wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s AEW Dynamite Review 1.11.23
Image Credit: AEW
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January 11th, 2023 | KIA Forum in Los Angeles, California
Leave it to AEW to book one of their most loaded cards ever on my birthday.
Hangman Page (0-0 in 2023) vs. Jon Moxley (67-6-1)
Given the feud, it made total sense for these two to brawl as soon as the bell rang. The crowd was way hot for both guys and set the tone for a night of great reactions. Things got a bit uncomfortable as Moxley targeted Hangman’s head, which has been the subject of a recent concussion and a major part of the storyline. He even hit the clothesline that gave Hangman the concussion in the first place. That led us to the commercial break and upon return, the intensity and action had picked up. Moxley got two on the Death Rider and seemed to get pissed at that, so he laid into the elbows targeted at Hangman’s head. Hangman survived and they started trading blows until Hangman knocked Moxley loopy and won with the Buckshot Lariat in 14:10. That felt like a hard hitting heavyweight fight and they left room to possibly continue this. Plus, Hangman became one of only two or three people to cleanly beat Mox. [****]
Tony Schiavone was in the ring and said it brought him no pleasure to introduce his next guest. I expected MJF but we got the returning Adam Cole BAY-BAY. The crowd erupted for him. He promo was supposed to “good news/bad news” and he talked about wanting to be a wrestler since he was a kid, his injury and its impact on his life, and how appreciative he was of the fans being there for him. The bad news wasn’t for him though but for those in the locker room because Adam Cole is back. He masterfully handled that and I can’t do it justice here as it’s the embodiment of that “call an ambulance…but not for me” meme.
The Acclaimed cut a promo in the back to say they’re getting scissors on the Walk of Fame on Friday.
Big Bill and Lee Moriarty (2-0) vs. JungleHook (0-0)
I like JungleHook but it isn’t as fun as HookHausen. Even though Hook was barely on TV for a while, he’s still absurdly over. For the most part, this was your standard tag team match with Moriarty and Jungle Boy handling the majority of the work. That’s because the big story surrounded Hook and Big Bill as Hook wouldn’t back down against him and teased being able to pick him up, which is all everyone wanted to see. Jungle Boy took the heat throughout the commercial break, which included a shot of Ken Jeong in the crowd. Returning, Hook got the hot tag and stood up to Bill again, who blocked a suplex attempt twice. However, after a bit more action, Hook succeeded on the T-Bone to a huge ovation. Bill was stunned and was kept at bay as Moriarty tapped to the Snare Trap after 7:38. Simple yet effective and highly entertaining. [***]
Backstage, Golden Globe winner Paul Walter Hauser (noted big wrestling fan) was interviewed with Orange Cassidy and Danhausen. Hauser said he’ll be at Rampage and Danhausen called him Paul Walter Hausen, suggesting they might be related. We then got confirmation that things are all good between the Best Friends.
Bryan Danielson (No Record Shown) vs. Konosuke Takeshita (0-0 in 2023)
Before Danielson hit the ring for the match, we got MJF for a long-winded promo. He made some offensive jokes about the pronunciation of Takeshita’s name, dissed the fans, and ran down Ken Jeong and Freddie Prinze Jr. in the front row before talking about not having to wrestle Dnaielson for an hour. Danielson showed up and ran him off and MJF legit BOOKED at top speed. Not MJF’s finest mic work. I’ve been anticipating this match since it was announced and they delivered with a great combination of smooth wrestling and hard hitting action. Early on, Takeshita managed to withstand Danielson’s mat work and bust out big moves like a Blue Thunder Bomb to put the American Dragon in trouble. They were pretty even heading into the break. Returning, Takeshita hit a top rope lariat that reminded me of the Danielson/McGuinness classics from the mid-2000s. He added a Brainbuster on the floor but made the mistake of taking too long to capitalize and opened the door for Danielson to get his knees up on a senton atomico. Takeshita survived the Lebelle Lock and they traded forearms before he hit another massive lariat. Takeshita’s counter of the MMA elbows was sick and gave us a true gasp-worthy moment before Danielson came back with a Busaiku Knee, head kicks, and the Regal Stretch in 14:17. Goddamn, what a match. I love stuff like this and Danielson continues to be the best to ever do it. [****¼]
Juice Robinson was interviewed in the back and issued a challenge to Darby Allin for the TNT Title.
Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter (1-0 in 2023) vs. Saraya (1-0) and Toni Storm (18-3)
My girlfriend watching Saraya’s entrance: “Oh, so she’s just still basically Paige, mannerisms and all.” Anyway, I love that Britt and Jamie have that “Killer and the Pillar” nickname. However, they have two of the goofiest tron graphics in “OPEN WIDE” and “HAYTER’S GONNA HATE.” Toni and Jamie kicked this off, reliving their fantastic match from Full Gear and showing the intensity they should given their history. As things broke down before commercial, Hikaru Shida came to ringside with her kendo stick. She was notably irked by Saraya’s handling of picking a partner. The closing stretch here saw Toni and Jamie trading vicious strikes and both fell to the mat. Shida slid her kendo stick in the ring but it was just between them and not specifically toward Toni. Plus, why would faces uses it? Britt grabbed it and hit Toni, who then fell to Hayterade in 11:45. A good tag match where Saraya kind of did nothing. [***]
RAMPAGE
- Anna Jay and Tay Melo vs. Ruby Soho and Willow Nightingale in a Street Fight
- The Acclaimed speaks
- Eddie Kingston and Ortiz vs. The Kings of the Black Throne
- Paul Walter Hauser will appear
- Darby Allin vs. Juice Robinson in a TNT Title match
DYNAMITE NEXT WEEK
- Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido (oh goddamn)
- Jake Hager vs. Ricky Starks
The Jericho Appreciation Society came out for a promo. Matt Menard was his usual over the top self and was the highlight here. They were interrupted by Ricky Starks and Action Andretti as the teams traded verbal barbs and none of it quite clicked. Also, Ricky challenged Hager to a match on Dynamite which was odd since it was just shown on the tron and the fans knew it had already been signed. This was very not good and hopefully, Starks can maintain momentum despite this feud.
Match #7 In Best Of Seven Series Escalara de la Muerte: Death Triangle [3] vs. The Elite [3]
Omega wore the IWGP US Title to the ring. Considering the fact that this had a Destroyer hit early that set the stage for a ridiculous number of spots, there’s no way I’m covering them all. Other reviewers can do it and do it better. Instead, I’ll give a quick explanation of my thoughts on this match. This was wild, filled with action, and exciting but I don’t think it was truly great. It felt rushed at times and like everyone was working together to do spots rather than it feeling like two teams competing. There were standout moments from Cutler’s use of the hairspray on Alex to the multitude of table spots to a particularly scary One Winged Angel off the ladder. In the end, Omega pulled down the titles at the 14:49 mark, capping a fun but predictable series. [***¾]
