AEW Dynamite
Episode 34
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: May 20, 2020
Event Date: May 20, 2020
(aired live on TNT)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place (empty arena)
Commentary: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Shiavone
Ring Announcer: Dasha Gonzalez
Video
This Saturday at Double or Nothing, Cody faces Lance Archer for the TNT Title, The Elite and Matt Hardy will finally do battle with the Inner Circle, and Jon Moxley will take his stolen title back from Brodie Lee.
Outside the Venue
The Inner Circle arrive in a limo, and Alex Marvez has some questions for them.
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Ring Area
Dark Order (consisting of Brodie Lee, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, 10, and two creepers) come out to the stage. Brodie Lee talks about being a man and operating at an elite level. He says Dark Order are the lions of AEW, and the results speak for themselves. This Saturday, Lee says he has to win in order to pay back the loyalty given to him by his followers. Lee tells 10 that he is now a high knight of the Dark Order, and he wants 10 to go hurt Jon Moxley. As 10 heads to the ring, the rest of Dark Order head to the backstage area.
Match 1
10 vs Jon Moxley (AEW World Champ)
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Jon Moxley wins via pinfall after the Paradigm Shift
Time: 4:29
Match Thoughts
This was pretty good, though it was more about the story line rather than the action in the ring. 10 seemed to surprise Moxley with a strong attack to start the match, but Moxley took over and dominated. Moxley slowly punished 10 after a while, apparently trying to draw out Brodie Lee. Lee didn’t come out to help his henchman during the match, so 10 had a bad night.
Ring Area
After the match, Jon Moxley throws a couple of chairs in the ring and wraps one around 10’s arm. Moxley says that if Brodie Lee doesn’t come out and return his title belt within 10 seconds, he’s going to break 10’s arm. Lee appears on the screen behind Moxley. Backstage, Lee says that sacrifices have to be made. With that, Brodie Lee walks away with Moxley’s title belt. Moxley slams a chair into 10’s arm, then he too walks away.
Match 2
MJF w/ Wardlow vs “Mr. Fun Size” Marko Stunt
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: MJF wins via submission with the Salt of the Earth
Time: 5:59
Match Thoughts
This was okay. MJF taunted and squashed Marko with almost no resistance. It didn’t really jive with the fun, gritty matches Marko has been having lately with bigger and meaner guys than MJF.
Ring Area
After the match, MJF mocks Marko Stunt some more. Then he punches Marko with his Dynamite Dozen ring. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus run out, so MJF and Wardlow retreat. Why didn’t Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus just accompany Marko during the match so none of that would have happened? It didn’t make much sense to me.
Ring Area
Jake Roberts heads to the ring, then out comes Arn Anderson. Roberts and Anderson have a sit-down confrontation with Tony Shiavone mediating. Roberts starts off by saying that Lance Archer is going to destroy Cody at Double or Nothing, and he wonders if Anderson finally got a pass from his retirement home since we haven’t seen him in a couple of months. He also calls Anderson “thick.”
Anderson isn’t impressed. He says Roberts used to frighten people. There’s evil behind his eyes. Roberts says he’s been to hell and back, so one more trip, this time with Anderson, wouldn’t be too hard for him. Anderson gets back on track and addresses the addition of having Mike Tyson present the TNT Title on Saturday. Anderson wonders if Roberts will attempt to put his snake on Tyson. Roberts says he was hoping Brandi Rhodes would be there so he could put his snake on her again.
Anderson says Cody told him that he has to win the TNT Title. He has to because of his family and his position within AEW and professional wrestling at large. Anderson then threatens Roberts with a spinebuster, so Roberts gets up and moves forward. Referees keep the two men apart, and Roberts ends up walking away first.
Video
Darby Allin climbs a ladder and sets himself on fire. Meanwhile, he goes all in during a game of poker against guys with pictures of his future opponents taped to their faces.
Video
Pac has been forced to stay home recently, but Death Triangle is coming back.
Match 3
Orange Cassidy vs Rey Fenix
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Rey Fenix wins via pinfall after a cutter (and a low blow)
Time: 10:31
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Both of there guys are super fun to watch. The match itself might not have been terribly important in the overall story heading into Double or Nothing, but it was full of high-flying, agile, and unique moves from start to finish. I enjoyed this a lot.
Ring Area
Kip Sabian had made his way to ringside during the match, and after the bell he flips off Orange Cassidy while sitting on a ladder. Behind Sabian, Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian come out and dump Sabian off the ladder and into the ring. Jimmy Havoc runs in and attacks SCU, and a big brawl breaks out.
Rey Fenix tries to hit everyone in the brawl with a very high dive off the ropes, but he mostly just lands on his back directly on the floor. Colt Cabana then runs over and hits an Asai moonsault on the group, mostly connecting with the move. Best Friends then run out, and they flip Orange Cassidy over the ropes onto the growing pile of people at ringside. Cassidy’s dive ends the brawl, and everyone back off to take care of their injuries.
Match 4
“The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. & “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose (AEW Women’s Champ)
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Nyla Rose pins Hikaru Shida after the Beast Bomb
Time: 9:40
Match Thoughts
Good match. Baker got hurt partway through the match when Statlander and Shida dropped Rose onto her in the corner, so the final few minutes of the match were basically a handicap match. I think that still worked well enough since Rose is such a monster and is supposed to be dominant. The finish felt a little sudden, but it still worked well heading into Shida’s title match this Saturday.
Ring Area
After the match, Nyla Rose pulls a table out from under the ring. Rose sets Shida up on the table in the ring, but Statlander stops Rose long enough for Shida to recover. Shida hits a second-rope superplex on Rose through the table as the segment ends.
Backstage
Alex Marvez welcomes Jon Moxley. Moxley talks about escalations of violence in pro wrestling. This Saturday, things are going to get much worse between him and Brodie Lee.
Video
Here with breaking news from the set of SSN (Shawn Spears News) is Shawn Spears. He reports that Dustin Rhodes has retired from professional wrestling. Spears congratulates Cody for getting what he apparently wanted. Spears also says retirement must have been a hard pill to swallow, but twelve years ago swallowing pills wasn’t a problem for Dustin.
Spears then goes on to report about the bad news of him not having a match at Double or Nothing. To rectify that situation, Spears challenges Dustin Rhodes to come out of retirement and face him in the ring this Saturday. Spears hopes that AEW management will make the right decision and make that match happen.
Video
Sammy Guevara reacts to Matt Hardy’s attempted murder of him via a golf cart two weeks ago. He also talks about what the Inner Circle will do to The Elite and Hardy at Double or Nothing. Meanwhile Matt Hardy says the Inner Circle will be rendered obsolete.
Match 5
“Spanish God” Sammy Guevara vs “Broken” Matt Hardy
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Matt Hardy wins via pinfall after the Twist of Fate
Time: 13:17
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Sammy Guevara wanted some revenge for what Matt Hardy did to him in their tag team street fight, but Hardy had other plans. Guevara had some great counters and some good moves, but Hardy kept pushing harder and harder as the match went on. This was a fun match, and I think it was a nice lead-in to this Saturday’s PPV.
Ring Area
After the match, Matt Hardy brings a chair into the ring. Before he can use the chair, the rest of the Inner Circle appears on the screen behind him. Jericho, Hager, Santana, and Ortiz have Kenny Omega restrained on a football field. hardy takes off running as Jericho moves to hit Omega with Floyd (his baseball bat).
Before Jericho swings, The Young Bucks can be seen in the background. Nick and Matt Jackson attack, and a brawl breaks out. Matt Hardy joins the brawl, nut he and The Elite struggle against the Inner Circle. Then, someone can be seen running in the background. As the figure gets closer, we see that Hangman Adam Page has returned. Page delivers a 100-yard lariat, and that swings the brawl into his team’s favor. The Inner Circle decides to retreat. With the Inner Circle gone, Adam Page decides to leave by himself. Omega, Hardy, and the Young Bucks pose as the show ends.
Show Impressions
This was a fun show. The buildup for Double or Nothing has been quick, but it’s gotten me looking forward to the show. This show was a fine final step towards the PPV.
Match of the Night
Orange Cassidy vs Rey Fenix
I had the most fun with this tonight.