AEW Dynamite
Episode 48
Thursday Night Dynamite
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: August 27, 2020
Event Date: August 27, 2020
(aired live on TNT)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Match 1
Tag Team Title Number One Contender Gauntlet Match
Natural Nightmares w/ Allie vs Young Bucks vs Best Friends vs FTR w/ Tully Blanchard
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: FTR wins and earns a Tag Team Title shot at All Out
1. Nick Jackson pins QT Marshall after the BTE Trigger (6:17)
2. Trent pins Matt Jackson with a roll-up (while Adam Page holds Nick Jackson back from making the save) (9:50)
3. Dax Harwood submits Chuck Taylor with an inverted figure four leg lock (5:24)
Time: 25:37 (2 rest periods)
Match Thoughts
Good match. I enjoyed the second fall the most, then the first fall, then the last fall. The first fall was frantic and fun, but it felt like a warm-up compared to fall number two. The second fall was the longest and most evenly contested. It also set up some situations that were paid off in the final fall. The final fall felt somewhat academic by the time they got there, and there was a fair amount of story involved by that point (involving Adam Page) that sort of distracted from the action (and also distracted the commentators from noticing that the finish was about to happen). Also, Rick Knox made a weird call in the final fall that was also distracting to me. He called a blind tag, but apparently it wasn’t supposed to be one, so he just waved it off. Regardless of where the miscommunication came from, it made Knox look indecisive and and kind of a pushover with regards to his handling of the wrestlers in the match. Overall though, this was a very fun match that was put together well.
Video
In a black and white video, Darby Allin proves he isn’t afraid of Ricky Starks by jumping off a bridge.
Match 2
Sean Maluta vs Lance Archer w/ Jake Roberts
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Lance Archer wins via pinfall with the EBD Claw
Time: 2:58
Match Thoughts
Maluta, unsurprisingly, got utterly destroyed. Archer had fun though. So did Roberts.
Ring Area
With Lance Archer still in the ring after a commercial break, Jake Roberts talks about how Lance Archer is going to win the Casino Battle Royale at All Out so Archer can remove the one blemish from his record. As Roberts speaks, Brian Cage and Ricky Starks come out with Taz. Taz informs Roberts that a member of Team Taz is going to win the Casino Battle Royale. Taz and Roberts talk over each other a bit before Darby Allin skateboards to the ring. Allin immediately attacks Ricky Starks, and they two of them fight to the backstage area. Back in the ring, Taz and Roberts hold back Cage and Archer from fighting.
Backstage
Wearing a neck brace, MJF looks angry as he struggles to walk with his entourage (including Wardlow, Lee Johnson, and Nina among others).
Video
A look at the upcoming AEW Women’s Title match between Hikaru Shida and Thunder Rosa, including clips from the contract signing that took place earlier with Megha Parekh overseeing it.
Ring Area
MJF struggles as he enters the ring for the contract signing for his title match against Jon Moxley. Moxley then heads to the ring through the crowd (which is at 10% capacity tonight).
One of the guys from MJF’s entourage announces that the contract states that the Paradigm Shift will be banned from the title match. MJF talks, saying he knows people expect this contract signing to end in violence, but MJF isn’t an animal. He can separate business from emotion. With that in mind, MJF would appreciate if Moxley practices social distancing tonight. MJF keeps talking, so Moxley listens. MJF basically says that he’s a better professional wrestler than Moxley (whom he calls a “glorified goon”).
MJF talks for a long, long time.
MJF creates a narrative that Moxley is worried about not being able to use the Paradigm Shift despite Moxley never saying anything even remotely close to that. When Moxley finally gets the chance to talk, he says he’s not worried about not being able to use the Paradigm Shift. In fact, taking away one move is going to force Moxley to get creative and beat up MJF in a whole bunch of other ways.
Moxley signs the contract. MJF and his lawyer overreact with joy. They call Moxley an idiot for signing, but Moxley has some news. Moxley added a page to the contract, and that page states that Moxley will get a tune up match with MJF’s lawyer next week. If the lawyer doesn’t show up, then MJF doesn’t get his title shot. MJF and his lawyer are sad, and Moxley walks away.
Backstage
Santana and Ortiz apologize to the Best Friends… they apologize that Trent’s mom wasn’t in her van when they destroyed it.
Match 3
The Butcher & The Blade & The Lucha Brothers w/ Eddie Kingston vs Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr. & Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Pentagon Jr. pins Brian Pillman Jr. after a tandem missile dropkick (Rey Fenix) and hanging butterfly suplex (Pentagon Jr.)
Time: 8:58
Match Thoughts
Good match. It was more than a little chaotic, but both teams had some nice moments. Eddie Kingston’s team definitely got a lot more of the offense, but Janela and Kiss in particular had some nice offense for their team. Ultimately though, this match was an exhibition to show off Eddie’s Kingston’s new collective. For that, this was a good match.
Ring Area
After the match, Eddie Kingston says one person from his team (including himself) is going to win the Casino Battle Royale at All Out.
Ring Area
Evil Uno and Colt Cabana of the Dark Order come out to the stage. Following behind them are Stu Grayson, Alan Angels, Alex Reynolds, John Silver, and two creepers carrying a casket. Evil Uno says he has never been as happy as he has been over the past week. The rest of the Dark Order feels the same way. It’s been a celebration of championship gold, and it’s also a celebration of the end of Cody. Dark Order opens the casket, and Preston Vance is inside. Evil Uno says the Dark Order has buried a prince to make way for a new king. Uno then introduces the new TNT Champion, Mr. Brodie Lee, who is accompanied by Anna Jay.
Tony Schiavone heads to the ring to interview Mr. Brodie Lee. Lee talks about raising up the members of the Dark Order. He also talks about doing exactly what he said by taking the new TNT Title belt from Cody and giving him back the old one. Lee also says the TNT Title open challenge is over, and Cody will never regain the title. He then officially announces Anna Jay as the newest member of Dark Order (even though she’s been with them for a few weeks), and he says she is number 99, The Queen Slayer.
John Silver gets a bit too excited, and he says Mr. Brodie is “the man.” Lee drops Silver with a punch, and he has Reynolds put him back in line. Lee also tells Schiavone to get out of the ring. As Lee talks about how great Dark Order is, Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall run to the ring and attack. The Natural Nightmares are quickly beaten up, then Scorpio Sky runs out and attacks. Sky manages to get face to face with Lee, but a slap from Anna Jay allows the rest of Dark Order to swarm him.
Brodie Lee leaves the ring area with Anna Jay and Colt Cabana. Right after that, Matt Cardona runs out and hits Evil Uno with a running leg lariat on the stage. Cardona runs into the ring, and he helps the Natural Nightmares and Scorpio Sky to fight off the Dark Order. Brodie Lee comes back out, and he stands with the rest of Dark Order on the stage as the show goes to a commercial break.
Backstage
Dasha Gonzalez welcomes Adam Page in a bar. As he begins to answer Dasha’s question about why he interfered and cost the Young Bucks a possible title shot, the Bucks walk in. Nick and Matt are still angry. Nick calls Page a jobber, and Matt calls Page a drunk. The Young Bucks are done with Page, and he is out of The Elite.
Match 4
Three on One Handicap Match
Penelope Ford w/ Kip Sabian & Rebel/Reba & Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs Big Swole
(referee: Paul Turner; stipulation: If Big Swole wins, she can have Britt Baker in any type of match Swole chooses.)
Result: Big Swole pins Penelope Ford after Rebel accidentally hits Ford in the face with a crutch
Time: 3:01
Match Thoughts
This was fine. It was kind of a mess, but that was by design. Baker, of course, didn’t wrestle, but she kept talling Rebel what to do. That caused Rebel to be indecisive, and her indecisiveness caused Penelope Ford to get distracted. The finish to this was no surprise, but it was fine as a means to an end, with that end being Swole finally getting a match with Baker.
Ring Area
At ringside, Evil Uno (with Stu Grayson and Anna Jay) offers Tay Conti some Dark Order paperwork. Conti tentatively accepts, and she hugs Anna Jay.
Match 5
Tables Match
Sammy Guevara vs Matt Hardy
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Sammy Guevara wins by superplexing Matt Hardy through a table with a chair set up underneath it
Time: 6:40
Match Thoughts
This was kind of messy and violent. It was also pretty short, for a main event, so I think it’s clear that the feud is far from over. I don’t think the match was necessarily all that great. It was fine, but I think what it really did was set a good tone for the continuation of the feud. Guevara and Hardy both went through tables during the course of the match (though not due to an offensive move from their opponent, so the match continued each of those times). Hardy bled from the mouth a bit after a knee from Guevara, and Guevara bled from the side of his head after he put himself through a table during a missed attempt to dive onto Hardy. So yeah, this is a violent blood feud. They were also playing up the fact that Hardy is still dealing with the head injury Guevara gave him when he threw the chair at his head, so Hardy was unstable on his feet a few times which cost him in the match. For all of those reasons, even though the match was messy, I think it was good for the feud.
Ring Area
After the match, Orange Cassidy sprints across the stage and attacks Chris Jericho at the commentary table. Jericho and Cassidy brawl on the stage as the show comes to an end.
Show Impressions
Despite the opening gauntlet match being over twenty minutes long, this episode felt pretty light on wrestling. Sure, there were five matches, but story lines absolutely took precedent over any and all action in the ring. That makes sense so close to All Out. I do like how most of the matches are shaping up. The only segment I really didn’t care about was the contract signing between MJF and Moxley. For one thing, I almost never care bout contract signings, but also, I’m just not that into this feud.
The odd grouping of the Natural Nightmares, Scorpio Sky, and Matt Cardona was also a little underwhelming to me, but I enjoyed the rest of that Dark Order segment. I like that Dark Order is gaining power, and I REALLY like that they’re showing a lot more personality within the group.
I’m interested to see how Adam Page reacts to everything that happened with him and the Young Bucks tonight. Page seemed unsure of himself when he interfered in the gauntlet match, and he seemed sad throughout the entire night. What does he have to gain by preventing the Young Bucks from getting a title shot? Is he joining with FTR? If so, that definitely means he’s basically giving up the tag titles. How will Kenny Omega react to this since he’s once again going to have his loyalties questioned, although I think he’ll have a much easier time deciding who to side with this time.
Match of the Night
Tag Team Gauntlet Match
This was the best match overall, even though the story of Adam Page did overshadow the final fall in the match.