcer: Mike Tyson)
Result: Chris Jericho wins via pinfall after the Judas Effect
Time: 13:20
Match Thoughts
Very good match. With the ongoing rivalry between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle on everyone’s mind, there was a lot going on in and around this match even though it didn’t start with a ton of people in and around the ring. Jericho and Harwood were limited to one corner person each (Blanchard was told to head to the back as the match began), and Tyson was pretty quiet at ringside. Tyson showed that he was going to be fair by pulling weapons out of the hands of Jericho and Harwood one after the other, and for the most part this match was fought one on one with limited shenanigans. That is, until the final few minutes of the match. Guevara and Wheeler began to get more involved with each other, and remaining members of The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle brawled out to the stage and ringside as the match neared its end. Despite all of that, Jericho and Harwood had an entertaining fight between the two of them.
Ring Area
After the match, Chris Jericho proclaims that Mike Tyson is an ancillary member of The Inner Circle.
Outside the Venue
Alexa Marvez tries to get a word with Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, the Good Brothers, and Don Callis. Callis takes the mic and says the Young Bucks siding with Omega wasn’t the end o the story, it was just the beginning. Omega says the Bucks and Omega haven’t changed, they just won’t be who everyone else wants them to be. Matt Jackson says the Young Bucks are better than ever, and the AEW tag division has been put on notice.
Video
Thunder Rosa is back in the top five of the rankings, and she is going to take over the world. Rosa wants both the AEW and NWA Women’s Titles, and she’s going to take them.
Match 5
Kris Statlander w/ Orange Cassidy, Best Friends vs Amber Nova
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Kris Statlander wins via pinfall after the Supernova
Time: 2:32
Match Thoughts
Squash. Kris Statlander looked great in her return to action, her first match on Dynamite since last summer.
Backstage
Dasha Gonzalez is with Team Taz. Dasha asks Taz if he’s heard back from Christian Cage about joining Team Taz. Ricky Starks interrupts and says they shouldn’t wait around for Christian. Taz says Starks is correct, but he’s also very combustible right now. Brian Cage agrees, but Taz tells Brian that he’s getting a bit worked up as well. Taz says it’s a better idea if Starks and Cage stay in the back while he, Hook, and Hobbs go get Christian’s answer to their offer.
Ring Area
In the ring, Tony Schiavone welcomes Christian Cage. As Christian begins to speak, Taz (with Hook and Hobbs) interrupts as he comes out to the stage. Taz demands a response from Christian. Christian says he didn’t come to AEW to help Taz fix his broken faction, he came to AEW to win championships. Christian’s answer is “no.” Taz tells Christian he just made the biggest mistake of his life. Powerhouse Hobbs enters the ring and attacks Christian. With the help of a distraction from Hook, Hobbs flattens Christian. Hobbs takes Christian out to ringside where he continues the beating.
Video
A brief look at Tay Conti and Hikaru Shida heading into their AEW Women’s World Title match next week.
Match 6
Falls Count Anywhere TNT Title Match
Matt Hardy vs Darby Allin (TNT Champ)
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Darby Allin wins via pinfall after a Coffin Drop from a lighting rig through the announcer’s table, Allin retains the title in his seventh defense
Time: 16:25
Match Thoughts
This was a very chaotic and fun main event. Matt Hardy started in with weapons right away, bringing a chair into the ring before he and Darby Allin even made first contact. So, the match started violently, and in broke down into chaos as the Hardy Family Office hit the ring and Dark Order and Sting came out to neutralize them. While the HFO and Dark Order continued to brawl, Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky tried to take advantage of the situation by attacking Sting (who was dealing with Private Party). That brought out Lance Archer who intimidated Page and Sky into leaving. Archer then approached Sting himself before turning his attention to Isiah Kassidy. So yeah, there are a lot going on in this match.
Eventually Allin and Hardy were left along to finish the match, but not before Sting tossed his baseball bat to Allin. Hardy and Allin fought briefly in the backstage area before making their way to the stage where the match would end. Overall Hardy minimized his own risks (in comparison to what we’ve seen him do in matches like this so far in AEW), and Allin did have more offense than he’s had in some of his more recent title defenses. This was a fun, wacky match, and it was a good way to end the night.
Show Impressions
This was a pretty good show bookended by two huge matches. The parts between the main event and the opening match definitely felt like a lot of character building and steps towards something else later on, but having the show begin and end with memorable matches made the whole night feel fun.
Match of the Night
Young Bucks vs Death Triangle
Hopefully there will be a rematch sometime.