AEW Dynamite 1-8-20 - Tribute to Memphis Legends

A fantastic show-recapping video package runs through the biggest angles last week - and they gave it a good amount of time. Nothing was rushed. Dave Brown is here calling the action! Adam Page is out and his graphic lets us know that he's not going to pay Private Party the $12 he owes them. Page and Omega face off with Private Party and Dave is asked if he's ever had a $12 cocktail. He can't recall, but if he did, it didn't cause a match the next week. Page suplexes Quen onto Isaiah. Omega chops Kassidy off a springboard. Outside-in flatliner hits for Kassidy. Quen lands some deadman dives and lands flatfooted perfectly.

Pop-up headscissor into a flatliner gets 2 for Quen. Page catches Quen off a crossbody and lands a slick fallaway slam. Kenny pops Quen up into a Page German! Quen misses an SSP which Ross says is due to him getting too high on it. Excalibur says that if you ask Quen, you can never get too high. Page gets knocked into the buckle, crotching Omega leading to the Gin and Juice for 2.9 when Page saves him. Buckshot into the V trigger leads to an OWA to Quen and that's it! Page had THE LOOK on his face as Omega got the pin.

Backstage, Pac has the Brutalizer on Michael Nakazawa. He wants his rubber match with Kenny or the beatings continue. Page tells Omega to take care of business. Page goes to the crowd and gets some drinks. Riho vs. Statlander is up with Brandi burying Kris's alien getup and says this is a great excuse to take a nap. Brandi buries Excalibur and he says that he grew up in lucha and decided to keep the mask on when he retired. Kris goes for a Samoan driver, but Riho armdrags her out.

Kris misses a moonsault and gets locked in a northern lights for 2. Kong and the shaved girl in the Collective come down. Excalibur asks Brandi what they're doing and she says they CHOSE to be here. Mel tosses Riho around on the floor before Kris dives onto her. Luther debuts and holds Kris for Kong to clothesline her. Riho dives on him. SOMEHOW NONE OF THIS HAS BEEN A DQ! Double foot stomp gets 2. Discus lariat leads to a twirling Michinoku driver for 2.9. Kong sweeps Kris and Riho cradles her to win. Shida and Big Swole come down for a save.

A Kip Sabian video package airs. Daniels comes out with his goofy mic stand and gyrates. Love CD, but he's holding back SCU with this getup. Excalibur says that Daniels is a 26 year vet and has more ring time than Sammy has had time on Earth.  Exploder off a 450 miss gives CD some hope. Penta comes out and distracts CD, challenging him to do the Arabian moonsault and then Sammy lands a basement superkick to the neck to win it. They're telling a nice story with him being gunshy and not being himself until he gets over it.

 

Dark Order comes down. Evil Uno in his formal gimp wear is tremendous. Fans boo Uno, but he says that he thanks CD for making him what he is and now he can help him become what he was. He throws the mask in Uno's face and they jump him. SCU and the Bucks save. Yes! Just what the Bucks needed to come off as bigger stars! A FEUD WITH DARK ORDER!

Lucha Bros are out to face the Brotherhood. Nice intro for Dustin while Cody gets a subdued intro until he's with Dustin - then it's the usual. Cody and Penta work for a bit before Fenix and Dustin square off then tag out for a stalemate. Penta is to AEW what LA Park was to WCW. An absolute fountain of charisma that deserves a bigger push. Fenix rains some punches onto Dustin during the break. Fenix avoids Cross Rhodes and Fenix reverse 619s into a sliding kick. Big cutter hits Cody.

Ropewalk PK to Cody by Fenix. Destroyer to Fenix by Dustin! Cody Cutter leads to the Final Recoking/Final Cut from Dustin and the win. I love that corkscrew brainbuster - it's a tremendous-looking move. Tony has been on TV since I was born and he looks great. His return to wrestling over the last few years is one of the best feel-good stories in the business. Arn says that MJF is making stupid stips and he isn't God, and Arn will talk to Cody about it this week and they'll get back to it. 

Alex Marvez chats with Lanny Poffo to honor Randy and Angelo. Lanny has packed on a lot of weight and needs to get back on the Gazelle. MJF comes out to his perfect theme. MJF gives Cody till the count of 10 to come out and face him. DDP comes out and Excalibur talks about the ring worth $45,002. DDP puts himself over - boy is he good at that. DDP talks MORE ABOUT HIMSELF, puts Dusty over a bit whlie MJF tweets about this old fart not shutting up.

DDP talks more about himself before MJF says that Butcher and Blade are interested in him. MJF says that WCW is dead and so are many of his fans. MJF lets him either kiss his ring and leave the company, or just go with option B and kick his ass and send him to hospice. MJF says he'll gladly take a Diamond Daughter. Butcher and Blade eat Cutters before MJF avoids one and kicks him low before Dustin and QT Marshall make a save.

Jurassic Express comes out during the break with pyro. Jurassic Express is 80% intro and this is the first time the original unit has been on TV. So let's put their intro on during the break. Best Friends are out to make them look good. Marko squares off with Trent as JR puts him over as the biggest little man in AWE. Or AEW even!

LEAPING HEADLOCK doesn't work for Marko. Luchasaurus runs wild with kicks before Orange runs wild with shin kicks! Pockets dive to Luchasaurus! Baby Destroyer to Trent! Prehistoric Press to the Best Friends on the floor! Jungle Boy rana to Chucky T gets the win! This was a blast!

DDP, Dustin and QT face MJF, Butcher, and the Blade with some slick graphics for BATB. Loving the Rager comic graphics too. Sammy singing along to Jericho's theme is tremendous. His Lodi cards mention not only booty calls, but also put over the post-AEW programming on TNT. Jericho says that January 8 is always important in Memphis - and not due to Elvis' birthday, because the Beatles were better.

Mox comes down looking serious and says that the people don't really know him. Chris doesn't either because he offered him a car, money and 49% ownershp - but he doesn't want any of it. He can't be bought and he came to AEW to dominate! AND THAT'S WHY HE SAYS YES! Fitting on a night with DDP on it that Moxley will turn on the Inner Circle wearing their shirt. Mox enjoys some bubbly then winks to the camera. He wants the car and gets the keys.

Mox gets a you sold out chant and he says he bought a 2015 Dodge Ram that he paid cash for that he was going to run until the wheels fell off. Jericho says they won their matches at Wrestle Kingdom in the the Tokyo Dome. Sammy and Hager leave the ring while Mox waits for the music to end and says Jericho has nothing he wants but the belts. He smacks a bottle on his head and hits the Death Rider and kicks Sammy before hitting one there and then he runs with the keys before Hager runs it. Tremendous!