AEW Dynamite 12/16/2020 Quick Takes

Hangman Adam Page/John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. Hardy Party

This was fine. A tad confusing but fine. I’m not quite sure what the endgame is with Dark Order and Page but hey, I’m entertained by it. Yes, it’s completely silly but sometimes, that’s ok. I am a little less entertained by the Matt Hardy stuff. I get that he’s a heel now but what is that based on? The match itself was inoffensive. Both teams had moments to shine which is important to an opening match. John Silver took a particularly gnarly Twist of Fate into the ring apron that made me legit question if his knee was OK afterward. Private Party hit Alex Reynolds with Gin and Juice but, Matt Hardy tags himself in and steals the win for his team.

Cody Rhodes vs. Angelico

Before the match, there is a brief vignette that announces that Cody and Brandi are expecting. Mazel tov. When this match was first announced, I thought it seemed random. After watching it though, it made sense. Cody is trying to prove a point and Angelico is a submission specialist that could challenge the American Nightmare. Angelico worked Cody’s legs for most of the match and eventually locked in the Navaro Death Roll for quite some time until Cody forces a break. Cody goes a Cross Rhodes but Angelico is able to counter it but does get caught by a Cody Cutter, getting Cody the win. After the match, Team Taz comes towards the ring and threatens to beat down Cody until they are stopped by Sting. Will Hobbs wants to mix it up with the Icon but gets held back by Taz. Again, I have zero interest in seeing Sting in the ring but if he’s going to do this kind of stuff, I’m all for it.

The Mad King Speaks

Eddie Kingston cuts a promo calling out his enemies starting with God itself. He mentions that he hurt PAC and he’s out with a neck injury. Eddie is about to call out Lance Archer but the Murderhawk runs out and they start brawling. Butcher and Blade come in but are met by the Lucha Bros. PAC is out next. With the numbers out of their favor, Eddie and his family slink away as Death Triangle and Archer stand tall.

Best Friends, Top Flight, and Varsity Blondes vs. The Inner Circle

Oh boy, this was chaotic. It was great to see an established team like Best Friends do something with newcomers Top Flight and Varsity Blondes. Again, everyone got a moment to shine here. I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth between Darius Martin and Sammy Guevara. The end of the match saw Jericho hit Griff Garrison with the baseball bat which allowed Jake Hager to land an F10 as homage to Wardlow. Jake lets MJF tag in and get the easy pinfall.

SCU vs. The Acclaimed

Prior to the match, we get a little rap battle between Max Caster and Kazarian. It is established early on that this match is essentially the veterans against the cocky youngsters. This was a solid match. Nothing really extraordinary but also, nothing outright bad. The young heels outsmart SCU when Caster hits CD with a boombox, allowing Anthony Bowens to slam Daniels down for a three count. After the match, Caster starts rapping again. This time, he cracks jokes about the Young Bucks, who have been sitting ringside. The Acclaimed challenge the champs to a match next week.

Big Swole and Serena Deeb vs. Diamante and Ivelisse

This was short and to the point. Swole uses her power advantage early on as her partner establishes her technical ability. Deeb and Swole make quick work of Diamante and Ivelisse as Swole gets Diamante to tap with a Cloverleaf. Afterward, Nyla Rose comes and attacks Deeb. Diamante and Ivelisse beat down Swole. Red Velvet makes the save, and blasts Rose with a chair.

AEW World Title No DQ Match- Kenny Omega (c) vs. Joey Janela

This was another short match and I don’t think anybody in their right mind thought Joey had a chance of winning but this was fun. Janela has a knack for taking insane bumps that make his opponents look downright vicious. It did bleed into comedic overkill at times though. At one point, Joey eats a V Trigger and lands, limbs sticking up in the air for a while like a cockroach. Throughout the match, Don Callis is doing live commentary through a microphone. At times, I thought this was funny and at times, I thought it was off-putting. Come to think of it, that’s kind of describes how I feel about Callis. Omega gets the win after two V Triggers and a One Winged Angel. Once the match was over, the rest of Death Triangle appears and PAC lets the champ know that there’s still some unfinished business between Kenny and Rey Fenix. Callis interjects and tells the Bastard that wrestlers don’t make the matches, executives do. PAC was prepared for that and announces that he already spoke to Tony Khan and this match is official for the AEW special in two weeks.

Final Thoughts

1. I love that Tony Schiavone has taken the role of the stalwart defender of AEW against Don Callis.

2. Kenny having to wrestle the people that were unable to compete in the championship tournament is a nice touch.

3. I’m not sure how I felt about the women’s tag match tonight. The company made a big deal of Diamante and Ivelisse winning their tournament but have them lose decisively to an untested team.

4. AEW suffers from peaks and valleys. When it’s high, it’s great but when it’s low, it’s pretty low. The last two weeks have been a low point considering how great Winter is Coming was. Hopefully, the New Year’s specials make some moves.

#Sting #prowrestling #ChrisJericho #AEWDynamite #wrestling #AEW #CodyRhodes #KennyOmega