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COMPLETE AEW DYNAMITE HOMECOMING

It is Wednesday and this week Dynamite is at the Daily’s Place in Jacksonville FL. The commentary team is Tony Schiavone, Taz, and Excalibur. And I am back from Covid, so hurray!

Before we even start, I like the shows at Daily’s Place just because the venue looks different and unique. Most of the time, when they go to an arena, they all look the same. When a venue looks different, it stands out, and gives a show more of a personality. 

Adam Page vs Claudio Castagnoli

Page starts off going after Claudio as if they have a feud going, and Claudio takes a while to start firing back. The announcers put over that they two have an issue, but damned if I can remember what they are. As the match goes, each starts hitting their big moves, with brawling in between. Then as they brawl, we are told they have never met in the ring before, which undercuts the supposed issues between the two.

When they come back from commercial, we have Claudio turn the buckshot lariat into a pop up uppercut. They go back to hitting each other with big moves and then recovering from each big move, and Claudio’s strength is just massive as he both takes and hits moves like these.  I will also say that Page brushing the hair out of his face after taking a big hit is a poor choice and undercuts the match a bit.

In the end, Page hits a pair of buckshot lariats to get the pin and the win.

Winner: Adam Page

We have the first of our two Eight Man Tag matches, which I am not a fan of. They are great for the live crowd as they get to see a bunch of big names, but they are mostly by the numbers where each person gets a spotlight, but the matches mean nothing.

Orange Cassidy, Adam Copeland, Preston Vance, and Dustin Rhodes vs Brian Cage, The Gates of Agony (Toa Leona and Bishop Kaun), and Lance Archer

I guess it’s time for Lance Archer and Jake Roberts to appear out of nowhere.  

The Orange Cassidy team is a tribute to Brody King, as each member of that team had a personal friendship with him.

I think the Gates of Agony could be a great heel tag team that tears through people.  Lance Archer is someone they want us to think is a threat, but since he shows up, tears things down only to lose in a big match, he doesn't have much in the way of a threat if he’s in and out so much. Then you have Preston Vance., who is with La Faccion Ingobernables, which can’t seem to decide if they are babyfaces or heels. 

The match is fairly paint by numbers, and after we come back from the picture in picture, Jake gets to nail Jose the assistant with a punch. They also have sections where Archer doesn't get along with his teammates, leading to Vance gets the pin and the win with a discus lariat. 

Winners:  Orange Cassidy, Adam Copeland, Preston Vance, and Dustin Rhodes

We’ll see if they follow up with Vance in the weeks to come.

Renee is with the Bullet Club Gold, and Jay says that they are much better than the United Kingdom, and when they say they are a great trios team. The Acclaimed show up and say that if they combine forces they could be a super faction. 

Samoa Joe is on his way to the ring to speak to the people, resplendent in a suit. He says he’s here to make some changes to the championship protocol. You don’t make a whiny promo but instead bring your record to the championship committee and he’lll stomp your ass into the mat. Anyone who wants a piece of him, he’ll be waiting.

Swerve Strickland’s music plays and he arrives with the rest of the Mogul Embassy. Swerve says it’s not personal, he just wants the championship and he’s gonna take it. We then get Adam Page’s music. He says while he found Swerve, he lost sight of the world Championship and he will make it his. Swerve leaves and Page gets in Joe’s face and says he remembers what Joe did to him and he will take the title because of it. 

Page then leaves. Joe polishes off the title and holds it high.

We then get Hook’s music. Hook and Joe go face to face and exchange words without a microphone.  Hook says One Week and leaves.

Renee Paquette is with Toni Storm and asks about her reaction to last week.  Miaraih asks about her match last week. She says she didn’t watch it and asks if she did an arm drag. 

Renee says she meant Deanna Pirazzo. Toni says it sounds Italian and she’ll have her people reach out for her.  She then starts her catchphrase, forgets her line and when Mariah finishes it for her, Toni is NOT pleased…and Luther laughs at her. 

Lots of comedy in the interview, and Storm is just fantastic in this role. 

Sammy Guevara vs Ricky Starks

Ricky is able to take control early on and after he does his pose, he mocks Geuvara’s facial expressions. Guevara mocks Starks and we are told that Ricky and Big Bill will have a no holds barred tag team title match with Guevara and Jericho Saturday night. 

This is a match to build to that, so they don’t go as crazy as they normally go, and as such, it’s a well done 50/50 match. Guevara is able to get an inside cradle for the pin and the win to put some doubt on the match for Saturday.  Having them have a match without all of the high flying fireworks and craziness worked much better for a match in the middle of the show than their normal high spotfest.  

Winner: Sammy Guevara

Guevara and Starks shake hands after the match, and Big Bill shows up to stomp down Guevara. Jericho shows for the save and takes Big Bill out. They brawl into the crowd.

Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, Anna Jay, and Thunder Rosa vs Saraya, Ruby Soho, Skye  Blue, and Julia Hart

Saraya has Harley Cameron as she comes out with Ruby.

Another big multi-person match, and it shows that Anna Jay has moved toward the babyface side of the roster. Again, everyone gets a quick spotlight as they go back and forth. And again, it feels like a chance for everyone to get in their greatest hits in a cookie cutter match. They work in the eight person suplex which looks cool but is incredibly contrived. 

And again, this is the kind of match that works great on a house show, but doesn’t seem like something worth TV time.  The whole show has had a house show kind fo feel to itand almost a placeholder for an episode of Dynamite.

Anna is able to get the Queenslayer on Skye Blue for the win.

Winners: Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, Anna Jay, and Thunder Rosa

It feels like Anna hasn't won with the Quneenslayer in a long time.

We get a pre-taped promo from Wheeler Yuta to hype his winning streak on Rampage and how he is defending the Ring of Honor Pure Championship.

Excalibur lets us know there will be a five minute overrun tonight, so I would say that if you are setting your DVR, add an overrun for every episode, since they’ve pretty much been doing it weekly for the last couple of months. 

Roderick Strong vs The Already In The Ring Bryan Keith

Strong comes out with all of Undisputed. 

Keith recently dropped out of an indy show in Minneapolis, citing a commitment to AEW. 

After a flurry at the start of the match, Strong takes over and shows his moves and style. Keith gets a few flurries before Strong gets Heartache for the pin and the win. 

Winner: Roderick Strong

A squash match, and I wish they would allow Keith to get some wins under his belt, as he’s a solid hand and a great character.

After the match, Adam Cole says that things are going to change. They don’t care about the fans’ respect. He puts over Roddy as one of the best wrestlers alive today. He says the International championship has Roddy’s name on it. He then puts over Matt Taven and Mike Kanellis. He then says that Wardlow is one of the most vicious men in the business and he is surrounded by men who support him.

Renee is with Deanna Pirazzo who says she will make her in-ring debut Saturday. Kiera Hogan shows and says she will be making an appearance on Collision Saturday as well. 

Jim Ross joins commentary for the main event.

Sting and Darby Allin w/Ric Flair vs Powerhouse Hobbs and Konosuke Takeshita in a no holds barred tornado match

Sting and Hobbs take off through the crowd as Sting has a chair.  Darby and Takeshita fight at ringside. Sting loads Hobbs on a road case and runs him into garbage cans and they fight up to the stage area. Darby hits a coffin drop from the top to the floor, but Takeshita turns it into a rolling German suplex as we go picture in picture.

When we come back from picture in picture, all four men are brawling in the ring. Hobbs and Takeshita together toss Darby across the ring and that leads me to remind you: Don’t do what Darby does. 

When Sting is down, Flair gets in the ring, hits a couple of chops and then pokes him in the eyes for Sting to recover and take over. Darby starts doing insane leaps and dives, including a coffin drop off the bleachers onto the stage where Takeshita is.  Sting hits a scorpion death drop off the stage through a pair of tables at ringside for the pin and win. 

Winners: Darby Allin and Sting

Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Sting, Darby and Flair and asks who Sting’s opponent for his last match will be.

He is interrupted by the Young Bucks. They have 70’s bad guy mustaches and are wearing suits. 

Darby is telling them to bring it, but Sting holds a hand up to hold him back. 

The Bucks leave and we’re out of time!!

 

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