AEW Dynamite 10/23/19

The show starts off right away with the semi-final match with Private Party against the Lucha Bros. HOW DO YOU NOT SHOW THE PRIVATE PARTY INTRO? And how do you have it as "voda cranberry" for a second week in a row? Quen lands a dropkick to Fenix, who hits a release German right away. They tear off Quen's top and chop him in the ropes. They throw him up and he lands a one-man double dropkick. That was a whole bunch of stuff that is very Kaientei esque in that it's ahead of its time and a nightmare to try and call live. Double team hopping curb stomp into a flip dive.

Tornado kick by Kassidy. Silly String saves Kassiy and leads to a 450 by Quen for 2! High kick by Fenix leads to a Penta superkick and then a double assisted ball stomp by Penta. They plant one on top of the other for d double impact and force a poison rana. SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT BY FENIX!  Penta driver gets 2 on Quen. Fenix pulls Quen off the top into a rana to Penta before Kassidy gets a middle rop springboard rana on Fenix. Kassidy gets a blind faith rana to Fenix and a suicide dive to Penta and then an Asai imoonsault before landing the Yagerbomb crucifix for 2.5 on Fenix!

Sole butt into a stunner by PP and then a tornillo by Kassidy! SSP by Quen gets 2.9! Fenix hits a Gory bomb on Quen and a legdrop to Kassidy. Penta slinglade into a powerbomb on the knee to Kassidy. GIN AND JUICE HITS but PENTA'S LEGAL! Gin and Juice leads to a DESTROYER! Ropewalk PK by Fenix and the armbreaker! Double stomp zero fear hits and Fenix hits a tope on Kassidy - so they go the finals. Goddamn this was nuts - not as technically good as the Bucks match, but still very good.

Wacky workout vid for Wardlow airs. SCU comes out in Jaguars gear before a Dark Order hype video airs.Kaz and Grayson start off and DO really needs Mark Gullen as a mouthpiece. Excalibur talks about the Dark Order disappearing six years ago and now they have this cult-like group with them. Grayson lands a crossface while SCU gets a big chant. The Inner Circle goes through the crowd and Kaz gets 2 off a neckbreaker. Okay, the GET OVER HERE leg push into an overhead belly to belly makes 3 seconds of this match worthwhile.

Jericho is drinking in his suite. A double dragon sleeper gets over huge, but doesn't end. Grayson hits a flip dive to the floor and Uno gets 2. Fatality is avoided and Kaz hits a slingshot DDT to Stu. SCULater hits and ends it - so it's SCU vs. the Lucha Bros in the finals. Either team could win and have a legit claim to being worthy holders. I would go with the Lucha Bros if you want them to be a main event-level title and go with SCU if you want to have an act that you can put in any spot on the card and have them work.

Janela comes out and we see clips of his match with Moxley and then brief clips of the match with Omega before this rematch. Okay. I love the Inner Circle booing Omega. I do wish he'd come out with the Mega Title though if they're going to talk about it. We get some really yellow-looking footage of Omega winning the Mega title. I really dig Kenny's grey gear - it isn't a color used a lot, but it works for him. Corner charge misses for Kenny, leading Joey landing an uppercut. Joey lands a crossbody off the top to the floor for 2.

Finlay roll into the moonsault for Kenny. SNAPDRAGON! SECOND ONE! Joey avoids a third and lands a German to the buckle. GORGEOUS flying elbow hits for 2. Third Snapdragon hits and a V trigger hits for 2.5! German to Kenny leads to Joey eating a chop but landing a pump kit. Fisherman buster by Joey! Double rope-run lariat by Joey gets 2! JOEY misses the PCO apron swanton! BANG knee hits and knocks Joey into the ropes dead to rights before Kenny lifts him up for the OWA and wins it. Wow. This was another star-making match.

Cody gets his full-on huge intro with the elevated lift and tons of pyro for an interview segment. Cody is a star and can draw - but he's veering very close to Jeff Jarrett mid-'00s levels of go-away heat with how elaborate these intros are. Cody and Tony are mid-ring with PNP ruining it with airhorns. Okay, knock that shit off because it just leads to fans wanting to do it. Cody tells them this isn't WWE and there isn't an invisible wall between he and them in the box - so he can just fight them all now.

Jericho tells them he's outnumbered. So Dustin comes down with MJF. AND THEN DDP COMES DOWN AND RETURNS TO TNT. I do love Jericho knocking MJF for wearing a scarf. Jericho locks his group in the luxury box, so Cody uses MJF's scarf to protect his hand as he smashes the glass and unlocks it! They brawl around the building's concourse. TREMENDOUS! And this makes me want to play HCTP and brawl in the concourse area. I would much rather have this be leading to a War Games match at Full Gear instead of a world title match since they have a logical reason for that now. 

Orange Cassidy comes down in a PIP intro for a Best Friends vs. Bucks match. Cassidy isn't amused by their pose. He lands "superkicks" to them and then he eats a superkick party. Double irish curse into a rolling neckbreaker. BUCKS STEAL THE HUG! Doomsday knee leads to a HI MOM by Chucky. Cassidy is described as laconic and sloth-like by Excalibur leading to JR and Tony losing their shit in the best way.

Nick eats a German and tags in Matt, who eats a back suplex. Chucky gets a standing sliced bread and then a pop-up Ligerbomb for 2. Chucky's falcon arrow gets 2.5. AVALANCHE GERMAN BY TRENT! Sole food into a half and half by Trent!  THEN THEY HUG and JR says THEY WANT HUGS GODDAMMIT! Strong Zero gets 2 for TBFs. Doomsday knee, but Matt lands on his feet and lands a billion superkicks! More Bang for Your Buck ends it and THEY GET A WIN! Bucks accept LAX's challenge and they'll face off at Full Gear.

Britt talks about loving Pittsburgh before Jamie Hayter comes out to face Britt. Okay, the Khans getting the Steelers mascot for her is a fun get. She's got Steelers getups on her gear and in Steelers colors. Britt's gear looks fantastic and she plays a nice babyface in peril with Hayter. Slingblade on the floor by Britt before a break.

Forearm exchange leads to a sleeper by Hayter. Britt drops back hard Now that's a falcon arrow! Great snap on that. Hayter only gets 2. Rainmaker by Britt is countered into a nasty uranage. Lariat gets 2.9 by Hayter. Cutter by Britt and a neckbreaker gets 2. Kneeling superkick hits for Britt and then Lockjaw ends it. Well, this is how you get a babyface over in their hometown!

Jenn Decker interviews Jamie before Brandi kicks Jamie's ass and shakes her finger at Jenn. Okay, whatever that was was bad. Mox comes out and PAC attacks him with a chair. PAC getting a bastard chant is a wonderful changeup of the old "asshole" chant. PAC goes for a black arrow, but Mox rolls out. NASTY buzzsaw kick from PAC leads to a standing SSP for 2. Goddamn that was stiffski. Mox blocks an apron German by hooking the rope and then lands an apron headlock driver! X Plex hits for Mox and gets 2.

Tope suicidia hits! Black hole slam from Mox gets 2.5. Cloverleaf from Moxley leads to two Dean Malenko references. Four minutes of TV time left. God, it feels so good to care about time limits again. PAC HITS THE DEADLIFT FALCON ARROW OFF THE TOP FOR 2! Black Arrow is avoided and Mox gets a schoolboy for 2. Apron PK by Pac! APRON 450! BLACK ARROW MISSES! This is such a great match and not just for the guys - but for what it sets up in the company. PARADIGM SHIFT HITS BUT HE CAN'T COVER! PAC KICKS OUT WITH 3 SECONDS REMAINING! It's a time limit draw and it's so good to have that established. They're building the foundation wonderfully and Mox saves face by laying out the ref with the Shift. AEW made effective use of every second of TV time they were given this week and it's a lesson that every company can learn from.