AEW Dynamite 4-8-20

It's been a while since I've been able to cover Dynamite - but I'm off work this week thanks to COVID-19, so I might as well get back in the saddle. We start off with a haunting Jake Roberts promo about his history not being his destiny, but now we have someone who is willing to stand in front of an oncoming train. You can do that, jump out of a plane, or face Lance Archer - and the result is the same. Marko was willing to lose it all, but it's better to be thought a fool than to take action and remove all doubt. He expect Cody to lose tonight so he doesn't have to face Lance Archer.

We've got a slew of heels and faces alongside the entranceway before Lance Archer comes out to kill someone and we get clips of him destroying Marko. Jericho and Tony are on the call and Lance is here to destroy Allen Ingleson. Big corner charge and the Blackout end. Jericho has giant black gloves and he hypes up Shida-Baker. Britt comes out and loves the heels. Jericho says he loves her outfits - they're sparkly! Jericho buries Shida's hometown as a dump.

Baker works a cowardly heel before getting a face wash and Jericho puts over the Ace Frehley boots she's got. Jericho tells Tony to get him a coffee soon. Baker gets 2 off a schoolboy, but Shida gets a triangle out of it. They exchange forearms and Britt eats a big shot and a step-up kick that misses, but she comes up bloody. Shida ets a falcon arrow that Jericho calls a Michinoku Driver 2020. She rolls into Lockjaw and grabs a glove from the ref, but gets cradled for 2.

BASEMENT KNEE BY SHIDA! Shida no-sells the fisherman twist and shout, so Britt just yoinks her down for 2.9. Britt lands a basement superkick as she comes up super-bloody and Jericho says she's now Gene Simmons. Britt goes up and Shida hits wasteland across the top rope. Running basement knee hits and ends it. THIS RULED. Britt came off like such a star here. Kenny and Nakazawa meet and Michael wants THE BEST FRIENDS to be their name and he wants Kenny to change Trent and Chucky's name. They come in and put THE BEST FRIENDS name on the line despite Kenny not wanting the drama.

Tag rankings are showcased before the women's rankings and then the men's rankings are run down. This is smart filler as it builds up the world of AEW and adds to the sports-like presentation. Hager is somehow the top contender for the year with four wins over not many stars. Mox says he and Hager are not in the business of putting smiles on faces. Hager says he wants to be champion because it pays more - he doesn't care about the glory. Hager says he sacrifices things for his wife and kid. We get a great Road to video on this whole thing and it builds both guys up perfectly. Hager wants to be both AEW World champ and Bellator Heavyweight champ.

Another Road To video for Cody saying he wants the TNT Title and he's still in the top five rankings despite not being able to get a shot for the World title. Spears says that he'll be a first and there aren't many firsts in wrestling still. Cody says the stip is an albatross for him...HE'S THE ONE WHO PUT THE STIP IN PLACE. A recap of their rivalry from Fyter Fest to All Out airs and Cody says that he's a 15 year overnight success. Perfect timing for a Spring Fling sale graphic as Kenny points right at it.

 

Spears says he's looking for a partner and wants Nakazawa to impress him. The cup is out and Jericho does Vince's HE'S GONNA PUKE! They take out Nakazawa with the double stomp/Dudebuster to win it. Brodie Lee goes out in a nice Benz and buries the goons for not dressing enough like stars - PERCEPTION IS REALITY! Only one of the three looks like a star and can make heads turn at an airport! He rejects the two goons, but has something to offer the member dressed nicely.

Brandi does an autism inclusion video. A member of the ring crew says that his younger brother has autism, and this means a lot to him. Britt is all busted up and says that Shida is a dirty fighter. Fortuantely, she didn't mess her teeth up - but even if she did, she could fix them because SHE'S A DENTIST! Tremendous! Another Hager video showcases his Bellator fights and tying them into his AEW run  and then Mox says that Hager can't dig as deep as he can. DEMASCUS Matt Hardy mocks PNP and their name and calls Hager Jakenstein. Then he and Vanguard 1 bury the Inner Circle shirt and set it ablaze. Also, Hardy challenges Jericho to the Elite Deletion at the Hardy Compound. 

Lee Johnson comes out to face Mr. Brodie Lee. He's in new black, gold, and white gear that looks far better than his debut gear. Lee lands an Eddie-style hilo. Spiral black hole slam hits and the discus lariat takes him out. Love them working in Mr. Brodie Lee as much as they can. A Spears-Cody video airs before Spears comes out sans Tully, who wisely isn't traveling during all this now. They brawl and we get a guardrail spot with Cody being suplexed into the railing on the ring. Cody gets 2 off a snapslam before Spears gets 2 off a Ligerbomb.

Spears almost tosses Cody into Brandi, but Cody stops short - and eats a C4 through a table from the ring! Heels give that a "THAT WAS AWESOME!" chant. Okay, this is the best crowd-free match yet. Babyfaces cheer on Cody with a chant for him. Cody gets two Cross Rhodes and the figure four and pins him. He didn't pass out - he was just in too much pain to get his shoulders up. This was great! Faces chant Cody's theme with him and Jericho calls him Cody Exotic. Tremendous show!