wrestling / TV Reports
Cook’s AEW Dynamite 8.2.23 Review
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...Hey kids! Due to diminishing requests, 411mania has brought me back this week for Dynamite live coverage. The good news is that this week’s episode should be quite the step up from last week’s! The 200th episode comes to us from the Yuengling Center in Tampa & features a couple of championship matches, a party match and some Anything Goes good times and great memories.
It’s Wednesday, you know what that means! Excalibur, Taz & the great Tony Schiavone are at the booth, and wrestlers are heading to the ring.
Chris Jericho & Kososuke Takeshita (w/Don Callis) vs. Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia: Jericho has been a big part of the first 200 episodes of this show, as a few clips remind us. Jericho sporting a green jacket here presumably in honor of Mitsuharu Misawa or Ultimo Dragon. We see clips of Guevara & Garcia coming together as a tag team, which doesn’t make me feel great about their future. Aubrey Edwards rings the bell, and Le Sex Gods collide to start us off. Shoulderblock by Jericho, nip up by Sammy, chops exchanged. Low dropkick by Sammy, more chops exchanged. Sammy with a knee strike, to the corner and a tag to Daniel. Double shoulderblock, some breakdancing and posing by Sammy & Danny. Chops exchanged by Jericho & Garcia. Some dancing from Danny! He walks all over Jericho and the crowd approves of the sports entertaining. Tag to Takeshita. Flying clothesline from Takeshita, a big roaring elbow, some dancing and a cockyesque cover gets 1. The crowd does not approve of that dancing, but Jericho tags in, hits a back suplex and a proper cocky cover. Delayed vertical suplex by Jericho, he then slaps away at Garcia. Daniel fires back with punches, but Callis tries to trip him on the ropes. Jericho takes advantage with a strike as we go PICTURE IN PICTURE.
Jericho drops Garcia on the ropes, and goes back to the chops. Takeshita tags in and works an abdominal stretch, complete with some assistance from Jericho. Backbreaker, then a tag to Jericho. We return to full picture and Jericho takes Garcia down with a chop. Garcia getting jacked up here per Taz, but fights back for a second before going back down. Garcia blocks the Lionsault with his knees, and crawls towards Guevara. Tags. Sammy flies in with a crossbody, sends both guys onto opposite guys of the floor! Dive to Jericho! Dive to Takeshita! Frog splash to Takeshita in the ring gets two thanks to Jericho. Garcia attacks Jericho, Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb on Sammy and locks in the Walls of Takeshita. Sammy fights out, Jericho tags in and Sammy hits a C4 for 2. Sammy rolls up out of a Walls attempt for two. Both men clothesline each other down. Tag to Danny, who runs into a Codebreaker. Cover gets 2! Garcia with a kick out a corner for 2 thanks to Takeshita. Sammy knocks Takeshita out of the ring with a kick, goes up top, shooting star to the floor! Garcia blocks a Judas Effect, gets a rollup for two, then locks in the Sharpshooter! Callis with the bat to Garcia! Jericho saw it! Does he care? Some emoting going on here, but Jericho takes the easy cover for three.
Winners: Chris Jericho & Kososuke Takeshita (12:19 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/2
Tony Khan thanks us for watching Dynamite and tells us we’re celebrating 200 episodes. He mentioned All In! We then get a video package of some of the best Dynamite moments.
Renee Paquette wants to talk to Chris Jericho. Before that happens, Daddy Magic informs Jericho that there will be a mandatory meeting of the Jericho Appreciation Society next week. Jericho has no words for Renee after that news.
Tony Schiavone introduces the FTW Champion, Jack Perry. Jack takes the microphone from Tony & tells Jerry Lynn to come out and take his asskicking like a man. Jerry has a microphone and he soaks up the “Jerry” chants. Lynn says he won’t go down to the ring and make an example out of Perry because that would be child abuse. There isn’t a doctor alive that would clear Jerry to get back in that ring. So Jerry called a friend of his that wrestled in ECW and still wrestles today. The fans seem to know who that is, and sure enough, we hear “Walk” by Pantera! RE! SPECT! WALK! WHAT DO YA SAY! It’s Rob Van Dam! RVD enters the ring and stares Jack Perry right in the eyes. Sure enough, Jack rolls out of the ring. RVD points to himself and high tens Jerry. Perry tries to break that up with a chair, but RVD evades & Perry heads for higher ground in the audience, even begging behind a child for a moment. What a bastard!
We get a video package building tonight’s Women’s World Championship match.
Anything Goes: Jon Moxley vs. Trent Beretta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes): We get to see some clips of the infamous Parking Lot Brawl between Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz. Whatever happened to those two chaps? This thing breaks down when Mox gets to ringside, as one would expect. Mox bites away at Trent, then eats a trash can from Penta. Penta shrugs off a tornado DDT, then hits a trash can lid shot on Trent. Zero Miedo, then Mox hits a move, goes outside and finds a barbed wire 2×4. Because of course. Penta with a backstabber in the corner. Trent hits a trashcan assisted knee on Penta. Mox introduces the barbed wire to Trent. “You sick f” chants make their way to Tampa. Trent suplexes Mox onto the wire. Penta gets a table on the outside, gets a couple actually with Alex’s help. Trent’s bleeding in a couple of places on his head. Mox blocks Penta’s dive attempt and introduces him to the barbed wire. Trent superplexes Mox onto the two tables on the outside, then we go to PICTURE IN PICTURE as the fans chant “Holy Poop”.
It is asking way too much for these people to sell through a commercial break. I went to the bathroom and they got tables propped in the corner and in the ring. Penta sets Trent on a table, as if that matters, and Trent follows him up. Trent wants another superplex, but Penta hits an avalanche Destroyer through the table! Then Mox shoulderblocks Penta through the table in the corner five seconds later. And now Moxley has found Abyss’s bag of thumbtacks. Some reversals lead to a cradle piledriver in the tacks, which gets two. Penta’s whole back gets slammed into the tacks. Trent drops Mox head first into the tacks, that cover gets broken up by a garbage can. I can’t help but think that Necro Butcher peaked 15 years too early. Mox & Penta double team Trent, then fight each other. Paradigm Shift on Penta, Trent hits a knee strike on Mox & covers Penta for three!
Winner: Trent Beretta
Match Rating: ***
Moxley attacks after the bell, and the BCC & Best Friends fight in the crowd. They all get down to ringside, and Trent ends up diving onto everybody. Chuck Taylor drives Claudio out of the ring, OC hits the Orange Punch on Moxley. Chuck drops a “goddamn” after not being allowed to say “shit” for 200 episodes, and challenges the BCC to a Parking Lot Brawl at Rampage in Jacksonville. Well then!
We see some clips from Collision, and when we return we will hear from MJF!
Renee is with Rob Van Dam, who heard Jack Perry running his mouth. He wants to challenge Jack for the FTW Championship next week. He mentions how he’s retired a lot of championships in the past. Hmmmm.
MJF is here to grace us with some knowledge. Some Devil worshippers out there! He’s a little emotional tonight. He has ADD, which gets a chant. He wishes his teachers felt that way. Rejection-sensitive disorder is something else he has, which I’m pretty sure I have too. He’s been through a lot of stuff, but the one thing he can’t forget is when those kids threw quarters at him and told him “pick it up Jew boy, pick it up”. He learned that day he had to stab everybody else in the back before they could stab him. He ended up being a scumbag, it’s true. Being a scumbag is easy. It’s easy to get fans to boo him. What’s hard is being vulnerable and open. He’s not scared anymore. That’s because of the fans. We taught him that people do care about Max. The fans chant “Max”. We have sympathy for the devil. He won’t change overnight, he’s still a scumbag. But he’s ready to be our scumbag! The fans chant. There’s one person that taught him to think that living with hate in his heart is no way to live at all. Max gives a grandiose introduction to his best friend, Adam Cole Bay Bay! Cole even walks out without his music playing to give it an extra touch. Cole puts MJF over as one of the best wrestlers over, and appreciates the man he’s becoming. Cole was also a jerk for years, he was afraid & scared too because he didn’t appreciate what being a man was. The fans want to love and cheer MJF. There is a good guy in there. Cole tells MJF that he & we are proud of him. MJF lets us know that he’s still a scumbag. He called Cole out here because he made a promise. He promised to give Cole a shot at the AEW World Championship. After thinking long & hard on it, he decided that Cole doesn’t deserve a match. Not just a match. He deserves the match. In front of the most historic crowd, the most historic night, the main event, at Wembley Stadium for All In! MJF passes Cole the contract, and Cole signs. They love each other and hug! We’ve got an All In main event!
Roderick Strong is big mad backstage since he never trusted MJF. Matt Taven & Mike Bennett appear to remind him he has some friends.
Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Santam Singh (w/Karen Jarrett & Sonjay Dutt): The Elite are here for a little while longer, so what better way to celebrate than a match with everybody’s favorite people to hate? Omega & Jarrett start! Love to see it! JJ with a hip toss, body slam & a Fargo strut! JJ with a cheapshot before Lethal tags in and gets arm dragged. The Bucks take over on Lethal. JJ eats a double dropkick. Matt Jackson wants Santam tagged in, so he gets it. Kenny & Nick vacate the corner for a second. The Bucks double dropkick Singh, then he cross-bodies them. A mocking pose before we go PICTURE IN PICTURE.
Karen helps out with the offense on Nick. The main thing I’m noticing here during the break is Rick Knox’s horrendous officiating. He probably got an extension too. Kenny & Jay tag in. YOU CAN’T ESCAPE! But Santam breaks that up. Lethal gets the knees up on Omega. SUPERKICK PARTY! Singh eats a bunch of them, a V-Trigger from Kenny brings the giant down. Karen distracts Knox while Sonjay interferes. Lethal hits his combination on Kenny, then Brandon Cutler sprays Karen! It’s the Hardys! Jeff twists of fate Sonjay on the floor! JJ has the guitar! Misses Kenny, Hangman Page buckshot lariats Jarrett! One winged angel on Jarrett ends things here.
Winners: Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks (8:58 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/4
Kenny wants Hanger to tell the people something. Hangman tells us that the Elite have resigned with AEW. Here’s to the next 200 episodes! Omega teases a Collision drop-by. ADIEU, GOODBYE, GOOD NIGHT, BANG!
AR Fox wonders why Darby Allin didn’t say a word to him for five years. He’ll take away everything that he gave to Darby. Swerve takes care of his affiliates, and introduces a video where the Mogul Affiliates paid a visit to the Buddy Wayne Academy. Swerve & AR beat up Nick Wayne and some fools there. Nick gets busted open and forced to call Darby. Swerve informs Darby that they’re the ghosts of his past and this is just the beginning.
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: Aussie Open (c) vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo & Komander (w/Alex Abrahantes): Bobby Cruise is here for the ROH ring announcing! Fletcher & Vikingo start. Vikingo evades in the corner, springboard crossbody then tornado DDT. Davis tags in, Komander tags in as well and hits a rana. Komander & Davis the legal men, Davis kicks the man down, kicks Vikingo down so Aussie Open can do some double teaming. Komander fights out for a second before getting kneed down. Fletcher misses in the corner, Komander tries to fight back but gets shut down. Vikingo tags in. Double dives, both get caught and driven into each other as we go PICTURE IN PICTURE.
Davis works over Komander. He & Fletcher trade Komander off before Fletcher hits the vertical suplex for two. Vikingo eventually gets the tag and we’re back to full picture. Assisted Iconclasm gets two on Vikingo. It’s 2 on 1 and Vikingo gets double elbowed. Komander with a Destroyer, Vikingo with a crucifix bomb, and it’s time to dive to the floor! Davis is down in the ring, double 450 gets two thanks to Fletcher. Davis with a kick to Komander. Modified H-Bomb gets the win for Aussie Open.
Winners: Aussie Open (9:48 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
We get a video package building CM Punk vs. Ricky Starks on this week’s Collision. Pretty full card on that show this week.
AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) (w/Saraya & Ruby Soho) vs. Hikaru Shida: I feel like Tony Khan’s response to fans that want him to book the women’s division better is to put them in the main event slot, then when ratings drop he can claim that the fans don’t want women’s wrestling. i feel confident in this take since Tony was a typical Internet fan, and that’s what typical Internet fans have said for decades. Toni fires away on Shida, Shida fights back. Toni begs outside & her fellow Outcasts comfort her. Toni comes back in and it doesn’t go much better. Shida gets distracted, but not for long as she seems a step ahead early. Storm fights out of a 10 punch on the barricade, sends Shida back into the ring and works her over in the corners before Shida suplexes her into a corner and back into the middle of the ring. Toni fights back, the Outcasts help her fight back. We go PICTURE IN PICTURE.
Storm keeps working Shida over. Shida catches that hip attack and German suplexes in response. Shida with a lot of punches in the corner. Missile dropkick from Shida gets two. Shida with a meteroa for two. Soho interferes, and Storm hits a DDT on Shida. Hip attack by Storm, cover gets two! The two exchange strikes. Tony Schiavone informs us that TBS will stick with this match as long as it takes. Shida with a knee. Falcon Arrow! She did the deal and it only gets two! Saraya throws the kendo stick into the ring. Shida retrieves it. She hits Soho. Storm gets the spraypaint in the eyes & the Storm Zero and that only gets two! Series of reversals leads to a roll up & a two-time two-time two-time Women’s World Champion!
Winner: Hikaru Shida (13:14 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/4
