Welcome, everyone to the latest edition of #MouthingOff (with MikeJC): Dynamite Weekly, the weekly review feature on AEW Dynamite here on SLTDWrestling.com. I will be giving my thoughts and opinions on all the highlights of the show as well as giving the “Remarkable Wrestler” of the week. So here are the highlights of the Wednesday, February 24th edition of AEW Dynamite.
Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth
This opener was pretty straight forward as most matches are that have included Ryan Nemeth since he’s appeared on Dynamite three times now. Moxley gets the upper hand immediately and never loses it. Basically toys with Nemeth for most of the match, hitting a bunch of cross face strikes and a back suplex and stomps on the hands of Nemeth. Nemeth tries to get back into it with shoulder thrusts and a dropkick but Moxley follows it up with the Paradigm Shift for the quick victory.
Following the match Moxley gives a passionate promo about knowing from start that the moment he lost the AEW title, he’d do whatever it took to get it back, and talks about the words that come to mind when he thinks of an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch. Fire, blood, burns, torture, agony, and vintage Japanese wrestling magazines. He then says that wrestling is his addiction and he can’t get enough of it, and the idea of an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch pulls him and gets him excited even if it is a trap by Kenny Omega, it won’t be the first or last time someone has tried to take him out. Win, lose or draw and anybody who has stuck by him, they will know when it’s all said and done, he’s going to give them everything he has. If it all comes to an end at Revolution, he couldn’t think of a perfect way to go out.
Segment Rating: 6/10
Let me just clarify, the rating is for the promo, it was passionate, it was truthful, it was everything you expect from a strong Jon Moxley promo, nobody does it better and this promo was very telling to me. I think Jon is going to take time off after Revolution (I’m guessing I truly have no idea). You don’t come back from this kind of match at the pay-per-view the next day and act like nothing happened. I fully expect Moxley to take time off after that match and it would be well deserved after the year and half he’s had in AEW.
The Varsity Blonds vs. Team Taz (Ricky Starks & Brian Cage)
Very clearly this was a warm up match for Team Taz as it carried the same formula of all of The Varsity Blonds matches since they got that name. Pillman Jr. gets beat up a lot, Garrison gets the hot tag with a glimmer of hope, and then they lose. This has been the same formula in their matches to a tee and low and behold it happened again. Starks and Cage beat up Pillman Jr. big time and there was a gruesome powerbomb by Cag on the outside into the ring post, that was cringeworthy. At one point Cage had Pillman in his arms and curled him, then gave him a fallaway slam.
Griff Garrison gets the hot tag and takes out both guys with a flurry of offense. Hits a pescado on Cage, then runs back in quickly and hits a flapjack on Starks for a near fall. Pillman hits a springboard clothesline on Cage, then the blonds hit a missile dropkick powerbomb combination move for another near fall. Soon after this Starks recovers hits a spear on Garrison then Cage tags in and hits the Drillclaw on Pillman for the pinfall victory.
Post match the lights go out and there’s a video on the screen of Sting driving a car with a body bag dragging behind it. He stops the car and opens the bag and we see Darby Allin and he smiles at the camera. Then Sting’s music hits and brings a body bag out with him and Taz’s son, Hook is inside. Then Sting points to the rafters, and Darby Allin rides a zipline down to the ring while holding his skateboard, and goes right after Starks and Cage with the skateboard.
Sting then targets Cage, he hits a Stinger Splash on Cage in the corner, then his a Scorpion Death Drop. Darby and Sting stare at Taz and Hook on the stage to end the segment.
Segment Rating: 5.75/10
The match was pretty good but very paint by numbers and predictable. The post match is what needs to be talked about more then anything. I loved it, Darby Allin making a 1997-esque Sting type entrance after Sting took the attention away from Starks and Cage, only to take them both out with the skateboard and Sting getting a measure of revenge for last week. THis was great. It was a moment. With all of that said, I don’t know what you do next week on the show before the pay-per-view they probably should have waited until next week to do this exact thing. This was a go-home type segment. I Really hope Revolution is the only match Sting has for a long time because I’m still very concerned about him working at all. Especially after that scary powerbomb last week.
Brandon Cutler vs. Jake Hager
This match didn’t need to happen. It happened solely because of the brawl last week and the Young Bucks facing Jericho and MJF at the pay-per-view. Hager was in control for most of the match and Cutler had glimpses of offense but Hager won clean as expected. The Inner Circle ran out to continue the attack and The Young Bucks make the save and after clearing the ring they call out Chris Jericho and MJF, Jericho’s music hits, but they don’t come out they are on the screen. They say they don’t need to come out there because they are gonna see them at Revolution, but they ran into someone backstage, and they have The Young Bucks’ father, and he’s bloody. Jericho slams his face into the picture of Nick on the merch truck, and then MJF slams his face into the picture of Matt on the merch truck. The Young Bucks make the save and the Inner Circle escapes in a car.
Segment Rating: 4.75/10
I didn’t care for this match at all, it wasn’t needed at all, but I get it, it was done to set up the the stuff that followed the match, but I didn’t care too much for that either. It felt forced, the blood job they did on the Young Bucks dad looked bad. Still don’t really care for this tag title match to happen, it should have been Santana and Ortiz winning the titles by shenanigans to set up more Inner Circle break up stuff.
Isiah Kassidy vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
This was a very good match. A lot of back and forth action in this one and I enjoyed it very much. Matt Hardy tries to get involved and Silver & Reynolds made the save and Matt Hardy got banned from ring side for interfering. Kassidy did great work working on the arm, it was outside of his usual offensive style and I enjoyed it a lot. Kassidy hit an enzugiri and a reverse frankensteiner for a near fall another nice series of moves by him. Page was working from behind for the latter part of the match. After to continue to work on Page’s arm, Kassidy tries to go for a destroyer and Page reverses it into the Dead Eye.
After the match, Matt Hardy is on the mic from the backstage area and talks about Page picking the Dark Order over him and he’s gonna take them out because of it. He comes out with Alan “5” Angels and tosses him off the stage through a table.
Segment Rating: 6.25/10
This was a very good match, and as I mentioned Isiah Kassidy surprised me with his changing of styles in this match, and how well he worked on a body part in this match, which he hardly ever does. I’m actually looking forward to this match at Revolution between Page and Matt Hardy and how this is going to continue to play into the Dark Order stuff with Page, and next week they announce Matt, Private Party & TH2 versus The Dark Order so that should definitely be interesting.
AEW Women’s Championship Eliminator Tournament Round 2: Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose
This was a hell of a match, one thing they have been doing with this tournament amazingly especially on the American side, is having amazing matches. This was another example of that, as both ladies looked great in the match and both ladies got a good amount of offense in and it came down to the wire. I loved everything about this match, except one thing, the winner. It’s been very clear to me, and many others, Britt Baker is the star of the division. She has been mine and a lot of other people’s picks to walk away with this tournament, and to beat Shida because she needs to be the champion. The constant over looking of Britt Baker in this division is mind boggling to me. Also the constant pushing of Nyla Rose, why is she the only American talent AEW gives big wins to?
Late in the match when it looked like Nyla had it won after the first Beast Bomb, Britt kicked out, which immediately had me thinking that Britt had it in the bag at that point. After attempting the Lockjaw numerous times Nyla would fight it off. Britt would hit a superkick, then attempt another but would be caught into another Beast Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Segment Rating: 6.5/10
This was a great match, with the absolutely wrong winner. The only thing that saves this tournament is if Thunder Rosa wins, then wins the belt and Britt beats her for the belt because the fact she isn’t winning it at Revolution is a travesty of booking. As I mentioned, I don’t understand why they refuse to give her the belt, I don’t Understand why Nyla keeps winning matches. None of it makes sense and when Britt eventually does win the belt because that’s what needs to happen asap.
Qualifying Match for Face of Revolution Ladder Match: Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix
As soon as I heard this match was announced, one thing came to mind, Why can’t both these guys be in the match at the pay-per-view? This was a hell of a match with a lot of great spots by both guys and some great action. The weekly Fenix appreciation continues, as this guy is so good and deserves a TNT title run down the line. There’s way too much to go over in this match to talk about all of it, so I’m just gonna discuss the closing moments.
Archer is out on his feet leaning over the top rope, and Fenix goes to the top and tight ropes across the rope and hits a penalty kick to Archer in the side of the head for a near fall, then he hits a flying cutter for another near fall. Archer fights back into it, with a hard shot in the corner, and hits a fisherman’s buster, for a near fall of his own. Archer goes up top and brings Fenix with him and goes for a big chokeslam off the top but Fenix reverses it into a spanish fly for a two count.
Fenix picks up Archer but Archer fights it off and hits a big pounce. Then a buckle bomb and a chokeslam for another near fall. Archer clearly frustrated at this point, goes for and hits the Blackout for the pinfall victory. I absolutely loved this match and as I mention the only thing I wish is both guys could be in the ladder match at the pay-per-view because those performances certainly earned it.
Segment Rating: 7.25/10
This match is a must watch, both guys left it all out in the ring and put on a hell of a match here. I loved it. Rey Fenix is always good, and Archer killed it once again. I could definitely see Archer being a favorite to win that ladder match at the pay-per-view. With the winner getting a TNT title shot, I could definitely see Archer being that guy.
Remarkable Wrestler of the Week
For this episode of AEW Dynamite, the Remarkable Wrestler of the Week is, Lance Archer.
Archer gets the RWOW this week for the stellar performance in this main event match that further proved how good he is and further proved that he can pretty much work with anyone. I look forward to seeing his performance in the ladder match.
Overall
So this was a pretty good episode of AEW Dynamite that I honestly didn’t have high hopes for based on what was announced. Overall I give it a 6.1 out of 10. I was surprised by this show. A lot of good matches, the only thing I really disliked was the Young Bucks/Inner Circle stuff, and the winner of the women’s match despite it being really good. Next week is going to be interesting, especially with that Shaq match which I have no hope for at all.
What are your thoughts on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling.
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