Dynamite - 11/3/2021

[J.T.]

Angels vs. Omega was pretty good and for once the commentary helped support the story in the ring rather than distract from it.  Did you see how Omega was able to kick out of one of Angel's roll ups by flailing his legs and battering 5's head and shoulders with his calves until 5 relinquished his grip?  Little shit matters..  Marked for Page telling Kenny he had ten days left.

Quality promo and foreshadowing by Black.  Who will be the Brutus to TK's Caesar?  We shall see.

CONCHAIRTO~!  Die, Adam Cole, die.  I know he's a good bro in real life, but watching him get smashed never gets old.

FTR wearing Mexican and US flag kneepads was the best.  And what a great match!  I did not need JR pointing out to me that Aerostar nearly missed his dive.  Fuck that.  Aerostar is still the man.  Good on the ref to look for the legal man during the double pin sequence.  Victory by chicanery keeps the Lucha guys strong.  Dax is slowly moving up my rankings of Best Brainbuster Ever.  Koko B Ware is still #1.

Good on AEW to give Lee Moriarty some spotlight and make a big deal of his tag match with Sydal vs. Rush and Dante.

I love Jamie Hayter and her Texas Lariat.  Was kinda hoping that Jay would win, but that match helped set up Hayter vs. Rosa and Britt vs. Conti.

IC vs. ATT segment was what I expected it to be.  Paige VanZant is such a great shit talker.  I wonder if this is leading to the IC recruiting a female member to counter her? If so, then who?

The MJF vs. Darby stuff was fucking great.  That Cactus Clothesline spot was awesome.  He needs to do that more often as KT Tape and hydrocortisone will allow.

Finally, Cody found someone he could work without getting booed!  Andrade countering Cody's counters... We finally see this veteran presence I've heard so much about.  Andrade getting the win was the right call.  I nearly shit myself during Arn and Tully's staredown.  I really thought they'd go at it.

RIP Orange Cassidy.  Great to see Miro back on track with brilliant promos and shattered spines.  Good on Orange to constantly sell the back and for Miro to sell his neck as his kryptonite.  Even Smaug the Golden had a weak spot in his armor.  Orange and his Shane McMahon elbow to the outside was sweet as was Miro's Sambo throw counter to the Orange Punch. Really looking forward to seeing what Bryan Danielson will break out of the MMA arsenal to beat Miro.

Edited November 4, 2021 by J.T.

[The Man Known as Dan]

I can’t properly put into words my annoyance that Punk vs. Kingston is going down in my hometown and I’m going to work through it.

[Mike Campbell]

At the risk of sounding like Cornette, I really hope Cole vs. Siver doesn't happen on Rampage. Cole's sell job with that conchairto was fucking great, espeically the twitching fingers. Let him put that over for a full week at minimum! The Elite can trot out Cutler or someone as a replacement and let Silver go over him.

[Matt D]

14 minutes ago, Mike Campbell said:

At the risk of sounding like Cornette, I really hope Cole vs. Siver doesn't happen on Rampage. Cole's sell job with that conchairto was fucking great, espeically the twitching fingers. Let him put that over for a full week at minimum! The Elite can trot out Cutler or someone as a replacement and let Silver go over him.

This week's Rampage is too weak a show for that. You don't want to bait and switch, even logically, when weekly ratings matter. Unless they'll bring out Omega instead, I guess? Probably better to have Cole hurting a half step behind in the match to make it more competitive from a hierarchy standpoint instead.

[The Natural]

3 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Miro vs Danielson is going to be a banger at bare minimum. I figure similar to Brock/Danielson but with a more violent Danielson...

God damn Kenny Omega is fucking good. Angels is pretty good too, and they work well together.

FTR are damn excellent.

I didn't ever realize I wanted Tully vs Arn but... I want Tully vs Arn.

I can see a mixture of Bryan/Brock and Danielson/Morishima I. Can't wait for the match.

Agree on the rest. Love FTR. Best tag team in wrestling since 2016.

[Gordi the recovering AEW f]

25 minutes ago, The Natural said:

 Danielson/Morishima I

 

I was wondering if he might pull that playbook out of his enormous bag of tricks. Chop down the giant oak by kicking his (massive) thigh again and again and again. Stick and move...

Damn, man! How great is this going to be. Miro has absolutely mastered the magic trick of making the other guy look like a credible threat while simultaneously looking dominant. Bryan was born to play the role of a believable David in a David vs Goliath match. Bryan's run of MOTYC v Kenny, v MiSu, v Kingston has set the bar insanely high. Miro worked magic against Darby, Uno, Dante, Pillman, Big Shotty, Fuego, Sammy... Kingston!!

Pretty hard to keep my expectations in check for this one.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Gordberg

[The Natural]

30 minutes ago, The Natural said:

Danielson/Morishima I.

 

6 minutes ago, Gordberg said:

I was wondering if he might pull that playbook out of his enormous bag of tricks. Chop down the giant oak by kicking his (massive) thigh again and again and again. Stick and move...

Damn, man! How great is this going to be. Miro has absolutely mastered the magic trick of making the other guy look like a credible threat while simultaneously looking dominant. Bryan was born to play the role of a believable David in a David vs Goliath match. Bryan v Kenny, v MiSu, v Kingston has set the bar insanely high. Miro worked magic against Darby, Uno, Dante, Pillman, Big Shotty, Fuego, Sammy... Kingston!! Pretty hard to keep my expectations in check for this one.

I'm hoping so. That's in my top five or just outside of it Bryan Danielson matches with Danielson kicking the shit out of Morishima's leg from the get go while having to keep his distance from Morishima's attacks. I'm trying to keep my expectations in check as well. Bryan's the GOAT and Miro's great.

Edited November 4, 2021 by The Natural

[The Natural]

Takeshi Morishima vs Bryan Danielson from ROH Manhattan Mayhem II. The match we're talking about. I gave it the full ***** and it was my 2007 Match of the Year.

[COLETTI]

Damn it, I will sit and wait patiently for Danielson/OC but I definitely got my hopes up last night... Still, Miro fucking rules. Isn't it nice to see him both exactly the way everyone thought he should be booked? 

Andrade also rules. Same with Jamie Hayter, who has so much more potential than being a pseudo-lackey. Wasn't she originally supposed to be Britt's muscle? It hasn't felt that way even though she can obviously pull it off.

[The Natural]

2 minutes ago, christopher.annino said:

Damn it, I will sit and wait patiently for Danielson/OC but I definitely got my hopes up last night... Still, Miro fucking rules. Isn't it nice to see him both exactly the way everyone thought he should be booked?

Hope this helps till then:

[NikoBaltimore]

Man, I was really hoping we got Punk vs. Orange after all considering he was tweeting about wanting that.  But if that meant Punk vs Danielson then it makes sense to hold off on that until later on.

It was also strange hearing how toned down MJF's promo was when he's not trying to offend people.  It was fine but while I may need to rewatch it felt a bit too boring by MJF standards.  But that running Cactus clothesline was incredible.

[HarryArchieGus]

21 hours ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

I enjoyed this show except for the American Top Team segment. Hulk Hogan in 1997 or HHH in 2002 would've thought that thing went long.

I remember nothing but love for '97 Hogan and his delightfully villanious and hilarious promos.  Hunter in the Main Event mix was indeed always a long tedious snooze of a promo.  ATT segment was not that for me.  Going in, I can't say I was looking forward to another Inner Circle townhall talk segment but was pleasantly surprised here.  Paige Vanzant is wonderful!  Was that her first wrestling promo?  She was so natural and despite previous failings, the Jericho interplay worked incredibly well.  That was a thrilling moment for the Dynamite highlight reel.    

18 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

AEROSTAR~!!! In what world is he worthy of disapproval? Yeah the one dive got flubbed but so what. All four of these guys worked an insanely fast and complicated match for even AEW spotfest standards that was smooth as buttah. 

Absolutely. That was a tough outting for Aerostar.  He fought so hard thru, what has to be assumed was a lot of pain after that misfire, in an attempt to earn himself a job.  FTR are just terrific.  I'm guessing from what transpired in the semi-main Andrade-Cody bout that their next Lucha opponents might be 'Too Fast, Too Fuego'.  Much prefer FTR, as Lucha Legends, with Andrade than with MJF/Spears/Wardlow.  Dumb sign blocking other fans visual of the ring reads: Break-up the Pinnacle!

Strongest MJF segment in awhile.  But mostly for that insane clothesline from Darby.  Extra kudos to the production team for the interesting camera experimention this week.  

Edited November 4, 2021 by HarryArchieGus

[Brandon Bones]

There was a lot of good camera work tonight.  Two Jungle Boy spots during the big brawl.  Darby’s cactus clothesline… all top notch stuff.  
 

I think Omega/Angels was my MOTN.  It’s nice to see Alan evolve from fratboy punching bag to someone who should be taken more seriously.  The commentary did good work here.

I continue to love what AEW is putting down week after week.  I cannot wait for the PPV.
 

I love you AEW.

[HarryArchieGus]

9 minutes ago, Brandon Bones said:

There was a lot of good camera work tonight.  Two Jungle Boy spots during the big brawl.  Darby’s cactus clothesline… all top notch stuff.  

Exactly the shots I was thinking.  

[COLETTI]

I think the issue with Aerostar is most people are familiar with clips of him in his prime, and obviously he has slowed down over the years because, you know, fucking crazy spots and dives from the past. Still, I thought he looked good, and was Samuray Del Sol doing a shout out to Dragon Kid with that gear?

[NikoBaltimore]

It was kind of sad seeing Aerostar since last I saw him was LU and I think even Samuray was getting frustrated with him.  But I liked Samuray in the match more though not sure about them being signed full time.

[Mike Campbell]

Does anyone else think that Lambert pins Jericho at the PPV?

[JLowe]

I thought I had this set to DVR but I guess I only have it set for Rampage. If anyone can drop a YT link where I can see the show I'd appreciate it!

I caught the most talky talky bits of the show unfortunately. I also can say that my opinions on some things differ from the consensus I've read.

The ATT/IC feud is the most tedious midcard storyline I can remember, and has it even led to one match yet? I'm glad the fans love the song, but Jericho is a shadow of his former self. Hager's promo was robotic, but Paige Van Zandt was like someone with no sense of comedic timing reading off of cue cards. Just brutal, and the obvious double entendres made Vince Russo blush. Actually, everything about this from the cussing to the obvious set-up of Lambert, to the misogyny reeked of Russo attitude era. Just a total waste of TV time, and I absolutely could not care about anyone in this but Sammy (as a wrestler who needs to go solo) and Ethan Page's sweet shirt.

Hayter and Jay did nothing for me. Being unfamiliar with the characters for the most part, the ending was a surprise to me as it seemed more like a botched clothesline than a brutal lariat. Britt Baker is an awesome heel though, and Tay Conti throws some excellent strikes and does a fair job of covering up the bodyslaps for the noise. A 6-woman tag team with all of these women could be fun.

I had the volume down for the MJF/Darby segment because my wife woke up from her nap. She wanted to know who the bro was. Then she saw Allin and decided she liked the bro better, while saying the whole thing was stupid. They really wasted the Sting and a bunch of randos dressed in photocopied Allin masks bit, and the brawl on the ramp with whatever NJF's hentchmen are called. The 40 yard dash lariat was wonderful though.

Sucks that I managed to miss almost every bit of actual wrestling this time around.

[Brandon Bones]

If Lambert gets the pin?  He is Danny Davis, not Bobby Heenan.  

[Craig H]

I'll be the odd one out and say that I thought the tag match sucked. FTR looked good, but Aerostar looked like shit, out of shape, and blown up before he injured himself (shocked that Aerostar would fuck himself up not one, or twice, but three times) and I fucking hate Kalisto and all of the lame ass lucha house party shit. FTR did their best to keep things together, even dealing with the other two repeating spots. 

Rest of the show was a lot of fun, but I'm a little worried about how hurt Miro's quad is. He looked like he was moving slow or gingerly at times. AmDrag vs Miro is going to be the shit though. Hopefully Bryan tells Miro to stop looking like Sanada and actually lock the Game Over in tight.

The Hungman is confident and nothing is going to stop him. 

[just drew]

Jon Moxley is my favorite wrestler. I will miss him on my tv but as a new father myself the introspection that goes on as you hold your young child is a powerful thing. My little dude makes me want to be a better man. I hope that Jon the man gets the help he needs, and I hope Jon the performer I love watching on tv comes back better than ever.

Boy, is Kenny Omega just not for me. Alan Angels has gotten better. I liked the postmatch stuff, and I like that Adam Page just gave him the belt back. "You got ten days." That's cowboy shit.

Salty CM Punk was a fun variation on what he's been doing so far. At first the "chant Mox's name" felt a little funny to me, but it came from a good place, and so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. The explanation for Punk not getting the tourney spot was good. I'm anxious to see the confrontation on Friday.

FTR vs. the Lucha guys was good for what it was. Aerostar's fun to watch for a dude named after a van. I think SDS thought he'd get more of a "we know that guy!" pop than he did. Such is life. Finish was good, and FTR as "bases for dudes who fly around a lot" is something I didn't know I wanted more of. They've been really fantastic since Blood & Guts. Their portion of Stadium Stampede with P&P was the highlight, imo, and those blowoff matches were really exceptional, too. They've had really fun squashes on Dark & Elevation. I'm excited to see them against the Lucha Brothers.

The MJF/Darby stuff was really fun. I actually liked MJF's promo this week. He wasn't going for shock value or "teeheehee dirty words." I thought it was much more relevant to what his character is trying to do. The postmatch brawl was aces, but boy can Darby not talk in a live setting. No more of that, please.

The Young Bucks/Jurassic Express stuff was extremely gratifying for me personally. That was like, a year's worth of selling for the Jacksons. It's just sad they couldn't be bothered to make Eddie Kingston or Jon Moxley look as menacing as they made Luchasaurus look. Adam Cole eating the conchairto was fun, too. I will say that he seems like a super good dude outside the ring, but he does an incredible job of making me want to see his character get obliterated every time he's onscreen. I wonder how they'll get around Cole wrestling two days after a conchairto. My bet is that the Bucks talk Omega into taking his place, further planting the seeds for dissension after Omega loses to Page. 

Jay/Hayter was good for what it was. This was a pretty angle heavy show, and this match was no different. Thunder Rosa coming down for the save was cool. They really have something with her. Their women's division has exponentially improved in terms of star power. They have 8-10 women who could conceivably work a PPV angle with Britt, and that's an enormous step up from a year or so ago, when they had all those injuries. 

I really thought Inner Circle would put PVZ in the match. Lambert being in makes sense, as he's clearly the Bobby Heenan/Jim Cornette in this scenario. The match being a street fight leaves lots of outs for ATT to cheat to pin Jericho. Jericho is kicking Lambert all around the backstage and turns a corner and Masvidal flies out of nowhere and knees the shit out of him. PVZ jumping on Guevara's back while he's fighting. Whoever the fuck is in that stable but not in the match doing dastardly shit. I am anxious to see how much Dos Santos is willing to "play ball." I imagine he'll give Hager a bit, since Hager has at least a shred of MMA cred, but I don't know how he feels about showing ass for a guy like Guevara. I hope he's okay with it, and I don't imagine TK would put the Inner Circle in that position if he wasn't reasonably sure his full time performers would come out of this with at least the same amount of stature they had going in. Jericho's really reached the point of diminishing returns on his promos. He has about one good promo a month in him. The problem is when he starts going out there multiple weeks in a row and has to stretch that material. 

Cody/Andrade was really good. Andrade is an absolutely fantastic worker, and his footwork leaves me impressed every time. He does those really great looking teep kick counterstrikes from halfway across the ring and never looks off balance. I texted a friend last night "imagine having Andrade on your roster and not seeing dollar signs." I've said it here, too. He's unbelievably crisp in ring. He's got charisma, too. Damn he's good. He's gotta start beating guys clean, though. It did strike me how ok he was with FTR interfering after getting so mad at Chavo for helping him beat PAC the first time. The Black/Andrade thing now having FTR tied in to some degree intrigues me. I think FTR would make much more sense as enforcers for a Mafia don like character like Andrade, as opposed to being the goofs that follow Biff Tannen around like the Pinnacle. Give me all the old guy faceoffs with Arn and Tully, although I half expected Ric to be involved in some way.

Main event was really good. Orange Cassidy has figured out how to make his character work in higher priority angles, and his comebacks are always absolutely must see tv now. Miro has mastered the art of elevating a guy while still beating him. Danielson/Miro will be absolute mayhem. That will be appointment viewing for sure.

 

[Shartnado]

5 hours ago, The Man Known as Dan said:

I can’t properly put into words my annoyance that Punk vs. Kingston is going down in my hometown and I’m going to work through it.

Oh, man! That's like working through a groin injury and accidentally getting kicked in the junk. Hope that helps.

[Swift]

54 minutes ago, Craig H said:

I'll be the odd one out and say that I thought the tag match sucked. FTR looked good, but Aerostar looked like shit, out of shape, and blown up before he injured himself (shocked that Aerostar would fuck himself up not one, or twice, but three times) and I fucking hate Kalisto and all of the lame ass lucha house party shit. FTR did their best to keep things together, even dealing with the other two repeating spots. 

Glad someone else saw the same match I did. I'm surprised so many people thought it was good. It was all very, very sloppy with seemingly nobody on the same page, including the ref who had to jump out of the way a couple of times. At one point Kalisto does the splits and... nothing happens. I presume Aerostar was supposed to jump over the ropes but didn't. Maybe the quality was down to Aerostar's injury and so can be forgiven, but it wasn't good.

[chriskbrown50]

19 minutes ago, Swift said:

Glad someone else saw the same match I did. I'm surprised so many people thought it was good. It was all very, very sloppy with seemingly nobody on the same page, including the ref who had to jump out of the way a couple of times. At one point Kalisto does the splits and... nothing happens. I presume Aerostar was supposed to jump over the ropes but didn't. Maybe the quality was down to Aerostar's injury and so can be forgiven, but it wasn't good.

FTR tried to coverup as the best they could but it was not a good match at all. And it was not on FTR. Kalisto splits was a great visual but it made no sense.  I was not impressed at all. 

[John from Cincinnati]

Hope Cody's tag partner vs FTR is Dustin. Not that PAC wouldn't be great too. 

What configuration of Super Kliq and Christian/Jurassic Express matches are we expecting at Full Gear? Either way, Adam Cole singles matches vs both Christian and JB are in order and I'm looking forward to those. 

An episode with that much promo time devoted to MJF, Inner Circle, and ATT has a lower ceiling that most of these shows. Can Jericho and MJF go back to be confined to the same segments? Brutal having to wait through all that to get to Cody.