With a memorable Full Gear left in the rear-view window, it’s onwards to the next “phase” of All Elite Wrestling, starting with this week’s Dynamite from the home turf of our new AEW World Champion. Featuring the American Dragon sharpening his teeth once again, more impressive tag team action from Lio Rush & Dante Martin, and CM Punk saying a lot without saying anything at all, let’s dive right in and run down this week’s episode. But first…
—
Previously on All Elite Wrestling…
Dynamite Results for 11/10/21 (Episode 110)
- Bryan Danielson def. Rocky Romero via submission (10:51) with the Tequila Sunrise.
- American Top Team & Men of the Year ambushed the Inner Circle before an interview segment and brutally beat them down. Dan Lambert, Ethan Page, and Scorpio Sky put Chris Jericho through a table, followed by Lambert applying the Walls of Jericho on him.
- Tay Conti, Anna Jay, & Thunder Rosa def. Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Rebel (not Reba), & Jamie Hayter via pinfall (7:58) when Conti planted Rebel with the DDTay for the win.
- Jungle Boy def. Anthony Bowens via submission (10:07) with the Snare Trap. Post-match, Bobby Fish attacked Jungle Boy before being run off by Christian Cage & Luchasaurus.
- Adam Cole referred to Fish as his best friend to the Young Bucks, who stated that there’s no disputing that this is the era of the Elite. Cole then suggested that Fish can face Jungle Boy on Rampage to soften him up for Saturday.
- Wardlow def. Wheeler YUTA via pinfall (2:14) with a very easy victory. Post-match, The Hardy Family Office beat up the Best Friends, ending with Matt Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate on Orange Cassidy with his head wedged between a chair.
- CM Punk & Eddie Kingston were held back by several AEW wrestlers and officials in the parking lot before they could fight one another.
- Dante Martin & Lio Rush def. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty via pinfall (10:27) in one hell of a showing by all four competitors. Dante got the win with his Nosedive double moonsault on Moriarty.
- PAC def. Dax Harwood via submission (13:59) by way of the Brutalizer. Cash Wheeler attacked PAC after the match, and was soon joined by Andrade El Idolo & Malakai Black. The Lucha Brothers & Cody Rhodes made the save to help PAC fend off the heels.
- In the contract signing for the AEW World Championship Match at Full Gear, “Hangman” Adam Page said that Kenny Omega was never proud of him, and that he will beat him on Saturday. A disguised Don Callis hit Page with a TV camera, bloodying him. Omega taunted his opponent before signing the match contract in Page’s own blood.
Rampage Results for 11/12/21 (Episode 14)
- Jungle Boy def. Bobby Fish via submission (10:14) by way of the Snare Trap. Post-mach, Adam Cole attacked Jungle Boy as Fish soon joined in. Christian Cage & Luchasaurus chased Cole off.
- Backstage, “Hangman” Page confronted the Young Bucks, apologizing for costing them a shot at the AEW Tag Titles a year ago, while making it clear that if the Jacksons get involved at Full Gear, he’s going to ruin them.
- Jade Cargill def. Santana Garrett via pinfall (2:00) for the relatively easy win. Red Velvet would fight Jade after the match, also throwing the cake meant to celebrate Jade’s one-year anniversary in AEW in manager “Smart” Mark Sterling’s face.
- Dante Martin def. Ariya Daivari via pinfall (5:33). Dante’s manager/tag partner Lio Rush was not present due to mourning the passing of his grandmother. After the match, Team Taz made an offer for Dante to join them.
- “Big Money” Matt Hardy def. Orange Cassidy via pinfall (10:25) in a Lumberjack Match after some cheap help from The Blade and his brass knucks.
Full Gear 2021 Results (11/13/21)
- The Buy-In: Thunder Rosa & Hikaru Shida def. Nyla Rose & Jamie Hayter via pinfall (12:05)
- MJF def. Darby Allin via pinfall (21:56) after a cheapshot with the Dynamite Diamond Ring, followed by a side headlock takedown pin.
- The Lucha Bros. def. FTR via pinfall (18:37) after pinning a masked Cash Wheeler, who was not the legal man of the match.
- World Title Eliminator Finals: Bryan Danielson def. Miro via referee stoppage (19:59) with a dragon sleeper that followed a tornado DDT. Danielson now is the No. 1 Contender for the AEW World Championship.
- Christian Cage & Jurassic Express def. The SuperKliq via pinfall (22:20) in a wild Falls Count Anywhere match that saw crowd dives, thumbtack kneepads, and table spots a-plenty. The finish came when Jungle Boy put Matt Jackson out of commission with a con-chair-to for the pin and win.
- Cody Rhodes & PAC def. Andrade El Idolo & Malakai Black (16:52) after PAC pinned Andrade. After the match, Cash Wheeler attacked Cody and PAC.
- Dr. Britt Baker DMD def. Tay Conti via pinfall (15:16) to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship.
- CM Punk def. Eddie Kingston via pinfall (11:07) following 2 GTSes in a very brutal match where Punk and Kingston battered the hell out of one another. Post-match, Punk extended a handshake, but Kingston just walked off.
- The Inner Circle def. Men of the Year & American Top Team via pinfall (19:37) in the Minneapolis Street Fight when Chris Jericho paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero with a frog splash on Dan Lambert to get the pin.
- “Hangman” Adam Page def. Kenny Omega via pinfall (25:11) to become the new AEW World Champion, capping off Full Gear in dramatic fashion. Page prevailed after hitting Kenny with two Buckshot Lariats, while the Young Bucks did nothing to stop him.
—
It’s Wednesday Night. You Know What That Means
After another updated version of the Dynamite intro (including shots of our new AEW World Champion) and a recap of a monumental Full Gear event, our three esteemed commentators (Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone) tee up tonight’s show from the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Opening up the show, as JR puts it, is “Cowboy Shiznit Day”.
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“Cleaner, I Got This”
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461138512686858249
Backstage, we get remarks from Kenny Omega and The Elite. Kenny says that he hasn’t watched his AEW World Title loss at Full Gear last week (which means he certainly didn’t see the Young Bucks not helping him win) and people have wondered when he’s going to get his rematch. He admits that Hangman Page was the better man and that there’s some things he needs to fix elsewhere. Kenny asks the Young Bucks to “hold the fort” while he’s away, as Adam Cole enthusiastically says “Cleaner, I got this”, attempting to take charge. Kenny says that he wasn’t referring to Cole, bringing the segment to an awkward end.
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National Cowboy Shit Day
In the ring, John Silver and the Dark Order are in the ring, which has been decorated in various cowboy-themed regalia. Silver introduces our new AEW World Champion, “Hangman” Adam Page.
Hangman makes his entrance to loud cheers from his hometown fans (with the ever-self-deprecating lower-third chyron declaring that this is an “Unnecessary Cheap Pop”). He reveals the AEW World Title underneath his jacket to a roar of cheers and, of course, “Cowboy Shit” chants.
Taking the mic, Page says that he doesn’t deserve the cheers because he effin’ earned them on Saturday. Crowd: “You earned it! You earned it!”. He says that he’s not usually one to flap his gums, but he’s the AEW World Champion and he’ll do whatever the hell he wants. Page tells the fans that he’s just a man who has to work for a boss, and that said boss is us, the fans. He says that if he’s allowed to, that he’d like to celebrate National Cowboy Shit Day with us.
Page knows that being AEW World Champ carries with it a lot of responsibility, and that said responsibilty includes facing “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson next. Cue the entrance of the aforementioned American Dragon.
Danielson offers his congratulations to Hangman, and with it, a handshake that’s returned in kind. He says that while he’s excited for the AEW Title Match upcoming, he’s a bit disappointed that it isn’t Kenny Omega standing across the ring from him.
Page replies that it’s because he kicked Omega’s ass for the World Title, and that he did it in less than thirty minutes. Danielson says that he’s not here to start any beef, but Page is not going to be facing a guy dressing up like a Ghostbuster, he’s going to be wrestling a guy who’s here to kick ass.
Danielson notes that Cowboy Shit apparently doesn’t mean wrestling because Page is out here celebrating, while he’s out here wrestling every week. He mentions that when he won the World Championship at WrestleMania, he wrestled the very next day. Danielson: “Of course Virginia boos hard work!”
Page says that if Danielson wants to wrestle tonight, they can do it right now. Danielson responds by saying that he’d be up for it, but while he’s in full gear (heh), Page is wearing cowboy boots, jeans, and a “horrible” leather jacket. He notes that everyone told him that “Hangman” Adam Page had a long list of excuses for why he’s failed for his entire caeer. He says that he doesn’t want to beat Page with the excuse that he wasn’t ready for it.
Page replies that we can have it Bryan’s way, we won’t have a match tonight. However, he’s still in a fighting mood. The AEW World Champion gets in Danielson’s face and looks like he wants to kick his ass. The entire Dark Order attempts to restore some semblance of peace before things can escalate.
“Have all your little friends stop us, you don’t really want to fight right now!” says Danielson. “They know I’d kick his ass, there’s no way they’d let him go…” That’s enough to cause Hangman to charge at Danielson as the American Dragon backs away from the ring. He’ll be facing Evil Uno coming up next.
—
Match 1: Bryan Danielson vs. Evil Uno
The Story So Far
As you just saw, new number one contender Bryan Danielson is geting real antagonistic towards the new AEW Champion.
The Match
We start right away with Danielson taking down Uno and applying a single-leg crab. Uno reaches the ropes, but Danielson refuses to let go. Once he does, he informs referee Aubrey Edwards that “he has ‘til five”. Back and forth moments early on with Danielson and Uno exchanging holds and moves.
Early pinfall attempt by Uno gets a two. The masked Evil Uno slaps Danielson in the face, only to be met with a harder slap by Dragon. It’s Danielson on the offensive now, ending with a front chancery suplex. He takes in the boos from the Norfolk fans. Uno steps up to Danielson briefly, but he’s quickly beaten to the corner with repeated kicks. Aubrey gets Danielson away from Uno, again being reminded by the American Dragon that he’s got ‘til five.
Uno puts his hand behind his back and wants Danielson to give him his best shot. Danielson instead opts to give him some facewashes. On the third facewash, Uno unloads away with a Violence Party barrage on Danielson in the corner. Evil Uno’s on the attack now, hurricanrana, followed by a swinging neck breaker. 1… 2.. NO! Boots to the headd by Uno, but Danielson responds with a spinning elbow strike that sends Uno to the corner. Danielson gets in Uno’s face, before going for the repeated running dropkicks. Uno stops the third one with a running strike. Blocked senton from the top allows Danielson to respond with the running knee strike! 1… 2… NO! Grabbing Uno’s arms, he proceeds to stomp away on his head. Triangle Choke by the American Dragon puts an end to this match.
Bryan Danielson def. Evil Uno via submission (6:22)
Post-Match
In the ring, Tony Schiavone interviews the winner of the previous match. Danielson says that until he fights Hangman Page for the AEW World Title, he’s going to kick every single member of the Dark Order’s heads in. Danielson challenges Colt Cabana next week, again showcasing his weird fascination with nuts.
—
MJF Brags About Victory At Full Gear
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461145119374065673
In remarks from after Full Gear, Maxwell Jacob Friedman talks about his “hard-earned” win over Darby Allin, stating that it’s proof that he’s the better wrestler than everyone else. He says that he’s excited to go to Norfolk, VA as he does the “I want the belt” gesture. Now that he’s beaten Darby with a headlock takeover, we have no choice but to acknowledge that he’s better than us, as Max claims.
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Empire State of Mind
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461145696812388358
Eddie Kingston’s interview is interrupted by 2point0 and Daniel Garcia. They harangue Kingston for losing to CM Punk. Kingston gets in Garcia’s face, saying that he doesn’t respect him because he lets 2point0 call him “their son”, meaning that he can’t stand on his own. Kingston says that he knows that Garcia is a Buffalo native and that there’s only one way they can do this. Eddie gets into Garcia’s face before 2point0 leaves the scene. As Kingston leaves, he yells about having one promo where he’s not interrupted before stating that he’s going to catering.
—
Match 2: Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii vs. The Butcher and the Blade
The Story So Far
The HFO’s feud with Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends has gone on forever, it seems, but the latest chapter unfolded on Rampage last Friday, when Matt Hardy beat Orange in a Lumberjack match, with thanks to some brass knucks chicanery from The Blade. This would lead to the Best Friends calling in some back up from New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s CHAOS stable in the form of the Stone Pitbull himself, Tomohiro Ishii.
The Match
Ishii and The Butcher start off this tag match. Butcher backs off and tags in Blade. Butcher punches Ishii repeatedly, but the Stone Pitball just tanks the hits before flattening Blade with a single punch. Tag to Orange Cassidy who continues the offense on the Blade. As the Blade decides to jawjack with Ishii, Orange puts his hands in his pocket and does his kicks to the Blade, which leads to a flip over his opponent and a dropkick. Blind tag by Blade allows Butcher to hit Orange from behind. The heels take advantage with Orange being tossed to the outside, which allows The Bunny and Matt Hardy to get in some cheapshots before we go to picture-in-picture.
Returning from break, Butcher and the Blade still have the advantage over Cassidy. However, Orange uses his fast and furious speed to eventually avoid the HFO hitmen. That allows him to just casually saunter to tag in Tomohiro Ishii. Now it’s Ishii with chops and a suplex on the Blade for a near-fall. The Butcher tags in and we get a showdown of these two juggernauts. Butcher hits a clothesline in the corner on Ishii as he starts chopping away. The Stone Pitbull is unmoved as he again tanks the Butcher’s offense, managing to force Butcher into the other corner. One strike from Ishii stuns the Butcher and that leads to a massive superplex! 1… 2… the Blade intervenes to stop the count! Ishii tags in Orange Cassidy.
Orange’s attempted crossbody is intercepted by the Butcher and the Blade, who uses him as a battering ram to take Ishii down. Orange responds with the Stundog Millionaire on the Butcher. He hits an impressive spinning DDT on the Blade that gets a two-count. Orange removes the elbow up and he’s got the Blade in his sights. The Orange Punch is intercepted as Butcher slams Cassidy down. The Butcher and the Blade hoist up their foe and hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker move on him! 1… 2… Tomohiro Ishii dives in at the last second! Ishii drags Orange’s body to the corner and tags in.
The Stone Pitbull goes on a rampage on both Butcher and Blade before Matt Hardy & The Bunny get involved. German suplex on the Butcher by Ishii. The Blade has the brass knucks, but Rocky Romero pulls him out before he can hit Ishii. Matt Hardy rams Romero into the barricade, but Orange Cassidy soars and takes down Hardy and the Blade. The Blade is tossed in and is immediately crushed by an Ishii lariat. Vertical drop brainbuster by Ishii is enough to end this in a win for CHAOS.
Tomohiro Ishii & Orange Cassidy def. The Butcher & The Blade via pinfall (11:19)
—
“One More Fight Left in Me”
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461150132989313026
Backstage with Andrade El Idolo & FTR, Tony Schiavone interviews them. Andrade brags that he’s a better wrestler than Cody Rhodes & PAC, and that now, he’s going to show them his “bad side”. Cash Wheelr suggests that they get Malakai Black and make it an eight-man tag match against Cody, PAC, and the Lucha Brothers. Tully Blanchard has a challenge for Arn Anderson, saying that he’s not Jose and that he’s got one more fight left in him if Arn wants a piece of him.
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Lessons Learned
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461150625295749126
Tay Conti goes over her close loss to Dr. Britt Baker at Full Gear, saying that she didn’t fail on Saturday and that she’s learned some lessons from her loss. Conti vows that next time she gets a shot at the AEW Women’s World Title, she’s going to win it.
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What’s Next for Team DMD?
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461151127760785421
Schiavone is backstage with Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Rebel (not Reba), and Jamie Hayter. Dr. Britt says that she’s getting a little exhausted from carrying AEW’s women’s division, saying that she’s passing over the spotlight to Jamie Hayter, the future TBS Champion. Britt says that once Hayter defeats Thunder Rosa next week, she’ll become irrelevant.
—
Match 3: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida (TBS Championship Tournament)
The Story So Far
Both Nyla and Shida are the all-time wins leaders in AEW’s Women’s Division and have faced off against each other several times, including at last year’s Full Gear, where Shida defeated Nyla to become the AEW Women’s World Champion. Now, these two will face off again with a chance to advance in the TBS Championship Tournament at stake.
The Match
Brawling to start off the match as Nyla and Shida exchange offense against each other. Shida on the top rope as she hits a missle dropkick on Nyla’s knee. That gets only two. Shida maintains the advantage as Nyla rolls out and regroups with manager Vickie Guerrero. Shida basks in the cheers and chases Nyla back into the ring. Shida runs in and gets floored by Nyla, who begins to work over her opponent. Nyla starts to target the taped up knee of Hikaru Shida with various holds. Vickie gets in a cheap kendo stick choke on Shida while Nyla has the referee distracted.
Now with Shida on the outside, Nyla tries to toss her into the barricade, but that’s reversed. Shida pulls out a chair and puts it in position. Nyla takes her down and plants Shida on the chair. She gets on the apron and looks to hit the senton on a prone Shida, but ends up hitting nothing but the chair instead! With Nyla down, Vicike attempts to hit Shida with the kendo stick, but it’s grabbed away from her. Shida strikes down Vickie with the kendo stick. Inside the ring, Nyla throws Shida from the top rope into the ring as we go to commercial.
Just as the action resumes, we see Serena Deeb attacking Shida’s knee on the outside while the referee is tending to Nyla Rose. Back in the ring, Nyla props up Shida across the top rope and goes to the top. Guillotine leg drop gets an incredibly close two-count. Nyla hoists Shida up for the Beast Bomb, but that’s reversed into a triangle choke! Nyla lifts up Shida and powerbombs her to escape the submission. Missed sentons by Nyla allows Shida to get a jackknife pin for a two count. With Nyla in position, Shida goes for the Katana kick, but her leg is grabbed into a stretch muffler on the bad leg! Shida has no choice but to tap out.
Nyla Rose def. Hikaru Shida via submission (11:06)
(Rose advances to the TBS Championship Tournament Semifinals)
—
The Toxic Air You Breathe
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461157288920690694
Malakai Black says that in Chicago next week, he and his team will leave Cody Rhodes, PAC, and the Lucha Brothers gasping for air. He says that he will turn the very air that Cody breathes into toxic air.
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MJF Has A Lot To Say
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, flanked by Shawn Spears & Wardlow make their way to the ring with the usual chorus of boos.
Spears attempts to get the Norfolk fans to be silent before MJF speaks. That, of course, fails.
Max takes the mic and proceeds to brag about how he’s the man that’s going to start a bidding war in 2024, and how he’s the past, present, and future of pro wrestling. He says that he could take the “hometown horse” and send him to the glue factory as he takes a huge “cowboy shit” all over his title reigh.
He says that we all know that he deserves to be the AEW World Champion. Excalibur: “Says the guy who wrestles three times a year…” And that’s because nobody in the AEW locker room is on his level. Cue the static and cue Living Color. That brings the arrival of one CM Punk to the ring.
As Punk enters the ring and stares down MJF, the fans realize what’s about to go down and chant “holy shit!” Max tries to say something, but he’s met by “shut the fuck up!” chants from these fans. MJF introduces himself to CM Punk as “Maxwell” before offering a handshake. Punk can only laugh in MJF’s face before walking off without saying a word to him. That’s enough to leave MJF very flabbergasted.
—
Who Likes Turtles?
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461156823931793410
Backstage, Darby Allin notes how MJF didn’t break him mentally, and that there will be a rematch somedays. He says that he’s ready to take on the biggest and the baddest that AEW has to offer. The Gunn Club interrupts with Billy Gunn saying that he accepts Darby’s challenge. Colten tells Darby to not forget his skateboard, while Austin mockingly says “I love turtles” to him. “Screw it, let’s do this” is Darby’s response to the Gunn Club.
—
“You Can’t Say That!”
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461157831948832769
The SuperKliq are backstage, saying that they’re sick and tired of Christian Cage and Jurassic Express. Adam Cole says that while the Young Bucks aren’t cleared to compete because of what happened to them at Full Gear, he’s got his best friend ready to join him as they take on Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus on Rampage: Bobby Fish. The ever-cocky Fish has some words for Jurassic Express, mocking them and saying that he’s going to put an end to this “Jurassic” joke, because that is Undisput…. Matt Jackson stops Fish short of finishing that statement, claiming that he can’t say that next word.
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Match 4: Lio Rush & Dante Martin vs. The Acclaimed
The Story So Far
Fresh off a succcessful tag team debut last week on Dynamite, the team of Lio Rush & Dante Martin have been turning heads. That’s led to Team Taz attempting to get Dante to join them. Meanwhile, the Acclaimed tried to court Dante to join them during The Buy-In prior to Full Gear on Saturday, and were met with an emphatic “no” from him.
The Match
Right as The Acclaimed finish their rap, Lio and Dante immediately dive onto them and toss the two in the ring to start this match. Anthony Bowens & Dante Martin start us off in this tag match. It’s Lio & Dante utilizing their tag team acumen to get the early advantage until Max Caster trips up Dante. He tosses Dante into the barricade before a double suplex with Bowens outside the ring. It’s all Acclaimed at this point as we go picture-in-picture.
Back to live action as Dante escapes a double team predicament and proceeds to use Bowens and Caster as leap pads to get the hot tag on Lio Rush. The Man of the Hour dazzles with his rapid fire offense. He gets the Frankensteiner on Caster, followed by avoiding Bowens with a nice dodge and a spinning enzuiguiri on him. Palm strikes and an axe kick from Rush has Bowens reeling. 1… 2… NO!
Lio goes to the top and is thinking of the Frog Splash, but nobody’s home! Caster hits a chop across Lio’s chest, but Dante Maritn interjects before the Acclaimed can take advantage. Double moonsault is avoided by Caster, but he can’t avoid a spinning kick by Lio Rush. Bowens takes down Lio, and is subsequently floored by a diving dropkick by Dante Martin.
Max Caster tags in to the match. Step-up backflip by Lio amounts to nothing as Caster takes him down with a lethal lariat. Anthony Bowens tags in and takes down Lio with a slam, as Caster hits the Mic Drop off the top rope! 1… 2… Dante Martin breaks it up at 2.99999!!!!!
Caster and Dante briefly fight before Dante sends him packing iwth a dropkick. Bowens steps in and gets dropped by Dante’s springboard double moonsault, the Nosedive. Dante directs traffic as Lio takes to the skies with the Frog Splash to get the victory.
Lio Rush & Dante Martin def. The Acclaimed via pinfall (9:30)
Post-Match
Lio & Dante’s victory celebration is cut short by the arrival of Team Taz. The namesake of the team, Taz, congratulates the two on their win. He says that the offer to Dante Martin was nothing personal and was just business. They say that they’ll be patient with Dante like they were with “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs (who’s celebrating one year with Team Taz). Ricky Starks says that choosing Team Taz will be the start of a hall of fame career and that sticking with Lio Rush will be the start of a “mediocre” one.
—
“Never Bring a Fish to a Fist Fight”
https://mobile.twitter.com/AEW/status/1461162244901949448
Christian and Jurassic Express talk about their victory at Full Gear, stating that they are better now than they’ve ever been. They accept the challenge of Bobby Fish and Adam Cole for Friday’s Rampage, as Christian says to “never bring a Fish to a fist fight”.
—
The Lucha Brothers Respond
Penta El Zero M & Rey Fenix say that FTR should stop their crying over being cheated, and that they suck so bad that they couldn’t get the job done even with their cheating antics. They pivot to next week’s big tag match, saying that they’ve got something special because their team of themselves, PAC, and Cody Rhodes are the best four-man team around.
—
Match 5: Sammy Guevara vs. Jay Lethal (TNT Championship)
The Story So Far
Jay Lethal announced he was All Elite at Full Gear and challenged Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship. That’s all there is to it.
The Match
Lethal and Guevara are at a deadlock to start this match. Attempted GTH by Guevara is turned into a figure four by Lethal that’s reversed. Lethal with a dropkick that gets a two count. More back and forth from the two, but Lethal begins to target Guevara’s ribs with a knee to the back. Guevara scurries to the outside, then intercepting Lethal with a knee to the face. Tope suicida by Guevara on the outside. Sammy brings Lethal back to the inside and goes to the top. He attempts a shooting star press, but Lethal gets his knees up at the last second, causing more pain to Guevara’s injured ribs. We go to the last commercial break in the evening here.
We return to our main event with the ringside doctor checking up on Sammy and referee Paul Turner asking the TNT Champion if he’s still able to go, despite the injured ribs. Sammy says he’s good to go. Guevara and Lethal begin to exchange strikes, but it’s the challenger who continues to take advantage of Guevara’s injured ribs. Pop-up flapjack by Lethal connects.
Jay Lethal signals that it’s time for the Lethal Injection, but Guevara counters that into a Spanish Fly. Lethal is able to roll outside, as it seems that Guevara has taken the worst of that last move. Jay tosses Guevara to the outside and looks like he’s going to hit a suicide dive on the TNT Champion. Guevara catches Lethal and turns that into a brainbuster. The fight makes its way to the timekeeper area as Guevara hits Lethal with the knee to leave his opponent sprawled across the timekeeper table. Guevara ascends to the top and attempts a senton, but Lethal moves out of the way. Sammy ends up crashing himself through the table instead.
The action spills back into the ring. Lethal goes for a Macho Man elbow, but Sammy counters into a pinfall for the close two. Inverted facebuster by Lethal gets a near-fall. Figure-Four Leglock by Lethal has Guevara struggling in pain. The TNT Champ is able to get to the ropes to break the hold.
The finish comes as Guevara is able to hit the GTH after two failed attempts due to the injured ribs. That’s enough to win the match.
Sammy Guevara def. Jay Lethal via pinfall (12:52)
(Guevara retains the TNT Championship)
Post-Match
The Inner Circle show up to congratulate their fellow stablemate in a successful TNT Title defense to close out Dynamite
—
This Friday on Rampage (11/19/21)
- Darby Allin vs. Billy Gunn
- TBS Championship Tournament: Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill
- Jurassic Express vs. Adam Cole & Bobby Fish
Next Wednesday on Dynamite (11/24/21)
- Colt Cabana vs. Bryan Danielson
- TBS Championship Tournament: Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter
- PAC, Cody Rhodes & The Lucha Brothers vs. Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo & FTR
—
The Last Word
If Full Gear represented the end of “Phase One” of the story of AEW, then Wednesday’s Dynamite made for a promising start to “Phase Two” of the future of the company.
Given the reports of Kenny Omega working through several injuries and bouts of vertigo through his World Title run, it’s unsurprising that he’ll be taking some time off so that he can recover after a nearly year-long run at the top. Using this segment to write off Omega from TV and build the eventual rift with Adam Cole was a smart move.
Equally smart was pivoting Bryan Danielson into a heel role as Hangman Page’s first World Title challenger. With nothing more than having Danielson rip into Page for daring to celebrate his big title win, AEW has created a perfect foil for Page to help establish him as an even more of a big deal. And it’ll be a fitting passing of the torch of sorts by having the new “champion of the people” in the Hangman besting the man who was at a time one of the most popular babyfaces in pro wrestling.
Ever since CM Punk arrived in AEW on that fateful August evening in Chicago, fans have been fantasy booking an inevitable feud with MJF, and now, that moment has seemingly arrived. While the mic battles between the two are sure to be memorable, this feud arguably started off strong with Punk getting the first salvo in without saying anything at all. By having Punk simply laugh in MJF’s face before walking off, it’s already left fans wanting more, especially when it comes time for Punk & MJF to duel on the mic.
Two matches into his AEW tenure (not counting the Casino Battle Royal) and Lio Rush has proven himself to be quite impressive. His tag team with Dante Martin has not only helped bring a shine to Dante, but also to Lio himself, being able to show off the kind of offensive display that makes him someone easy to root for. The initial idea of this pairing appeared to be Lio being a “negative” influence on Dante, but it’d be smart to pivot them into a high-flying babyface tag team able to get a great reaction from the fans.
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Marc Quill is the editor of RingCrashers, GateCrashers’ home for all your All Elite Wrestling and indie wrestling needs. He’s also the web novelist behind Skye Emery: Bluebird, which you can read here. You can chat with him about wrestling, comics, and stuff in general on @MarcQuill on Twitter.
