It's been over two months now since I've reviewed an episode of AEW Dynamite, and for those unfamiliar with what's been happening with the All Elite Wrestling archives over that timeframe, it may seem as if I've just given up on covering the company. That perception couldn't be farther from the truth; I've been desperate to bring AEW content back to my blog, but there hasn't been much of a chance these last few months. That's because Bleacher Report Live, the service I was using to watch AEW pay-per-views and old episodes of Dynamite, was unexpectedly shuttered at the end of June, leaving everything on the service left up in limbo. It's slowly being migrated over to the Bleacher Report site; thus far, though, it's only been pay-per-views, with only the vaguest hint that the Dynamite archive might still be salvaged. The reality is that I have no clue if reviewing AEW content will be possible going forward, which is honestly pretty devastating to type, I have a blast covering what I could from them throughout this year. But even though the end of my Dynamite reviews looms large, there is still one more review to write. For some reason, AEW themselves decided to make two episodes of Dynamite available for streaming on the iTunes Store, and by a brilliant stroke of luck, the fourth episode is one of them (the other was the premiere, which I've already reviewed). So, for what might be the final time, light the fuse and bring the boom, because it's Wednesday night on TNT, and you know what that means.
- AEW Dynamite #4 (on October 23rd, 2019) comes to you from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as AEW stays within the "Keystone State" after hosting the previous week's festivities in Philly. Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Schiavone are on the call.
- Our opening contest is a semi-finals match in the tournament to crown the first AEW Tag Team Champions, as Private Party take on the Lucha Brothers. Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen already have a series of electric tag matches under their belts while working for AEW, and unsurprisingly, they tack on another one here, yet again stealing the show in the opening slot. Saying that, Kassidy and Quen were far from the stars of this match; Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. are absolutely stellar, peppering the cocky youngsters with kicks and their always impeccable timing for devastating spots. Private Party get going early, with Quen nailing a springboard 450 splash, but are shut down when Quen is tossed onto Kassidy's shoulders, and Kassidy then takes a Canadian Destroyer from his own partner when Quen is knocked over with a dropkick. Kassidy gain a measure of revenge later on, picking Pentagon apart with a stunner and a high-impact Shiranui, getting some extra air with an assist by Quen, before seemingly setting up victory by leaving Pentagon laid out after a jaw-dropping tornado suicide dive. But Private Party can't take advantage of their opening, as Quen's gorgeous Shooting Star Press isn't enough to put Fenix away, and the Lucha Bros punch their ticket to the finals with a dominant final stretch. Pentagon comes up with one of the most astounding counters I've ever seen to turn the tides, as after he's launched into the air to set up the Gin and Juice, he instead lands on Kassidy's shoulders to hit an emphatic Canadian Destroyer. Quen has no chance after that, going down to Pentagon's hammerlock armbreaker and the Cero Mercy. I've been so impressed with what Private Party can bring to the ring, but there's no doubt that AEW putting all their eggs in the Lucha Brothers basket is a great call, and their journey through the tag title tournament across the first month of Dynamite has truly cemented them as the team to watch.
- I didn't mention it in my review of the event, but back at All Out, a vignette aired to showcase the newest musclebound hoss signing to AEW, the beastly Wardlow, who dismantled an assorted haggle of goons at the top of parking garage. That vignette also featured Anna Jay in her AEW debut as Wardlow's plus one to the brawl, but she wouldn't actually begin working in the promotion for another 6 or 7 months, so he immediately loses some of his cool factor. I bring this up because Wardlow received more hype on this episode of Dynamite, in a weird spot where he tossed some weights around and mugged for the camera. You can flex all you want, Wardlow, but you still lost Anna, so I know you're down bad.
- The other tag tournament semi-finals is a more muted affair, as Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky of SCU fight on in honor of Christopher Daniels, currently on the shelf to sell the Package Piledriver on the ramp he took from Pentagon Jr. Kazarian and Sky are once again fighting behind the 8-ball, as they have to contend with the dastardly Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of the Dark Order, who prove to be a formidable test thanks to Uno's cheating and Grayson's bruising strikes and graceful high-flying. Grayson wins the AEW faithful over with two stunning spots near the end of the match, first walking onto referee Aubrey Edwards' shoulders to nail a diving hurricanrana, before then launching himself over the corner for a big dive to the outside in one of the longest leaps I've ever seen a wrestler make. That man gives no effs, and the world is a better place for it. Much like in the opening contest, veteran guile proves to be the difference maker, as SCU counter the Fatality, striking with a multitude of DDTs, and finishing it off with a big knee strike from Kazarian. The majority of this match was overshadowed by the arrival of the Inner Circle, who took their spots in a luxury box, and the crowd only started to re-focus on the in-ring action when Grayson took flight. It's a shame these four men were essentially pushed aside for a more important angle, but I get it, the Dark Order gimmick was rapidly losing fan interest, as evidenced by a muted atmosphere for the action before Chris Jericho and his boys turned up.
- Joey Janela and Kenny Omega laid it all on the line for their "Lights Out" match on the second episode of AEW Dark, though the punishment they each went through in that match was technically for nothing in kayfabe, as it wasn't an officially recognized match and therefore couldn't count towards their singles records. In an interesting call, it seems like that previous encounter was just to set the stage for another one two weeks later, as Janela and Omega lock up again, this time in a normal singles bout that will impact their win-loss total. It's a weird sort of inverted booking AEW has going on here, with a hardcore match setting up a standard singles bout, completely going against the widely accepted formula. This straight wrestling match was a downgrade from the stunt-filled insanity of their Dark match, which was to be expected, but it wasn't too far behind in the end. Omega dominated the majority of the bout, tossing Joey around with snap Dragon suplexes and blasting him with V-Triggers, but Janela wasn't a complete push-around, getting a few shots in. His downfall came after attempting a twisting dive to Omega, crashing hard into the apron. I'm not really sure what Janela could've really accomplished if he'd actually hit that move, it seemed to exist as an excuse for Joey to take a horrifying bump for the highlight reel. Lest you think that Janela has no performing skill of any kind, he does pull off a very convincing sell of one more Omega V-Trigger, slumping backwards on the ropes. Omega nails the One-Winged Angel to once again vanquish "The Bad Boy".
- Throughout the previous match, the camera cut frequently to the Inner Circle, up in their skybox, with Jericho continuing to show contempt for Omega, a good piece of continuity that demonstrates how well AEW understands it's characters. An annoyed Jericho then goes full heckler when Cody comes out for an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone, as he and Sammy Guevara honk air horns to interrupt his Full Gear challenger. I love that one of the most respected veterans in the industry, and the world champion of this company, is no more than a petulant child that frequently throws temper tantrums. Jericho is so creative when it comes to character work, but he gets that this persona only works if the audience wants to see him get beat, and even though the live crowd popped big for Jericho, they were even louder when Cody takes the fight to Jericho. Rhodes is accompanied into a brawl by brother Dustin, protegee MJF, and family friend Diamond Dallas Page, who was greeted by a massive roar for his entrance. Jericho and the Inner Circle attempt to back down by locking their luxury box, but Cody embraces his inner horror movie monster, smashing his arm through the glass to unlock the door, and both sides fight into the concourse of the arena, brawling into a Dippin' Dots stand (JR is beside himself at the thought of ruined ice cream on commentary) before finally being separated. Breaking down the fourth wall for a chaotic brawl is a tried and true wrestling trope, and AEW executed it to perfection, building more heat for the Full Gear title match, establishing Page as a relevant on-screen character, and providing an entertaining few minutes of filler to break up the action.
- The Young Bucks get back on track in the build towards their showdown with Ortiz and Santana of the Inner Circle, picking up a win over Chuck Taylor and Trent. The Best Friends played second fiddle to Orange Cassidy, who drew the ire of Matt and Nick Jackson by mocking their superkicks with a few shin kicks before the bell, then later taking them out with a big dive while keeping his hands firmly in his pockets. Outside of the involvement of Cassidy, this was standard fare from what I've seen out of both teams, save for the ending, where Matt avoided a Doomsday knee strike, avoiding the diving Taylor and managing to land on his feet after falling from Trent's shoulders. That was another uber cool counter to turn the tide in a tag match, and the crowd was rocking as the Bucks cleaned house from there. More Bang for Your Buck got them the dub, and Matt then got on the stick to accept the challenge issued by Jericho last week for a match with Ortiz and Santana at Full Gear.
- The most promotion towards the first Dynamite to take place in Pittsburgh centered around hometown girl Britt Baker, and she entered to a hero's welcome on this night, accompanied out by the Steelers' mascot, Steely, and donning special black and gold gear for her match with the debuting Jamie Hayter. Hayter has been the tag partner of Bea Priestley while both women were working in Stardom, which adds the needed relevance to this match, given Baker's on-going conflict with Bea. Hayter was excellent in this contest, brimming with confidence and heel bravado, completely unhinged and eager to ruin Baker's big night. Hayter's in-ring work is crisp as well, she executes a few powerslams well and does her best to sell the offense of Baker, but it's not enough to portray Britt as the absolute machine I think AEW were hoping she would come off as. Baker is missing that spark, and clearly isn't comfortable as a clean-cut face, she doesn't play to the crowd or soak in the moment, she instead cycles through her moves without much fanfare. The Yinzers go wild for Hayter tapping to the Lockjaw, and the Southampton native's night goes from bad to worse when she gets randomly ambushed by a seemingly deranged Brandi Rhodes. I have a good idea where this attack is heading, and I'm sure if these reviews end up continuing someday, I'll have plenty of time to vent about Brandi, so if you're a fan of hers, you better pray that Bleacher Report doesn't bring the archive back.
- Main event time, as PAC and Jon Moxley look to settle the score after beefing during a tag match last week on Dynamite. If there's one trait that has remained consistent for me as a reviewer, you'd know I love a good old welt-inducing, hair-raising, stiff-a** brawl, and these two ruffians certainly didn't disappoint. They knock lumps out of each other, as their distaste for each other leads to absolute carnage, kick-starting early on when PAC whacks Moxley in the back with a chair during the latter's entrance. From there, the fight is on, as PAC relishes in stinging Moxley with kicks, while Moxley hangs in it with animalistic power and a desire to dish out pain. I loved the spot where PAC tries a German suplex on the apron, unsuccessful as Moxley refuses to release the top rope, and Jon then spikes PAC's dome right off the steel. That move got a tremendous pop, and made perfect sense within the psychology of this match, everything each man dishes out is purely for the purpose of trying to maim and beat the other, this isn't a flashy, acrobatic showcase. Moxley reaches ultra-hoss level for a hellacious lariat that looked awesome thanks to PAC's flipping bump, very few wrestling moves can make me audibly gasp, but this was one of them. A simple lariat, sure, but my favorite spot of the night regardless. Moxley breaks out a Cloverleaf, making me salivate over the thought of what he could do against Dean Malenko, and PAC got another audible reaction out of me for a jaw-dropping avalanche Falcon Arrow. The announcing trio are having a lot of fun on this night, especially with this match, and Schiavone had me rolling after mentioning PAC dragging Moxley "like a dead body", before quickly clarifying that he had no idea what that would look like. Despite how much I loved this match, I will offer one slight piece of criticism for the missed Black Arrow, which was a spot that required a little too much coordination to fight the aura of this bar fight, and ended up in an awkward pause for PAC on the top rope, waiting to make sure that Moxley would roll out of the way in time. They do recover from that moment quickly, as Moxley hits his final gear with the TV time allotted to Dynamite about to expire. A Paradigm Shift connects, but Moxley is too beat up to quickly capitalize, allowing PAC the chance to kick out, and time expires shortly afterward. The draw decision is unsurprisingly greeted with derision from the crowd, but Moxley gets to play the rebellious tweener in the aftermath, dropping the official with Dirty Deeds to show his displeasure. I get why Tony Khan wanted to book a finish like this, as it adds dramatic stakes to any other Dynamite main event in the future, but having these two get that treatment feels a little off. It would make sense if this issue were to be re-visited in the future, but as far as I'm aware, both men just moved on to other things, so not allowing the fans the benefit of a clean ending seems like a waste.
9/10
Dynamite Average: 8.25
AEW Average: 7.27
This was a top-to-bottom great episode of Dynamite, with every match on the card providing something interesting, and really entertaining character work by Chris Jericho to balance it out. My only major negative was the formulaic feel to the Janela/Omega and Young Bucks/Best Friends matches, both of which lacked stakes and seemed to only exist to heat up the three members of The Elite in advance of their Full Gear matches.
Next time on AEW Dark: Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc, and Jack Evans star in a frenetic triple threat match, while four women battle for supremacy, and Dustin Rhodes forms an eclectic team with Sonny Kiss to face the Librarians. See you soon.
- Henry
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