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Acero’s AEW Dynamite Review 5.5.21

May 5, 2021 | Posted by Tony Acero
AEW Dynamite
8.5
The 411 Rating
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Acero’s AEW Dynamite Review 5.5.21  

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It’s Windsday, Rabbit.

THE Rs Are BACK!!! Check out this week’s edition that covers RAW, NXT, and AEW!

THE 3 RS!!!!

It’s Wednesday…you know what that means.

BLOOD AND GUTS!!!

We start AEW with Don Callis and Nakazawa.Callis says that Omega is not here for the event. Nakazawa will have to take Kingston and Moxley on by himself.

We should note that’s Nakazawa is not dressed to wrestle at all, which kind of bugs me.

While Moxley and Kingston make their entrance, Kenny Omega attacks them both with the title to the back of the head!


Match 1: Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley vs Michael Nakazawa

The bell rings and Nak lays in on Kingston. We see that there are TWO RINGS SET UP! HOLY SHIT!!

Anyway, Nak in with an axe handle to the back of Kingston. They double team Kingston in the corner, whipping him, Naka with a running uppercut, Omega gets one. They lock the head. Suplex to Kingston, but Moxley is in the ring to pull his friend down and give hard rights to both men. He sends Nak out, and Omega attacks from behind. Looks like we’re back to both legal men, Moxley with a side slam to Omega. Jon hits the ropes. Suicide dive to Omega and Nak.

Back in the ein, Moxley whips Kingston into Nak, then hits a running high knee. He sends Nak into a knee from Kingston. Cover for 1..2..NO!!! Omega breaks it up. Omega with knees to the head. He hits some rights. The ref is trying to get Moxley off of Omega, and Nak takes this time to give Kingston a HUGE low blow. Nak takes the lanyard off his neck and chokes Kingston up until the ref stops him. Omega sits on the head of Kingston after the tag. Omega scrapes Kingston’s head across the ropes! Kingston with some uppercuts, whip to Nak, who kicks the back of Kingston on the apron. Omega hits the ropes, flies off the ropes, a freakin leg drop to the back of the head! Nice. Cover for 1..2..NO!!! Omega hooks the head, goes for a suplex, but Kingston stops it. He drops the hips. Omega chops. Kingston fires back. Another round. Enziguri to Kingston. Omega grabs the head, hooks it, firemans, Rolling senton, Omega shoots up to the corner, moonsault, but Kingston rolls thorugh. He’s up, runs. Clothesline! Tag to Mox, Tag to Nak. Xlothesline from Mox. Jon with a running start and hits a clothesline. Kicks to the chest. Moxley slams Omega to the mat. Nak takes his shirt off. He hits the ropes, misses a clothesline. GERMAN!!!! Locks the head, piledriver!!! Cover from Jon. 1..2….NO!!!!

Omega breaks it up. He rolls out of the ring and he looks to be leaving. Kingston with a half-nelson. Jon hits the ropes. Running clothesline to Nak! Cover for 1.2….3!!!

Winners: Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston
A nice little opener here with Omega being his smarmy self.
Total Rating: ***
Match Time: 8:00

As Eddie and Jon celebrate, out come The Young Bucks to distract long enough for Gallows and Anderson to come out and attack Kingston and Jon. The Bucks enter the ring to help with the beatdown of Eddie and Jon. Gallows and Anderson with the Magic Killer to Jon. Matt removes his shoe and attacks Jon with it. SUPERKICK!

Out comes Cutler with a camera. Omega is back. He sits Eddie on his shoulders. One-Winged Angel! Omega covers as Nick counts the 1..2….3!!!!

WE ARE BACK, and out comes QT Marshall and his goons.


Match 2: QT Marshall vs Cody Rhodes

Cody starts HARD with a running kick to QT. He locks the head and hits a front suplex. QT rolls to the edge of the ring. He’s got his own belt!!! He smacks Cody with the belt then pushes a knee into the throat in the corner. Rollup and Cody jumps over, goes fo a powerslam, but QT has is scouted. Chop to Cody. Cody hits a chop of his own. QT sends Cody into the corner. Chop. QT with a GERMAN!!! Cody rolls to the outside. QT punches Cody in the head on the outside. Chop to Cody. Rolls Cody inside. Arn is there to ask whats wrong with him. QT shoves Arn! Arn with a smack to Cody. The ref wants Arn out of here, but Arn sends QT into the ringpost, grinding the head into it. Refs come out to send Arn to the back.

We are back, and Cody hits a crossbody! QT with some right hands, Cody tries to fight back, QT kicks him in the face, and Cody rolls to the apron. Somehow, QT’s trunks get pulled down, Cody is able to hit a DDT off the distraction! Cody to the top rope! He wants a moonsault! Ends up flying off with a pin and a cover for 1..2…NO!!! Cody hits the ropes, tries for a Disaster Kick, but QT ducks down, locks up the waist, Cody ith a back elbow, tries for a Cutter, but QT catches him! CROSS RHODES FROM QT!!! Pin for 1..2….NO!!! QT removes his pads, tries for a cutter, backslide attempt but QT reverses it into a buckle bomb!!! He wants a piledriver! Cody reverses! QT reverses! CODY REVERSES! PILEDRIVER!!!! Cover for 1..2….NO!!!! CROSS RHODES FROM CODY! Pin for 1….2…..NO!!!!!!

Cody grabs the hand of QT, tries to help him up. He lets him stand, then locks in the Figure Four! QT TAPS!!!

Winner: Cody Rhodes
While I loved a bulk of this, there were a few minor things I just don’t think were necessary, nor did they add much to the match. The entire interaction with Arn was a bit extra, as I don’t need to see QT being taken over by Arn, even if it was meant to get him to the back. I also didn’t need a kickout of a finisher. Other than that,
Total Rating: ***1/2
Match Time: 11:39

After the match, we see Cody was cut open somehow during the match, and man I don’t want color for every match, but I’m tellin you, when it shows up, it’s almost always bad ass.

Ogogo comes out, pissed. He has a flag with him, enters the ring, and punches Cody RIGHT IN THE GUT! He covers Cody with his flag.

SCU and Ethan Page are backstage with Marvez. They say Sting is nothing more than a mosquito, feeding on the blood of this company, and you know what they do with mosquitos. They kill them. So listen, Steve; you’ve overstayed your welcome. Showtime is over. Sky is the franchise now, bitch.

Ethan tells darby that they have a very storied history, but he’s going to skip the in-ring history and talk bout his medical history. His facepaint is to cover a dent he permanently placed in his forehead, and the metal in his elbow is also because of Ethan.

DARBY FLIES INTO FRAME OUTTA NOWHERE!! They are high up in the rafters, above the crowd. Darby climbs a ladder and coffin drops onto Ethan!!!!! Scorpio Sky hits Darby with a trashcan and drags him towards some steps. Ethan attacks with the kicks. Darby shoves Darby’s head into the shoes of Sky.

Ethan grabs Darby and TOSSES HIM DOWN THE STEPS!!!!


Match 3: Britt Baker vs A Canadian Jobber

Britt shoves the jobber in the face, then backs her into the ropes and whips. Slingblade. Britt with the glove. Right hand from Britt. She sets up for a neckbreaker. Cover for 1…NO!!!

Britt stops the pin. She decides to get the Lockjaw in, instead. Tapout.

Winner: Britt Baker

Total Rating: NR
Match Time: 1:24

Technique by Tazz is next, where he analyzes Christian Cage’s frog splash and Killswitch.


Match 4: Varsity Blondes vs Jurassic Express vs SCU vs The Acclaimed

JB and Kaz to start. Lockup from behind by JB, Kaz drops the hips, reverses into a front face lock, Jungle Boy escapes, locks the head, hits the ropes, Kaz reverses, hits the ropes, shouder tackl to JB. More rope work, arm drag attempt, go behind, Kaz locks up, roll iup for 1..2..NO!!! Jackknife pin, but JB pushes up off the pni, backslide, wrist control from Kaz, roll for 1..2..NO!!! Counter. 1..2…NO!!!! Stalemate. Nice.

We get a breakdown of the rules as everyone goes after everyone!

WE ARE BACK, and Max has a cover on Daniels! Cravat from behind. Tag to Anthony who hits a high kick to CD. Acclaimed with a back suplex/pin combo for 1..2..NO!!! Chop from Anthony, whip to the corner, reversed and CD gets whipped again into the corner. Max with a cheapshot. Whip to CD, antoher into the corner, and max tries again, but CD hits a right hand, boot, STO to Anthony! Tag from Lucha! Lucha with a hard chop to the back, then a GERMAN from Luch!!1 Lucha gets a double chokeslam to the Blondes, but Pillman is first, and Garrison is slammed onto him afterwards. Kaz hits a right hand, I think he gets a tag? He rushes Lucha, gets sent down hardchest first, Lucha with a chokeslam TO THE OUTSIDE ONTO PILLMAN AND GARRISON!!! Tail whip to both of The Acclaimed! Tag to JB. They get stereo fireman’s, slam one on top of another, and cover for 1..2..NO!!! CD enters, Tag fom Garrison. JB gets a tag, tries to fly, buy CD pulls JB of the corner. He flies off the apron and hits a Flatliner to Lucha! Kaz runs to JB, tags himself in, rolls Pillman up. 1..2..NO!!! Kick, STO, cover! 1…2…NO!!!

Kaz gets Pillman for a piledriver, CD is there moonsualt onto the move, and we get a pin for 1…2…3!!!

Winners: SCU
Well, the finish was never really in question, which kind of hurt the intrigue, but it doesn’t mean the match was bad. I think it simply was a means to an end.
Total Rating: **1/2
Match Time: 9:10

Tony is cageside, saying he wants to announce some matches for Double or Nothing, but first, he brings out Kenny Omega.

Omega comes out with all of his titles. He wonders how many people are ready for Blood and Guts! He’s not. Kenny has been busy as of late. Now it’s come to pass. The match that will decide who the next challenger to his AEW title will be.

Tony announces that next week, the two top contenders will go one-on-one:

Pac and Orange Cassidy. The winner will face Kenny at Double or Nothing.

Kenny says this is what makes AEW so exciting! He wants to remind Tony that Pac has beaten him before. Kenny wants Pac v Omega.

Tony reminds him that it’s Pac OR Orange Cassidy!

Out comes Orange. Kenny laughs it off. Tony announces him again. K

Kenny: “Pac or….hhahahahaahHAHAHAHA Are you serious?”

Kenny says he’s got it from here. Kenny knows what OC means. Kenny sees people with their hands in their pockets everywhere, little children dressing up like OC, kids dressed like OC for their sockhops because they think it’s cool. He gets what OC is; a feel good wrestler, popular. They love to want to be like OC because they can, but they can never be like Kenny. Someone like OC will never be championship material. In fact, the only thing champ material is something OC has ripped off of Kenny.

Omega grabs the Ray-Bans off of OC and says Kenny fancies himself a shade guy. He made it popular. He made it famous. What are these? Ray-Bans? Limited Edition? Freshly Squeezed variety. What do they cost? $800? OC will never take his titl,e but he has taken his valuable time, and because of this, he is taking something from Orange. Kenny gives Nakazawa the glasses.

Kenny goes back to OC, says the thing is the glasses look better on Nak, and he looks more of a champion, too. Omega says maybe he’ll see OC when he becomes a fully grown adult.

Kenny tells OC later, and heads to the back.

That took a bit too long.

WE COME BACK, and Tony wants to speak with another person. He invites Miro ringside for a quick interview.

Miro takes the mic from Tony and says he told the world that no one will distract his destiny. He warned the locker room. Now the problem is here to collect. He has a contract. He says it’s signed, and it states that seven days from now, he has a date with his destiny. Next week, he will face Darby Allin. He can fall down as many steps as he wants, but he can’t avoid this. The contract says that if Darby cannot contest, he forfeits the title, but Miro doesn’t want the forfeit, he wants Darby to show up whether he’s ready or not.

Next week, we find out when the man who doesn’t mind dying meets the man who doesn’t mind killing him.

ZAM.

1 Member enters from each time for 5 minutes

After five, Pinnacle gets an advantage

They alternate every 2 minutes

Once all 10 enter, the match will officially begin

The Pinnacle is in all white. The Inner Circle come out in all black. Santana has a chair and barbed wire in hand.

Sammy wants to go first.


Match 5: Blood and Guts Match
The Pinnacle vs The Inner Circle

Dax and Sammy start on either side of the two rings. This shit looks sick. Dax walks towards the edge of ring 1, and Sammy flies, slingshotting himself over the middle onto Dax! Clothesline. Clothesline. Whip to the ropes, back body drop from Sammy. Sammy turns and Dax kicks. Another whip, another tackle, Dax hits the ropes, leap frog, Sammy back flips and dropkicks Dax! Right hands to dax against the ropes. Whip and WE GET A SPINEFUCKINGBUSTER!!!! Dax covers, but it doesn’t count! NO PINS, DAXY! Dax sends Sammy into the buckle. He turns him, hits a chop. Another chop. Right hand to the face. Chop. Chop from Sammy, another, another, another all the way across the ring. Kick to Sammy. Sammy sends Dax into the buckle hard, the 2nd one, the third, and finally the camera!!! Sammy bounces off the 2nd buckle with a kick to Dax. Sammy grabs Dax as he tries to climb th cage. He tries to send Sammy into the cage. Backfist to the gut, right hand to Sammy. Chop to Dax. Right to Dax. They fight standing on the ropes. Right hand from Sammy. Dax tumbles between ropes and cage, and Dax favors the knee. Dax with an elbow behind him. Right hand. Dax sends Sammy into, NO! Sammy send Dax into the cage! Opposite side! Another toss. Clothesline to Dax into the ring. Sammy pulls the trunks of Dax. Swinging high kick from Sammy. Dax stands in Ring 2. Sammy with a double springboard into a Cutter to Dax!

Shawn Spears is next with a CHAIR IN HAND!!!!

Sammy tries to fight Spears away, dropping the chair, but Spears takes him down and sets the chair in between rope 1 and 2. Dax is back, and he’s bleedin hard. Dude bladed. Sammy turns. SPEARS WITH A CHAIRSHOT TO THE HEAD!!! Spears rolls Sammy over and steps on his face. Spears checks on Dax, says he’s ok.

ORTIZ IS NEXT WITH A CHAIR!!!

Smack to Spears! Dax is next!!! He smacks the back of Dax. Ortiz opens up another chair then slams Spears neckfirst into the chair. Ortiz tosses the chair INTO THE HEAD OF DAX!!! Boot to the neck of Dax.

Both Sammy and Spears springboard onto the top rope!!! Ortiz with a chair shot to the back! SPANISH FLY!!! Dax and Ortiz are going at it as the crowd is frantic! Dax whips, Sammy tries fo ra move, but trips and falls on his face. Ortiz hits Dax in the corner with the chair. Sammy stands. He walks over to Spears, showing some pain.

CASH WHEELER IS IN AND HE RUSHES WITH A CLOTHESLINE TO ORTIZ!!!

Cash beats down Ortiz with some stomps while Spears puts boots to the face of Sammy. Dax kicks a chair away and we get an assisted brainbuster by FTR!!! Spears sends Sammy into the cage backfirst. Cash scrapes Ortiz face right in front of Santana. Spears tosses Sammy again. Spears steps over for a Sharpshooter. Cash with a Gory Special in between ropes and cage! He hits it and Ortiz falls down between ring and cage! Spears still has the Sharpshooter in as….

SANTANA RUSHES INTO THE RING WITH KICKS AND RIGHTS TO EVERYONE!!!

He attacks Spears, mostly, while fighting everyone else off. ROCK BOTTOM TO CASH!!! He drops Cash.

WE ARE BACK FROM THE BREAK, and Wardlow is now in. He tosses Sammy into the cage, then powerbombs Santana into the cage.

IN COMES HAGER!!!

He doesn’t go straight to Wardlow yet. He’s got FTR and Spears to work with. He splashes them all, big boot to Cash, right hand to Dax. Hager Bomb to Cash! ANKLE LOCK TO SPEARS!!!!!!! Spears taps! It doesn’t matter! Wardlow sees Hager. They lock eyes. They are in either ring. Wardlow enters the ring where Hager stands. THEY GO AT IT WITH A RIGHT HAND! They stagger! They go back at it!!! Hager has blood! Wardlow with a back body drop, but Hager lands on his feet and grabs the man bun! Wardlow turns, sending Hager into the fence. Hager reverses and hits knees to Wardlow. Hager locks the neck! He’s choking him out!!! Fingers ot the eyes of Hager!!!

MJF IS IN!!! HE RUSHES SANTANA AS SPEARS HITS C4!!

MJF with headbutts to ASSHOLE chants! MJF enters the ring where Hager is waiting. Wardlow clips the leg. MJF kicks, climbs the corner to pose. He soaks it in, then points to Jericho, telling him that if he comes in, he’s a dead man. MJF stomps the foot of Hager. Wardlow takes over, stomping Hager. We head to Cash, who is covered in blood. Wardlow dorps a knee and we are in a stalling phase until Jericho enters with a solid 20 minutes left.

The Pinnacle are all in one ring. They are ganging up on Santana.

The bell rings, and we get a submit or surrender rules.

The Pinnacle are on one side. The Inner Circle on the other. They stand and ready for action. They do The Avengers run off, meeting in the middle, and goat it as one would expect. Sammy with Spears, Jericho with MJF, Hager and Wardlow, Santana and Ortiz with FTR.

Jericho has the bat!! He clocks Dax, hits the guy of Spears. Spears clims some scaffolding, Jericho follows. He sends Spears face into a crossbar, hanging Spears by the neck. Jericho hops down and Spears is left hanging.

WE ARE BACK, and the wood of the ring is exposed by FTR. They want piledrivers, but Ortiz and Santana fight out. Sammy to the top rope. Satnana and Ortiz set up for piledrivers, and Sammy spikes them down hard!!!!

MJF has Jericho, but he turns and hits a Codebreaker! Sammy with a thrust kick to Spears! Spears had the turnbuckle in his freakin hand!!1

Ortiz hangs up Spears in the tree of woe. He holds a chair. Sammy is on the opposite buckle! SAMMY FLIES!! HOLLLYYYYYY SHIITTTTTT SAMMY CLEARS IT!!!! COAST TO COAST and he sends the chair into the fucking FACE OF SPEARS!!!

Jericho has the buckle. He clocks MJF in the face. Jericho holds his fist up. Santana has a freaking fork in his hand. He chews on the prongs of it. Ortiz has MJF in a Boston Crab. Santana stabs him in the forehead with a fork!!! Ortiz hands jericho the bat. Jericho with the bat, choking Wardlow! Santna licks the fork as Ortiz grinds Wheeler’s face against the cage. Jericho with a Right to the forehead of MJF. Wardlow is up!!! He’s beatin everyone down!!! He presses Sammy up high!!! He dumps Hager hard! Misses a clothesline, Sntana hits the gut with a baton. Wardlow blocked a spear from Hager, but Ortiz has a chiar. Sammy hits Wardlow ith a chair! Hager with a running clothesline! The Inner Circle stands tall!!!!

FINAL PIP!

WE ARE BACK! MJF is on top of the freakin cage! Jericho is following! They both get to the top as everyone beneath them is beatin ass. MJF realizes that Jericho is following him. Jericho kicks him. WALLS OF JERICHO TO MJF!! We learn that Spears stole the key. MJF SWINGS HIS FIST INTO THE BALLS OF JERICHO!!! Has the Walls ever been broken like that?!?! MJF WITH THE SALT OF THE EARTH!!! A nice aerial shot for us. MJF releases the hold and swings the hand into the top of the cage, then steps on it. He bites Jericho’s hand!! MJF locks in the Salt of the Earth yet again. I feel like we’re missing a lot of action beneath us as they focus on MJF and Jericho a bit much. We get a full screen shot and everyone is laid out.

MJF puts on his ring. He turns to Jericho. RIGHT PUNCH TO THE FOREHEAD! MJF screams! He is covered in blood. MJF looks over to the edge of the cage. He looks back to Jericho. Jericho is bleeding now. He grabs Jericho by the shoulder and brings him over to the edge of the cage.

MJF brings Jericho to his knees by his neck, MJF screams that he is throwing him off the cage if The Inner Circle doesn’t surrender.

Ortiz and Santana climb as Sammy screams not to do it.

SAMMY GIVES UP!!! They surrender!!

Winners: The Pinnacle
First of all, wow. These guys beat each others’ asses. There are only two things that really brought this down to 4 stars; one) the fact that nearly every blade job was an obvious one; as most of what caused them really didn’t make too much sense. Some of them did, sure, but there were a couple where the guy just rolled away, and turned back around with a bloody face. Two) the ending just didn’t seem as real or as deadly as they wanted it to be, especially when the pre-cursor was a hell of a beatdown on everyone’s part with literal buckets of blood pouring out. By comparison, the obvious padding, and the thin layer of “ribbed steel” that really just looked like painted cardboard wasn’t nearly as impactful as they would have liked. But enough of the negative, this was every bit as fun as one could ask for, and the right team won. Numerous mini stories told within, a hell of a cadence throughout, with no real lull, and at least an attempt at an emotional ending.
Total Rating: ****
Match Time: 34:01

MJF smiles. Jericho is on hands and knees on the edge of the cage.

He looks on with a huge grin as The Pinnacle are announced as winners. Jericho calls a shot. MJF holds his hand up high. He looks to Jericho, MJF shoves him anyway.

Jericho falls back onto what is supposed to be a cement floor, but pretty much looks fake.

MJF stands at the edge of the cliff like fuckin Scar, and screams “THANK YOU!”

End Show

8.5
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
The expectations were high, and AEW did NOT disappoint While I won't go in on the main event much here, since I did it above, I really found very little to dislike here. I'd say Arn's presence in the opener was the only thing I kind of could have done without. The tag match was a little underwhelming, but knowing who was going to take that one probably didn't help. This felt like a PPV, and it's interesting to note that if anything, this was just a precursor to a PPV. The thing I love about the somewhat thematic Dynamite episodes is that they feel special, but they don't feel out of place. There is a reason why when Hager and Wardlow stand across two rings ready to lock horns, you get this overwhelming sense of fandom, and there is a distinct reason why you feel absolutely nothing when Tamina and Nia do the same thing. One takes their time, not really ever forcing the issue, and really allows the audience to decide, while the other assumes we want it, and makes it happen every freakin week. Anyway, what an amazing episode.
legend

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AEW Dynamite, Tony Acero