wrestling / News
Join 411’s Live AEW Dynamite Coverage
Keep Refreshing For The Latest Results
— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.
Hang on a minute, I’m not usually watching this live. By the wonders of Fite TV and a caffeine fuelled Saturday night, you’ve got me for the last Dynamite outside of its usual slot. Among a loaded card, we’ve got Jungle Boy getting his shot at Kenny Omega’s AEW title – having earned it at Double or Nothing in the Casino Royale Battle Royal.
We’re at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville for this, with Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone on the call. We’ve also got a pretty big crowd, so it’s back to the “one tunnel” set-up.
“Earlier today” we’re shown footage of Sammy Guevara being assaulted by the Shawn Spears and a chair as Alex Marvez interviewed him. Sammy’s shoulder’s screwed ahead of his match with MJF on Wednesday…
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Hangman Page
Taz is on commentary for this one… the rest of Team Taz aren’t out, with Taz claiming Hobbs wants to go solo.
Hobbs takes Page into the corner to start, before a shoulder block took Page down. A leapfrog’s caught as Page gets charged into the corner, but Page counters with right hands and some boots as he stopped for a breather.
Page kicks away a back body drop, then came in with clotheslines before getting thrown onto the apron. He teases a Buckshot lariat, but Hobbs powders outside. Page joins him and gets clobbered on the floor, before pulling off a barrier cover so he could choke Page in the guard rails.
Back inside, Hobbs suplexed Page, then hit a falling headbutt before a Vader bomb attempt was blocked by Page’s feet. Some mounted punches from Page are pushed off, as Hobbs then chucked him into the ring post. On the floor, Hobbs pulls Page back into the post before the eventual reversal attempt… it’s blocked as Hobbs breaks the count, only to get posted in the end.
Page is busted open on his scalp from that trip to the ring post, but makes it back inside to boot Hobbs, then low bridge him onto the apron. A springboard dropkick has Hobbs on the floor as Page followed with a plancha, then took it back inside for a moonsault out of the corner. It’s good for a near-fall, before Hobbs’ comeback saw him splat Page with a body attack a la Vader.
A hammerlock’d slam drops Page as Hobbs went back up the turnbuckles… but misses a swandive headbutt. Page is back with a lariat for a near-fall, but another crossbody from Hobbs keeps him in it for a near-fall as Ricky Starks and Hook come out to ringside. Starks has the FTW title with him, but Brian Cage runs out to snatch it back and chase Starks to the back.
Amid that distraction Page went for a Buckshot, but the camera misses it as Hobbs countered into a spinebuster for a near-fall before a missed clothesline left Hobbs open for a German suplex. From there, Page hoists up Hobbs for the Dead Eye, and that’s the win. A pretty good opener that felt hard-fought, even if you could see the run-ins coming. ***
Post-match, Page grabs some cans…
Video time as we recap Jungle Boy’s Casino Royale win at Double or Nothing, and the subsequent build-up. They mention that last time AEW ran on a Saturday, Brodie Lee beat Cody for the TNT title… and lightning might strike twice.
The instrumental of the Dynamite theme is pretty catchy. I know because Fite plays it during every break when they don’t do picture-in-picture…
Earlier today, the Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler have a promo. They brag about being the longest reigning AEW tag team champions in history, and continue to belittle Brandon Cutler as they run down the other tag teams they’ve beaten. That ring truck setting gets a lot of use in AEW promos. Eddie Kingston and Penta el Zero M are next in line as Brandon finally gets to say a line, while the Bucks call themselves EVP – Extremely Violent People. That’ll be Wednesday night.
Tully x Konnan Promo
Tully Blanchard is in the ring with Tony Schiavone. Tully gets booed as Tony introduces Konnan to the ring, complete with the old school LAX theme. The “gentleman’s discussion” starts with Tully letting Konnan going first, representing Proud and Powerful.
There’s a line about relations with sheep as Konnan brings up racial profiling and Proud and Powerful’s upbringing. HOLY CRAP Konnan went there, telling Tully he needs to learn Spanish “if he’s going to communicate with his grandkids.” Blanchard threatens to call out the Pinnacle to end Konnan, but Konnan just calls out Proud and Powerful first… except they look a little too masked up.
Of course, it’s a con. The hoodies, bandana’d men revealed themselves to be FTR after Tully showed Santana and Ortiz laid out backstage. They put a beating to Konnan, laying him out with a spike piledriver before referees run out as Dax Harwood’s left holding his sneaker.
Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal
Martin’s been flying solo as Darius Martin appears to be on the shelf for a prolonged period… but he’s interrupted by Vickie Guerrero’s shrill voice. She introduces the “future champion” Andrade el Idolo, who has his nickname stitched on the inside of the suit jacket. Thankfully, Vicki’s interrupted by Matt Sydal as Andrade and Vicki just go to the back.
We get going as Sydal worked around Martin, taking things to the mat. A side headlock from Martin’s escaped as Sydal worked the arm, but Martin floats out of a snapmare before hitting a springboard dropkick for an early two-count. A pop-up tijeras from Martin has Sydal in the corner, before Martin leapt back into a leg lariat for a two-count.
Kicks from Sydal wear down Martin, as did some toe holds before a flip senton from Sydal took us into commercials. Luckily, Fite doesn’t reduce the video size for the picture-in-picture, as Martin hits an inverted slam and a low dropkick for a two-count. Sydal’s back with an elbow in the corner, then a clothesline, before a diving knee met Martin in the buckles.
A bow-and-arrow stretch awaits for Martin next, with Sydal letting go to drill Martin’s knee into the mat. That’s followed with a side-Russian legsweep and a over-the-shoulder toe hold, which is quickly broken up. A leg lariat swiped Martin to the outside, but he baits Sydal into some headscissors on the floor as Martin dragged his way back into the ring.
Sydal’s back in too, but he traps Martin in a modified Figure Four that ended in the ropes. Kicks from Martin wear down Sydal before a suplex/cutter variation almost put Sydal away. A gamengiri rocks Sydal before a double springboard moonsault almost gets Martin the win.
The pair head up top as Martin looked for a superplex… he’s swatted down to the mat for a Meteora from Sydal… but it’s not enough. Martin ducks a leaping knee, then went airborne for a sunset flip, coming down with snow for a near-fall, before a flip stunner added another two-count. Martin can be so damn crisp with his flying for a 20 year old, huh?
Going back up top, Martin leaps over Sydal, but jars his knee on the landing as Sydal put him away with a Lightning Spiral for the win. ***½
Promo time with Jungle Boy. He’s interrupted by Christian Cage who’s apparently here to back Jungle Jack… and I smell a rat. Christian tells Jungle Boy that some feel he shouldn’t be in this spot.
Jade Cargill and Mark Sterling are still monetizing the brand. Mark’s got a promo code for ShopAEW for 10% off of Jade’s shirts with the code THATB. Jade rips a Dark Order shirt, literally and figuratively.
Backstage, Alex Marvez is with the Pinnacle. MJF cuts him off instantly, celebrating their attacks on Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, before bringing up what he did to Dean Malenko last week. They go there with Malenko, bringing up his Parkinsons and whether Malenko should be involved still… and the segment ends with Jericho and Jake Hager attacking Spears, MJF and Wardlow. They brawl towards the entrance way, then towards ringside, as the Pinnacle eventually threaten to lay out Jericho’s arm with a chair.
Except Sammy Guevara makes the save, running out with a gamengiri before going after Spears. There’s a big chairshot for Wardlow, then one at Spears’ arm as Guevara equalises the earlier attack before Sammy promised to make everyone find out that AEW chose “the wrong guy.” Hey, I’m hyped for this match now, just based on that Sammy promo.
Ethan Page vs. Bear Bronson
Page is apparently on a 7-match winning streak, while Bear Bronson’s been on his own lately with Bear Boulder on the shelf. Except Boulder’s back now, so I’d say this leads to a tag feud?
Bronson takes Page to the corner to start, before a cheapshot from Page just angered the bear, who wore down the Canadian with strikes. A back elbow dumps Page off the ropes, but Ethan mocks the bear claws… and runs into a powerslam for his troubles. Page kicks out at two, then rolled to the apron, where he was run into the turnbuckles repeatedly.
Bronson goes for a tope, but Scorpio Sky takes the bullet for Page… who then backed into Bear Boulder. Page tried to get Boulder thrown out, but the distraction allowed Scorpio Sky to get back in and throw Boulder into the railings. During the picture-in-picture, Page rolls Bronson back into the ring, then grounded him with a waistlock bear hug (ironic, huh?)
Page can’t keep the hold on, but boots Bronson ahead of a DDT that gets a two-count. A head kick rocks Bronson, who’s taken down with a leaping shoulder tackle. When we get back from break, a back body drop throws Page aside as he went for the Ego’s Edge, and Bronson fires up from there, taking Page into the corner for a splash.
Page eats some short clotheslines from there, ahead of a standing spinebuster, but Bronson misses a back senton, allowing Page to go for the Ego’s Edge again. It’s reversed again as Bronson lifts him away, then sat on him for a two-count. Bronson heads up top, but he’s brought down with a superplex for a near-fall before he ran into a Black Hole Slam for a near-fall.
Bronson again heads up top, looking for a moonsault, but Scorpio Sky pops up to interfere. Bear Boulder fights him off, but Page caught Bronson with a low blow, then the Ego’s Edge out of the corner, tossing the bear for the win. This was a damn fine TV match, with Bronson getting more than I expected for his place on the roster, but Ethan Page is racking up those wins. ***¼
Post-match, Page got the mic and dealt with the crowd not believing him in saying “I’m not stupid.” Page says he’s not done with Darby Allin, and wants to be the nail in his coffin. They’re going to do a coffin match, eh? Yep! July 7, Page vs. Allin in a coffin match – having found that rare gem – an EVOLVE feud people wanted to see revived.
Britt Baker and Rebel are doing a promo, mocking Vickie Guerrero for wanting a wrestling match. Britt’s not got time for “old chicks thinking they belong in a wrestling ring,” threatening to exceed her malpractice insurance in their tag match next week. Vickie’s response? Claiming it’s an appetizer as Nyla will claim her title shot at Fyter Fest.
The Bunny vs. Kris Statlander
The Bunny’s out with the Blade, while Statlander’s got Orange Cassidy with her after the news that Trent? is on the sidelines having had neck fusion surgery.
The early going’s a little even, with the Bunny tripping Statlander and walking over her… but Statlander’s back with armdrags before she got slapped. An overhead kick is the response, before the Bunny’s crossbody was turned into a slam. A suplex is next from Statlander, who went for a superplex… but the Bunny slips out and superkicks Statlander to the floor.
On the outside, a dropkick takes Statlander into the barrier as we get picture-in-picture again. In the ring, the Bunny gets a two-count as she proceeded to stomp Statlander’s hand, with a trip to the corner following as the Bunny prepared for a sliding forearm. That’s good for a two-count, as was a neckbreaker as the Bunny seemed to be getting frustrated.
The Bunny stretches Statlander with a standing surfboard stretch, then a strait jacket… but Statlander flips free before taking a knee strike. A clothesline takes Statlander to the outside, where she caught a rushing Bunny with a scoop slam as JR was congratulating a sunburnt Blade.
Back in the ring, Statlander exchanges shots with the Bunny, then built up with forearms, chops and a Falcon arrow-ish suplex for a near-fall. A Blue Thunder Bomb dumps the Bunny for a near-fall, before Statlander went up top… only to get caught with a German suplex out of the corner as the Bunny picked up a near-fall.
The Blade pops up on the apron to distract the ref and throw in some brass knuckles. Orange Cassidy disarms them and shoves them down his pants, allowing Statlander to take the win with a Big Bang Theory package tombstone. **¼
Post-match, the Blade attacks Orange Cassidy as TH2 run out to join in. Jack Evans and Angelico knee Cassidy as the sunburnt’d Blade grabbed his brass knuckles back, then used them to lay out Orange.
“Earlier today,” Tony Schiavone spoke with QT Marshall, still in that Sopranos shirt. He mocks the Andersons, Brock in particular, before QT pointed out Cody’s not here. Marshall hopes Cody gets cast in a superhero movie so QT can be a champion… but first, in ten days, he’s got the strap match with Cody at the Road Rager.
Also “earlier today,” Brian Pillman Jr. accused Miro of having a messiah complex and said he’d beat Miro for the TNT title on Wednesday. On Dynamite this Wednesday, : Britt Baker & Rebel vs. Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero, Miro defends the TNT title vs. Brian Pillman Jr., MJF vs Sammy Guevara, plus the Young Bucks vs. Penta el Zero Miedo & Eddie Kingston in a tag title eliminator.
Promo time with Penta el Zero Miedo and Eddie Kingston. Eddie’s a fantastic orator, and notes the only way he and Penta can hurt the Bucks is to take away their tag titles. Penta (via Alex Abrahantes) says they’ll run over the Bucks next week.
AEW World Championship: Jungle Boy vs. Kenny Omega (c)
Oh, it’s time! Tarzan Boy gets a pop out of the Jacksonville crowd, as the rest of the Jurassic Express accompanied Jungle Boy to the ring. Meanwhile, Kenny had Don Callis, the Good Brothers, and all four of his belts with him.
They showed Jungle Boy’s family at ringside, while noted that Kenny Omega’d gone 665 days without a singles loss. So close to a devilish number. Commentary notes they’ll be on TV for the full 60 minutes if needs be… while Marko Stunt and Luchasaurus got ejected before a single shot was fired. The Good Brothers went too, as Don Callis joined commentary.
Omega takes Jungle Boy to the corner to start, just so he could stroke his hair. We’ve a split crowd for both men, as Kenny slapped around his challenger, who rolled free and grabbed a wristlock. Kenny escaped and elbowed Jungle Boy into the corner, only to need to thumb Jungle Boy’s eye to escape some chops.
Jungle Boy recovers with a springboard armdrag attempt, but got caught as he needed to escape a Finlay roll before finally landing the springboard armdrag. A dropkick takes Kenny outside, with a dive being aborted as Kenny ducked… then pulled Jungle Boy to the outside for good measure. Kenny throws Jungle Boy into the railings as the picture-in-picture goodness returned.
Jungle Boy slides across the ring and hits a shotgun dropkick as Omega tried to follow. Another shotgun dropkick followed, but Omega hit back with a back suplex into the ring steps before he dumped Jungle Boy into the front row. Recovering, Jungle Boy makes it back to the ring, but Omega pounces on him with chops and a Finlay roll.
Omega whiffs on the moonsault, but gets the knees up to block a back senton as Jungle Boy eats a backbreaker. Chops pin Jungle Boy to the ropes, before Jungle Boy tried for a suplex. It’s blocked, so he grabs an inside cradle for a two-count… then a scored with a satellite brainbuster! He couldn’t make a cover, so Jungle Boy goes back to Omega with chops before a low dropkick took out Kenny’s knee. A snap Dragon from Omega’s elbowed away, with Kenny spilling outside and into the path of an elbow suicida… a tope follows… but Omega grabs one of the tassels on Jungle Boy’s gear to buy him time.
Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hits a springboard DDT through the ropes, but again Omega spills outside as a tope con giro wiped out the champion. Heading up top, Jungle Boy takes too long as Omega caught him with forearms before bringing Jungle Boy down with a cross-legged superplex for a delayed two-count.
Omega misses a V-Trigger, then saw Jungle Boy escape a German suplex and hit a superkick. The knee strike hits, then a snap Dragon suplex, before the V-Trigger went through Jungle Boy… who’s pulled up for the One Winged Angel, only to spike Kenny with a reverse ‘rana! A sliding elbow to the back gets Jungle Boy a two-count, as Kenny countered a ripcord with a V-Trigger.
Jungle Boy eats a powerbomb and another V-Trigger that nearly ends the match, so Kenny looked to hit another V-Trigger, only for Jungle Boy to roll through and caught Kenny with the snare Trap. That brought out the Good Brothers, Marko Stunt, Luchasaurus and Frankie Kazarian to tease and snuff out the threat of interference… while Omega fought free of the hold.
Back-and-forth strikes ensue, but another V-Trigger from Omega leads to a rebound lariat from Jungle Boy… who then ate a brainbuster for a near-fall. From there, Omega pulls up Jungle Boy, but the One Winged Angel’s rolled out of for a two-count, with the Snare Trap following again, as Kenny needed a hair pull to free himself again.
The crowd surged behind Jungle Boy as Omega recovered in the corner… where he’s lifted up top, only to counter by dropping the challenger on the buckles. Another V-Trigger followed in the corner, before a Tiger Driver 98 planted Jungle Boy for another very near near-fall. The One Winged Angel’s next, and we know that’s that. A banger of a match, with Jungle Boy coming close – but tonight just wasn’t his night. His time will come, mark my words. ****
Post-match, Omega teases measuring up Jungle Boy for a belt shot, before Christian Cage ran out for the save. Matt Hardy and Private Party come out to attack Cage, but the Young Bucks drill Christian with superkicks as he went for a Killswitch on Hardy. A Twist of Fate lays out Cage as we fade to black… Not perhaps the way I’d have ended the show after that Jungle Boy outing, but what do I know?