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AEW DYNAMITE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT DAILY’S PLACE
LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Announcers: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
[HOUR ONE]
-The Dynamite opening aired followed by a wide shot of the ring and then various shots of clusters of masked fans cheering. Then Ross and Schiavone welcomed Excalibur back to the broadcast table.
(1) CHUCK TAYLOR & TRENT vs. SANTANA & ORTIZ
A brief recap aired of Santana & Ortiz defacing and battering Trent’s mom’s minivan. The Best Friends attacked S&O on the stage and all the way to ringside. They set up a superplex of Ortiz onto the ringside steps, but Santana blocked it. S&O took over. Santana gave Chuck the most awful ringside whip I’ve ever seen in a match. Weak, soft, and Chuck just jogged slowly toward the barricade and then rammed into it and sold it like he was sent into it with high velocity. Santana threw a chair at Trent. Ortiz tossed Trent onto a stack of chairs he had set up at ringside. The bell then rang five minutes into the brawl once Santana and Trent finally entered the ring. Ortiz grabbed Chuck when he bounded into the ropes. Santana dropped him over the top rope and he landed awkwardly. He then stepped on his throat and tagged in Ortiz.
Trent came back with a tornado DDT on Ortiz. Chuck was still KO’d on the stack of chairs at ringside several minutes later. Trent leaped onto Ortiz at ringside. He missed a spear at ringside and hit the ringside barricade. Chuck finally hot-tagged in eventually and rallied. He flip dove onto Santana & Ortiz at ringside. Trent had Oritz covered in the ring. He was near the ropes. Santana was late making the save from the floor and the ref had to just stop his count. That was awkward. Santana hit Trent from behind with a retractable steel baton. S&O finished him with a Street Sweeper a minute later.
WINNERS: Santana & Ortiz in 7:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: This was a mix of what a lot of people like and what a lot of people dislike about AEW. Some really bad timing and sloppy spots mixed in with a mix of athletic highspots and dives and hardcore brawling circa late-’90s.)
-MJF said backstage, with Wardlow standing behind him, that there’s only one outcome on Saturday – him becoming the AEW Champion. MJF’s assistant interrupted and said his attorney Mark locked himself in the locker room. Wardlow kicked open the door. MJF grabbed his attorney and said he knows he’s afraid of the big scary monster that is Ambrose, but there’s nothing scarier of getting in the way of his goals. “Bad things happen,” he said. He told him he has a choice between getting in the ring or (yelling) getting in the [expletive] ring. He asked him to choose wisely.
-The announcers hyped Chris Jericho vs. Joey Janela plus an interview with Kenny Omega, NWA Champion Thunder Rosa in action, and an eight-man tag match. [c]
(2) THE YOUNG BUCKS & JURASSIC EXPRESS (Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy) vs. PRIVATE PARTY & SCU (Daniels & Kaz)
Matt showed frustration early after he was knocked out of the ring. He poured a beer on a guy with an MJF button and a sign that said, “Hangman, drink my beer.” He tore up the sign, too. A few minutes later Kaz clotheslined the Bucks to the floor, then Daniels flip dove onto them on the floor. Back in the ring, Kaz worked over Jungle Boy. When talking about JB’s bodyfat, Ross said when he dies he wants to come back as Jungle Boy. [c]
They stayed with the action on split-screen during the break. Luchasaurus tagged in and rallied against Private Party and then flip dove onto SCU at ringside. Ross said he’s not just another pretty face. The Bucks and Jurassic Express landed a four-on-two stereo Risky Business spot against Private Party in the ring. Matt then superkicked Kassidy, but Kassidy caught his boot (what was the point of being the victim of that double-team spot if he was already just fine seconds later?) JB tagged in and hit Kassidy with a hard forearm. SCU entered and delivered a neckbreaker double team. Kassidy landed a top rope dive onto JB for a near fall. Matt mistakenly superkicked JB. Daniels chokeslammed him and then landed the BME followed by a top rope shooting star press by Quen. Luchasaurus broke up the cover at two. JB got a near fall on Quen. He tagged out to Luchasaurus who went after Quen. Matt blind-tagged himself in. The Bucks then gave Quen a BTE for the win. Excalibur said he’s called more matches of the Bucks than anyone and he’s never seen them more focused. The Bucks turned down a friendly celebration with Jurassic Express afterward.
WINNERS: The Bucks & Jurassic Express in 14:00.
-Backstage Jake Hager went into Orange Cassidy’s locker room and sat down next to him. He told him that Chris Jericho wants him at ringside for his match tonight. “It’d be smart to be there.” Cassidy was leaning back in his chair and didn’t react. Hager then left. [c]
-Tully Blanchard gave FTR a pep talk. He said the prize is in front of them on Saturday, so they have to take it. He said they are the men who can do it, and he’ll be right there at ringside watching. Cash said their legacy is dead if they don’t walk out with the belts. Dax said this match makes a seven-figure difference in their annual income. He said as much as he likes Hangman Page, he likes the idea of being champion even more. He said Sunday they have all day to be sore, but Saturday it’s all business.
-Schiavone stood mid-ring and introduced Omega for a mid-ring interview. Omega wore a Kimura tribute t-shirt. He asked Kenny about Page being thrown out of The Elite. Omega said everyone in life makes mistakes and Hangman will have to live with this the rest of his life. He said at the PPV, FTR will be facing them. He said, “We live, we learn, we move on – it’s as simple as that.” He vowed they will defeat them. He told FTR to bring their A-game because they will. FTR and Tully interrupted with a cooler in hand. They presented him with a chocolate milk. “You can’t say no to choc!” they said. They pulled out cans of beer for themselves. Kenny said they’ve known him for a few months and they’ve learned he can’t turn down milk. He then called them “dickheads” and was censored. He asked if their plan was to bamboozle him when he was alone, and if so, get to it because it’s time to get down to business. He looked over at Tully and laughed that it’s actually three-on-one. He told them to make it quick, but keep the old man away from “because I can smell his depends from here.”
Page then walked out, looking like he hadn’t slept in weeks with red around the eyes. Dax told Page to explain to Kenny who got in his head and made him do the things he did, turning on his best friends so they wouldn’t get a rematch at All Out. Dax said he’s known Page his whole career, and he’s nothing more than an insecure little boy. He told him to explain to Kenny how big of a piece of shit he is. (They were late with the bleep, but attempted to bleep it.) Cash said Kenny already knows what a big piece of shit he is. (Another bad attempt to bleep came a seconds too late.) They held out the tag belts and dropped them in front of Page. Excalibur said it was such disrespect on their part. Page offered Kenny one of the belts, but Kenny put his hands on his hips and walked away.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was a mess. Is anyone there likable in the least? The Depends joke fell flat. It’s just a criss-cross of conflict without anyone clear-cut sympathetic. FTR were good and the strength of this segment, but Omega was just awkward and off-putting. Page is just a zombie and a shell of whatever he needs to eventually be. I know we’re on a journey, but I can’t imagine many people watching this have any idea what’s going on or feels strongly in favor of any of them.)
-Alex Marvez interviewed Chris Jericho backstage. He asked when the last time was he experienced something for the very first time, or experienced something he never thought he’d experience again “like kissing a woman.” He said this Saturday night will be a first, and he has already helped Cassidy become a better man. He said now he needs to put a bullet in his head and send him back to where he came from because he’s not a main event star and not a championship level wrestler. He said he’ll make him tapout to the Walls of Jericho and then toss him into the 5,000 gallons of mimosa. He said he’ll drown his dreams in the bubbly and Le Champion. He told Joey Janela that he’s a sacrifice and give Mr. Freshly Squeezed an example of what’s in store for him Saturday. “Good luck with that kiss, Marvez,” he said.
(Keller’s Analysis: Jericho’s a pro, and that was a succinct effective promo with some humor, but mostly arrogance that cast him as someone you’d love to see get shown up by Cassidy.)
-Janela made his ring entrance. [c]
(3) CHRIS JERICHO (w/Jake Hager) vs. JOEY JANELA
Jericho made his ring entrance and the crowd sang his lyrics. Jericho aggressively went after Janela at the bell. They showed Cassidy being chill at ringside. Janela tried to springbaord into the ring at Jericho, but Jericho gave him a Code Breaker out of mid-air and then applied a Lion Tamer. Jericho wore an Orange Cassidy sleeveless t-shirt.
WINNER: Jericho in 3:00 via tapout.
-Jericho attacked Janela after the match. He tore off a turnbuckle pad and rammed Janela into it. Hager cheered him on at ringside. Janela came up bleeding. Jericho punched away at his cut and then rubbed the blood on the face of Cassidy on his shirt. He called out to Cassidy. Cassidy leaped into the ring, but Hager quickly joined Jericho and a beatdown. Sonny Kiss ran out for the save. Ross said Kiss is Janela’s tag team partner. Cassidy gave Jericho a tornado DDT and stood tall. He went for a running Superman Punch, but Hager yanked Jericho to safety. Cassidy pulled a bottle of bubbly out of his backpack and opened it. He then gave a thumbs down gesture and poured it out. Jericho said he’d show him on Saturday what a real pro is. Jericho tossed some chairs around.
-A video package aired on the Matt Hardy-Sammy Guevara feud.
(Keller’s Analysis: Great video package. More of that, AEW. Tons of great highlights of the violence so far in their battles with the right music in the background.)
-They cut to a break, but stayed on Sammy with cue cards. He said at All Out, not only will Hardy lose, but he will be deleted! They showed Matt Hardy watching from the side. “Gone from AEW and forgotten. Long live the career of the Spanish God!” he closed with. He looked very proud of himself and danced a little as he held up the final two poster board signs. [c]
-After the break, the announcers hyped a Broken Rules match. Schiavone said if Guevara wins, they’ve seen the last of Hardy in AEW. (Who agreed to that and why?)
-Taz, Brian Cage, and Ricky Starks walked out to the ring. Excalibur talked about the Casino Battle Royal. Taz said one of those two athletes standing next to him will win the battle royal. He took some shots at Lance Archer. Jake Roberts interrupted from the stage. He said last week Taz interrupted him, so this week he’s going to do the same to him. He said they’re little squirrels who are trying to get a nut, but they won’t get none when they try that in the ring against them. Jake said they’re the best set of losers he’s ever seen. Jake and Archer entered the ring.
They were interrupted by Eddie Kingston, who walked out with the Lucha Bros and Butcher & Blade. Kingston said he’s tougher than Archer. Jake asked if he’s been drinking. Kingston said he doesn’t know if he’s supposed to take Ricky Starks out on a date or fight him. Taz said his two men will fight all of them. Tully and Shawn Spears walked out, too. Cage got in Archer’s face. Starks sucker-punched Archer.
A brawl broke out. Billy Gunn joined. Darby Allin’s music played and he went right after Starks. They went to an overhead cam of the brawl that included even more wrestlers coming out from the back including the Lucha Bros. Spears joined in late. Hager, S&O, and the Best Friends then joined in. Schiavone said the battle royal will be one of the craziest things they’ve seen in a long, long time. They cut to break, but stayed with the action on split screen.
(Keller’s Analysis: Typical battle royal hype. They’ve done a good job building up some tangible heat between some heels so there will be some meaningful clashes in what can often feel like a long stretch of random fighting in battle royals. Three big-time talks in Taz, Jake, and Kingston. [c]
-They cut to a video package on Scorpio Sky, Matt Cordona, Q.T. Marshall, and Dustin Rhodes working together against Dark Order with soundbites from the four babyfaces.
(4) THUNDER ROSA vs. SERENA DEEB
Ross said these women lock up like they’re not afraid of breaking a nail. They cut to a split-screen break a couple minutes in. [c]
Rosa won with a running high knee and Thunder Driver.
WINNER: Rosa in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good showing for both, and I’m glad they gave Rosa a chance to wrestle on Dynamite before All Out.)
-A pre-taped interview aired with Jon Moxley. He said MJF has climbed to the top of the rankings and he’s going to get his shot, “so don’t sweat the process,” he said. He said when the bell rings on Saturday, all the distractions with the campaigning and the lawyers go away and it’s just them. “Are you ready and willing to kill or be killed, because the MJF on Saturday night has to be the meanest, nastiest MJF we’ve ever seen to take him out.” He said 2020 has been a bad enough year, so they don’t need MJF running around on top of everything else. He said, “Suffer or look for a way out, what are you going to do?” He said MJF thinks he’s hot stuff, but everything he’s done far has been the easy part.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent.) [c]
-Schiavone interviewed Big Swole at ringside. She said Saturday at the Buy In, Brit Baker will have no place to hide because she’s showing up at her job. She said they’ll be fighting tooth and nail. A woman showed up with a pizza for Schiavone. He said he didn’t order a pizza. Baker then attacked Swole from behind with her crutch. She shoved her face in the pizza. “Holy pepperroni,” said Ross. Brit applied her Lock Jaw on Swole. Excalibur hyped the “Tooth and Nail” match on the pre-show. Swole rubbed the pizza in her face. Some workers came out and pushed her away. “At least there’s no pineapple on it,” Ross quipped.
-They went to Ross on camera who hyped the special shows leading up to All Out including a Saturday Red Carpet Special on YouTube. The Buy In pre-show starting at 7 ET will include Baker vs. Swole one-on-one. Ross said Baker looked healthy and ready to go.
-MJF’s lawyer Mark Sterling made his ring entrance by being thrown out of the tunnel by Wardlow. He was in a loud red and blue wrestling suit. Wardlow directed him to the ring. Moxley made his ring entrance through the stadium.
(5) JON MOXLEY vs. MARK STERLING
WINNER: Moxley in 5:00.
-Wardlow attacked Mox afterward. MJF walked out onto the stage with his walker. He tossed it aside, then ripped off his neck brace. He then removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves and went after Moxley. He mounted him and punched away at him. Wardlow then put the Dynamite Diamond ring on MJF’s finger. Wardlow held Moxley and then MJF charged and punched him with the ring. MJF let out a yell. “This is what you’re going to get on Saturday!” he said. Ross said Moxley is going to show up pissed. MJF bit Moxley’s bleeding forehead. Schiavone said he’s never seen MJF like this. Moxley looked up and asked if MJF is “f–ing nuts.” They didn’t bleep that. Ross said this could be the beginning of 25 years of MJF as champion if he lives up to his word. Ross told viewers they’ve love to see them Saturday night and entertain them.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good show-closing angle to give a sinister violent tenor to the match that was built with comedy segments prior to this week. I get Ross saying they want to entertain people on Saturday night, but I’d rather hear him stress what’s at stake and the intensity of the rivalry as the closing words.)
I got a huge kick out of hearing Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone say those three magical letters…NWA! The Major League of Professional Wrestling!