AEW Dynamite
Episode 39
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: June 24, 2020
Event Date: June 24, 2020
(aired live on TNT)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Match 1
Lumberjack Match
Wardlow w/ MJF vs Luchasaurus w/ Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt
(referee: Rick Knox; lumberjacks: Best Friends, Private Party, Brandon Cutler, Griff Garrison, Luther, Serpentico, Ricky Starks, Peter Avalon, Kip Sabian, MJF, Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt)
Result: Wardlow wins via pinfall after the F-10 (and a low blow)
Time: 9:15
Match Thoughts
Good match. I had a lot of fun with this one, and the only that really hurt it for me was an awkwardly-timed referee distraction near the end of the match. That part didn’t make a ton of sense to me, but everything else was very good. Wardlow hasn’t been able to show a while lot of what he can do in the ring so far in AEW (his match with Cody being a notable exception), but I think this match did a good job of highlighting his skills as a big man. Both Wardlow and Luchasaurus showed impressive strength and agility throughout the match. This was a nice big-man match, and the lumberjacks provided multiple opportunities for big dives and falls. Also, Best Friends should be applauded for dressing the part in their roles as lumberjacks.
Ring Area
After the match, Wardlow and MJF attack Jurassic Express. Their brawl brings all the lumberjacks into the ring to brawl/break things up. As MJF and Wardlow leave, Tony Schiavone announces that they will face Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus at Fyter Fest.
Technique by Taz
Taz explains Brian Cage’s Drill Claw.
Ring Area
Britt Baker, encased in plexiglass in her Role’s Royce and with Rebel and a personal security guard, passes Tony Schiavone a note. Baker relays to Tony that he has been taken off of their friendship time out, and she wants a diagnosis for Luchasaurus’s green tongue.
Match 2
Hikaru Shida (AEW Women’s Champ) vs Red Velvet
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Hikaru Shida wins via pinfall with a falcon arrow
Time: 0:12
Match Thoughts
A two-move squash. This wasn’t really about the match at all though, this was about Penelope Ford at ringside. Ford was yelling at Shida prior to the match, then when Shida went over to confront her, Ford slapped Shida. Paul Turner got Shida into the ring where the women’s champ just plowed right over Red Velvet.
Ring Area
After the match, Hikaru Shida immediately rolls out to ringside and attacks Penelope Ford. Shida jumps over the barricade, and the two women brawl. Kip Sabian tries to break them up, so Shida punches him in the face and goes right back on the attack. Ricky Starks tries to hold Shida back and gets an elbow in the face, but the two women are eventually separated. Shida looks pissed as she walks away.
Video
Earlier today, there was a press conference for the TNT Title match at Fyter Fest between Cody and Jake Hager. Megha Parekh presides over the press conference and asks for questions even though Jake Hager hasn’t arrived yet (Cody is there with Arn Anderson, Brandi Rhodes, Dustin Rhodes, and Allie). Arn Anderson says he isn’t surprised that Hager isn’t here. He thinks Hager is either scared or stupid. Cody then explains what it feels like to be the first TNT champion. It feels like hope.
As Cody speaks, he’s interrupted when Jake Hager arrives with his wife Catalina. Hager and Cody pose for photos. When Hager gets too close, Cody slaps his hand away. Hager walks away, but Catalina throws water in Cody’s face. The Hagers walk away as the segment ends.
Video
Continuing the story of Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela from last week, they stop to get gas for Sonny’s car. When Joey goes inside for snacks, Sonny is assaulted by some guys. Sonny is in the process of beating them all up when Joey returns. Joey joins the fight, and he and Sonny discover that they fight well together.
Match 3
Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana & “The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee w/ John Silver, Alex Reynolds vs “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Colt Cabana pins Joey Janela after a discus lariat (from Brodie Lee)
Time: 9:06
Match Thoughts
Good match. This match was heavily influenced by the ongoing story line of Dark Order trying to recruit Colt Cabana, and the story helped dictate the action in the ring. Kiss and Janela struggled to deal with the power of Brodie Lee early in the match, but after a while Kiss and Janela started to work together extremely well and effectively eliminated Lee from a large portion of the match. Cabana spent most of the match legal for his team, and when he struggled against the teamwork of Kiss and Janela, either Lee, Silver, or Reynolds would be there to make the save. This match served as a recruiting tool for Dark Order, and at the same time it was a great showcase for Kiss and Janela. So yeah, I liked this match a lot.
Ring Area
After the match, Lance Archer appears and attacks Sonny Kiss. Joey Janela throws a chair at Archer, but Archer just brushes it aside. Archer attacks Janela. With both Kiss and Janela down, Jake Roberts gets Archer to calm down.
Video
Last night on Dark, Shawn Spears used a loaded glove to beat Suge D/Pineapple Pete.
Match 4
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs FTR
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Cash Wheeler pins Christopher Daniels after the Goodnight Express
Time: 12:40
Match Thoughts
Great match. Both teams were fantastic in this match. The teamwork was crisp, the counters and reversals were unique and exciting, and the fight was as close as I could hope for between these two veteran tag teams. Tag team wrestling has been good in AEW since the beginning, but matches like this show that it’s only getting better as the division gets deeper.
Ring Area
After the match, FTR get on the mic and say they might not have been a welcome addition to the AEW tag team division according to some people, but they are the absolute best tag team on the planet. As they speak, they are interrupted when The Butcher and The Blade start talking from FTR’s truck near ringside. The Blade challenges FTR to an eight-man tag match at Fyter Fest: FTR & The Young Bucks vs The Buther, The Blade & The Lucha Brothers.
FTR quickly accepts the challenge, and they are just as quickly attacked by the Lucha Brothers who have entered the ring. Harwood is ejected from the ring, and Wheeler takes a package piledriver/diving stomp combination. The Young Bucks run to the ring, so the Lucha Brothers walk away. Lucha Brothers and B&B leave together in FTR’s truck.
Video
A look at the upcoming AEW Tag Title match between Best Friends and Adam Page & Kenny Omega.
Video
A look at the buildup for the upcoming AEW World Title match between Brian Cage and Jon Moxley.
Match 5
“The Machine” Brian Cage w/ Taz vs Jon Cruz
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Brian Cage wins via pinfall after the Drill Claw
Time: 1:25
Match Thoughts
Squash.
Ring Area
After the match, Taz talks to Jon Moxley through the camera lens. Taz says Moxley is at home because he’s afraid of Brian Cage. He should be afraid.
Backstage
Brodie Lee fills Colt Cabana’s head with promises and good feelings. Lee and Cabana will face SCU at Fyter Fest, and as Lee cuts a promo on SCU, Cabana seems conflicted.
Ring Area
Tony Schiavone reads another note from Britt Baker. Baker calls Big Swole a big piece of trash. Big Swole walks up to Baker’s Role’s Royce, but Baker pretends she can’t hear Swole in the plexiglass cage. Big Swole climbs up onto Baker’s cart and dumps the contents of a trash can onto Britt Baker. Baker screams as Rebel tries to shoo Big Whole Swole away with a leaf blower.
Match 6
Santana w/ Ortiz vs “Broken” Matt Hardy w/ NEO 1
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Matt Hardy wins via pinfall with a roll-up (as a reversal of a pin attempt from Santana after a fireman’s carry into a sit-out driver)
Time: 10:54
Match Thoughts
Good match. The tandem of Ortiz and Santana made things very difficult for Hardy throughout the match. Plus, Santana looked good in the ring without any help, so this was an uphill battle for Matt. Santana had some really good counters throughout the match, so Hardy had to find some counters of his own to get much offense, especially in the later stages of the bout.
Ring Area
After the match, Ortiz attacks Matt Hardy. Santana joins in, and they hit Hardy with the Street Sweeper. Private Party runs out, so Santana and Ortiz walk away.
Ring Area
Orange Cassidy heads to the ring. Chris Jericho heads out next, and he starts this confrontation with a joke. He repeats the joke to illustrate how something that might be slightly amusing at first becomes annoying very quickly. Jericho has never really liked Orange Cassidy, though he does applaud Cassidy for getting over by doing something no one has ever done. He’s gotten over by being himself: a lazy slacker. Jericho says that if Cassidy tries any of his jokey nonsense at Fyter Fest, Cassidy is going to get destroyed. At Fyter Fest, the Orange Cassidy phenomenon is going to run out of juice.
Orange Cassidy takes the mic from Jericho. He sets the mic down on the mat, then he lightly kicks Jericho in the shins. Cassidy’s hands go in his pockets, and Jericho looks angry. Jericho takes Cassidy’s sunglasses off his face and breaks them. After a few seconds, Cassidy attacks.
Cassidy and Jericho’s brawl goes out to ringside where Jericho gets the upper-hand. They battle back and forth as they make their way up the steps in the seating area. Jericho smashes Cassidy in the face with a camera jib. Jericho looks to follow up by slamming Cassidy off of a production case, but Cassidy escapes. Now bleeding from the ear, Cassidy gets a running start and puches Jericho off the production case and down through a table. Cassidy gives a thumbs up as the show ends.
Show Impressions
This was a packed show, and I liked it a lot. There was a lot to build up for Fyter Fest tonight, and I think they did a really good job. I even more excited now for Fyter Fest, and that’s exactly what this show was supposed to do.
Match of the Night
SCU vs FTR
I think this was easily the best match of the night. Apparently The Natural Nightmares were supposed to fight FTR tonight, but QT Marshall is self-isolating after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. That match would have been good, but this match was great. Again, I think it’s a testament to how deep the tag division is when a match this entertaining is one that was put together at the last minute as a replacement.