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COMPLETE 'FORBIDDEN GATE OPEN AND FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE' DYNAMITE BLOG

We are wasting absolutely no time tonight as the TNT Championship is on the line.  Joey Janela, a staple of AEW dating all the way back to All In, challenges Darby Allin.  Darby switched up his makeup this week, actually it looks better.  Janela is an interesting story in this company.  You can'y really point to something like a match or angle he's done that's outright failed or he's been bad at.  He's a favorite of the AEW fans and and does a tremendous job promoting on the independent circuit.  But as a major star, he just falls short.  Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely a place for him here, but what I'm specifically doing right now is comparing him to the guy he's in the ring with.  Allin has that undeniable "it".  Fully develolped?  No, I don't think he's at the level where his name sells out a building, but he's on that track.

Where I'm going to give The Bad Boy all the props here is that I'm really glad he's looking good here. I'm the first guy to come on here and complain that every AEW match is 50-50.  Janela looks very credible here as the challenger. 

How Allin hasn't seriously hurt himself on those dives to the outside is beyond me.  Dude throws absolutely everything he has behind them and it never looks contrived.  Cool spot where Joey is looking at the belt.  Gets it over as a real prize.  Heck of a good match we've got here, both guys are being elevated here and absolutely nothing looks silly.  Janela kicks out of a Destroyer off the turnbuckle but finally succumbs to the Coffin Drop.  I'll say it right here and now, an excellent opener. Kudos to both these guys.  Allin elevates his status as champion and Janela looks like some one who maybe, just maybe, can someday win the prize.

JR, Tony and Excalibur show us some highlights of KENTA's appearance last week.  The reference is made to their IWGP U.S. title match later this month.

JR, Tony and Excalibur show us some highlights of KENTA's appearance last week.  The reference is made to their IWGP U.S. title match later this month.

Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch later tonight, YES PLEASE!

Jon Moxley in the parking lot with the aforementioned IWGP US title belt.  I admit I kind of find it odd that Lance Archer is his partner without the benefit of a true face turn.

Sammy Guevara wants a chat with MJF.  The room is cleared except the cameraman (who Sammy asked to stay).  Sammy continues his quest to prove that MJF is out to take over and/or destroy the Inner Circle.  Kind of an odd ending to this as it turns out MJF was recording the conversation all the while knowing the camera was rolling. Sammy with a hard punch to the gut.  MJF goes down and sells it like he's been legit punched in the gut.  A little logic issue with the cameras but these two guys just ooze charisma.

Pretty Peter Avalon, who hopefully won't tap to a threatened face slap, teams up with Cesar Bonani to take on Cody Rhodes and Lee Johnson.  I absolutely love the fact that The Nightmare Family brings in the young guys with a future like Johnson.  Johnson can still lose despite the connection but, when he does lose, beating him means something as opposed to Johnson just being another guy to get beat on.  Schiavone just said that Johnson was in search of his first ever win.  I'm probably wrong but I could have sworn there was a W or two somewhere in there on Dark.  Bononi looks solid.  As an underneath team, he and Avalon can be entertaining, especially with Avalon playing the scared pretty boy and Bononi as the muscle.  Cody's been taking the beating throughout the commercial, and it's Johnson getting the hot tag. 

Johnson's got some fire and hits an excellent brainbuster/neckbreaker combo that should have ended it but Bononi made the save.  Rollup and it's Lee Johnson scores the pin on Avalon.  Kid looks thrilled.  Good for him.  Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall come out to congratulate him. Tony Schiavone gets ahold of him and he confirms his prior 0-29 record.  Big moment for the kid.  I'm legit happy for him.

I am genuinely enjoying this show so far.

The Young Bucks confront The Good Brothers, who brag about AEW's rating vs. NXT's.  Umm...what are Impact's ratings?  Somehow this turns into The Young Bucks defending their titles next week against Santana and Ortiz.  I have no idea how or why that came about.

Hangman Page is getting taken out to the bar by Big Money Matt.  That could be a VERY expensive night for Hardy.  Page walks by The Dark Order, who apparently are going to the same bar.

Pac vs. Ryan Nemeth is up next.  I dig the Hollywood Hunk moniker for Nemeth.  That said, Pac is ranked #3 in the World Title rankings.  He needs to be brutal and dominant here.  No way this should be close to 50-50 and so far it's a squash.  Nemeth with a couple of spurts of no consequence.  Falcon Arrow and a Brutalizer later and Pac with the win.  Exactly what it needed to be.

We get......highlights...are we calling it that, of the wedding between Kip and Penelope.  The less said, the better.

Jericho and MJF, who may or not be injured, come out for their match against the Acclaimed.  Really seems like "Judas" was seriously downplayed this week.  Odd matchup as Caster and Bowens are heels.  I like these guys, I really do.  Caster changes up his raps each time he goes out there to make it situation-specific.  MJF is playing up his injury for all it's worth.  Jericho is going to have to shoulder the load tonight.

I've noticed tonight that Dynamite fells different.  Seems like they cycled in a few new names tonight. Definitely freshens things up.

MJF is tagging in only to put some boots down and preserve his health as we go to commercial.

We're back and, throughout picture in picture, it's been MJF just stomping down on Caster.  MJF and Jericho doing the classic leverage spot in an abdominal stretch until Aubrey makes the break.  Bowens with the hot tag.  Bowens with a nice torture rack/airplane spin combo.  Bowens with an oh-so-close two.  Jericho with the Judas Effect after interference.  Another really solid bout here.  Another match where everyone comes out of it looking better. The Acclaimed had a great showing here.

The Inner Circle come out to celebrate but Sammy immediately QUITS the Inner Circle.  Back on December 9th he vowed to leave if one more incident took place with MJF.  Tonight, apparently, was that night.  Guevara actually walked out through the babyface entrance.

We are at the bar and Matt is trying to get Page drunk.  It's been 35 minutes since they left for the bar.  Page allegedly signs the managerial contract with Hardy but I'm pretty sure something else went down.  They immediately cut to Tony bringing out Sting to talk about the street fight against Team Taz at the PPV.  Sting is immediately interrupted by the video board showing Team Taz having already stuffed Darby into a body bag and dragging him across the parking lot in their SUV.

Alex Marvez catches up to Kenny Omega on the golf course.  The AEW World Champion seems less than concerned about his falls count anywhere match tonight.  

Legit Leyla Hirsch vs. Thunder Rosa in a first round match in the title eliminator tournament. I love the hometown of The Graveyard of Tijuana. Insert with Thunder Rosa where she proclaims she wants both the NWA and AEW Women's title AND to get revenge on Dr. Britt Baker.  This match ought to be excellent.  I'm already a huge fan of Thunder Rosa's work (wearing her T Shirt right now) and Hirsch has been an eye opener since her debut.  She's a fireplug. She obviously needs more ringtime to get smoother but, for now, her presentation as a young powerhouse is perfect for what it needs to be.

On the other side, Rosa has a star presence that is just different from everyone else.  Is she the best woman wrestler in the word?  No.  But, she doesn't need to be.  She nails a beautiful shotgun dropkick for 2.  This is a hard hitting match.  A missed moonsault and a running knee by Thunder Rosa should have ended it.  Rosa gets the pin and she earned every bit of it.  She's favoring her shoulder as we go to commercial.

Monday at 7PM on YouTube there'll be matches from the Japanese side of the women's title eliminator tournament.

This has been a heck of an episode tonight.

Main Event time as KENTA and Kenny Omega meet Lance Archer and Jon Moxley.

 Interesting stat ahead of the IWGP US title match: KENTA has defended the "Right to Challenge" briefcase 5x and Moxley has defended the actual title twice. I'm not sure how Lance Archer will work as a babyface.  One thing I am certain of is that this will not resemble an ROH Pure Rules match. 

Omega and KENTA aren't necessarily getting along.  Archer does seem to be on the same page as Moxley so far.  Thinking that Jake Roberts isn't long for his corner.  He introduces a ladder into the proceedings as we go to commercial (Restaurant quality picture in picture).

We're back and the falls count anywhere match finally goes all about Dailey's Place.  And...Peter Avalon somehow gets involved.  He eats a GTS.  Apparently he had a heart shaped bed at ringside and Omega got slammed on it.  I thought beds were supposed to be relatively soft.  Moxley and KENTA are in the kitchen.  DDT by KENTA on a stainless steel table.  Archer and Omega catch up to them. And out of nowhere we get highlights from the match, while it's still going on (I'm guessing some editing needed to be done).  Omega and Moxley make it back to the ring, as do KENTA and Archer. 

Double foot stomps by KENTA onto the IWGP US champion.  Neat little spot there as it wasn't an obvious set up, more a great opportunity presented itself.  The Good Brothers come out to save Omega (and presumably KENTA as they should all be Bullet Club).  Moxley saves Jake Roberts with the barbed wire bat. It's come apart here folks.  Magic Killer on Archer by the Good Brothers.  Omega nails a Good Brother assisted OWA for the pin.

Omega and company celebrate as we go to credits. 

Folks, I'll say it: this was a darn good episode of Dynamite well worth your time to watch it. 

Cory and I will be up later tonight in the Elite Section.  Thanks for reading.

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