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 Saturday, October 23rd edition of AEW Dynamite.
AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament First Round: Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes
This was one of the best matches Dustin Rhodes has had in a while. What a match this was. Both guys went left it all out in the ring and this felt like Dustin trying to get on Bryan’s level as far as the wrestling went. It was hard hitting, it was great back and forth action and I don’t think the winner was ever in question but Dustin made you believe. Dustin hit a huge piledriver mid-match that looked like it would be the end of the match, but Bryan kicked out at two.
The fans would lose it after that kick out and Dustin would go for the finish with his spinning suplex finish but Bryan would fight out of it, and hit a series of great strikes and then locking in a standing Guillotine Choke, which Dustin would be unable to get out of, as it brought him to the ground for a pass out submission victory for Bryan.
Segment Rating: 7/10
This was a great match and as mentioned the winner was never in question but Dustin put on a great performance here staying with Bryan throughout and having an answer to almost everything. Bryan’s technical prowess was just too much for Dustin, and I loved the pass out finish because it made both guys look good and made it look like Dustin was putting up a fight to the very end, as Bryan moves on to round two of the tournament.
MJF confronts Sting
Tony Schiavone introduces Sting and asks for an update on Darby Allin, but before Sting could say a word MJF’s music hits. MJF has a mic and runs down Sting and talks about how Sting has never been good person because if he was he’d be there for his friends when they need him most and that’s why Darby is currently in the same situation as his best friend Lex Luger, in a wheelchair.
Sting attacks MJF as soon as he enters the ring and gets the upper hand at first until Wardlow and Shawn Spears came out to help. Sting fights them off for a little while and Spears hits Sting in the back with a chair but it has no affect, and Wardlow hits Sting from behind himself knocking him down, which gave Spears the opportunity to hit Sting multiple times with the chair. Spears brings another chair in the ring for MJF to sit in as MJF puts his jacket back on and speaks directly to Darby while holding Sting’s face sitting in front of MJF.
MJF says that as long as he is around, Darby will always be second best and that MJF is the past, the present and the future of AEW. They go to leave but Sting is getting back to his feet slowly, and MJF re-enters the ring and punches Sting with the Dynamite Diamond ring hand.
Later in the night MJF had more comments backstage but was interrupted by Wardlow who wasn’t happy about MJF pushing him into Sting last week. MJF said it was nothing personal it just happened in the heat of the moment and he feels bad because Wardlow has a lot on his plate and that’s why he’s going to give Wardlow a account-a-bili-buddy, Shawn Spears. Shawn looks as confused about that as Wardlow does and the segment ends.
Segment Rating: 6.25/10
This was a great segment, it did exactly what it was supposed to and MJF once again did a hell of a job selling this as a heel and he’s so easy to hate because of what he says. His heat was off the charts here and I can’t wait for the pop of the Darby return. The Wardlow turn has been teased for a while and it continues here I don’t see it happening this year but it’s coming eventually.
TBS Championship Tournament First Round: Penelope Ford vs. Ruby Soho
This match was not bad at all Ruby and Penelope had some good chemistry in there. Soho hit a great looking Saito Suplex during the match and follow it up a flurry of kicks which were also very good. Ford would get control and hit a big kick of her own for a near fall which then brings out The Bunny.
The Bunny tries to pass a set of brass knuckles to Penelope but Penelope drops them and the ref sees it and kicks the knucks out of the ring which gave Soho the opportunity to score a roll up victory.
After the match The Bunny and Penelope attempt to double team Soho but Red Velvet makes the save running them off.
Segment Rating: 5/10
Fine match with a not so surprising winner. Soho moves on to face Kris Statlander in round two and that should be a very interesting match that I look forward to seeing. The Bunny faces Red Velvet in round one and made a lot of sense as to why she made the save.
Bobby Fish vs. Anthony Greene
This was in laymen’s terms a squash match to set up Bobby Fish for what he’s doing next week. The match itself was all Bobby Fish, he hit some big strikes early and in-and-out springboard senton, more kicks to the body and legs, dragon screw, sliding lariat, exploder suplex into the ropes, knock out kick, pinfall victory.
After the match Fish goes to leave but continues attacking Greene, kicking Greene’s leg out from under him and a bunch of mounted punches, then he goes for a choke but CM Punk makes the save as Fish retreats. This was done to set up a match between Fish and Punk this Wednesday.
Segment Rating: 5.25/10
This was done very well to make Fish look good for the match coming up with Punk that I think we know how it will go but regardless that should be good.
AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament First Round: Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston
The fight would start during Archer’s entrance as Kingston attacked from behind and they’d brawl around the arena and Archer would pull a plant out of the crowd and chokeslam him from the apron onto Kingston. This match was brawl throughout as we come to expect from these two. Things would be back and forth for a little while until Lance Archer would attempt a moonsault. Archer seemed to under rotate and land directly on his head. It was scary looking and the ref would talk to Archer as soon as it happened who was very slow to get up. Archer would roll out and kneel on one knee and speak with the doctor he goes back in the ring and he immediately gets rolled up by Eddie for the pinfall. It felt like an on the fly change for sure.
Segment Rating: 4.75/10
These two are very capable of having a great match and they have before but unfortunately because of that bad landing by Archer they had to change the finish here and that’s very unfortunate, I hope Archer is okay and now Kingston faces Bryan Danielson in the second round.
Men of the Year and Dan Lambert Name Their Terms
Men of the Year and Lamber are in the ring after a commercial break and Ethan talks about never getting the time to speak because AEW never gives him the time to do so. He says he wants the TNT Championship and they run down ever member of the Inner Circle until they get to Sammy Guevara who comes out to end this.
He starts off by borrowing a term from Chris Jericho, and says “Would you please shut the hell up!” , and Sammy continues by saying that all Ethan does is complain and his nickname, All Ego is fitting because he is the only person who believes his own BS. Guevara talks about how he never complained to get where he is and he just worked hard. He’s tired of the talking and wants to know Lambert’s terms. Lambert says that Inner Circle will get the 5 on 5 they want against American Top Team but only if Guevara defends the TNT Title against Ethan Page next week, and if Guevara loses he will not only lose the championship but he will no longer be a member of the Inner Circle forever.
Guevara agrees to those terms but only if he can pick the three members of ATT to join Men of the Year when he beats Ethan. Guevara goes to leave but Men of the Year go up the ramp to start a two on one attack but the Inner Circle comes out to help minus Chris Jericho to end the segment.
Segment Rating: 4.5/10
Guevara versus Ethan Page should be a great match, I still don’t care about Dan Lambert, or Inner Circle versus ATT. It’s clear Guevara will win that match to set up that 5-on-5 at Full Gear that nobody wants to see. I’ve said it before I’ll say it again, Santana, Ortiz and Guevara need to get away from Inner Circle. We know whose winning the match next week and we know whose winning that 5-on-5, all of it, unnecessary.
Jungle Boy vs. Brandon Cutler
Earlier in the night The Elite had some words backstage for “Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny spoke about knowing Page better then anyone from their days as a tag team, and knows that Page lays awake at night because he’s afraid of failure, and he mentions how if the fans knew him as well as Kenny does they wouldn’t be chanting “Cowboy Sh*t” they’d be chanting “Coward Sh*t”.
This match was very quick, they started off outside after Jungle Boy hit a suicide dive, back in the ring and Cutler tries to cut off Jungle Boy’s offense with a Panama Sunrise but Jungle Boy fights it off, hits a powerbomb, and locks in the Snare Trap for the submission victory.
After the match Jungle Boy gets on the mic and gives Cutler props for giving it a nice try, he says he could go again and calls out any member of The Elite to face him right now, nobody comes out so he puts Cutler in the Snare Trap again and holds the mic in front of Cutler’s face while he begs for The Elite to come out, mentioning how he knows Matt and Nick Jackson for twenty years and they should be out there to help him.
Adam Cole comes out and tells Jungle Boy that he is an embarrassment and he will fight him right now. He takes his jacket off and as he gets on the apron the Young Bucks come from behind with a tandem Superkick, the three of them drag Jungle Boy up the ramp and the Bucks give him a BTE Trigger, and then Cole hits Lower the Boom. They make like they are going to leave after that but they drag Jungle Boy over by the announce table and the Young Bucks toss Jungle Boy off the stage into two tables, Matt Jackson tells the truck to show a replay.
Segment Rating: 6/10
The rating is solely for the post match stuff, the match was a squash and that’s not surprising at all this is Cutler’s role right now and he’s playing it very well. Cole and Jungle Boy has been a very good first feud for Cole in AEW and I expect we’ll get another singles match between the two at Full Gear which should be great. Jungle Boy having no back up with Luchasaurus selling injuries and Christian in another state, was primed for The Elite to do what they did and next week they have 4-on-4 with the Dark Order and I have a feeling Jungle Boy will get involved in that match somehow to further this story with Cole.
Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes
This match was good, for a third encounter between rivals in AEW it did what it was supposed to do, Cody got the win but he did it with help from four people and that’s why the win is okay to me. Cody needed help affectively making it mean more. Both guys looked good in the ring and the action was back and forth as expected when these two mix it up. Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson came out in the middle of the match and Arn Anderson came out of the heel tunnel. There’s all these little hints Cody knows we want him to be a heel, we want him to stop pretending like he’s getting one over on everyone by saying one thing and doing another. He needs to go back on the not challenging for the world title stuff because without it he’s reached his ceiling and affectively makes his stuff not matter.
I like the Cross Rhodes off the apron into the table despite it looking like Cody took all of the table even though he was hitting Cross Rhodes. Both guys got busted open and for some reason Arn Anderson got in the ring and while that is happening Andrade El Idolo comes out but is thwarted by PAC who fights him to the back.
Black used the Black Mist and hit Arn with it. Cody hit a Cross Rhodes agian for a near fall. Cody receives a double foot stomp from Black and he follows up with a great bridging German Suplex for a near fall. A lot of great action towards the end and Cody would hit the Cody Cutter, follows it up with another Cross Rhodes, and then a Tiger Driver 98 for the victory.
Segment Rating: 5.5/10
This was fine but I think the line needs to be drawn what Cody is doing, because as mentioned he’s reached his ceiling not challenging for world titles, they need to do a full blown heel turn and he needs to get out of the world title stipulation somehow. I can see Cody going to Andrade next but does that really mean anything if you’re hindering everyone who faces Cody? I’d like to see Malakai face PAC next.
Remarkable Wrestler of the Week
For this episode of AEW Dynamite, the Remarkable Wrestler of the week is Bryan Danielson.
For the first time we have a repeat RWOW and isn’t it fitting that it’s Bryan Danielson who once again had the best match and once again proved he can’t have a bad match.
Overall
This was a good show once again some great wrestling and story progression. Overall I give this episode of Dynamite a 5.5 out of 10. Among the other things on this show we had Lio Rush saying Matt Sydal failed to prove anything to him and announces himself and Dante Martin versus The Sydal Brothers, Miro doing a great promo video, Moxley doing a great promo about the only thing that matters to him is his daughter and winning this tournament is for her and everything he does going forward is for her. He seemed tired, and was another great promo by Moxley. Hangman finally reconciled with The Dark Order and mentioned to them that they should do Halloween costumes next week for their match with the Bucks, and they agree. Also Britt had a message for Tay Conti who she will be defending her title against at Full Gear. Another great episode.
What are your thoughts on this special AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling.
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