AEW Dynamite 8-25-21 - CM Punk Dynamite Debut

Punk is hyped up and we get OC vs. Matt to start. OH/DELETE is a bizarre thing to see start a show on TNT and not like have at 2 AM on a cruise ship with a drunk fanbase. Side Effect on the floor by Matt. Back suplex by Matt and a long surfboard. He takes the money out of OC's pocket and Hardy gets nailed on the nose off a crossbody off the top - busting his nose up. Satellite DDT gets 2. HARDY-AAHHH pose and a swanton leads to him DELETING him and wanting a Twist - but Matt rams him in the corner. Twisto gets 2 and OC gets a sunset flip reversal spot AS A MOVE and gets his hands in his pockets to win. 

Malakai Black offers Brock Anderson a way to get out - he'll roll out and apologize to Mr. Black and take his dad and walk back to the locker room. Jericho comes out and JR talks about this being a tough point in his career. Jericho rambles about needing to beat MJF and not being able to yet. Jericho wants ONE MORE MATCH - a final fight at All Out. And if he can't beat him, he doesn't belong in AEW anymore. He'll leave and just do commentary in AEW and not wrestle in AEW again. MJF buries him and accepts the match. 

Varsity Blonds promo sets up PENTA JOKER and the Blonds out with Julia. Brian Jr. is wrestling in the same building his father faced Liger in. Big cutter from Fenix gets 2. Stereo superkicks to Pillman set up the double stomp/Zero Fear finish. This was fun! Jurassic Express comes in and the Bucks shove them into the Lucha Bros before that backfires and the faces stand tall. Hype vid for Pac vs. Andrade and Kris vs. Britt is announced for the PPV. 

Jamie Hayter is out to a banger of a theme to face Red Velvet. Jamie is working STARDOM style and Velvet is working...TNA knockouts style from a decade ago by comparison. Irish Curse and a LARIATOOO ends it! THIS WAS FUN! Kris comes out to brawl with Britt and Britt runs away. Evil Uno talks about the Dark Order having some issues - but they support their friends. Alex cuts a HORRIBLE promo on Page leaving them and then they just bicker. Okay, so this was weird. I'm guessing this leads to Bray as the defacto leader of the group in Brodie's honor.

Punk is out while Tony is in LILAC PANTS and he asks why Punk's back and it's Darby - it's all the young guys. "He's not the biggest and he's not the strongest - BUT GODDAMMIT, HE'S GOT HEART!" - I expect Punk vs. Darby to be more akin to Bret vs. the 1-2-3 Kid for a modern era style Punk puts Darby over more as the guy he would have loved at 15 and then puts his wife April over. TREMENDOUS! AMAZING Miro promo on THE MAD KING. BRING HIM THE MAD KING OR HE'LL BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND! 

Trios tag is up with the Wingmen against Mox, Kingston, and Darby. JD's dressed like Roadkill and soars around for Darby before WE GET DOUBLE-TEAMS FROM THE KING AND MOX! JD works over Mox before Ryan flexes and King just chops him down. Pretty Peter trips up Darby, so Sting stands and Mox and King beat him up. Standing diamond dust and the coffin drop end it for JD Drake - this was a lot of fun. Danny Garcia jumps Darby before Sting runs in.

Tay and Marvez chat and Allie buries the Dark Order and Allie wants her to join the HFO. We get an FTR video with them saying they won't be back full time or maybe not part-time, but needing one more match. We get a Super Elite deal with Don out in a pink suit AND SCARF with Christian showing video and Don says that he favored a 10 year old Kenny instead of a 20 year old Christian and even then, he knew that Christian was second-best. Don says that favoring family made him like the Gagnes or McMahons - but THIS IS KENNY BY GOD OMEGA and not Greg Gagne or Erik Watts. Christian has PISSED HIM OFF - HOLD MY SCARF and then they brawl. THIS RULED.

Mox says he's pissed off - he got one FedEx back for KOJIMA, SATOSHI on it. Gunn Club vs. The Factory is a nothing match and GOES THROUGH A BREAK before Colton wins with a small package when Wight...lumbers towards the ring. Lambert cuts a promo on them young people and says Sky's an ex-MMA fighter and Page has TWO BLACK BELTS. Rampage has Tay Conti vs. the Bunny and an Omega tag. Arn cuts a promo on his son's impending demise before MALAKAI'S INTRO! He looks like such a star and Brock is just...a dude, who looks 40. Black kicks his ass after a takedown and Arn teases a towel throw and Black wants it. High exploder by Black! RUNNING BLACK MASS HITS! 

Black threatens them with a chair before ball-shotting him and Black Massing him too. I'd be down for Arn vs. Malakai at All Out in a street fight. But Malakai is a star! Shotty Lee is out and I guess that's the All Out match - or something. Malakai has too much momentum to just not be on that show.