Last night, they stopped in Cleveland at the Wolstein Center for Episode 305 of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
In this week’s installment, Jon Moxley faced “Speedball” Mike Bailey in singles action —while Darby Alin used chloroform to kidnap Wheeler Yuta and stuffed him in a body bag.
The newly crowned TNT Champion celebrated his victory over Dustin Rhodes. Adam Copeland challenged Stokely Hathaway to a match next week on “Dynamite.” Alex Windsor won a fatal fourway match. And, Swerve Strickland verbally eviscerated Kazuchika Okada.
Last week, MJF traveled to Arena Mexico and defeated Averno for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship. Last night, he had his long-awaited grudge match against Mark Briscoe in the main event.
The highlights here for me were Kyle Fletcher’s championship celebration and Hathaway’s backstage promo. In the case of the latter, it was Hathaway’s sense of humor and irreverence for Copeland that won the day. In the case of the former, it was through the “Protostar’s” sheer presence. Few professional wrestlers possess the innate gifts that Fletcher does. Here, they were on full display.
We’ve finally covered some ground on the road to “Forbidden Door,” albeit without any influence from New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Rating: ***½
Match Reviews
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: Jon Moxley vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
A new chapter in The Death Riders’ saga began last Thursday, when Darby Allin tried to kill Jon Moxley.
Last night, Moxley issued an open challenge during a production meeting. “Speedball” Mike Bailey happily obliged the former world champion, seeking his third singles victory on “Dynamite.”
At its core, this was a terrific game of cat and mouse. While Bailey’s effort was valiant, he was doomed from the beginning — given Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta’s presence ringside. While Darby Allin tried to even the odds in Bailey’s favor, it wasn’t enough to overcome the former world champion.
Moxley’s hellacious run continued with another certified banger.
Rating: ***¾
Alex Windsor vs. Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue vs. Billie Starkz
At “Forbidden Door,” Mercedes Moné will defend her TBS Championship in a fatal fourway match — against representatives from AEW, CMLL, and STARDOM. This fatal fourway match was scheduled to determine AEW’s representative.
What really impressed me was how much heavy lifting this match did for the women’s division. “Timeless” Toni Storm was ringside, to support her newfound ally, Alex Windsor. Meanwhile, Athena was in Starkz’s corner. Naturally, shenanigans ensued—which directly affected the outcome of this match.
In the end, Windsor was victorious, earning her shot against Moné at “Forbidden Door.”
Rating: ***
Brodido vs. Generation Me
This was a semifinal match in the tag team title eliminator tournament, between the Young Bucks and Brodido. The latter have taken the tag team division by storm as of late, while Matt & Nick Jackson continue to be at the mercy of the production team.
This was PWG smut, through and through. A go-go-go, fireworks extravaganza. For both teams, the name of the game was attrition. For Brodido in particular, it was Brody King and Bandido’s myriad of high-risk, high-reward tandem maneuvers.
This match’s downfall was its length. As it progressed, it felt like both teams had gone to the well one-too-many times. After all, less is often more.
Rating: ***¼
MJF vs. Mark Briscoe
The main event saw Mark Briscoe square off with MJF, in their long-awaited showdown.
While this match was billed as a grudge match, this felt markedly restrained. After all, the crux of this match was MJF denying Briscoe of the Froggy Bow, by rolling out of the ring. The finish wasn’t exactly decisive, either. Briscoe got his leg on the ropes to force a break, but referee Bryce Remsburg didn’t notice—awarding the victory to MJF.
In all likelihood, these two left a lot on the table for the sake of future encounters. Nonetheless, this was a terrific television match. While MJF didn’t receive the full Mark Briscoe experience, I’m sure this was just a small sample of the magic they can make.
Afterwards, MJF produced the Dynamite Diamond Ring to assault Briscoe. His transgressions prompted the world champion, “Hangman” Adam Page to intervene, resulting in a brief skirmish between the “Hangman” and Friedman.
Next week, the two will meet face-to-face to address the elephant in the room: will MJF need to exercise his Casino Gauntlet contract or will Page grant him a title opportunity?
Rating: ***½
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