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AEW DYNAMITE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT DAILY’S PLACE
LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Announcers: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
[HOUR ONE]
-A photo of Road Warrior Animal was on the screen noting his death.
-The Dynamite opening aired. Then pyro blasted as Ross introduced the show and the camera showed clusters of mask-wearing fans in the audience. Schiavone said Orange Cassidy gets his chance at the North American Title tonight.
(1) MIRO & KIP SABIAN (w/Penelope Ford) vs. SONNY KISS & JOEY JANELA
Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford made their ring entrance first. Excalibur said they’d soon be seeing his Best Man, Miro. Kip said it’s the moment everyone has been waiting for – the in-ring debut of the most handsome man ever. “He’s not just my best man, he’s not just your best man, he’s Miro.” Ross said there are high expectations for Miro that go beyond him being the best man at the Kip-Penelope wedding. Miro made his ring entrance. Excalibur said he’s chiselled out of granite. As Janela and Kiss made their entrance, a pre-recorded soundbite aired with Janela mocking Kip and Miro. He said he’s “been there” and marrying Ford is a mistake. He said they’re on their way to an express victory and let out a cartoon maniacal laugh. Schiavone noted that Janela referred to him and Ford being an item at one time.
Sabian began against Kiss. Ross said Sonny opened a lot of eyes with “her” performance against Cody. Miro tagged in a minute in against Janela. Sabian tagged himself back in, though, before any action. The director cut to Janela at ringside just as Sonny was flying onto Sabian in the ring. Miro kicked Sonny from behind after Sabian kicked out of a Sonny cover. Miro got in some power moves against Sonny. Excalibur said because Lance Archer was in contact with someone with COVID-19, out of caution to protect everyone in AEW, he stayed home. As a result, Mox would face Eddie Kingston one-on-one instead. Ross said the history between Sabian and Janela “is dirt sheet material.” Ross said Miro was trained by Rikishi and some with Gangrel.
Janela mistakenly bumped into Miro on the ring apron. Miro entered the ring and charged at Janela. Janela ducked and Miro tumbled over the top rope. Miro sold an ankle injury. Janela kicked him. Sabian reverse-whipped Janela at Miro, who backdropped him over the barricade. Miro launched Sabian at Janela. The landing looked awkward. Janela asked, “Are you okay?” Janela then launched off the ringside barricade at Miro back at ringside. He slipped and came up short and slid out of Miro’s arms. Miro lifted him. Sonny leaped off the ring apron and dropkicked Miro.
Finally back in the ring, Janela and Sabian battled. Janela superkicked Sabian for a two count. Miro shoved Janela into Kiss who was on the ropes. Miro then kicked Janela, who rolled to the floor. Sabian threw Sonny back into the ring. Sabian caught Kip with a lifted boot and rallied against both Sabian and Miro. Miro tossed Sonny into a Code Breaker type move for Sabian leading to a near fall. Miro tossed Janela out of the ring and then hit Sonny with the Machka Kick. Miro stomped Sonny and applied the Camel Clutch for the win. Ross said it was an impressive debut for Miro. Excalibur said he did it against a red-hot tag team in Sabian & Kiss.
WINNER: Miro & Sabian in 12:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Miro looked like a star despite the sloppiness at times in some of the spots he was involved in.)
-Eddie Kingston walked out and said to leave the hard cam on because he wanted to talk to the people at home. He said he’s getting an AEW World Title match tonight because was he never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royal. He said his 18 years in the business is another reason he’s getting a title shot. He said he and Moxley were cut from the same cloth, but then Mox sold out to the world of sports entertainment. He said he never did; he said he stayed with the fighters and outlaws “and I didn’t sell my soul to the devil.” He said before he puts Mox down and becomes the new World Champion, he wants to look into “the entertainer’s eyes.” Ross called it a brazen move. Mox came out through a side door and walked down the bleachers with his title. Excalibur said Kingston is a master of pushing people’s buttons. They had a brief forehead-to-forehead staredown. Referees and officials came out to pry them apart.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good audible to give Eddie the arguably-earned title shot due to the Casino Battle Royal issue he’s brought up. It’s best to keep Kingston’s promos short because the yelling can get old fast, but he did a good job sounding like a bitter indy guy who never got a break and resents anyone who made a choice different than him and did well financially as a result.) [c]
-The announcers hyped the scheduled matches including Brodie Lee vs. Orange Cassidy for the North American Title, Shida & Thunder Rosa vs. Ivelisse & Diamante, Moxley vs. Kingston, and Hangman Page vs. Evil Uno. Ross said: “What a night this is going to be. I’m loving this show!”
-Kenny Omega walked onto the stage and then sat with the announcers at the table. Excalibur said Omega asked for him and Page to be removed from the tag team rankings. Ross made fun of Omega’s white t-shirt. Omega said it’s versatile.
(2) EVIL UNO (w/Dark Order including Colt Cabana) vs. “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE
Omega said he was offered this as a tag match, but he turned it down because it wouldn’t help his singles rankings. He said AEW has the deepest tag team roster in all of pro wrestling, and they were champs. He said they wanted to defeat every tag team and they almost did it, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Five members of Dark Order stood and watched from the stage, which made for a fun backdrop. Page had a swagger to him he hasn’t shown in a while. Uno hid behind the ref. Uno caught Page with a neckbreaker. Uno showboated after that spot. Ross threw to the split-screen. [c]
Back from the break, Dark Order approached Page on the ramp. Uno asked them to back away. Omega said he wants to win it the right way and do the right thing. Colt had some words with Uno and then retreated to the back with the rest of them. Meanwhile, Page recovered and slammed Uno on the ring apron. He landed a fallaway slam mid-ring and then a shooting star press for a near fall. Uno caught Page with a pump kick and then a top rope senton for a near fall. Page came back with a lariat. Page landed a powerbomb into high stack roll-up for a near fall. He then landed the Buckshot Lariat for the three count.
WINNER: Page in 13:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match. It was good to see Page in a state other than mopey or tipsy.)
-Schiavone stood outside of the Young Bucks locker room. He said the Bucks wanted to talk to him, “so here we are.” He knocked. Matt lunged out and asked Schiavone if he flinched. He said people are noticing the Bucks are acting out of character lately. He admitted they never should have put their hands on Alex Marvez or Mike Posey. He unconvincingly said he and his brother are sorry. He said they’ve gone through a lot and lost a lot including title opportunities and friendships. “We will do better,” he said. Schiavone said FTR is the reason for all of this. Matt asked for the next question. “Try harder,” he said. Schiavone asked about FTR winning the AEW Tag Team Titles. Jackson asked if they put him up to bringing that up. He asked if he has his phone. He asked to see it. Jackson grabbed Schiavone phone and broke the screen. “Come on, man,” Schiavone said. Jackson told him to get an upgrade and he threw him some cash once. Schiavone said that can be a new chapter in their book.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m happy to see the Bucks choose a definite direction here.) [c]
(3) BRODIE LEE vs. ORANGE CASSIDY – AEW TNT Title match
When Schiavone talked about his broken phone, Ross asked Schiavone if his picture are safe and if he’s “on the cloud.” Schiavone said he is. Schiavone said he’d use the cash to buy a new phone. Cassidy hung out casually at ringside during Brodie’s ring entrance. Justin Roberts did formal mid-ring introductions.
Cassidy threw soft kicks to Brodie’s ankles with his hands in his pocket. Brodie slapped him hard and he went down. Hands still in pockets, Brodie stomped away at him. Cassidy stood and, hands in pockets, dropkicked Brodie out of the ring. He then dove through the ropes. Dark Order caught him. Brodie then tackled Cassidy at ringside, taking not just Cassidy but also Dark Order members down. Ross said he’s a big Cassidy fan, but he’s not crazy about his chances. Brodie slapped Cassidy’s chest.
Ross said Brodie Lee is Bruiser Brody-like. Dark Order stomped away at Cassidy at ringside as Brodie distracted the ref. Brodie threw Cassidy back into the ring and then overshot a senton. He tossed Cassidy out of the ring again where Dark Order stomped away at him. Brodie threw Cassidy into the ring again and (too casually) whipped him into the ropes, but Cassidy countered with a swinging DDT. Brodie countered with a Bossman Slam for a two count. They cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Back from the break, Brodie was still in control. Ross said he’s getting the holy hell beaten out of him. Brodie tossed Cassidy around as Ross talked about the scary look in his eyes. Cassidy couldn’t even stand. The ref considered calling off the match. Cassidy fell again when Brodie wound up for a clothesline. The announcers said this could be a strategy. He dropped again before Brodie could strike him. He then surprised Brodie with a roll-up. Excalibur said Cassidy was suckering him in. Cassidy landed two flying elbows through the ropes at ringside, then rolled Brodie into the ring. He fended off Dark Order at ringside, then returned to the ring. Cassidy countered Brodie and gave him a stunner. He climbed quickly to the top rope and landed a diving DDT. Both were down and slow to get up. Cassidy kipped up and landed the running PK. Brodie stood and yelled and fired up. Cassidy gave him a tornado DDT and anair raid crash for a believable near fall. John Silver entered. Cassidy gave him an Orange Punch. Brodie quickly gave Cassidy a powerbomb and discus lariat for the win.
WINNER: Brodie Lee in 11:00 to retain the North American Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Fun and well plotted and executed match. Both wrestlers who are about as distinctly different as it gets got to shine at various parts of the match and each were protected. AEW doesn’t do the distraction or interference finish much, but this was a time it made sense. Now don’t do it again for two months.)
[HOUR TWO]
-Cody returned to the stage with black hair. (I need fresh photos again!) The neck tattoo is still there. He came out and took on Dark Order. The announcers wondered if he was medically cleared. They agreed he looked healthy. Brodie Lee abandoned his men as Cody cleared the ring. Ross told viewers to stay tuned because they hadn’t seen nothing yet. [c]
-They cut backstage to Dasha, but Brodie Lee barged in and said Cody has audacity to return like that after he’s been away for five weeks. He bragged about what he did to Dustin Rhodes and what Ana Jay did to Brandi Rhodes. He said Cody is a coward. He held up his North American Title belt, then held up a dog collar and chain. He vowed to wrap it around Cody’s neck and “that god-forsaken tattoo.”
(Keller’s Analysis: That was a wild old-school yelling promo, but Brodie’s delivery was believable. He seemed genuinely emotionally triggered by Cody’s return.)
-Private Party and Matt Hardy walked to the ring. Hardy was limping pretty severely. Hardy thanked the fans for cheering him and said, “You just made my birthday.” Hardy said he’s been replaying the events of last Wednesday to try to figure out who would attack him in such a cowardly fashion. He said he had a heated confrontation with MJF, a discussion with Brodie Lee, and he already has a long storied history and hatred for the Inner Circle. He said whoever did it was wearing a mask or face covering, and he knows he was hit with a pipe or maybe a bat. He said moments later, what a coincidence it was that Hager and Jericho strolled onto the scene with a bat. Hardy said Jericho is his prime suspect right now. He said Private Party tore the house down last week with Hager & Jericho. He said he is so proud of them, and the only reason they didn’t win is because Jericho and Hager utilized that bat.
Hardy messed up the saying,”The more things change, the more they stay the same.” He said Jericho has a lot of nicknames, but he’ll always be known as an asshole. Jericho’s music played and he walked out with Santana, Ortiz, Jake Hager, and his baseball bat. Jericho sarcastically said, “Happy birthday, Matt.” Then he added, “Who gives a shit?” He complained about Hardy decimating Sammy. He said nobody knows when Sammy’s coming back. “Guess what? I lied. He’s back right now.” Sammy danced out as Jericho started a “Sammy! Sammy!” chant. Sammy and Jericho hugged. Jericho said he’s the million viewer man because people tune in to see him. He said if he was going to hit Hardy with a bat, he’d do it to his face so Matt could see the joy on his face as he did it. Jericho said he didn’t hit him last week, but he’ll do it tonight. Hardy said he’s not medically cleared, but he’ll fight all of the Inner Circle. Private Party interjected and tried to get him to calm down. Marq Quen told him to take time to recover properly. Quen said he’s cleared and he can step up. He told Jericho he laid him out last week. Isiah Kassidy took the mic and said this is his battle. He said he almost beat Jericho twice, so he’s challenging him to a one-on-one match next week. He said he wants to make Jericho “my Le Champion bitch.” Jericho soaked up his words and smiled.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good to hear from Private Party. Nice setup for next week.) [c]
-Schiavone interviewed Tully Blanchar and FTR mid-ring. Tully said there are new fans each week and they want to show them how great they can be. He said he wants FTR to defend their tag titles in 20 minute time limit matches. He wanted to pick their opponents and give them “a brush with greatness.” Their first offer went to SCU. He said if they don’t win 20 minutes, they get a check in the winner’s column. Dax Harwood talked about who might be next. He talked about the Best Friends, and said they’re backyard comedic wrestlers. Trent and Chuck Taylor walked out. Trent and said last week wasn’t a match, it was a war. He said they’re still beat up, but they’re ready for the 20 minute match now. Dax said that’s fine with them. They were about to start the match, but Cash said they can’t do this. He said they’re fighting champions, but it’s clear Trent & Chuck aren’t healthy. He said give it a few minutes, “but until then, top guys out.” They dropped to ringside. Chuck said at least Santana & Ortiz didn’t run from a fight “like a couple of weenies.” They hugged mid-ring. Excalibur called it a small consolation that they got the hug, but no title shot.
-They showed clips of last week’s angle that set up the women’s tag match this week.
(4) IVELISE & DIAMANTE vs. THUNDER ROSA & HIKARU SHIDA
Schiavone said Rosa’s facepaint is a tribute to Road Warrior Animal. Schiavone called it a terrible day. He said Animal died unexpectedly. They cut to a break a few minutes in. [c]
Rosa mistakenly gave Shida a running high knee when Iveleise moved. Rosa saved Shida from a cover a minute later. Rosa gave Diamante a Death Valley Driver. Shida moved in and delivered a quick Falcon Arrow for a two count, broken up by Evilese. Shida then finished Diamante with a running boot.
WINNERS: Shida & Rosa in 9:00.
-Dasha interviewed Jericho backstage about the Kassidy challenge. Jericho said he respects him for his balls. He said some day he’ll be a big star in AEW, but not next week because next week he’s facing him, the Million Viewer Man, the Demo God. MJF entered the picture and said he heard what went down and the fact that that runt would disrespect him like that is deplorable. Jericho touted MJF and said it means so much coming from him. MJF imitated Jericho and called him the Demo God, so it means a lot to him. Jericho said MJF is pretty great. They exchanged several, “No, you’re great.” Then in sync they asked why they called each other a loser. MJF said he saw it on Twitter and Instagram. Jericho said he saw it on Dynamite with his own eyes. MJF said he was calling the limo drivers losers because they almost hit each other when they parked. Jericho bought in. He said he wasn’t calling MJF a loser, either. He said he was aiming the comment at Schiavone. They made fun of Tony together. Jericho said, “You know what, Max? You’re all right.” Max returned the compliment. They thanked Dasha and left.
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous. Really funny. Both Jericho and MJF were great here. MJF is getting a genuine rub sharing the screen with Jericho like that. The fact that they acknowledged they saw what the other said about them was making fun of all the times wrestlers in WWE never see what fans see on TV even a week later.)
-They hyped next week’s show: Jericho vs. Kassidy, FTR vs. SCU, Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin one-on-one. Moxley appears, too. They said the Oct. 7 anniversary show will feature Moxley or Kingston vs. Archer for the AEW Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Because they’re pre-taping next week’s show, they can’t do the Lance Archer six-man with Moxley next week, either. And then it’s their anniversary show, so it looks like that match just won’t happen at all.) [c]
(5) JON MOXLEY vs. EDDIE KINGSTON – AEW World Hvt. Title match
Ross said, “Slobber-knocker time!” Kingston applied a headlock at the start. Moxley escaped and applied a head scissors. Announcers plugged some new merchandise for Cody. They stood and exchanged chops. Kingston landed an enzuigiri and a clothesline. [c/ss]
They battled back and forth for a few minutes during and after the break. Kingston landed a backdrop driver for a near fall. Kingston was selling the idea of a stinger, shaking his hand as if it was numb and wincing in pain. Excalibur said the hand could also be broken, limiting his offense. Kingston asked Mox to back away, but then went on the attack. Mox countered with a sleeper and then shifted into the bulldog choke. Kingston passed out in two seconds and the ref called for the bell.
WINNER: Moxley via KO in 11:00 to retain the AEW Title.
-Afterward, the Lucha Bros ran out and attacked Moxley. Will Hobbs ran out for the save. He ended up getting overwhelmed, though. Darby Allin ran out for the save, skateboard in hand. He cleared the ring. Ricky Starks snuck out and speared Darby. (It helps surprise your foe when your music doesn’t play.) Taz walked to ringside and enjoyed what he was watching as Starks, Lucha Bros., and Kingston beat up Darby, Hobbs, and Moxley. Starks used the skateboard against Allin. The show ended with Kingston sitting above a KO’d Moxley.
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