Thus far, the road to “Double or Nothing” has been paved in gold.
Did the go-home edition of “Dynamite” stick the landing?
HIT: “Hangman” Adam Page & Will Ospreay face-to-face
The show opened with a face-to-face encounter between “Hangman” Adam Page and Will Ospreay, who will face off this Sunday at “Double or Nothing” in the finale of the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. The winner of that match will advance to “All In” and earn a shot against the AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley.
Needless to say, the stakes are high for both men.
This exchange began with Ospreay, who apologized for their skirmish last week. Ospreay offered Page a beer as a peace offering, but Page didn’t seem amused.
Both men proceeded to articulate why they needed this opportunity.
For Ospreay, defeating Jon Moxley and winning the AEW World Championship would validate all of his hard work and the sacrifices he’s made. It would also afford him an opportunity to return to London, at the O2 Arena for “Forbidden Door” in August, as the world’s champion.
For Page, it would represent redemption, and a chance for him to become the man that his wife fell in love with, his children can be proud of, and the fans believe he can be.
Ospreay, who always wears his emotions on his sleeves, freely admitted that he’s never beaten Jon Moxley before. Page has though, so he needs the “Hangman” to bring everything he’s got to “Double or Nothing;” to show the “Aerial Assassin” what it takes.
Ospreay revealed that he spoke to Tony Khan before the show and implored him to schedule their match as the main event. And, after their face-to-face meeting, it was officially announced that “Hangman” Adam Page and Will Ospreay’s match in the finale of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament will be the main event of “Double or Nothing.”
This was a phenomenal way to start the show.
It’s difficult to create truly compelling challengers in professional wrestling. Right now, AEW has two of them.
HIT: Jon Moxley & The Young Bucks vs. Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Swerve Strickland
The opening contest saw Jon Moxley join forces with The Young Bucks to face Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Swerve Strickland.
This was a fun trios match that built some anticipation for this weekend’s “Anarchy in the Arena” match. Admittedly, seeing Moxley working alongside Matt & Nick Jackson was a little jarring, because their styles are disparate.
Moxley excels when he’s methodically able to cut his opponents off at every pass. The Young Bucks, however, are always in fifth gear; whose relentless offense can leave little room to breathe.
Fortunately, they were facing the likes of Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland, who are two of the most unique and unorthodox wrestlers in AEW.
In the end, Strickland pinned Matt Jackson with a rollup, while Samoa Joe choked the life out of Nick Jackson with the Coquina Clutch.
Afterwards, all hell broke loose. Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli intervened, followed by Katsuyori Shibata, Marina Shafir, Willow Nightingale, and Kenny Omega.
The babyfaces got the better of the Death Riders and the Elite, forcing the supergroup to retreat. However, Samoa Joe vowed to finish what they started later tonight.
Rating: ***
HIT: MJF joins The Hurt Syndicate
Finally, the segment we’ve all been waiting for. MJF’s contract signing with The Hurt Syndicate.
There were two schools of thought, entering this segment:
- MJF would actually join The Hurt Syndicate.
- The Hurt Syndicate would betray MJF, giving former WWE superstar Cedric Alexander an opportunity to make his debut.
Alexander’s 90-day non-compete clause ended sometime last week, giving him an opportunity to begin working for other promotions. Last weekend, Alexander appeared at a DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling event and ominously mentioned that he “hurts people,” which only added fuel to the fire.
Fortunately, there wasn’t any chicanery. MJF has officially joined The Hurt Syndicate.
On paper, The Hurt Syndicate will presumably be the most dominant faction in AEW, in a post-Death Riders world. However, if I have one criticism of this entire saga, it’s how benign it’s made MJF look. Several months ago, he proclaimed that he’d happily be a villain, if it meant “Hangman” Adam Page was the protagonist. Now, he’s everyone’s favorite “scumbag” again.
I’m interested to see how The Hurt Syndicate and MJF evolve from here.
MISS: Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara call out The Hurt Syndicate
MJF’s celebration with The Hurt Syndicate was interrupted by the ROH World Tag Team Champions, Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara, aka The Sons of Texas.
Last Saturday on “Collision,” The Sons of Texas faced CRU in a match to determine the number one contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championships at “Double or Nothing.” Unfortunately, their match never aired, due to the program unceremoniously ending 30 minutes early.
So, Dustin Rhodes is here to sell us this PPV match against Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin.
Not only was this unnecessary, but it was a very jarring way to interrupt MJF’s celebration with The Hurt Syndicate. To be perfectly honest, I’m not very interested in this match, and this promo didn’t exactly sway my feelings towards it.
HIT: Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens
This was Anthony Bowens first match on “Dynamite” since January, when he was still one-half of The Acclaimed. As the “Five Tool Player,” Bowens has had two matches on “Collision” against Blake Christian and Lee Johnson.
This was his first test. Unfortunately, Ricochet is no mere enhancement talent.
This was a really fun match, with Bowens’ second, Billy Gunn, caught in the middle; trying to intervene on Bowens behalf, despite being comically bad at it.
In the end, Ricochet used a literal pair of scissors to stun the “Scissor Kings,” and punctuated the affair with a Spirit Gun.
After the match, Mark Briscoe attacked Ricochet with a stretcher, building anticipation for their “Stretcher Match” at “Double or Nothing.”
I love Mark Briscoe, and I love Ricochet’s work as a heel. Needless to say, this match has the potential to steal the show at “Double or Nothing.”
Rating: ***¼
HIT: Jamie Hayter & Mercedes Moné face-to-face
The next segment saw Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Moné meet face-to-face, ahead of their match at “Double or Nothing,” in the finale of the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. The winner will advance to “All In” and face the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Unlike “Hangman” Page and Will Ospreay’s segment, this was mediated by Renee Paquette, with both women sitting in director’s chairs.
Hayter and Moné both laid out compelling cases as to why they need this opportunity.
For Hayter, it’s vindication. Since her injury, she’s yet to prove that she can still reach the heights that she once had, as the AEW Women’s World Champion.
For Moné, winning the AEW Women’s World Championship will only further cement her legacy as the greatest women’s wrestler of all time. Defeating Hayter is just another crucible that she must overcome.
Things turned physical once Hayter mentioned the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship, which provoked Moné. Hayter quickly gained the upper hand though, leveling Moné with a stiff lariat.
Moné is one of the most well-balanced combatants in all of women’s wrestling, while Hayter has tremendous stopping power and poise. With the Owen Hart Cup hanging in the balance, this is another match that could easily steal the show at “Double or Nothing.”
HIT: Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart
The main event saw Mina Shirakawa face Julia Hart, ahead of her match against “Timeless” Toni Storm at “Double or Nothing.”
As a quick aside, this is one of the sillier troupes in professional wrestling. Why would the challenger accept a match, before their shot at the world championship? What if they lost? Hell, Shirakawa barely escaped the jaws of defeat in this match. How can she beat the world champion?
That aside, this was another fun match. Mina Shirakawa is admittedly not my favorite performer in the ring, but she’s usually entertaining nonetheless.
Julia Hart continues to impress me with her development. AEW has an impressive roster of twenty-something’s in the women’s division, and Julia Hart is near the top of that list. Unfortunately, her best wasn’t enough to defeat Shirakawa, who barely escaped this match with an intricate pinning predicament.
After the match, Skye Blue entered the ring to attack Shirakawa on Hart’s behalf. Toni Storm, who was on commentary for this match, intervened to save Shirakawa — forcing both Hart and Blue to retreat.
Shirakawa picked up Storm’s title and raised it over her head. A tug of war began when Storm tried to grab it, which prompted Storm to attack Shirakawa.
Shirakawa caught Storm’s front kick and stunned her with a Dragon Screw. Then, Shirakawa used the ringpost to deliver a vicious Figure-Four Leglock, seemingly injuring the champion.
Will Storm’s injuries carry over into her match this Sunday at “Double or Nothing?” The better question is, will Storm and Shirakawa’s former friend, Mariah May, interfere in this match?
Color me impressed. I’m exponentially more excited for this match now.
Rating: ***¼
MISS: Preview for Anarchy in the Arena
Samoa Joe made good on his promise, attacking The Young Bucks before they could leave the arena. What followed was an absolute cluster f**k, where all 12 competitors gave fans a preview of what this year’s “Anarchy in the Arena” might look like.
The lineups are set.
“Team AEW” will include: Kenny Omega, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata, and Willow Nightingale.
Their opposition will include: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Marina Shafir.
The only outlier is Gabe Kidd, who intervened late in this skirmish to help the Death Riders gain a decisive advantage. Kidd knocked Samoa Joe out with Moxley’s briefcase, while The Young Bucks put Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland through tables with stereo Frog Splashes off the top rope.
While Gabe Kidd isn’t slated to compete in “Anarchy in the Arena,” it’s clear he will inevitably intervene. How will “Team AEW” neutralize Kidd? Could this be the perfect opportunity for Eddie Kingston to return? I think so.
On one hand, I understand why AEW gave us a preview of “Anarchy in the Arena” on “Dynamite.” On the other hand, this felt gratuitous and unnecessary. The post-match angle between Storm and Shirakawa would have been a fantastic way to end this week’s episode.
Final Verdict
“Dynamite” continues its hot streak with another strong episode, building a great deal of anticipation for “Double or Nothing.” As a go-home episode, this was a homerun.
Rating: ***¼
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