AEW Dynamite
Episode 53
#AEWDynamite
Original Air Date: September 23, 2020
Event Date: September 23, 2020
(aired live on TNT & the FITE app)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Venue: Daily’s Place
Commentary: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Kenny Omega (2)
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Before the show, AEW remembers Road Warrior Animal (1960-2020).
Intro Video
“Dynamite” by No One Hero
Match 1
“Superbad” Kip Sabian w/ Penelope Ford & “The Best Man” Miro vs “The Concrete Rose” Sonny Kiss & “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela
(referee: Aubrey Edwards)
Result: Miro submits Sonny Kiss with Game Over (camel clutch)
Time: 10:40
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. This was really an introduction for Miro to the AEW audience, and for that it worked well. The match got a bit messy at times, and there were some referee shenanigans that didn’t work for me, but overall I liked the match fine. Kip Sabian wasn’t the best tag parter tonight. He got beat up a lot, and he didn’t want to tag very much. Bit that allowed them to save Miro until the later stages of the match, so that was fine. Kiss and Janela looked good as a team, but with Miro debuting in an AEW ring, it seemed pretty clear from the start that Janela and Kiss weren’t going to win. Miro looked good though. He’s huge, and he was a wrecking ball whenever he got into the ring. So that was fun.
Ring Area
After the match, Eddie Kingston comes out, and he has something to say. Angrily, Kingston talks about getting the spot he earned by not being eliminated from the Casino Battle Royale. He also talks about Jon Moxley selling out to sports entertainment while Kingston never did. Kingston demands that Moxley come out to the ring so he can look into the champ’s eyes.
Jon Moxley quickly heads to the ring and gets face to face with Kingston. Referees and officials (including Jerry Lynn) come out to make sure no brawl breaks out.
Match 2
Evil Uno w/ Colt Cabana, Anna Jay, John Silver, Preston Vance, Alan Angels vs “Hangman” Adam Page
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Adam Page wins via pinfall after the Buckshot Lariat
Time: 11:39
Match Thoughts
Good match. The commentators told us that just like Page’s match last with, this was initially offered to Page and Omega as a tag match (this match being against Evil Uno and Stu Grayson), but Omega turned it down. Omega was also on commentary for the match like last week, and he continued to give slightly backhanded compliments to Page and his opponent. In the match, Page and Uno both looked good. Page was more in control of the action, but Uno didn’t want any help from Dark Order. Uno tried to do things the right way, but Page is regaining his confidence and was a tough opponent for Uno. There was a lot of story stuff going on here, but that action was good as well.
Backstage
Earlier today, Tony Schiavone spoke with Matt Jackson. Matt says he and Nick haven’t been acting very professionally lately, but he hopes people understand everything they’ve been going through professionally and personally. Schiavone tries to ask Matt questions about FTR, but Matt just gets angry and breaks Schiavone’s phone. Matt throws some money at Schiavone before heading back into his dressing room.
Match 3
TNT Title Match
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy vs Mr. Brodie Lee (TNT Champ) w/ Evil Uno, John Silver, Alan Angels, Preston Vance, Ana Jay
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Brodie Lee wins via pinfall after a discus lariat
Time: 11:35
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Cassidy got beat up a lot throughout the first two-thirds of this match, but that led to a furious comeback that had Cassidy taking on nearly every member of the Dark Order in and around the ring. Cassidy looked great, but Lee was dominant tonight. Regardless of the outcome, this was a strong match for both guys.
Ring Area
After the match, the lights go out. In the darkness, music plays, and Cody emerges from smoke and fire. Cody, dressed in black with black hair, enters the ring and makes an example out of 5 (Alan Angels) by putting him in a figure four leg lock.
Backstage
Dasha is ready to interview someone, but Anna Jay takes the mic from her and gives it to Brodie Lee. Lee is furious. He wonders what kind of man Cody is, and determines that Cody is a coward. Lee has a dog collar, and he says he’s going to put it around Cody’s neck. Will Cody accept the challenge? He has one week to respond.
Ring Area
Matt Hardy heads to the ring with Private Party. Matt talks about the attack from a masked man he suffered last week. Matt has been trying to figure out who attacked him, and Chris Jericho is at the top of his suspect list. He also doesn’t like how Jericho and Hager treated Private Party last week. Matt says Jericho is and always has been an asshole.
Chris Jericho comes out to the stage with Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager. Jericho gets angry about what Matt Hardy did to Sammy Guevara at All Out, and he says no one knows when Guevara will be back. Oh wait, he’s back right now. Sammy Guevara joins the rest of the Inner Circle on the stage.
Jericho goes on to say that if he were going to attack Matt with a bat, he wouldn’t do it from behind. In fact, Jericho might just hit Matt with Floyd the Bat right now. Matt says he’ll fight the entire Inner Circle right now, but Private Party calms Matt down. Marq Quen tells Matt that they want to give him as much time as he needs to get healthy. Quen turns to Jericho and reminds him that he laid Jericho out last week for ambushing Isaiah Kassidy. Kassidy takes the mic and challenges Jericho to a match next week. What would happen if, next week, a 23 year old kid from the streets of Brooklyn makes Chris Jericho his “Le Champion bitch?” Jericho is displeased.
Ring Area
In the ring, Tony Schiavone welcomes Tully Blanchard and FTR. Blanchard talks about changing the rules for tag title matches. The matches will now have 20 minute time limits instead of 60, and FTR and Blanchard will get to pick the opponents. So next week, SCU will get a “20 minute brush with greatness.” Blanchard also explains that if SCU cannot defeat FTR within 20 minutes, then FTR will be declared the winners of the match.
Dax Harwood then wonders out loud who their challengers after SCU might be. He talks about Best Friends and their “glorified backyard wrestling match” from last week. Best Friends interrupt as they come out and head to the ring. Trent challenges FTR to a match right now, and FTR accepts. Paul Turner runs out to the ring, but before he can call for the bell, Harwood stops him. Cash Wheeler says FTR are fighting champs, but they can’t take advantage of Best Friends. Wheeler says they’ll give Best Friends some more time to recover from their match last week, and then they can have their match. FTR leaves, and Chuck Taylor calls them “weenies.”
Match 4
Ivelisse & Diamanté vs Thunder Rosa (NWA Women’s Champ) & Hikaru Shida (AEW Women’s Champ)
(referee: Rick Knox)
Result: Hikaru Shida pins Diamanté after Tamashii (running knee strike)
Time: 8:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. Diamanté and Ivelisse had more offense through teamwork than Shida and Rosa did, but Diamanté and Ivelisse also seemed to get in each other’s way a few times throughout the match. Shida and Rosa each had strong individual efforts, and that proved to be the difference maker tonight. SHida and Rosa of course had a little miscommunication during the match where one ended up hitting the other by mistake, but they continued on without any incident between them. In the end, Shida got on a good run of offense against Diamanté while Rosa supported her by mostly taking Ivelisse out of the match.
Backstage
Dasha welcomes Chris Jericho. Jericho responds to Isaiah Kassidy’s challenge from earlier in the night, saying the only shots Kassidy is going to take next week are from the left and right fists of Le Champion. MJF walks up, and he and Jericho bond over making fun of Tony Schiavone.
Match 5
AEW World Title Match
Eddie Kingston vs Jon Moxley (AEW World Champ)
(referee: Bryce Remsburg)
Result: Jon Moxley wins via Referee Stoppage/KO with a bulldog choke
Time: 10:51
Match Thoughts
Great match! This was an unexpected opportunity for Eddie Kingston, and he made the most of it. Kingston and Moxley beat, chopped, and slammed each other as hard as they could, and it looked brutal at times. They tried to outdo each other through toughness and sheer force of will. This was a gritty fight that wasn’t always pretty, but it was always entertaining. I loved it.
Ring Area
After the match, the Lucha Brothers run out and attack Moxley. After a few seconds, Will Hobbs runs out to help Moxley, but he gets taken down as well. After a few more seconds, Darby Allin runs out and takes care of Penta El Zero M, Rey Fenix, and Eddie Kingston with a few swings of his skateboard. Ricky Starks then hits the ring and hits Allin with a spear. Taz walks out to the ring as the Lucha Bros., Kingston, and Starks beat up Allin, Hobbs, and Moxley.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. It definitely got better and better as the night went on. I think the first few segments were pretty good, but the last few segments were really good. I’m also not at all upset about the six man tag match between Moxley and Archer’s teams got canceled. We great a great World Title match instead, and I can’t imagine the six-man would be better than that.
Match of the Night
Eddie Kingston vs Jon Moxley
These guys match up really well, and I expect we’ll see more between them in the future. At least I hope we will.