AEW Dynamite
Episode 102
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: September 15, 2021
Event Date: September 15, 2021
(aired live on TNT & the FITE app)
City: Newark, NJ
Venue: Prudential Center
Commentary: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, CM Punk (1 – 3)
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Ring Area
CM Punk comes out and joins the commentary team (after diving into the crowd).
Match 1
Adam Cole vs Frankie Kazarian
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Adam Cole wins via pinfall after The Last Shot
Time: 8:06
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Kazarian looked determined, but Adam Cole looked confident. Kazarian made the fight entertaining, but Cole made his AEW in-ring debut look relatively effortless. Cole had some nice blocks and counters, and he worked steadily towards an unsurprising yet well-done finish. It seems as if Kazarian has settled into a role where he makes other guys look good, and he certainly did that tonight.
Ring Area
After the match, Adam Cole talks about hope. He says hope is a dangerous thing. The locker room hopes they can keep up with The Elite, but that’s not going to happen. Three people have gotten under Cole’s skin so far in AEW: Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy. He challenges those three men to a trios match against Cole and the Young Bucks at Dynamite next week.
Video
The Lucha Brothers and The Butcher & The Blade talk about their tag title match coming up this Friday on Rampage.
Backstage
Tony Schiavone welcomes Fuego Del Sol and Sammy Guevara. Feugo got a new car, but he’d trade it in to become TNT Champion. Sammy asks if that’s a challenge, so Fuego makes it official. Fuego Del Sol challenges Miro to a TNT Title match with Fuego’s car on the line.
Ring Area
MJF heads to the ring with Wardlow. MJF insults New Jersey and their local sports team. MJF then has a “conversation” with the late Brian Pillman. He tells Pillman his son, Brian Pillman Jr., is a bad wrestler. MJF says he will massacre Pillman Jr. if he shows up for their upcoming match. As MJF is finishing, Pillman Jr.’s music plays. Wardlow goes to the stage to cut Pillman off, but Pillman slides into the ring from the crowd. Pillman has a chair, but MJF escapes without being hit.
Video
Earlier today, Jim Ross spoke with Brian Pillman Jr. Ross says he was embarrassed for Pillman last week, and Pillman needs to kick MJF’s ass next week. Pillman says he feels like he let his dad down last week. Pillman says he has had to fight his entire life, something MJF knows nothing about.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes Jurassic Express and Christian Cage. Jungle Boy doesn’t know what all the fuss is about with Adam Cole. Jungle Boy has better friends than Cole, and he has better hair. Christian says Cole has pretty good friends. After all, the Young Bucks used their EVP powers to pull Cole out of developmental. Cage then accepts Cole’s challenge for a trios match.
Match 2
FTR w/ Tully Blanchard vs Matt Sydal & Dante Martin
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Cash Wheeler pins Dante Martin after the Big Rig
Time: 9:02
Match Thoughts
Very good match. FTR had their teamwork going very well tonight. They had trouble keeping up with the speed of Sydal and Martin at times, but in the end FTR always seemed to get an upper hand. Sydal did a great job controlling the match for his team, and Martin had a great hot tag late in the match. FTR were consistent throughout, and that proved to be the difference-maker tonight.
Video
With Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer talks about how Jon Moxley faced Suzuki with all of the odds stacked against Suzuki. Coming up next week, Lance Archer will team with Suzuki to take on Moxley and Eddie Kingston.
Ring Area
As Excalibur welcomes everyone back from a commercial break, the lights go out in the venue. A few lights on the stage reveal Malakai Black. Black heads to the ring where he announces that there is an enemy in the House of Black. A camera pans over the crowd where Rosario Dawson is in the front row, and she’s wearing a Nightmare Family jacket. Dawson walks into the ringside area where Black meets her. After a few moments, Cody Rhodes can be seen running through the crowd. Dawson jumps on Black’s back, giving Cody the first shot when he gets to ringside. Rhodes and Black fight each other through the crowd and up the stairs until the show goes to a commercial.
Video
The Bunny issues a warning to Anna Jay prior to their match upcoming on Rampage.
Backstage
Alex Marvez, with Dark Order and Tay Conti, asks Anna Jay about her match on Rampage. As Anna speaks, Evil Uno interrupts to say he supports her. Alex Reynolds walks up and says he didn’t leave Dark Order, he left Evil Uno. Dark Order begins to argue among themselves until Anna shouts over them. Anna says she doesn’t want anyone from Dark Order with her on Friday if they can’t get along as a group. Tay Conti says she has Anna Jay’s back, and the two women walk away together.
Ring Area
Dan Lambert is in the ring with Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky, and some members of American Top Team (Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Kayla Harrison, Paige VanZant, and Austin Vanderford). Lambert insults the crowd by saying the merchandise booths are sold out of men’s smalls and women’s extra larges. As Lambert goes on, he is interrupted by Chris Jericho (who is with Jake Hager).
Lambert has Jericho’s music cut off, but the crowd keeps singing. Jericho says the crowd loves his song, and they could sing along to Lambert’s song as well if only they knew the words to “I’m a fat-faced dipshit, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Lambert is happy Jericho is here, because Jericho is the master manipulator in AEW. Jericho responds by wondering, out of the members of American Top Team in the ring, who is on top? Jericho goes on to say he and Hager cannot be intimidated. Hager is undefeated in MMA, and Jericho has gotten into backstage fights with MMA guys for years.
Jericho and Hager walk towards the ring, but Lambert stops them. If Jericho wants a fight with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky backed by American Top Team, then it will happen next week in New York, not in New Jersey. Jericho agrees to the terms, saying there will be no escape from New York for Page and Sky.
Video
The Gunn Club explains that they attacked Paul Wight to emphasize their point. Their point is that wins and losses are supposed to matter in AEW, but every combination of the Gunn Club in tags and trios matches is undefeated. Respect will be earned one way or another.
Match 3
Jade Cargill w/ Mark Sterling vs “Legit” Leyla Hirsch
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Jade Cargill wins via pinfall after Jaded
Time: 6:09
Match Thoughts
Good match. Hirsch controlled most of the action, succeeding or failing depending on Cargill’s ability to block and counter Hirsch’s moves. Hirsch struggled a bit with Cargill’s size, but Hirsch dominated much of the match. Cargill is big and powerful though, so it only took a few big moves to put the match in her control (which she did late in the match).
Video
Andrade El Idolo (with Jose) is still angry about last week, saying he never gave the order for Chavo in interfere in his match on Rampage. Andrade says he can beat anyone whenever he wants.
Ring Area
As the commentators are discussing Andrade and Pac, Taz (with Hook) walks up to confront CM Punk. Taz gets in Punk’s face, so Punk stands up and walks towards Taz and Hook. With Punk distracted, Powerhouse Hobbs attacks Punk from behind. Outnumbered, Punk is chokeslammed onto the commentary table by Hobbs.
Video
Shawn Spears reminds everyone that he gave Darby Allin his first loss in AEW.
Match 4
“The Chairman” Shawn Spears w/ Tully Blanchard vs Darby Allin w/ Sting
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Darby Allin wins via pinfall after the Coffin Drop
Time: 8:17
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Shawn Spears attacked Darby Allin right away, gaining an advantage that Spears would old on to throughout most of the match. Allin took some nasty looking falls (as he often does), and Spears maintained control for a long time. Partway through the match, Spears got a rag and wiped Allin’s face paint off, drawing boos from the crowd. It still took a while, but Allin Eventually started mounting a comeback and was able to turn Spears’ plans back against him.
Ring Area
After the match, FTR enters the ring. Sting is with Darby Allin, and the four men brawl. Tully Blanchard enters the ring and hits Sting in the back with a chair, but the only effect it has is to make Sting angry. Sting approaches Blanchard, but FTR jump on Sting before Sting can attack. Sting then takes a spike piledriver from FTR before Blanchard wipes most of the makeup off of Sting’s face.
Video
Bryan Danielson would be happy for Kenny Omega to be his first opponent in AEW.
Ring Area
In the ring, Tony Schiavone welcomes Bryan Danielson and asks him about possibly facing Kenny Omega. Don Callis comes out with Kenny Omega before Danielson can answer. Callis remarks about how Danielson talks about joining AEW as if he’s doing something for the good of the business. If Danielson really thinks that way, then he’s a bigger mark than everyone in the crowd. And by the way, who does Danielson think he is dictating who gets title matches.
Danielson tells Callis to shut up. Addressing Omega, Danielson says this challenge isn’t about the title (yet), it’s about showing the world who is better. Danielson asks Omega if he’ll accept a match, but Callis interrupts and says, “no.” Danielson then begins to wonder if he should even challenge Omega. Danielson came to AEW to challenge the “best bout machine,” but all he sees in front of him right now is a guy who hangs out with a bunch of goofy stooges. Has Omega lost his balls? Danielson then asks, “yes or no?” Omega says, “yes.”
Backstage
Miro accepts Fuego Del Sol’s challenge to a title versus car match next week.
Backstage
Matt Hardy doesn’t like Orange Cassidy, and he’s going to turn him into the “Orange Egghead” (by shaving his head).
Match 5
Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley vs 2point0 w/ Daniel Garcia
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Jon Moxley pins Jeff Parker after combination half-and-half suplex (Kingston) and running lariat (Moxley)
Time: 6:36
Match Thoughts
Very good match. 2point0 and Daniel Garcia attacked Kingston and Moxley as they were making their entrance through the crowd. Moxley was able to roll Jeff Parker into the ring to start the match, but Kingston took a while to get into his corner. That allowed 2point0 to use a lot of good teamwork to wear down Moxley. Eventually Kingston got a tag, and he swung momentum completely into his team’s favor. That led to a quick and fun finish.
Ring Area
After the match, Minoru Suzuki’s music plays as Moxley and Kingston celebrate in the ring. Suzuki’s takes his time getting to the ring, allowing his music to play on. Once “Kaze Ni Nare” reaches its high point, Suzuki enter the ring. Meanwhile, Lance Archer sneaks up from behind and pulls Eddie Kingston out of the ring. Archer and Kingston fight through the crowd as Suzuki and Moxley fight around ringside until the show ends.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. There were fun matches, but more than anything this show served as a nice buildup for next week’s huge Dynamite and Rampage.
Match of the Night
Adam Cole vs Frankie Kazarian
Even though it was pretty clear who would win, I think the excitement of seeing Adam Cole in an AEW ring combined with the fight Kazarian gave him made this the most entertaining match for me tonight.