The John Report: AEW Dynamite 03/16/22 Review (St. Patrick’s Day Slam)
This week’s AEW Dynamite featured the AEW Women’s Title on the line in the main event with Britt Baker defending the gold against Thunder Rosa in a Steel Cage Match.
Here’s what else they advertised for the show: TNT Title – Scorpio Sky vs. Wardlow, Hardy Boys vs. Private Party, Moxley & Danielson vs. Taylor & Yuta, Hangman & Jurassic Express vs. Adam Cole & ReDRagon and Jericho Appreciate Society commencement.
This is AEW Dynamite episode #128 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means. Jim Ross welcomed us to the show along with Excalibur and Tony Schiavone on commentary.
Adam Cole made his entrance along with his buddies Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for a six-man tag team match. Their opponents were the AEW Tag Team Champions Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus and AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page. The three champions received big pops from the crowd.
“Hangman” Adam Page, Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Boy started with Cole as they did a few moves where they kept on countering eachother. Boy got a headscissors on Cole followed by a dropkick. Fish tagged in, Luchasaurus tagged in had chops for everybody. The heels managed to slow things down by getting some shots on Luchasaurus and Fish took over with a chinlock. Kyle tagged in with kicks to the body of Luchasaurus and Cole tagged in with a dropkick to the knee. Fish back in with a kick to the left knee. Kyle with some kicks, Luchasaurus fought out of the corner with kicks and knees along with a double clothesline. Page got theta tag with punches, kicks and a springboard clothesline on Cole. Page with a fallaway slam on Fish and a slingshot dive onto two guys on the floor. Page with a suicide dive on the floor as well, then Fish was back in and Page hit a Popup Powerbomb for two. Fish to the floor to avoid the Buckshot Lariat and Boy tagged in with a somersault dive over the top on the three heels. Boy went up top along with Page and Luchasaurus was on the apron leading to the three faces each hitting a moonsault at the same time! Holy shit, that was great. One moonsault in the ring and two to the floor. Cole got in a cheap shot on Boy, then Kyle and Fish each did corner splashes followed by Kyle hitting a diving knee drop on Boy for a two count. They went to a picture in picture break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Luchasaurus getting the tag with punches for all the heels and a German Suplex across the ring. Luchasaurus ducked a Cole attack and hit a superkick. Luchasaurus with a Chokeslam on Kyle and he Chokeslammed Fish onto Kyle. Luchasaurus with a standing moonsault pinning two guys for a two count. Luchasaurus with an uppercut punch to Kyle, then Boy jumped off the top and Cole hit him with a superkick. Page dumped Fish out of the ring while Kyle had Luchasaurus in a leg lock submission. Page tackled Cole onto Kyle to break up the submission attempt. Page tagged in against Cole with Cole hitting two pump kicks and Page hit a Deadeye slam. All six guys were in the ring hitting moves including a Boy DDT on Kyle, Cole knocked down Boy and Page hit a clothesline on Cole. Jungle Boy went up top and hit a double Doomsday Device clothesline for a two count because Fish broke up the pin. Fish sent Luchasaurus out of the ring. I don’t remember when the last tag was, but they had everybody in the ring for a few minutes. Boy tagged in with kicks to the gut, forearms to the face a high/low by ReDRagon on Boy. Cole tagged in and hit the Boom knee to the back of the head of Boy for the pinfall win. Page was being held by one of Cole’s partners to prevent the save. It went about 14 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Analysis: ***3/4 A great match to start the show. That triple moonsault spot was incredible. The last few minutes were chaotic like some AEW tag team matches tend to be just so they could set up some of the spots that they like to do. The crowd was into everything, especially when Luchasaurus was in there. I thought the finish was booked well with the heels working together to clear the ring of Jungle Boy’s partners leading to their double team move and then Cole’s running knee for the win. I liked the match.
Cole celebrated the win with his buddies while stared at Page, who was mad about the loss.
Analysis: I get the sense they are going to do a Page vs. Cole rematch soon even though Page beat Cole clean at Revolution ten days earlier.
Keith Lee was interviewed by Tony Schiavone with FTW Champion Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. It was mentioned that Lee will face Max Caster on Rampage this Friday. Starks told Lee not to show up on Ricky’s show Rampage and think he can run things. Ricky said they whooped his ass because Lee thought he was running things. Hobbs reminded Lee about the spinebuster that he hit on Keith. Starks did some more trash talk, so Lee reminded Starks that he punched him in the face and he laid on the match like a little bitch. Lee said he’ll see them Friday.
The team of Moxley & Danielson are in tag team action up next.
(Commercial)
A quick clip was shown of Kris Statlander wiping face paint off her face. I think it means they are dumping the alien gimmick, but they haven’t been pushing that much anymore anyway.
Bryan Danielson made his entrance with William Regal by his side and Regal joined commentary for this match. Jon Moxley got a big ovation from the crowd as usual. Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta entered to a solid reaction. They are part of the Best Friends group.
Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson vs. Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta (w/Trent Beretta, Danhausen & Orange Cassidy)
Bryan and Moxley attacked their opponents right as they got on the apron. Bryan with a knee to the ribs of Yuta and Moxley with a suplex. Bryan with chops, a headbutt and a hard kick to the chest. Moxley back in with some light knees, a snapmare and a kick to the back. Bryan with a knee drop on Yuta for two. Bryan stomped on Yuta’s arm along with another kick to the back. Yuta with an armdrag, then a dropkick and Taylor tagged in with chops. Taylor with a boot to Bryan, a dive onto Moxley on the floor and Taylor applied a single leg crab. Moxley tagged in with an uppercut and he snapped the back of the neck of Taylor to the ropes. Bryan whipped Moxley into the barricade and back into the ring. Moxley decked Taylor with a forearm to the head, Bryan back in and he hit a running kick to the chest. Bryan locked the legs for an Indian Death Lock submission and Moxley came back in with a low dropkick. Moxley with a superplex off the middle rope for two leading right into Moxley applying an armbar. They went to a picture in picture break.
(Commercial)
Moxley was in the ring with Taylor, who hit a jumping knee to the face. Yuta tagged in with a dropkick, then a jumping kick to the head and a running forearm. Moxley hit Yuta with a forearm followed by a clothesline. Yuta with a bridging German Suplex for two. Yuta turned to face Bryan, so Moxley hit him with a Cutter. Bryan tagged in with a Hart Attack clothesline (the Hart Foundation finisher). Taylor and Moxley battled on the floor with Moxley hitting a DDT on the floor. Bryan worked over Yuta with repeated kicks to the chest, Bryan wanted him to show some heart and Yuta came back with forearms. Yuta with forearms on Moxley, who was in there illegally. Moxley with a Saito Suplex and Bryan hit a shoulder capture suplex into a bridge for two. The fans were chanting “Yuta” for the effort shown by Wheeler. Bryan held Yuta’s arms leading to repeated stomps to the head, Mox tagged in with the Bulldog Choke and Yuta tapped out while passing out. It went about 12 minutes.
Winners by submission: Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson
Analysis: ***1/4 A good tag team match that probably went longer than it needed to go. I think they really wanted to get to that spot with Yuta showing heart while taking a beating and kept on coming back. I think if you book the same match that goes about eight minutes then it makes Moxley/Danielson look more impressive as a team and you could cut out a few minutes. It’s not like anybody thought Taylor/Yuta had a chance to win here.
After the match, Wheeler Yuta was about to leave with the Best Friends and then he decided to go back into the ring with Bryan, Moxley and Regal. Yuta extended his hand, so Regal slapped him hard in the side of the head. Yuta got right in Regal’s face to show he was tough. The fans chanted “Yuta” for that. Regal told him to go away before it gets too much for him.
Analysis: It seems like Yuta could be the first recruit for this group that has just started working together recently. That’s a good choice since Yuta’s a talented young guy.
The FTR duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were interviewed by Tony Schiavone. FTR talked about firing Tully Blanchard and how hard it was to do. The Young Bucks showed up with Matt Jackson insulting how they dress. Matt said that no matter what they do, no matter if they hire the best there is (Bret Hart reference) they are always going to be the second-best tag team in AEW.
Analysis: The Bret Hart reference is because there’s a rumor of Bret appearing in AEW at some point to support FTR. I have no idea if it’s going to happen. Anyway, I’m all for another FTR/Young Bucks match since they had an excellent match last time over a year ago.
Chris Jericho and his new group were up next.
(Commercial)
Max Caster and Anthony Bowens did a promo with Caster talking about how he is going to beat Keith Lee. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs walked up to them with Starks saying he wanted them to take care of Lee to show these new guys how it is. Swerve Strickland walked up to Starks saying he’s going to make Friday nights into Swerve’s House. Swerve left and Caster goes: “Isn’t that guy a rapper?” Yeah. I guess they both are.
Let’s Hear from Jericho Appreciation Society
Chris Jericho made his entrance with his new Jericho Appreciation Society made up of Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia and 2.0 – Matt Lee & Jeff Parker. They entered to the Fozzy song “Judas” as usual for Jericho wit the fans singing along with it. Should they ditch the song now that Jericho is a heel again? I guess not.
Matt Lee started saying you love that song and said that Jericho is the man that allows you to sing it. Lee said if it was up to him, there’s be no Judas, no singalong and “no nothing.” Lee said that’s why Jericho is a better man than him. Jeff Parker said that it also why Jericho deserves to be praised and idolized not only for his contributions in this industry, but his contributions as a human being. Jeff introduced us to “The Influencer, The Big One” Chris Jericho.
Chris Jericho was wearing ap purple jacket, purple gloves and purple shoes. Jericho told the crowd they are lucky enough to be alive during the Chris Jericho Era. Jericho said that for over 30 years, you have lived vicariously through him with five-star classic, taking us through storylines you’ll never forget and he starts companies like this one. Jericho talked about how he carried the company for its first three months while adding that if there was no Jericho, there was no AEW. Jericho said that you don’t appreciate him. Jericho said that the roster of AEW doesn’t appreciate him while the Inner Circle didn’t appreciate him. Jericho said that Sammy Guevara walked out on him, Santana & Ortiz walked out on him and Eddie Kingston embarrassed him by making Jericho tap out. Jericho said that they don’t appreciate him, but these men do – the Jericho Appreciate Society.
Jericho said that they aren’t like the AEW roster because they are nothing more than pro wrestlers. Jericho said a pro wrestler has never been legendary or a millionaire and as a legendary millionaire, he is not a pro wrestler, he is a sports entertainer. The fans booed. Jericho: “I’ll say it again. I am a sports entertainer!” Daniel Garcia said you’re going to call yourself a sports entertainer, then Garcia is too. Garcia: “My name is Daniel Garcia and I am a sports entertainer.”
Jericho said that Garcia is the epitome of a sports entertainer. Jericho mentioned January 6, 2019 when a bunch of independent wrestlers got in a car accident, Jericho donated money to help them and Garcia was one of the wrestlers in that accident. Jericho said 2.0 isn’t going to use that name anymore and they are using their new names: Matt Minard and Angelo Parker. Jericho said that his good friend Kevin (that would be Owens) was friends with 2.0 so when 2.0 got fired Kevin contacted Jericho to see if he could help them. Jericho had them on his Talk is Jericho podcast, he saw their passion for the business and he helped them get jobs in AEW.
Jericho pointed out Jake Hager saying it was his ride or die. Jericho said he’s had his back since 2010, he saved Jericho’s life in Dubai, he’s his closest advisor, he’s his closest confidant and he is the hand of the King. Hager spoke: “We are the JAS and we beat up pro wrestlers.”
Jericho wanted us to remember this date because this is the era of sports entertainment. Jericho: “This is the Jericho Appreciation Society and that’s entertainment.” The music played to end it.
Analysis: A great heel promo from Jericho with some words by his friends as well. The AEW fans are so locked into thinking AEW is the best thing ever that if you reference anything from WWE it’s going to get heat so Jericho is smart enough to know that calling themselves “sports entertainers” is going to piss off the fans. It’s a smart thing to do. In reality, calling people pro wrestlers or sports entertainers is the same thing, but using the WWE branding name is a way to get the fans to hate you. As for the others in the group, Garcia is a young guy with a lot of potential, Hager barely wrestles in AEW and the tag team usually loses in TV matches, so maybe they’ll get some wins now. The Inner Circle had more talent as a group, but Jericho will do his best to elevate these guys.
A video aired showcasing the feud between Serena Deeb and Hikaru Shida.
It was time for the TNT Championship match with Wardlow up first followed by the champion Scorpio Sky. Dan Lambert was wearing the second TNT Title.
TNT Championship: Scorpio Sky vs. Wardlow
The fans were chanting “Wardlow” as the match began. Wardlow countered a headlock into a slam. Sky with a kick to the leg followed by punches and some head biting. Wardlow drove Sky into the turnbuckle, then shoulder tackles and an Alabama Slam. Sky bailed to the floor and Wardlow went after him, so Paige Vanzant and her husband Austin Vanderford got in Wardlow’s face. Sky took advantage of that with a dropkick to knock Wardlow down.
(Commercial)
Sky trash-talked Wardlow, who was down in the corner and Sky delivered some forearms. Wardlow came back with a belly to belly overhead suplex two times in a row. Sky went for a Cutter, Wardlow blocked it and Wardlow wanted a Powerbomb, but Sky fought out of it. Wardlow came back with a spinebuster. Wardlow hit a Powerbomb while the fans chanted for more. Wardlow hit a second Powerbomb, then a third Powerbomb and Lambert was on the apron to distract the referee. Wardlow let go of Sky, who rolled out of the ring. Wardlow teased a Powerbomb on the floor, but then Shawn Spears showed up with two steel chairs in hand. Spears slowly walked towards the ring and Wardlow was walking around the ring, so MJF shoved Wardlow into the ring post. The referee was looking at Spears. Wardlow was dazed, Sky got the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! and pinned Wardlow to win the match after nine minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Scorpio Sky
Analysis: **1/2 A screwjob finish to cost Wardlow the title. I figured that was a possibility. Wardlow was selling for the first part of the match, then he dominated and it looked like a win was coming until Sky got some help. Last week in the Dynamite review I predicted either Wardlow was going to win or he would lose because of MJF, so they went with that second option. It’s fine because it continues the Wardlow/MJF story.
After the match, Austin Vanderford went into the ring and punched Wardlow in the face repeatedly. Sky held Wardlow, but Wardlow fought off Shawn Spears, Vanderford and Sky easily. Wardlow wanted a Powerbomb on MJF, Spears got back up with a chair to the back and Vanderford applied a rear-naked choke to Wardlow to choke him out. Wardlow was on his knees in the ring, so Spears hit him in the top of the head. I think Wardlow got a hand up to block it. MJF paid Lambert some cash to thank him for the help. MJF put the Dynamite Diamond ring on his finger and he knocked out Wardlow with one punch. MJF celebrated with Spears while Wardlow was down.
Analysis: They will probably book it where Wardlow has to get through Spears before he gets to MJF. They won’t rush it because AEW knows how to be patient with this stuff, so I assume they hold off doing Wardlow vs. MJF until Double or Nothing in May. JR did a nice job during the segment saying Wardlow didn’t really have friends due to associating with MJF for a long time.
(Commercial)
Jade Cargill and Smart Mark Sterling were interviewed by Alex Marvez. They wondered who was going to step up next. There was not much more to it than that.
Private Party made their entrance for tag team action. They used to be in Matt Hardy’s group that lost a lot of matches, but now they are not. The Hardy Boys made their entrance using the classic Hardy theme song and they got a big pop from the crowd.
Hardy Boys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) vs. Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy)
Matt worked over Quen with forearms, Kassidy went in illegally and Jeff attacked him to clear him out of the ring. Matt wrenched the arm of Kassidy, Jeff tagged in for the first time in AEW and Jeff hit a double axhandle to the arm. Jeff and Matt did a splash/fist drop combo. Jeff hit the Poetry in Motion attack off Matt’s back. Jeff slowed the pace on Quen with a chinlock as the fans chanted “Let’s go Hardys” for the brothers. Jeff with a hiptoss and Matt back in for a double team suplex for two. Kassidy tagged in with a back elbow to the face, then to the turnbuckle and Matt teased a Razor’s Edge, but Kassidy got out of it. Quen and Kassidy grabbed Matt’s legs and pulled the legs so that Matt hit the ringpost with his groin. Ouch. They went to a picture in picture break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Matt decking Kassidy with a punch on the floor. Quen capitalized with a somersault dive over the top onto Matt on the floor. Quen got a two count out of that. Kassidy tagged in with a neckbreaker while Queen hit a double foot stomp and that got a two count. Private Party made some quick tags as they worked over Matt in the corner while the fans chanted for Jeff as if they don’t know how tag team matches work. Kassidy taunted Jeff with some Hardy Boy mannerisms and Matt decked Kassidy with a clothesline. Jeff got the hot tag to a huge pop with Jeff doing the atomic drop, leg drop, dropkick and elbow drop for two. Jeff with a Russian legsweep and he used his legs for a pin attempt getting a two count. Jeff with a sitout front suplex on Kassidy. Jeff went up top, Quen tripped him up there and Matt went into the ring to hit Quen with a Side Effect. Matt with a double clothesline on Kassidy and Jeff hit a splash off the ropes for two. The Hardys hit double Twist of Fate to knock down both guys. Jeff went up top and hit a Swanton Bomb with his whole body weight crushing Kassidy. Ouch. Jeff covered Kassidy for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Hardy Boys (Matt & Jeff Hardy)
Analysis: ***1/4 A good match that was like many Hardy matches I have watched and reviewed over the last 20 years. It’s another match on this show where it’s so obvious who is going to win, so it’s tough to really get into the nearfalls for Private Party. Does anybody think they are going to have Jeff Hardy lose his AEW debut match? Of course not. Anyway, it was a standard Hardys tag team match with Matt as the face in peril, Jeff getting the hot tag and then it was over after that.
Post match, Andrade El Idolo made his entrance with his assistant Jose along with The Butcher, The Blade and The Bunny. The heels surrounded the Hardys in the ring, but that’s when the music of Darby Allin hit as Darby walked out with his skateboard and Sting joined Allin in coming out to the ring. Allin and Sting got into the ring, so the heels remained on the floor.
Analysis: This should set up an eight-man tag soon. It’s fine with me. It should be a good match whenever it happens.
This Friday on Rampage on TNT after NCAA College Basketball games:
* Darby Allin vs. The Butcher
* Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet. They showed a promo from Velvet saying she’ll put a stop to what Leyla has become.
* Bear Country & Fuego Del Sol vs. House of Black
* Max Caster vs. Keith Lee
They did not plug anything for Dynamite next week.
The steel cage was being set up for the Women’s Title main event match.
(Commercial)
There was a women’s mariachi band on the stage that played some music as part of Thunder Rosa’s entrance. The fans in San Antonio were cheering. They know it is Rosa’s hometown as well. Rosa got a huge pop wearing a hat and I think she hugged some family at ringside. Rosa had an American and Mexican flag with her. The steel cage was all set up in the ring. They showed a clip from one year earlier when Rosa beat Baker in a crazy match on Dynamite.
The AEW Women’s Champion Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. made her entrance looking confident. Baker was wearing some black and white gear honoring the “Bad Guy” Scott Hall since she was a big fan of him. That was noted by Excalibur. No Jamie Hayter or Rebel with Baker for this match. The fans popped huge as the bell rang to start the match.
Steel Cage Match for the AEW Women’s Championship: Dr. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa
Baker tried to climb out of the cage, Rosa stopped her and Baker came back with punches. Rosa with a kick to the chest followed by a clothesline. Rosa got a hold of Baker and whipped her head first into the cage. Baker went down to do a blade job and then camera focused on Rosa so the camera didn’t show it. Rosa grabbed Baker’s head and rammed it across the steel cage. Rosa worked over Baker with punches followed by a body slam. Baker was more, so the referee Paul Turner put the black gloves on to check the cut. They left the ring where there was some room on the floor and Baker threw Rosa into the cage a few times. They went to a picture in picture break.
(Commercial)
The match continued with Baker bringing some chairs into the ring. Rosa avoided a chair attack, then Rosa got a hold of the chair and hit Baker in the back a few times. Rosa hit a Stunner, Baker to the corner and Rosa hit a running clothesline. Rosa with a double knee strike followed by a running dropkick in the corner for a two count. Rosa was punching Baker’s cut forehead a few times, Baker with a back elbow and Baker superkicked the referee Paul Turner when Rosa moved out of the way. Rosa tackled Baker into Turner, who bumped to the floor. Rosa hit a Fire Thunder Driver, but there was no referee to count. Rosa went up top, Baker was up and hit Rosa three times with the chair to the back. Baker set up a pile of about eight cheers in the corner. Baker got a hold of Baker and gave her an avalanche Air Raid Crash onto the chairs. Baker called for a referee, so referee Aubrey Edwards went into the cage and counted a pin attempt for two. Baker argued with Edwards about it. Baker set up four chairs opened up in a seated position and placed even more chairs on top of them. It took a while to set all of this up. Baker teased a move off the ropes that was never going to happen, Rosa, got up and they exchanged punches. Rosa headbutted Baker, who bumped into the cage and then fell back first on the pile of chairs for two. Rosa covered for a two count. Rosa was bleeding from the forehead too. I don’t think I mentioned that earlier. Baker should have stayed down to sell, but she was able to come back with a superkick. Baker brought thumbtacks into the ring and she slammed Rosa onto the tacks. Baker put on a glove going for the Lockjaw submission, but Rosa bit the hand and then Rosa slammed Britt’s hand into the tacks repeatedly. Rosa gave Baker a huge Powerbomb onto the thumbtacks. The referee was giving both wrestlers time cues I think because they were close the end of the show. Baker hit Rosa with a chair shot. Back in the ring, Rosa kicked Baker in the gut and hit a Fire Thunder Driver for the pinfall win after 17 minutes.
Winner by pinfall AND NEW AEW Women’s Champion: Thunder Rosa
Analysis: **** They worked very hard and had a physical match with a lot of weapons used. Rosa winning was the right call in her hometown with the hot crowd supporting her. I think it was an easy decision and the reason why Rosa didn’t win at the Revolution PPV less than two weeks ago. The finish could have been done better, but I liked the whole match. The women looked like they lost track of time, so referee Edwards had to chase them around to tell them to hurry up to get to the finish. I thought I heard the referee say “one minute” toward the end. It was awkward seeing Baker do a chair shot, then Rosa barely sold it and Rosa did a kick to the gut in the middle of the ring that led to the finish. It could have been a better ending to the match. I liked some of the creative spots with the chairs. They took some big bumps. The referee bump was a bit of a surprise, but it led to a false finish, so I didn’t mind it because it added to the drama. I would have liked to see more nearfalls for Baker to make it look like Rosa might move and even if Baker got to apply the Lockjaw a bit, it would have been good to see Rosa try to fight back from it.
Thunder Rosa celebrated with the AEW Women’s Title. Dustin Rhodes went into the ring and hugged her. Rosa celebrated. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: Congrats to Thunder Rosa on becoming AEW Women’s Champion. As I said, it was the right call for her to win. Also, congrats to Britt Baker for a really good ten-month run as AEW Women’s Champion. Baker is the best Women’s Champion they have had so far in my opinion.
#AndNew!!!!!!!!@ThunderRosa22 is your #AEW Women's World Champion after an absolute war against Dr. @realbrittbaker! What an amazing night here at #AEWDynamite#StPatricksDaySlam LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/u85zfRh51D
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 17, 2022
Three Stars of the Show
The Scoreboard
This Week: 8 out of 10
Last Week: 7.5
Final Thoughts
A great episode of Dynamite once again. Nice job by Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker in a Steel Cage Match main event that was very physical while also having a happy ending with Rosa ending Baker’s long title reign. It was smart to do the title change here since they were in Rosa’s hometown. The finish could have been better since they kind of rushed into the final spot because I think they didn’t realize they were running out of time. It was still a finishing move on thumbtacks, so it was a big move.
The opening six-man tag team (Cole & ReDRagon defeating Page & Jurassic Express) match was awesome. Loved that triple moonsault spot. Wardlow losing to Scorpio Sky because of MJF furthers that story, so that’s fine. It’s fun seeing Moxley & Danielson team up again. The Hardy Boys winning their first AEW tag team match of the night was obvious, and exactly what it needed to be. The fans loved seeing them together. The crowd in San Antonio was very loud.
I liked the Chris Jericho promo introducing his new group. Jericho knows how to work the AEW fans, so having him say he’s a “sports entertainer” was smart on his part because it gets them so worked up. It’s such a stupid thing to boo somebody about, yet Jericho knows it works.
It was weird not seeing CM Punk on the show at all, but it’s a big roster, so sometimes even the important people get a week off.
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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Raptors, Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs. You can contact me using any of the methods below.
John Canton
Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter: @johnreport
