Chair Shots With Killem Faulkner: AEW Dynamite Sept. 1st

AEW had one final Dynamite to build up the massive All Out pay-per-view on Sunday, and based on the card announced ahead of time, it seemed that the company would pull out all the stops to guarantee as many eyes on the product as possible at this critical time. Barring some surprise developments on this Friday’s Rampage, the card for All Out is pretty well set, but there was certainly room to hype up the show after last week’s relatively disappointing entry. So with the weight of all those expectations on its shoulders, how did this week’s Dynamite fare? Let’s take a look at the highlights and lowlights as well as a preview of All Out since we won’t talk again until after that show.

Best Match of the Night

Go-home shows are always tricky from an in-ring standpoint because you don’t want to overexpose matchups that would better be saved for the pay-per-view itself, but you still have to put on matches that don’t feel like random nonsense so fans actually want to tune in. In that respect, this show delivered well beyond what you might have expected going in. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Brian Cage was an above-average TV match that was bogged down by an ad break in the middle and capped off with a wonky finish that was basically an exact retread of the FTW Championship match between Cage and Ricky Starks from Fyter Fest Night 1. So, you know, not that great, but a good matchup that would probably be worth revisiting at some point when they have a real chance to showcase what these two big guys with surprising agility can really do. Santana & Ortiz vs. FTR was much closer to what was surely planned the first time these two top-tier tag teams faced off at Fight for the Fallen. We’ll probably get the rubber match between them at Grand Slam at the end of the month, which will hopefully be the best of the series to fully put this rivalry to rest, but this was still a standout tag match for a regular episode of Dynamite. I still never need to see another replay of Cash Wheeler nearly getting his forearm ripped off by a turnbuckle hook. Penelope Ford vs. Tay Conti was a surprising highlight – usually these random women’s matches end up being short, never fully getting out of second gear before the finish, but Ford and Conti got to build up the intensity with a few near falls and a definite sense that the bout could go either way before Conti was finally able to negate the double team from the Bunny to pick up the win. Plus, Anna Jay returning after the match to a nice reaction from the crowd was an added cherry on top. Ford still seems a little stiff at times, but she has definitely improved significantly over the past year or so, and Conti continues to be a championship contender in waiting. More of this from the women’s division please, AEW.

In the final arithmetic, however, the best match of the night was definitely the main event featuring the Young Bucks and the Good Brothers vs. the Lucha Brothers and Jurassic Express. For some, the post-match beatdown from the Elite was probably overkill, and that’s fair enough. However, it would take a seriously dedicated anti-Elite mindset to fail to appreciate the quality of action on display in this match. Luchasaurus going toe to toe with Luke Gallows, one of the few men on the roster who might actually be taller than the massive dinosaur luchador, was a cool visual early on, and the quickness and intricate offense of Rey Fenix got the match kicked off right for the babyfaces. The Lucha Bros and Young Bucks hit quad superkicks simultaneously, leaving both teams stunned at the similarity between their instincts as in-ring performers. Jungle Boy took on all four opponents, showing his grit and fearlessness as well as his creativity, weaving and dodging attacks while delivering offense of his own. Brandon Cutler got involved to allow the Good Brothers to hit a Magic Killer for a near fall, ensuring that each member of the Elite got a chance to shine. The Young Bucks finally put the match away with the IndyTaker, but there were plenty of highlights all around, and the action was fluid, fast-paced, and structured to leave the audience wanting to see two-on-two matches between the featured teams in the future. (Not surprisingly, we won’t have to wait long for at least one of those matches, as the Young Bucks will take on the Lucha Brothers at All Out, but it also seems like Jurassic Express vs. the Good Brothers would be worth revisiting sometime soon, if not on an already stacked pay-per-view card.) I find AEW’s tag team division to be a highlight most weeks, and these four teams are frequently among the biggest reasons to tune in, so it’s no surprise that throwing them together made for something special. I’ve only touched on some of the highlights – it was tough to keep up with everything as I was taking notes, and frankly I’d rather just give a brief summary and suggest you go watch the whole thing for yourself if you didn’t happen to catch it the first time around.

Best Moment of the Night

As you might imagine for a company trying to sell a pay-per-view this weekend, there were several highlights from the promos and segments outside of the wrestling. CM Punk teaming up with Sting and Darby Allin to fend off 2point0 was a great change to the “CM Punk walks to the ring, soaks in the adulation of the crowd, says some stuff about how glad he is to be back, soaks in the adulation some more, leaves” formula that, let’s not kid ourselves, worked great for his first few appearances but needed to progress beyond just that feel-good nostalgia session. As Sting pointed out, he and Punk being in the same ring for the first time was pretty cool, and of course Punk hitting his first GTS in 7 years (undisguised, anyway) was a nice treat for the pre-All Out crowd. Jim Ross interviewing Chris Jericho was always going to be a highlight, even if Jericho went a little long for my tastes, but he managed to hit the high points of the rivalry with MJF and really plant the seed that this might be his last match ever. Darby Allin‘s brief promo responding to CM Punk, saying “I should have been last on your list” was an excellent comeback in what has been a fairly one-sided feud so far. The back-and-forth between Eddie Kingston and Miro was a nice little moment to build up for their last-minute clash at All Out – Miro keeps referencing his wife, which may or may not pay off with Lana joining him in AEW, and he had a sly adult reference about the only time he “stays down” when he and his wife celebrate after a win in the hotel room. Eddie Kingston was great on the mic as usual even if the feud still feels like it’s just getting off the ground.

The best moment of the night has to go to the “interview” between Tony Schiavone and MJF. For everyone fantasy booking a feud between Friedman and Punk, this is exactly why – both guys are absolute fire on the mic, and MJF was in rare form this week, doing more than his fair share to sell the match with Le Champion. The fact that the heel probably had the better promo on the go-home show is maybe the only giveaway that the babyface is going over at the pay-per-view. (Also, as I’ve mentioned before, Jericho has stated he does not want to have a big retirement match/angle, so unless he’s changed his mind or was shamelessly working everyone with those comments, I don’t see this being his last match ever.) MJF has undeniably raised his profile through his feud with Y2J, and his promo work has been a big reason why. Plus it will never not be funny for someone who’s supposed to be “interviewed” by Schiavone to cut him off and say whatever they want anyway.

Worst Match/Moment of the Night

It’s that time again: there wasn’t anything too terrible on this week’s Dynamite. Orange Cassidy defeating Jack Evans during the commercial break was…a choice. Maybe not a great choice, but it was notable at least. It wasn’t an awful match overall, but I feel like they’ve overexposed Cassidy a bit recently, and as much as I like his character and he’s definitely over with the crowd, I don’t feel like matches like this really do anything for him, especially since it was clearly just a setup for the post-match beatdown and save from Jurassic Express. The finish to Brian Cage vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, as mentioned previously, was just lazy and didn’t do anything to advance the feud. We’re really no closer to getting a definitive match between Cage and Starks, which is a bummer because this feud needs to end and those two have good enough in-ring chemistry together to warrant one last hurrah before everyone involved moves on. The biggest lowlight of the evening was obvious, I thought – Billy Gunn turning (?) on his good friend (??) Paul Wight for…reasons (??!?) to set up an even more insurmountable opposition for Wight to, let’s face it, probably easily overcome at All Out. Sure, even more interference will distract from the already undesirable matchup between Wight and QT Marshall, and it might even require Wight to bring some backup so that we get a Gunn Club vs. somebody feud out of this whole thing, but it all feels so unnecessary. Heck, the Gunn Club didn’t even show up to even the odds – Wight had already fought off all of Marshall’s Factory goons by himself, so they were clearly only there for the supposedly shocking heel turn that…meh. I don’t even care enough to finish that sentence. That’s how little I’m invested in anything involved in this segment, and that’s also why I’m going to move right along to…

Parting Shots

• Tony Schiavone claiming Orange Cassidy’s Kicks of Doom are “mind games” and “aren’t meant to hurt” is clearly LIES. They are the most devastating moves in all of professional wrestling and I will not hear otherwise.
• Dr. Britt Baker DMD promising a major free agent signing announcement only to reveal it was her re-signing with AEW was a funny moment that probably should have been built up until Friday at least – I don’t think the audience really had time to process that she was hinting at her boyfriend Adam Cole joining AEW before the ruse was revealed, which lessened its impact a bit. I suppose it may be too soon to tell whether Cole will actually sign with AEW and they don’t want to hint at something that may not pay off in the end, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more of a tease even if Cole ends up re-signing with WWE or goes elsewhere.
• For how overblown the whole “the cage will keep out all outside interference” thing is…that cage that descended at the end of the main event does legitimately seem like it would make interfering in the match significantly more difficult. Mainly because IT DOESN’T HAVE A DOOR. This has been one of my biggest issues with WWE-style cage matches for years – there should be only two legitimate ways of winning a cage match, in my opinion: pinfall/submission or climbing out of the cage. The option to simply walk out the door is the lamest thing in the world. I never need to see someone slowly crawling their way out the door only for their opponent to grab them and pull them back in. At least Hell in a Cell/Elimination Chamber has a lock on the door, and even then you don’t win just by getting the door open and leaving. In conclusion, cage matches where there’s no door are the only way to go. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
• For those who may want tips on how to bet on the All Out results, here’s mine: Don’t. Betting on sports is dumb enough, and betting on a pre-arranged sport is even dumber. But for non-betting purposes, here are my predictions for All Out. Read them now and make fun of me afterwards.
  • CM Punk defeats Darby Allin, probably in the opening match – I know people are expecting it to be the main event, and I could see that happening, but it isn’t a title match or any big stipulation match, so I’d have it go on first to get the crowd hyped up right out of the gate. Plus it gives Punk room to grow into a main eventer rather than just being given that spot right out of the gate.
  • Thunder Rosa wins the Casino Battle Royale to become #1 contender (though I could see Jamie Hayter winning for the unexpected “I thought we were friends” angle with Britt Baker, or one of the unannounced participants being a big enough name to take home the win – maybe CM Punk’s shoutout to his wife April last week was an unacknowledged tease for an AJ Lee return? Just saying…)
  • “Travel issues” defeat Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC (RIP this match)
  • Jon Moxley defeats Satoshi Kojima, naturally
  • Miro retains the TNT Championship against Eddie Kingston
  • Dr. Britt Baker DMD retains the AEW Women’s World Championship against Kris Statlander
  • The Lucha Brothers defeat the Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships – I would rather see Santana and Ortiz take the titles off the Bucks, but it seems like they will be tied up with FTR for a bit longer, and the Lucha Bros have been on a roll lately. There are some heel teams, like any of the teams in HFO (Private Party, The Hybrid2, or a fully healthy Butcher and Blade) that could use a face team as champs to play off of. Plus, there has to be one title change on this pay-per-view, right?
  • Paul Wight whatevers QT Marshall in a blah blah blah zzzzzzzzz
  • Chris Jericho defeats MJF for the first time, allowing his in-ring career to continue (though he’ll still be on commentary for Rampage)
  • Kenny Omega retains the AEW World Championship against Christian Cage – hopefully Adam Page and at least a few of the members of Dark Order will get involved somehow
  • Bryan Danielson debuts, but not Adam Cole or Bray Wyatt. Not sure when or how, but I have a feeling he’s showing up. The other two may sign with AEW at some point, but I think more than one big debut here would be overkill.

So that’s it for this week’s Dynamite – a really good go-home show that sets up for another worthwhile Rampage on Friday and, of course, a massive PPV on Sunday. What did you think of this week’s show? Which matches are you most looking forward to at All Out? Let us know what you thought, give us a follow on Twitter @FilmIronic, and check back next week for more AEW coverage!