It would be easy to be disappointed by the decision by AEW to postpone the “Blood & Guts” match between Inner Circle and the Elite collaborative this evening. However, with an utter lack of live sports programming to speak of, ye loyal followers of professional wrestling’s fastest rising league need to be appreciative of ANYTHING offered to us! And, let’s face it, the re-introduction of “Broken” Matt Hardy into our lives is akin to a 12-pack of toilet paper: something we never thought we would need, but now graciously accept with open arms!
Another welcome return, Jimmy Havoc, is facing off against Cody for our opener of Dynamite. I really enjoyed his brief feud with Darby Allin, and in an era that has completely homogenized hardcore wrestling, he’s as refreshing as a warm bath. From a sanitary suite, Chris Jericho and various heels fume as American Nightmare puts away the British import with multiple CrossRhodes. From a darkened campground, Jake Roberts appears to taunt the VP of AEW.
Allin is shown driving around a dirt road with a Jake Hager mask on, which cannot be the safest. He arrives to the ring to face Kip Sabian, which is odd considering he’s beefing with Inner Circle. I have to give him credit for an incredibly creative leglock-into-rollup for the win, but this match went about 5 minutes too long.
A Hager promo airs, with footage from Bellator making him look like the badass that WWE never was able to present him as. He’s facing the debuting Chico Adams, and quickly taps him out with the triangle choke. AEW Champ Jon Moxley, though not medically cleared, breaks up the beatdown of the plaid-clad jobber. We may have Mox’s next challenger, and I’m psyched for this.
Brodie Lee is hosting a steak dinner with Dark Order colleagues John Silver and Alex Reynolds. As the lions of All Elite Wrestling, they need to be feasting upon their prey. The Exalted One is facing honorary Rhodes member QT Marshall, and this match is essentially another squash. It’s not a bad way to introduce this persona of Lee, but his ring gear is derivative of his Bludgeon Brother gimmick. The presentation needs a little work.
Hardy’s drone, Vanguard 1, tries to give viewers an update on Nick Jackson’s health after having a garage door slammed into his skull. With the mandatory shutdown of California, I can appreciate the effort being put into investigative reporting.
Sammy Guevara is facing Kenny Omega, who is putting his AAA Mega Championship on the line. For some reason, the Sexy Spanish God is making out with a caricature of Brandi Rhodes, but the actual Brandi reaction is priceless. The best wrestler in the world is making Guevara look as good as he thinks he is. Because of the previous quick bouts, these two were able to give us 20+ minutes of great action. One Winged Angel from Omega, and Kenny Two Belts retains.
Le Champion arrives, commandeering the camera (per RayRay, “like Triple H”) as the camera man rocks out to “Judas”. This was promoted as a face-to-face between him and Hardy, but Vanguard 1 buzzes in with battery power to spare. Jericho is so charismatic, he can entertain us by yelling at a drone. Holograms of The Broken One appear throughout the empty crowd, as the vessel now known as “Damascus” enters to jaw-jack with The Ayatollah Of Rock & Rollah. Jericho tries to mock Hardy reciting lines for fan interaction with nobody in attendance, but Hardy reminds him that it is the souls of his fanbase that ignite the fire inside of him. To prove this, after Cody saves a beatdown by Guevara and Jericho, Hardy nearly explodes The Master Of 1,004 Holds with pyro! If Blood & Guts is being put on hold, a Hardy/Jericho feud is a great appetizer to hold us over as fans.
JoeStopper’s Elite Of The Week
I know many wrestling fans are tuning to Dark Side Of The Ring to watch the conclusion to the two-part Chris Benoit retrospective. Watching it reminds of the first behind-the-scenes wrestling documentary I ever saw, “Beyond The Mat”. If you were to tell me that Jake Roberts would not only be alive in 2020, but a valuable asset to the business in 2020, I would have credited you with much more faith in redemption than I have. But here we are, and Jake “The Snake” just keeps knocking these promos out of the now-closed ballpark! He’s made the already-hyped arrival of Lance Archer in AEW even more grand, taking direct aim at Cody and the Rhodes family. For keeping us entertained (and slightly unnerved), Jake Roberts, you are JoeStopper’s Elite Of The Week!
Jobber Knocker 