This was a raucous episode of “Dynamite,” in large part due to the supercharged Scottish audience. The show began with an emotional confession from Will Ospreay, announcing that he’ll need intensive neck surgery after this Sunday. Per the storyline, AEW’s medical team refused to clear him for this week’s pay-per-view—hence the unsanctioned “light’s out” stipulation.
Enter Jon Moxley and The Death Riders, which lead directly into the first match of the evening: pitting Hiroshi Tanahashi & JetSpeed against Moxley, Castagnoli, and Yuta.
While Tanahashi scored the pinfall with his iconic High Fly Flow, the affair quickly turned into absolute bedlam.
Gabe Kidd and his Bullet Club Wardogs stablemates (Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Robbie X) joined the fray, as well as The Young Bucks. Meanwhile, The Paragon neutralized The Young Bucks, while The Opps and Darby Allin joined Ospreay’s contingent.
Ostensibly, the idea was to give fans a taste of the controlled chaos that will be on display this weekend. Instead, this seemed more like a cluster. I did enjoy Allin’s obligatory Coffin Drop off the mezzanine, though.
Tony Schiavone conducted an interview between Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, giving both men a platform to address their alliance and match at “Forbidden Door.” Cage is still reluctant to turn over a new leaf. Copeland implored Cage to cut the bullshit and stop acting like a heel, because they’re over now.
That may not be what he said verbatim, but you get the gist.
Cage just hasn’t had a change of heart, but he does value his partnership with his old tag team partner.
Their interview was interrupted by Nick Wayne via satellite, revealing that he broke his foot last week. However, he’s already found his replacement for this Sunday—in his surrogate brother, Luchasaurus. The prehistoric behemoth marched down to the ring and proceeded to beat the brakes off the quinquagenarians.
FTR and Brodido’s match in the finale of the tag team eliminator tournament finished in a 30-minute time-limit draw, meaning both teams will advance to “Forbidden Door” and challenge The Hurt Syndicate.
In the main event, the unlikely alliance between Mercedes Moné and Athena managed to defeat “Timeless” Toni Storm and Alex Windsor.
However, the most impactful segment of this week’s episode was the ongoing storyline between “Hangman” Adam Page, MJF and Mark Briscoe. The latter arrived in Glasgow with the sole intent of maiming MJF. So, MJF employed the services of Ricochet and The Gates of Agony to take Briscoe hostage, and use him as a bargaining chip.
MJF had three demands for Page. (1) The title can change hands via disqualification, (2) the title can change hands via countout, and (3) MJF doesn’t have to execute his Casino Gauntlet Contract in order to earn his title opportunity.
If Page refused, then MJF would burn Briscoe alive. If you weren’t already aware, arson is a very powerful negotiating tactic. Suffice to say, Page agreed to MJF’s demands—setting the stage for an interesting championship match this Sunday.
All in all, this was a quality episode of “Dynamite,” bolstered by the audience and Bryan Danielson joining the commentary team—in lieu of Taz.
Rating: ***½
Matches
Hiroshi Tanahashi & JetSpeed vs. The Death Riders
“Speedball” Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight’s sheer athleticism accentuated Hiroshi Tanahashi’s physical limitations in this match, giving the “Ace of the Universe” an opportunity to create levity. Since “Double or Nothing,” The Death Riders have been firing on all cylinders and this was certainly no exception.
Rating: ***
Match of the Night: FTR vs. Brodido
Brodido has become the sensation of the nation over the past few months, dazzling fans with their versatility. Bandido blends heavyweight stopping power with the agility of a middleweight luchador, while Brody King’s size and power belies his mobility. Their match against The Young Bucks two weeks ago prdisplayed the upper limits of their creativity and athletic ability. This match was a masterclass.
FTR are veritable maestros, conducting symphonies against all comers. In this instance, it was Brodido—providing the infrastructure and gravity that they lacked in their match against the Bucks.
Rating: ****
Mercedes Moné & Athena vs. Alex Windsor & “Timeless” Toni Storm
Tony Khan continued the trend of consolidating the women’s angles on “Dynamite,” pairing the babyface and heel representatives from AEW at “Forbidden Door.” While Toni Storm and Alex Windsor had chemistry on their side, Moné and Athena overwhelmed them with their sheer talent and mastery over the dark arts.
In the end, it was a little chicanery regarding the legal competitor that cost Windsor the match—believing that she needed to pin Moné. Outside, Athena leveled Storm with a piledriver onto the steel ringsteps, before taking advantage of the confusion and punctuating the affair with an O-Face.
Rating: ***¼
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