AEW Dynamite 10-2-19

For the first time ever, I can provide a live perspective on a TV show!Crowd shots show Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes before Jim Ross, Tony, and Exalibur are shown. People from 40 countries are present. Cody's rising platform looks fantastic as does the pyro.

The revolving giant selfie stick being used for shows is what gives us those sweeping pan shots and they make Cody look like THE man. Sammy Guevara's panda getup is so goofy, but it works. Lots of solid matwork to start before Cody gets a springboard stunner and Sammy meets him at the pass with a springboard cutter. Sammy shoving Brandi into the path of his dive got a ton of heat live and that translated nicely to TV. The reverse superplex got a loud pop and Cody winning with a cradle off the SSP block was a great finish - it made sense, and showed he didn't just need the Cross Rhodes.

 

Jereicho's blind-side attack was great. I always worry about him grabbing cameras and breaking them, and love him also using a $300 seat chair on Cody. The chair bridge powerbomb was sick and a great way for him to modernize his moveset. MJF's promo was good, but he's too much of a troll to be a truly great heel. He needs the menace that Piper carried with him in his prime and doesn't have that. Cutler gets a couple of shining spots, but MJF was the focus here as he should've been and won with a Fujiwara armbar.

In watching the TV version back, I'm surprised they kept in so many shots of the crowd just standing around. The Jay and Silent Bob promo couldn't be heard live, but was pretty fun. Kevin's bright purple getup was something else. Angelico and Evans cutting a promo on Morris Day and the Time sucking couldn't be heard live and Private Party weren't seen or called attention to live either. 

The SCU political ad was tremendous - Sky's Obama impression was great and CD and Kaz's secret service stuff worked too. The Lucha Bros got a big pop live, but nothing could be heard. Thankfully, brawls are a universal language in wrestling. Jericho and PNP's backstage bit couldn't be heard well live or on TV.


Hangman Page, a VA boy, got a huge hometown-ish pop. PAC's stalling to even go to a rope was tremendous. He truly is the best heel in AEW right now. Excalibur does a tremendous job selling that PAC was unbeaten for two years and yet people didn't seem to care - and now he has made them do just that.

PAC's long stall was great live and made everyone hate him. The forearm battle got over huge and each one got a bigger reaction. Tons of fast kicking led to a nice suicide dive by Page. Gorgeous Asai moonsault by PAC led to a less-nice springboard 450. No one does that better than AJ. Reverse suplex into the cutter got a nice pop and 2. PAC avoiding a buckshot and then mule-kicking Page and going NO NO NO was tremendous. Black Arrow and the Brutalizer end it - and they've gotten that move over as a killer in just two matches.

Britt's out to do commentary for Nyla vs. Riho, who got a solid reaction live. This was Nyla's best effort yet, with the catch off the dive getting a nice pop and then she got an even bigger reaction missing the swanton off the apron on the chairs. Nyla's springboard knee got such a reaction that the floor was shaking, and that right there was the moment that she won me over because that made EVERYONE care. Great STF on Riho as well. Riho's golden knee strke ended it and she becomes the first women's champion. Great post-match beating by Nyla outside of the botched powerbomb spot.

The BTE video history bit was great and for the first time in years, Kenny actually felt like a part of the Elite with the matching-ish gear. The Kenny Omega crowd begging stuff felt odd to see live on TV - I thought for sure that was just going to be for the live crowd to get a reaction. Santana and Ortiz came down to a good reaction and Jericho is just the dude. TONS of pyro for him too and this stuff helped AEW feel top-shelf - they use more pyro than anyone in the US has done outside of WWE since WCW.

JR talking about Omega's slump helps get over wins and losses and Santana eats the kotaro crusher. Jericho and Omega had a chop exchange and it hit me here that seeing these two legends live was something I'll remember forever even if it wasn't their greatest outing. Crazy dive to the floor from Nick before the Omega dive tease leads to MOXLEY RETURNING!

Moxley and Omega brawl around the area with a mop being used for a bit of a Cleaner and then finally a VIP room brawl with a dirty deeds through a glass table that got a huge reaction live. Jericho cutting a promo on a hot dog was another weird thing that I thought for sure would just be for the live audience and instead wasn't. The Meltzer Driver being prevented with a codebreaker and then a double-whip into a Judas Effect was a great ending and that finish is over. Hey, you get a move over by beating people and AEW has done that perfectly with pretty much everyone.

Cody makes a save for the Bucks, whose loss is chalked up to Omega being gone. Sammy G comes down to tie what was a seemingly nothing match in a way to now be more important. Dustin makes a save and then Jake Hager debuts and runs wild. He's put over as an unbeaten Bellator fighter and JR says holy shit is right - he's tearing up everyone. This is the most like a star he's ever come across as. This was a great first show and beyond being a good wrestling event, was a great foundation for the future.