AEW Dynamite 11/4/2020 Quick Takes

Match #1 MJF/Wardlow vs. Sammy Guevara and Ortiz

This was a fun opener. Sammy looked like a mega babyface in this one, flying all around the ring. Wardlow looked imposing and I still think he’s going to go far in AEW. MJF got to show off a little bit, too. Max’s mic work is so consistently good, that it’s easy to miss how good he can be in the ring. Wardlow and MJF win after Sammy gets taken out by Matt Hardy (who was wearing a Serpentico mask) which allows MJF to make Ortiz tap out with the armbar. Afterward, MJF attacks Chris Jericho as payback for comments that were made prior to the match.

Segment: Kenny Omega

A short segment with Tony Schiavone and Kenny. This was another typical Kenny interview. You’re going to either like it or hate it. Kenny talks about his track record when it comes to tournaments, even referencing his experiences in the G-1.

Match #2 Miro vs. Trent

Yep, this was a match that was on the show and yes, the focal point of this program is still the destruction of a video game cabinet. There was a nice added touch of explaining Miro and Trent’s history in FCW. This helped to put a little more logic into why this match is going on. I have not been a huge fan of how Miro has been handled so far in AEW and this match didn’t help. Trent got a lot of offense in and a couple near falls. Why??? They want Miro to be a monster but had him go 50/50 with Trent? Miro does get the win with Game Over but I was not feeling this one. Look, I love Best Friends but this should not have gone this long. We also got some Dark Order Shenanigans, and Orange Cassidy so, there’s that, too.

Segment: Adam Page

I’m not sure if it was my TV but the audio seemed real off here. Jim Ross sits down with Page and talks to him about his match with Kenny. Page appears confident but Ross questions if this genuine. Page admits that he is in fact nervous, but he needs to win this thing.

Segment: Team Taz

Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, and Taz are out and cut a quick promo about not being on Saturday’s card. Taz mentions that Ricky has won 10 out of his last 11 matches. He brings up that Cage is 10 and 1 and is also the #1 ranked male wrestler in AEW. Taz puts over the ranking system but then calls it out. He’s not wrong here, guys. He then lets us know that there will an FTW presence in some capacity at Full Gear.

Match #3 Young Bucks/Private Party

Private Party is out first with Matt Hardy. Hardy is jumped by Sammy Guevara as payback from earlier. This was a rematch from the second-ever episode of Dynamite, I liked the continuity here. It was interesting to see how much Private Party has improved since then, especially when contrasted with the mean streak the Young Bucks have developed as of late. Matt Jackson was really trying to sell the ankle injury which came into play a few times. TYB get a lot of hate for their selling but they’ve gotten so much better over the years. Young Bucks win with the BTE-Trigger. Matt and Nick celebrate as they get beat down by FTR. FTR tries to take out Matt again but gets chased out by Adam Page and…Kenny Omega. Kenny and Adam have a brief moment of solidarity before they square up.

Segment: Eddie Kingston/Jon Moxley

Man, I thoroughly enjoyed this. This whole segment was the result of what happens when you have two of the best promos in the business go at it without being fed something to say. They have done a great job making this program seem like a really big deal despite not having a lot of time to build it. This felt personal. This felt heated. This felt real. I strongly recommend watching this.

Segment: PAC

We get a very cool video from the Bastard. Short and sweet. He talks about being isolated and there’s more than a few breadcrumbs that lead to an eventual confrontation with Eddie Kingston and his relationship with the Lucha Bros.

Match #4 Red Velvet vs. Nyla Rose

This was a squash, pure and simple. Red played her part well. Hikaru Shida was ringside as Nyla was clearly sending a message to the champ. Not a ton here.

Main Event: Dark Order vs. Cody and The Gunn Club

There was A LOT going in this one. I was trying to find the connection between Cody and the Gunn Club. It was announced that Billy and Austin have joined the Nightmare Family. Austin still looks a little green but I think he will get there at some point. Billy looked like a million bucks. It’s still funny to notice how much bigger he is than most of the AEW Roster. Typical Dark Order hijinks here. Austin does get the win with Quick Draw. After the match, Cody cuts a Cody promo on Darby Allin as Darby looks on from the upper deck as the show goes off the air.

1. After Dynamite it is announced that Cody is officially Cody Rhodes again. This was pretty cool

Final Thoughts:

1. I’m still pretty dang confused with Sammy Guevara. He is clearly the heel with Matt Hardy but in the opening match tonight, he wrestled like a high-energy babyface.

2. I want Miro to succeed. I really do. It looks like he’s having a lot of in AEW and that’s great to see. That being said, he needs some direction.

3. Good on Taz for bringing up the ranking system. It was a little meta but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

4. The build for Moxley/Kingston has been head and shoulders above the build for Young Bucks/FTR and it’s been done in a much shorter time.

5. Considering this was the “Go Home” show before Full Gear, this was an effective episode. It helped move some stories along and got me interested in matches I wasn’t so into a few weeks ago.

#prowrestling #FullGear #JonMoxley #ChrisJericho #AEWDynamite #AEW #CodyRhodes