Previously on All Elite Wrestling…
On Dynamite, MJF got the biggest win of his young career against CM Punk in Chicago last week, but it was not without chicanery; Bryan Danielson made an enticing sales pitch to Jon Moxley regarding forming a new alliance; Malakai Black blinded Penta El Zero M with the dreaded Black Mist during tag team action; Lance Archer served notice to “Hangman” Page ahead of their big Texas Death Match for the AEW Title.
Over on Rampage; Tony Khan set the wrestling world on fire with an announcement about a new signing coming to AEW the following week; Adam Cole beat Evil Uno and set his sights on the AEW Title; Mercedes Martinez struck Thunder Rosa with a steel pipe as we learned that Dr. Britt Baker brought her in to AEW as a mercenary intended to eliminate Rosa; Ricky Starks retained the FTW Title against Jay Lethal following one of the most incredible finishes I’ve seen in a wrestling match.
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It’s Wednesday Night. You Know What That Means.
From the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it’s a massive edition of Dynamite, featuring the fallout from MJF’s shocking victory over CM Punk, “Hangman” Page vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Death Match, and the imminent debut of AEW’s newest free agent acquisition.
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MJF’s Victory Celebration
With a long carpet set up along the ramp resembling MJF’s Burberry Scarf, Wardlow makes his way down the ring holding cardboard cutouts of Max and CM Punk from last week’s main event. FTR and Tully Blanchard get a very extravagant introduction (which is noted by the commentators, who notice that Wardlow didn’t get any similar fanfare). They have champagne in hand and they’ve got a spring in their step, for sure. Shawn Spears is next, billed as “the greatest Accountabilibuddy around” by the ring announcer.
Last, of course, is MJF, who gets a very lenghy and egotistical introduction read out. He gets an entrance being carried out on a throne by some nameless people in black suits. MJF has a passionate kiss with one of the ladies before celebrating with the Pinnacle (sans Wardlow) as confetti falls from the ceiling.
Max starts by boasting that he’s the best wrestler on the planet, and that last week was basically crystal-clear proof of that. He says that he’s now better than Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, and Hangman Page. MJF declares that he’s “better than the Best in the World” because he beat CM Punk twice last week.
However, he says that last week was bittersweet for him because a lot of emotional feelings swelled for him as he pinned Punk for the win. So, as MJF says, he leaned over to Punk’s ear and whispered two heartwarming words to him: “you suck”. MJF gives thanks to the one person that made last week’s big victory possible…. Shawn Spears. Naturally, Wardlow is upset that he once again gets ignored by MJF.
Spears says that he got MJF a gift, as a graphic on the Khantron says “Better than the Best in the World – And You Know It”. Shawn says that we can buy this shirt on ShopAEW.com. MJF continues by saying that now that he’s proved to be better than Bret in Canada, Piper in Portland, and Punk in Chicago, maybe it’s time he got the AEW World Championship.
CM Punk soon interrupts the proceedings, sans entrance music. He says that he was listening to MJF’s boasts about his win, which was as suspect as his spray tan. Punk says that he’s learned from past mistakes and that he’s not going to fight MJF and the Pinnacle alone. Cue Sting & Darby Allin entering to back Punk up.
Punk says he’s either getting what he wants or beating it out of the Pinnacle and that’ll be the rematch with MJF. Max is aplopletic as Punk says he’s throwing the challenge out to Wardlow. He tells the big man to either accept the challenge or have the guts to walk away from MJF and the Pinnacle.
MJF screams that he won against CM Punk all by himself and that Wardlow is there because he’s the Pinnacle’s best friend and not because he’s under their contract. Dax Harwood takes the mic and says if Punk wants a rematch so badly, he’ll happily oblige.
Punk agrees and says if FTR really wants a rematch from Greensboro, they can do it tonight. MJF interjects, saying that this rematch will be granted, provided that he himself isn’t going to wrestle in Atlantic City. He says that Punk will have to find another partner not named Sting or Darby Allin to face FTR tonight. If Punk wins against FTR, he’ll get another match with MJF, anytime, anywhere.
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No Deal
Backstage, Sting & Darby are confronted by Andrade El Idolo and Jose. Andrade says that he finally gets a chance to speak to Darby’s “boss” about the deal. Sting responds by telling Andrade to speak to Darby “mano y mano” about this deal. Darby tells Andrade to stop wasting his time trying to recruit him because he has bigger things on his plate, like becoming a two-time TNT Champion. Andrade, not taking “no” for an answer, insists that Darby will work for him as they have a common goal of winning the TNT Title as he walks off.
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Match 2: Wardlow vs. The Blade
The Story So Far
No pre-established story between these two heading into the match, but as you saw in the opening segment, the bubbling tensions between Wardlow and the Pinnacle are just about ready to explode, especially with the fans clamoring to see the big man turn face.
The Match
Blade starts off by attacking Wardlow’s leg to get a momentary advantage. His momentum’s stopped by a powerful lariat from Wardlow. Belly-to-belly suplex connects, followed by another one. And then one more belly-to-belly throw for good measure. Blade powders out to the outside as Wardlow keeps up with the attack. He rams the Blade into the turnbuckle as we head to break.
AEW Dynamite resumes with Wardlow attacking the Blade in the corner as the referee backs him off. This allows Blade to hit a couple of knee strikes, but a third one is caught by Wardlow, who throws Blade down with a fierce powerbomb. The fans chant that they want another one, as Wardlow is more than happy to oblige. And then there’s a third one, followed by a fourth powerbomb. 1, 2, 3. This one’s done.
Wardlow def. The Blade via pinfall – Powerbomb Symphony (6:15)
Post-Match
Shawn Spears slides in and bashes the Blade with a chair, as Wardlow is more than a bit irritated about it.
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The Dark Side of Penta
As we see Penta El Zero M drive up at a graveyard, we hear narration talking about how Malakai Black spat into Penta’s soul and that when the time comes, Malakai will come face to face with “Penta Oscuro”. We see Penta dig up his “Pentagon Dark” mask as the video ends.
Fans of Lucha Underground should be familiar with Pentagon Dark/Penta Oscuro as Penta’s “dark side”, so it’ll be interesting to see him deployed against Malakai and the House of Black.
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Another Inner Circle Town Hall
The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager) make their entrance for their “team meeting”. Conspicuous by their absence are Santana and Ortiz.
Jericho gets on the mic first, saying that he hasn’t seen the Proud ‘n Powerful duo all day, even though he said that attendance was mandatory for this meeting. Cue Santana and Ortiz entering the proceedings to their own music and in their own attire rather than the Inner Circle vests.
Jericho says that he was embarrassed by S&O two weeks ago when they didn’t tag him in for their match against 2point0 and Daniel Garcia. He complains that it was disrespectful to the fans who apparently wanted to see Chris Jericho wrestle.
Santana responds by saying that sometimes they have to call a spade a spade. That, of course, means he and Ortiz believe that Chris Jericho only thinks about one person: Chris Jericho. Santana runs down Jericho for forcing their aspirations of glory in AEW have always been cast aside for Jericho’s own interest. He says that the days of playing second fiddle to Chris Jericho are long over.
Santana says that while Jericho held them back, it was the fans that kept him and Ortiz going through all of it. He notes that if it wasn’t for Ortiz, he would’ve dropped Jericho on his ass a long time ago.
“You know you remind me a lot of my old friend Eddie Guerrero,” says Jericho, “gets super hyped-up and you want to blame everybody, including your closest friends.” He mocks Eddie Kingston for planting the idea of tag team gold in the heads of Santana and Ortiz, before declaring himself as “The Influencer”. Jericho says that S&O had their chance to be AEW Tag Champs, but they lost to the Young Bucks and Jericho had nothing to do with it. He threatens to kick the two out of the Inner Circle.
Jericho admits that maybe, just maybe, he invited the wrong members of LAX to join the Inner Circle. He asks Jake Hager if he has Homicide and Hernandez’s numbers… which prompts Santana to grab Jericho by the neck.
Sammy Guevara tries his best to keep the peace, but he’s told to shut up by Jericho. Sammy doesn’t take this well, saying that he doesn’t know what’s been going on with everyone as of late. He says that one of his goals has been to be the greatest wrestling champion ever… and that this Inner Circle infighting isn’t going to help him. He takes off his vest and says that unless his friends figure this shit out, he’s quitting the group.
Ortiz says that like the Inner Circle, Eddie Kingston is family to him and Ortiz and that they’re going to settle this shit once and for all next week in the ring. They issue the challenge: Proud & Powerful vs. Chris Jericho & Jake Hager next week on Dynamite.
Jericho accepts, saying that maybe if he and Jake smack Santana and Ortiz’s faces around, they’ll have an attitude adjustment and if not… they might have to make some changes, ya dig? Santana turns to the camera as Jericho says this and looks at us with a “can you believe this guy?” look on his face.
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Kicking Down The Forbidden Door
The team of Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero – otherwise known as Roppongi Vice – are being interviewed when the Young Bucks and Adam Cole confront them. The Elite lay a beating on Rocky and Trent, with the Bucks hitting the BTE Trigger on the former. In walks none other than “Switchblade” Jay White, who finishes things off by throwing Trent into the production truck!
“Nice earrings,” White says to Nick Jackson before walking off.
The Bucks are wary about Switchblade’s arrival, while Cole appears to be content.
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Match 2: Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match – Isiah Kassidy vs. ???
The Story So Far
Speculation has been wild about who will be facing Isiah Kassidy in this match to qualify for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at March’s Revolution event – especially after Tony Khan revealed on Twitter that AEW’s newest signing would be Kassidy’s opponent.
The Match
We don’t have to wait long to find out who Isaiah’s mystery opponent is, because that opponent is “Limitless” Keith Lee. The newest signing to AEW comes out to a massive reaction from the Atlantic City fans and this match is soon underway.
Keith does not waste any time as he yeets Isiah across the ring with a mighty biel throw! He continues his assault with a couple of crossbody slams before trying to set up the Spirit Bomb. Kassidy has the wherewithal to make a quick escape as he tries a dropkick to no avail. Lee tanks a clothesline attempt before thrashing Kassidy with the shoulder block Pounce. Matt Hardy makes an exit through the crowd in what Tony Schiavone calls “pretty erratic behavior”.
Marq Quen tries to run interference, to no avail. However, Kassidy uses the opening to hit a corkscrew tope to stun Lee for a moment. Keith enters the ring and he withstands Kassidy’s offense with little impact to him. He brushes away an enzuiguri attempt out of mid air before throwing Kassidy in an Irish Whip. Lee throws Kassidy in the air and gets the popup Jackhammer (the Big Bang Catastrophe) for the victory, punching his ticket for Revolution.
Keith Lee def. Isiah Kassidy via pinfall – Big Bang Catastrophe (4:29)
Post-Match
Marq Quen jumps on Keith’s shoulders for the post-match attack, but it goes about as well as you’d expect. Isiah joins in and he and Marq briefly get the upper hand on Lee with a double dropkick. Attempted double team dive does not go well as Lee catches Isiah and throws him to the ground. Marq goes for a plancha, but he’s caught by Lee and he gets thrown onto Isiah and then the apron for a powerbomb.
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No Disqualifications, No Mercy
We get remarks from Mercedes Martinez & Thunder Rosa, ahead of their No Disqualifications rematch on next week’s Dynamite.
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Match 3: CM Punk & ??? vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
The Story So Far
If CM Punk wins this tag match, he’ll get a rematch with MJF anyitme, anywhere, any place. Only problem is, he needs to find a partner, and fast.
The Match
Turns out CM Punk did not need to look far for his mystery partner as he’s brought Jon Moxley as his backup against FTR in this match. MJF is not happy with this development as he looks on from backstage.
Punk and Dax start off this match with some brief back and forth action. Dax tags out in frustration as Punk is able to keep up with him in technical prowess. Cash works over Punk with the headlock, but Punk responds with an armdrag. Cash breaks the hold and scurries back to his corner to tag Dax back in. Moxley gets tagged in for his team.
Mox with the side headlock takeover as he and Dax trade side headlocks. Scoop slam by Moxley followed by the three running penalty kicks to Dax. He drags Dax back to his corner and Punk tags in to the max. Distraction by Cash Wheeler allows Dax to clip Punk’s battered knee for the advantage. FTR is now working over Punk in their corner with their tag team excellence for a bit. Dax tries to go for a diving splash in the corner, but Punk dodges and Dax ends up flying right into your living rooms instead! CM gets the hot tag and here comes Jon Moxley running wild on FTR. Suplexes for Dax and Cash, followed by the double DDT on the two of them! Mox looking to run, but he’s tripped up by Cash Wheeler. Diving clothesline by CM Punk to Cash.
Punk dives into FTR on the outside, but he’s caught by the two. Moxley takes advantage and ends up suicide diving onto everyone outside the ring! This takes us into picture-in-picture.
We’re back on Dynamite with Mox trying to recover outside after FTR threw him into the timekeeper’s table during the break. He makes it back before the count of ten as Dax and Cash continue their tandem assault on the former AEW World Champion.
Mox creates separation with an atomic drop and Saito suplex onto Cash Wheeler. He’s looking for the tag, but Punk is fighting off Dax Harwood on the apron. He’s taken out by Cash and this gives FTR the opportunity to hit a tag team leg drop… 1, 2, kickout!
Dax heads up top for the diving elbow, but Mox moves out at the last second! Cash tagged in, but he’s crushed by a Moxley lariat. Finally Mox gets the hot tag on CM Punk and he unleashes hell on Dax with the knee strike and short-arm clothesline. Uppercut by Dax temporarily takes Punk out.
FTR sets up for the Powerplex, but CM Punk pushes Cash off the turnbuckle, right as Mox has Dax in the electric chair position. Punk off the turnbuckle and the Doomsday Device makes no mistake! 1, 2, Dax kicks out at the very last second! Outside the ring, Cash vaults off the apron and hits a DDT to Mox on the ring floor! He takes the ring bell and keeps it close to him.
O’Connor Roll pin by Punk, but Dax kicks out and sends Punk right into a ringbell shot from Cash Wheeler. Brainbuster by Dax… 1, 2… Punk kicks out! Just as Cash tags in, he gets kicked off and Punk hoists Dax on his shoulders. GTS attempt blocked, as FTR instead hit the Big Rig on Punk! 1, 2, Moxley breaks it up just in time!
Mox and Punk stand back to back as they fight it out with FTR on opposite corners. Could we see a tandem GTS and Paradigm Shift? Not quite, as Cash shoves Punk right into Mox to create an opening. Stump piledriver… NO! Mox grabs Dax for the bulldog choke while Punk applies the Anaconda Vice on Cash! Tully Blanchard enters with Aubrey Edwards’ back turned to the action and he tries to hit Punk with his jacket. Punk simply laughs at Tully’s futile attack and he lifts him on his shoulders… GTS to Tully Blanchard! Cash with the tights-grab roll up, but Punk kicks out! Punk gets the GTS on Cash right as Mox finishes off Dax with the Paradigm Shift! 1, 2, 3! This one’s done. What a contest!
CM Punk & Jon Moxley def. FTR via pinfall – GTS (18:48)
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Match 4: TBS Championship Match – Jade Cargill vs. AQA
The Story So Far
Announced prior to tonight’s Dynamite, this is Jade Cargill’s first defense of the TBS Title on TBS itself – her previous defense of the title has been on Rampage. Her opponent is AQA, who previously competed on WWE NXT as Zayda Ramier. She’s been trained by Booker T and is one of the top women’s free agents in wrestling right now.
The Match
Collar and elbow ties up to start, but Jade takes over with a ragdoll throw to break things up. Back to a tieup as Jade works over AQA’s arm. However, AQA uses her agility to kip up and briefly get an advantage with the armdrag. AQA tries to lock in a hold on Jade’s arm, but she’s lifted by the TBS Champion up for an impressive slam.
Jade throws AQA for a whip, but she’s momentarilly stunned by a popup dropkick by the rookie wrestler. Outside the ring as Jade strikes down a sliding AQA with a forearm strike to send us to picture-in-picture.
Back live on Dynamite with AQA attempting to mount a comeback with a crossbody that staggers Jade, following that up with the Slingblade. AQA’s firing herself up in the corner, but Jade hits her with an elbow. Irish whip, but AQA hits a tornado DDT on the TBS Champion! She goes up to the top rope with Jade stunned on the floor. AQA soars with her amazing Shooting Star Press! 1, 2, 2.99999999!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AQA goes up to the top rope again, but Jade is up to her knees. In the corner, Jade and AQA mix it up for a bit. AQA with the boot to push Jade away as she goes for the flying crossbody. She’s caught by Jade, who slams her with a modified Tour of the Islands. Jade’s not quite done as she puts AQA in position for Jaded… 1, 2, 3… the TBS Champ retains.
Jade Cargill def. AQA via pinfall – Jaded (7:34)
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Bullet Club For Life?
We get remarks from the Young Bucks and Adam Cole backstage via the “Cutler Cam”. The Bucks talk about how the Roppongi Vice duo will be no match for them on Rampage as they say it’s time to climb back into the rankings for the AEW World Tag Titles. Cole offers Jay White as backup for the Bucks on Friday, but neither Nick or Matt seem too keen with the idea.
Matt cites White’s past rivalry with Kenny Omega in NJPW, to which Cole replies that the Elite can trust the Switchblade. Cole says that once you’re Bullet Club, you’re “Bullet Club for Life”. He makes his leave, declaring that there’s a statement he wants to make. The Bucks ask Brandon Cutler if he knew something about Jay White’s arrival. Cutler says that he probably heard something about it on Reddit. The Bucks have no idea what the hell is going on here.
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Match 5: Serena Deeb vs. Katie Arquette (Serena Deeb’s Five-Minute Challenge)
The Story So Far
Continuing to emphasize Serena Deeb’s current “Professor of the Ring” gimmick, we have this special five-minute challenge. Her opponent tonight is Katie Arquette, who has previously competed on AEW Dark six months prior to this.
Fun Fact: Katie Arquette feuded with Dr. Britt Baker in the Pittsburgh independent scene, culminating in a title match where Katie’s “cousin” David Arquette helped screw over Britt for the title.
The Match
As Serena enters for her match, she talks about how it took her under three minutes to win her last match and that there isn’t a woman in the back that is on her level. That’s why she’s issuing “The Professor’s Five Minute Rookie Challenge”: She points to her opponent in the ring, because it should be an honor to be in the same ring as her tonight.
It’s pretty much all Serena here as she toys with Katie for a minute or so before locking in the Serenity Lock for the easy victory.
Serena Deeb def. Katie Arquette via submission – Serenity Lock (1:00)
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Match 6: Texas Death Match – “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Lance Archer (AEW World Championship)
The Story So Far
Lance Archer returned a few weeks back and made it clear (with some nudging from Dan Lambert) that he wanted a shot at “Hangman” Page’s AEW World Title.
The Match
We don’t even get entrances as we see Hangman already on the attack against Archer in the backstage area! The fight spills onto the stage, where Page throws his challenger through a glass panel set up by the entrance hole! Archer is gushing blood from getting yeeted into glass as Hangman brings him to the ring. In position… Buckshot Lariat connects! Archer is left stirring outside the ring as the referee begins the count. He manages to get to his feet at nine and this match will continue.
Hangman takes flight with a diving crossbody to take down Archer. He follows that up with an attempted suicide dive, but he’s cracked in the head with a trashcan lid! In the midst of this chaos, Dan Lambert appears and grabs a screwdriver from under the ring. He starts unscrewing the top ropes, ostensibly to neutralize Hangman’s Buckshot Lariat (which the announcers make note of). We also see Jake Roberts appear at ringside on Archer’s behalf.
Meanwhile in the crowd, Page and Archer are brawling it out. Archer has Hangman in a goozle for the Chokeslam, but the AEW Champ counters it and eventually uses the bleacher barricade to hit a moonsault on Archer instead. The action heads back to ringside as Hangman is looking to go for another Buckshot Lariat on Archer, but can’t do it due to Dan Lambert removing the top rope. Archer takes advantage as we head to our final picture-in-picture break.
Dynamite resumes with two tables set up at ringside as Hangman has been busted open due to being cut up with the turnbuckle hooks by Archer during the break. On the apron, Page and Archer are jockeying for position, but the Murderhawk Monster wins out and throws him into the turnbuckle to lay out Page.
As Archer begins ripping up the mats at ringside, Jake Roberts hits Hangman with a short-arm lariat. Jake the Snake has Hangman set up for his patented DDT, but Archer pulls him off, which opens him up for a DDT from the AEW World Champion instead! Armed with a kendo stick, Hangman goes to town on Archer with it, striking him repeatedly. Archer blocks the last shot and breaks the kendo stick in half. He grabs Hangman and Chokeslams him onto a trash can! Lance grabs a fork and stabs Hangman in the head with it, then licking the blood-soaked utensil.
Lance goes to grab several weapons from under the ring, including a barbed wire-wrapped steel chair. He props up the steel steps on the outside as he batters Hangman some more. He hoists him up and delivers the Blackout on the steel steps! Good god! Even with Page seemingly down for the count, this won’t do for Archer as he takes his foe back into the ring and wants to finish it off with a powerbomb.
Hangman, with barbed wire wrapped around his fist, punches Archer in the face to escape the powerbomb predicament. Page wraps the barbed wire around his elbow and hits several rolling elbows to Archer’s face. Big boot from Archer briefly stops Hangman, but the ripcord lariat is countered into a German suplex. With Archer on the apron, Hangman vaults over referee Paul Turner and hits a massive Buckshot Lariat that sends both men crashing through the table!
The count begins as Hangman is able to beat the ten count while Archer is unable to answer it in time. What a match.
“Hangman” Adam Page def. Lance Archer via Knockout – Ref-assisted Buckshot Lariat (15:26)
(“Hangman” Page retains AEW World Championship)
Post-Match
Adam Cole walks down the ramp and takes the AEW World Title. He seemingly is raring to hit Hangman with it, but he instead just places the title on the Champ’s shoulder and makes it clear that he’ll be next in line.
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This Friday on Rampage (2/11/22)
- Roppongi Vice (Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero) vs. Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (w/ Jay White?)
- We hear from Bryan Danielson
- Hook vs. Blake Li
- Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Robyn Renegade
- AEW Tag Team Championship: Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) vs. Gunn Club (Colten Gunn & Austin Gunn)
Next Wednesday on Dynamite (2/16/22)
- Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. Santana & Ortiz
- No DQ: Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa
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AEW delivered on a very eventful Dynamite, buoyed by a brutal Texas Death Match and two surprise debuts. What we got was possibly the best all-around Dynamite in recent memory. There was no lull or any one thing that really dragged things down, and every segment had a purpose in terms of either story or in-ring action.
Placing the two debuts (Jay White and Keith Lee) in consecutive segments was a smart move to keep fans tuned in for all the action.
The Switchblade’s arrival to AEW – under the behest of Adam Cole – provides yet another wrinkle to the growing divide between Cole’s camp of the Elite (which includes Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) and the Young Bucks (plus the still-injured Kenny Omega). It’s quite clear that Cole’s aiming to reshape the Elite in his image, and bringing in a man who’s had a bitter rivalry with Kenny is just another part of that plan.
Keith Lee’s AEW debut could not have gone any better, and Isiah Kassidy was the perfect opponent to put over how impressive Lee can be in the ring. Lee himself looked quite happy to be able to wrestle to his strengths rather than be forced into a style that he’s not suited for. Lee’s signing opens up plenty of dream match opportunities — from Powerhouse Hobbs to Miro to even revisiting old pleasantries with Adam Cole.
CM Punk and Jon Moxley vs. FTR was a fantastic tag team match featuring one of the best tag teams in AEW and two of the company’s top babyfaces in action that kept fans on the edge of their seats. While the outcome of Punk’s team winning out so that he could earn the rematch against MJF, there was still some seeds of doubt inserted during the match where a loss would’ve been shocking enough. And this especially taking into account Jon Moxley’s current storyline with Bryan Danielson trying to recruit him to his burgeoning team.
Jade Cargill’s TBS Title defense versus AQA was a great match that was thankfully not just a glorified squash. AQA managed to get her offense in, including an impressive shooting star press to nearly get a big upset, looking quite strong in defeat as a result. The finish with Jade hitting a modified version of Tour of the Islands before transitioning into Jaded made for a powerful way to end things.
Serena Deeb’s “Five Minute Challenge” was about what you’d expect this week, but if done right, it could establish a new face in AEW’s women’s division to topple the arrogant bully heel. While the big ticket angle is still the returning Hikaru Shida avenging her defeats against Serena, the Five Minute Challenge could be a great way to give a talent featured on AEW’s YouTube shows or a new signee their moment in the spotlight.
The main event Texas Death Match was yet another feather in the cap of our AEW World Champion. Though he’s had a total of three TV matches since becoming AEW World Champ (not counting one match he had on Dark), those three matches have proven that Hangman Page is wrestling on a whole other level right now. His two defenses against Bryan Danielson showed that Hangman could wrestle a technical style perfectly, and this title match against Lance Archer proved that Hangman can adapt to the circumstances and be an affective brawler.
The post-match angle of Adam Cole confronting the Champ neatly sets up Revolution’s marquee match of The Battle of the Adams. Couple that with Cole’s recent power moves of trying to take control of the Elite and you’ve got an interesting road to Revolution set up for the weeks ahead.
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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.
