AEW Dynamite 11/18/2020 Quick Takes

Match Number 1: The Young Bucks vs. Top Flight

This was absolutely fantastic. Top Flight has been one of my picks for Tag Team of the year and this match helped back that up. For a match that many could consider a “spot fest”, there was a lot of subtlety that I appreciated. The parallels between the two teams of brothers made for some great chemistry. I liked the reaction from the Young Bucks when they realized they were dealing with a much faster team which they were not used to being a step behind. In the end, the experience of the AEW Tag Team Champions won out after a BTE Trigger. Post-match, TH2 attacks Top Flight before being chased off the Young Bucks.

Segment: Inner Circle Takes Vegas

If you like zany and/or wacky, this was your segment. The main takeaway here was MJF and Sammy Guevara messing with one another and MJF getting messed up with Jericho off of Everclear. Oh, and Konnan was there, too.

Segment: Jon Moxley

The AEW Champion talks about how his background has prepared him for where he’s at now and what it means to be the champ. He mentions that he holds two championships from two different companies on two different continents so, he knows that he has a target on his back. He talks about his challenger and how he will shake his and prove that he is the best wrestler in the world. Moxley nonchalantly mentions that he and Renee are expecting their first child! Congrats, champ.

Match Number 2 Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian

There wasn’t a whole lot here. This was pretty much your standard Orange Cassidy match. OC did his usual “hands in the pockets” shenanigans which led to aggravating Kip (and Miro on commentary). There were some genuinely creative counters from both men, which I thought was really cool. The King of Sloth Style wins with a Mouse Trap pin. Afterward, Miro runs in and takes out Cassidy, running away as the Best Friends come to aid their friend.

Segment: Kenny Omega/Jon Moxley Contract Signing

Tony Schiavone is in the ring with the table set up. Justin Roberts announces Kenny’s entrance and Kenny is looking the most “cleaner” style he has in a long time, even rocking the sunglasses. Moxley is announced next but never arrives. It is shown that the champion was blindsided backstage as he is getting checked out by the medics. Omega comments on the situation by saying that Moxley won’t be able to get out of this match as he signs the contract.

Segment: Inner Circle Takes Vegas: Part Deux

This was even wackier and zanier than the first segment. This was essentially a shot for shot parody of “The Hangover.” If you’ve seen the movie (11 years ago) then, you knew where they were going with this.

Match Number 3: The Blade vs. Pac

The Bastard is back in the ring after 8 months! Match wise, this was fine. Blade got to show off his power game and Pac got to remind people how good he is after such a long hiatus. Pac wins with the Brutalizer. The main beat for this came after the match as Pac calls out Eddie Kingston. Pac gets attacked from behind by the Butcher. Eddie Kingston talks some trash to Pac before Rey Fenix comes in to make the save. He too gets beaten down as Penta arrives with a chair. Penta looks on for a moment before going after Eddie Kingston. The Death Triangle is back!

Match Number 4: Serena Deeb (c) vs. Thunder Rosa-NWA Women’s Championship

This was a great match. I do appreciate the work AEW has done to maintain some sort of presence for the NWA. These two women have great chemistry and it really showed tonight. Both women displayed tremendous technical prowess and I bought into more than a few of the near falls. Midway through the match, Reba interferes which allows Britt Baker to attack Rosa. The distraction doesn’t do too much though and the match continues for a while longer until Deeb is able to retain her title.

Main Event: Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin vs. Team Taz

Cody and Darby both get the big entrances. Darby makes a heck of a champ. Again, from an in-ring perspective, there wasn’t a ton here. Cage gets the 3 count on Darby with a top rope Drill Claw. Once again, the main part of this segment came from what happens afterward. Team Taz beats down Cody and Darby before Will Hobbs makes an appearance, chair in hand. Hobbs picks up the FTW title and eyeballs Cage before laying out Cody, joining Team Taz.

Final Thoughts:

1. This should be obvious but, AEW needs to sign Top Flight as soon as possible.

2. I wasn’t a fan of the contract signing segment. The trope of the contract signing chaos is so cliché and I thought AEW would be above it.

3. The NWA Women’s match was PPV quality and might have been one of the best Women’s Division match on Dynamite in quite some time.

4. I am so glad to see Will Hobbs on Team Taz. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and I’d love to see him get a chance to really shine.

#YoungBucks #InnerCircle #JonMoxley #AEWDynamite #AEW #KennyOmega