AEW Dynamite 4-21-21 - Darby vs. Jungle Boy for the TNT TItle

The card is rundown and we've got two sitdown pieces with Page and Starks starting the show off. Starks avoids a triangle lariat on one side, but eats another and a plancha. Starks springs into a lariat from Page. Massive avalanche fallaway gets 2 for Page. Page goes for Deadeye, but Starks avoids it - but gets flipped right into a bully choke with an ankle pick. New dimension for Hangman! Taz talks shit so Hook can chopblock him, but Dark Order gets involved before Cage can attack. Trent vs. Penta is up next.

We see Brandon Cutler as the Elite's personal camera man as the Elite goes to the Elite's trailer. Penta talks shit and lands a round kick to the stomach before eating a rebound meteora from Trent. Trent hits a flip dive and hits his knee on the barricade. Trent gets a rolling elbow after Penta avoids a package piledriver. Second rope blind-faith DESTROYER BY PENTA! This is fantastic so far and Alex rocking out to Penta's theme was amazing. Penta wants a package piledriver on the apron, but Trent avoids it avoid an apron battle. Piledriver from Trent on the apron! MASSIVE SPEARS FROM TRENT! Alex mic shots Trent after Penta superkicks Orange and a package driver ends it! Alex and Penta are fantastic. 

Pinnacle backstage and MJF gets a new silk scarf and Wardlow points out that Jericho's IMMORTAL PROMO was great - until he got to him. He makes Jericho nervous. MJF points out that Jericho is facing a lot of hot acts and rattles off THE LIST and says he's not "great for 25 - I'M JUST GREAT!". MJF says he's unbeaten and he beat Jericho - so he's the best and he's a mark for Jericho's spot and he's gonna take it! 

Shida vs. Conti hype video airs. It's astounding how much more of a star Tay is in under a year in AEW vs. all of her NXT time. RAINMAKER FOREARM BY TAY and they exchange forearms! Shida goes for a jodo throw, but Conti avoids that because SHE'S BETTER THAN THE CHAMPION THERE. PK HITS FOR 2 for Conti. Bodyscissors leads to a rope break and Tay breaks. Delayed suplex hits Tay on the floor! Shida works heel by stomping the back and gets a full nelson bodyscissor. 

ROLLING JUDO THROWS AND THE GERMAN HIT alongside the corner pump kick! Shida avoids the ripcord roundhouse and Tay sentons her up top for 2. Shida avoids the DD-Tay and lands the falcon arrow for 2! WITCH'S SHOT ON THE BUCKLE! Tay-KO gets 2.9! Shida hits a dudebuster for 2.9! KATANA HITS AND ENDS IT! THIS RULED! Britt comes out and POINTS TO THE TRON like a WM sign to show she's #1. 

Miro cuts a promo on just what champion he needs to beat first - because he's tired of Kip's shit. Inner Circle gets a wonky promo with Hager saying that the Pinnacle will be "sucking their own meat through a straw!" and Jericho buries MJF for reciting lines from drama class before Jericho sings showtunes. "You'd better own your soul because at Blood and Guts, the Inner Circle owns your ass!" at least caps it off nicely. 

Billy Gunn GETS HIS NAME BACK and he jumps the Factory...from in front. THIS IS HOW THEY'RE PUSHING QT MARSHALL!? Jesus. It's one thing to push a guy who maybe shouldn't be pushed to this level - but don't Billy Gunn his push like this. The Gunn boys brawl with The Factory, Billy gets attacked somehow in all this and then QT gets the edge. Tony says that QT is a good trailer - but he's not a boss. Piledriver gets 2 for QT. Famouser countered, ditto the cutter by QT. OGOGO LIVER SHOTS BILLY OF THE GUT CLUB! Cutter wins it. Jesus did this bury QT six feet under. Dustin whoops QT and he does the balsas wood chairshot to Nick, who does the Bubba no-sell!

The Elite is in their trailer and the Bucks are in the most ridiculous getup ever. Omega cuts a promo and Mox and Kingston run into the trailer with a truck and THEY WANT THE TAG BELTS! Hobbs is out and Christian has new blue, red, and white-trimmed gear. Ex talks about how Butch Reed said before his passing that Hobbs is the newer version of him after JR and Tony hype him up. Hobbs just waistlock and throws Cage around like he's nothing - tremendous! This match needs less of Cage in restholds and more of Hobbs just throwing him around like a sack of shit. Pendulum kick and an uppercut get 2. Big spinebuster by Hobbs but Christian gets a sunset bomb and frog splash for 2. Hobbs goes for Town Business, but does Christian's "look for you" pose and then the Killswitch ends it. Okay - smart move there as Hobbs basically got too cocky for his own good and could have won - but didn't and he could with more experience.

Jade hype video and every manager wants her - but she wants top money for it. Next week's card is rundown and Brian Cage vs. Hangman Page should be fantastic. Jack is out and we get a recap of him winning big matches with the Snare Trap and the TV time is all they have to work with. Lots of matwork to start off Allin vs. Jack, showcasing a lot that we haven't seen from Jack. Darby takes him down for some ground and pound and Jack chops away on the floor. Jack runs him over the barricade for an ad break. Bridging German gets 2 for Jack and Darby gets the float-over stunner for 2. Corner coffin splash chain from Darby, but Jack gets the knees up!

 

PAIR OF TOPES AND NOW A THIRD FROM JACK! COFFIN DROP ON THE APRON FOR DARBY! They set up at the start that TNT Title matches have until TV time remaining and now Luchasaurus and Sting brawl to the back. JACK HITS A BRAINBUSTER! SNARE TRAP IS ON, BUT DARBY GETS THE ROPE! SNARE TRAP AGAIN, BUT DARBY GOES TO THE EYES! JACK SLAPS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM! LAST SUPPER CRADLE ENDS IT. WOW. This ruled!

Sky and Page beat the shit out of them and the Archer makes a save! They beat up Archer and STING SAVES HIM! Good stuff there - they're setting up Sting and Archer as long-term allies and splitting Archer off from Jake is probably best. Jake just sounds completely shot right now and the benefit he had for Archer one year ago is largely gone as a result.