IT’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!
Heya folks! The Irish one, back again! Last week, we had another Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale, and it was……awesome! Don’t @ me. Anyway, in said battle royale, we were given a Powerhouse Hobbs/Wardlow feud teaser. I’d be down with it. Oh. I should mention that MJF and Dante Martin were the last two survivors but the good part about that is they meet this week at AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming! Seriously, though. Have they been outside? It’s cold as shit outside. Winter isn’t coming. It’s already here! Isn’t it……? Anyway, whatever happened to Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz?
POP: Shit, Cowboy
Well, I hope y’all are ready because I wasn’t. Winter is Coming kicks off with Hangman Adam Page’s first AEW Championship defense – and against The American Dragon Bryan Danielson no less! I mean, look at this smug asshole. Tell me he’s not ready for a fight. Speaking of smug asshole Daniel Bryanson, when he does the jumping jacks in the corner, that might be the most dick heel move I’ve ever seen of his. I love it.
I want to be completely honest with you guys. This match is AMAZING. Incredible character work by both men. I’ve already mentioned Danielson being a dick (I think that’s definitely considered a character trait for him!) but also, Page being the champion who gets frustrated at every move by this technical wizard. In addition to that, you can almost feel the tension between these two guys, just between the crispness in their strikes and the urgency in their moves. They are keeping a really good pace to the match, which makes the back and forth that more impressive.
I honestly just want to skip using words and make this entire section of the column GIFs of the shit these two are doing to each other. Such as this exchange. Or this part. Of course, we would cap it off with this one. You guys, just watch the match. I don’t have a big enough vocabulary to give this match justice. And let’s be honest, William Shakespeare himself doesn’t have the right words to describe what we are watching tonight on Dynamite. Quite frankly, if The Bard can’t give this match it’s just desserts, then either can some fool in Northern Colorado using a laptop instead of a quill.
I’m going to spoil it for you, but these two went to a 60-minute time limit draw. The crowd booed accordingly because there NEEDED to be a winner in this match….no, in this fight. So I will admit to being disappointed in the finish as well. But there’s no way in hell I could be disappointed in the match. Do you like professional wrestling? Then this is the match for you. Regarding the finish, I reserve the right to switch my opinion if this match was just an extended trailer for a much longer, much more awesome full-length feature film. This match did make me curious though…if they would have used the full two hours of Dynamite, would the crowd still be hype for it? I know I would.
BOTCH: Snoozefest Squashfest
I really enjoy matches of contrasting styles. Big men vs. high-flyers are always fun. Until it’s not…. which was tonight. Wardlow comes out and shit-stomps the ever lovin’ hell out of Matt Sydal. I guess there’s a little story being built throughout it regarding the tension between Wardlow and Shawn Spears but man, this was brutal. It was just Wardlow powerbombing Sydal but not pinning him until Spears grabbed a microphone and told him to. What did this lead to? This led to Spears jumping in the ring and smashing Sydal with his chair. That’s it. Oh, and MJF calling Spears to have him direct Wardlow to fetch the champagne for later. Like, seriously? We are going to have a banger of a match (one may say the match of the year *ahem*) and then follow it up with this shit? AND without any sighting of Powerhouse Hobbs?!? Be better, AEW.
POP: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned
I don’t know what hell is like when there are two women who feel scorned…BY EACH OTHER but I have a feeling Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb pretty much fit the bill to a T. They are out here tonight for their rubber match, and THIS is the match that should’ve followed the AEW World Championship match. The energy would have been UNREAL in the building with the crowd still riding the wave from the 60-minute draw.
These two have yet another great match between them. Clearly, Serena watched the previous match and wanted to show Wardlow how it’s done. These two are throwing everything they have at each other. Just like they always do. I really wish this match could have gone longer though. Which just makes me even that more pissed that they had the Wardlow/Sydal shit in here. Shida wins the match, and presumably the series, after knocking Serena into the exposed turnbuckle screw and rolling her up with a jackknife pin.
Is it possible we have two matchups where I want to see the combatants fight forever? Is Serena Deeb the most underrated wrestler in all of professional wrestling? I mean, she IS the Professor of Professional Wrestling after all. Put some respect on her name!
POP: Three Karat Diamond
Okay, before we get started on this match for the Dynamite Diamond Ring and everything that went down inside the ropes, let’s first check in with MJF and hear how he feels about Dante Martin, CM Punk and most importantly, the fans in Dallas, Texas.
Oooooh boy, this dude knows how to rile up a crowd. He has nuclear heat right now and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. That’s not a knock against Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper or anyone else who thought they were a great heel while I was growing up. That’s a straight-up testament to Maxwell Jacob Friedman and his abilities with a microphone (or on a wrestling entrance ramp, or on social media, or, or, or. The man is the best EVERYWHERE).
At first, I thought MJF was wearing Christmas light panties, but it turns out, it’s just confetti and not a holiday style at all. I was slightly disappointed since it’s the middle of December, but I guess heels are gonna heel, am I right? And if you’re not into heels, check out this 450 Knee Drop from Martin onto MJF’s face. He probably deserves it. I mean, he totally deserves it, right? Dante did all sorts of impressive offense (of course, he did) and was flipping all over the place. Once he hit the Nosedive, this match was OVER. Unfortunately for him, that damned Ricky Starks slides MJF’s foot on the ropes to get a rope break. MJF takes advantage and locks the Salt of the Earth armbar on Martin and he taps almost instantly. I guess he has weak arms. I’m just gonna leave this right here.
FTR immediately comes out to celebrate with MJF. They put him on their shoulders and well, this happens:
.@The_MJF's Dynamite Diamond Ring celebration was cut short by @Sting, @DarbyAllin, & @CMPunk. Next Wednesday, #FTR & MJF have to face Sting, Darby & Punk in a trios match on #AEWDynamite #HolidayBash LIVE on TNT from Greensboro, NC!
🎟 – https://t.co/UN1cNiJJrQ pic.twitter.com/h5ePwJ9dcd— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 16, 2021
I guess if you weren’t planning on watching Dynamite next week (Holiday Bash!) now you have a reason! How often do you get to see Sting and CM Punk tag together anyway? This is how AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming closes out. Does this mean winter is officially here now? It wasn’t my favorite Dynamite. The opening match, however, was PHENOMENAL. Hell, it was every positive adjective you can think of. The finish immediately followed by the Wardlow/Sydal stuff really put a damper on the energy and I don’t know that the crowd ever really got that far back into it. Admittedly, it was a high bar to set for a show opener. Hopefully, the crowd brings the same energy for Holiday Bash! See ya then!
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!
