IT’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
Heya folks! A lot happened this weekend, didn’t it? All Elite Wrestling went all out for All Out and the headline-making moves we experienced were insane. Not only that, the show itself will prove to hold up pretty well on a list of this year’s best pay-per-views. Hell, CM Punk had his first match in SEVEN years….well wrestling match, anyway. He had a couple tomato can UFC fights over that seven year span, but as for wrestling, HE’S BACK. Miro got mad at Eddie Kingston and kicked the shit out of him about it. Oh yeah, Ruby Soho also let us know what her destination was and a couple of new, hot rookies showed up. I’m excited to introduce you to these guys, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson. I think they might make it in this business. It’s going to be awesome….baybay.
POP: Black and Gold Brand
There’s something heartwarming about Dustin Rhodes being the overprotective father who is always around to keep an eye on all his children of the Nightmare Family. He’s the type that you just know will put himself in dangerous, possibly stupid situations to protect them, no matter the cost to his own well-being. I know it worked out well for Dakota! What hasn’t worked well (most notably for the Nightmare Family), is Malakai Black’s unending life mission to take each member out one by one.
Black wins this one with the Black Mass after Dustin ate the exposed turnbuckle. Dustin was selling a knee injury early, which is when Black was able to remove the turnbuckle cover. The knee injury also prevented him from avoiding the sweep that led directly to the finish. It was a good showing for Dustin, who still impresses in the ring, even if he is a little slower these days. He’s one of my favorite performers of all time so it’s always a pleasure for me to see him in the ring.
CM Punk comes out for his weekly promo and “bullshit lovefest”. This one actually sets up his next feud nicely! I’m kind of digging the potential of a Punk/Team Taz feud. Punk vs. Starks? Punk vs. Hobbs? And last but certainly not least, Punk vs. Hook?!? Let’s see what the little guy can do against Punk. That would be great.
POP: Styles Clash
I shit you not, less than five seconds after I typed that match header, JR comments on how different Hobbs’ and Dante’ Martin’s styles are. Thanks for stealing the joke, JR. That being said, I do agree with JR. Martin is such a quick, high-flying competitor and Hobbs is….well, Hobbs is a Powerhouse in case you haven’t heard that yet. This was best evidenced on Hobbs catching Martin in a Tope’ Suicida and slamming him face-first into the (Steel)RingPost.
I’m not sure if Powerhouse Hobbs picked up a concussion during this match but the ending was very awkward and slow to develop. Hobbs looked dazed on his feet the entire time and you could see Martin repeating moves to remind Hobbs where he was going next. Martin was able to get Hobbs to give him a HUGE spinebuster for the win even though it felt like he didn’t remember how he was supposed to pin him. Martin may only be 12 years old or whatever but he handled that confusion like a 12 year pro. Hats off to ya, kid.
Well, here’s a feud I didn’t know I wanted to see:
Honestly, this could be SO beautiful. Also, MJF is such a great heel.
BOTCH: Destination Known
It’s so great to see Ruby Soho back on my television. A match against her new rival’s muscle is a perfect reintroduction to television audiences. As an added benefit, the world gets to learn a little more about Jaime Hayter too, who is definitely going to turn on Britt at some point.
These two had an okay match. It was way too short or I was way too invested, one of the two. Either way, between the botched move in the middle that had both landing on their faces and that short timeframe, coupled with Soho just winning with an Enziguri, I just didn’t enjoy this match nearly as much as I wanted to or should have. The postmatch stuff with Riho and Statlander coming out to save Ruby from eating the belt on a Curb Stomp is a nice bit of foreshadowing but please, AEW, don’t tease me with three minute matches that could easily go ten and be way more entertaining.
POP: Internal Strife
In one of the lesser heralded storylines, this slow burn Dark Order breakup has been fantastic. Even if they don’t break up and just get a new leader to glue them back together, it’s a great story. The payoff could be a singles run for Silver or it could be the debut of Windham Rotunda as the Dark Order leader. Nobody can replace Brodie Lee but we can definitely retool on the fly and get them their momentum back.
This match was really good, too. The tension between the Dark Order was minimal enough that it didn’t overshadow the match but also played into the finish as The Pinnacle was able to smash Silver and Uno’s heads together. This distraction allowed them to get the upperhand and hit a triple team Running Death Valley Driver on Silver to get the pinfall. The Civil War after the match ended with the ladies being confused so we’ll see where this story continues to go.
Adam Cole going after Tony Schiavone for his relationship with Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. Totally unexpected but I LOVED it. This is the glory of AEW. And now….The Elite is Complete. Oh look! Bryan Danielson’s here too!
The You Fucked Up chant was awesome. But if Bryan Danielson is immediately going after Kenny Omega and the AEW Championship, what is Adam Cole doing? I get you can’t have both of them going after the title right away, especially since Cole is aligned with Omega in The Elite so what can he do next? I guess he could feud with Jungle Boy or Frankie Kazarian in the meantime. On the other hand, I’m absolutely here for The American Dragon and The Cleaner.
POP: Come and Knock on my Forbidden Door
Minoru Suzuki is a terrifying individual. Crazy Jon Moxley (indies, not WWE) is a scary son of a bitch. This match is going to be VIOLENT. I’m not entirely clear on the story of Suzuki’s ant farm haircut but it most definitely plays into his aforementioned terrifying aesthetic. My favorite part of these one-offs is that we get to watch these pay-per-view quality matches on free TV. Feed. Me. More.
These two are really good at making the match believable by having a slow-paced, almost hoss-like fight. Suzuki does get busted open over his right eye, which just goes to add to the violence aspect of this match. The one thing I hate about this match (and I really hate it) is Moxley’s finisher. It’s so weak. It’s literally just a double-underhook suplex with no force behind it. I mean, look at this thing:
.@JonMoxley beats @suzuki_D_minoru in an absolute FIGHT. What a Homecoming for Mox in Cincinnati on #AEWDynamite! pic.twitter.com/DGCSZvQ6TM
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 9, 2021
So, I want to hear from you guys. If you could pick one finishing move (someone else’s or a new one), what would it be? DM me on Twitter or Discord @robbywardshow (as stated below) and I’ll try and include it in a future column – assuming I get a good enough response. I know Brute Farce is going to tell me he wishes Mox would use Ultimate Warrior’s Gorilla Splash followed by Hogan’s big leg drop but I know there’s better answers out there! haha! Send gifs or links if you have them also! Let’s make this a thing. I can’t wait to hear from you but PLEASE put it in a DM so I don’t miss any!
Anyway, that’s all I have for this week. Rampage is coming on Friday. I might start throwing some contests in here so stay tuned to our Dynamite coverage in case you want to win free shit. Who doesn’t love free shit? All that said, this week’s Dynamite was pretty good. Nothing too terrible and nothing overly great that I’d call anyone to squeal about it but we have some good story development, which is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to the first show after a STRONG pay-per-view. If you haven’t watched All Out yet, find it and watch it. It was a spectacular production.
I hope you enjoy your week, everyone! Feel free to leave a comment below (good or bad, I’ll answer them all!) and share the column with your friends, family and followers. And seriously, join the Discord for good talk with good people. You can find me on there, Instagram or Twitter (all are @robbywardshow). Please hit me up with what you liked, what you hated, what you think I can change. I’m all ears! Wrestling united!
