The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 05.20.26

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 05.20.26

Once again, it’s a combined Dynamite/Collision show, so once again I’ll review the two hours of Dynamite and then Niz will get Collision.

Live from Portland, ME, which was apparently struggling pretty bad to sell tickets this week. Doesn’t look too bad on TV at least.

Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Taz

Meanwhile, Jericho and the Young Bucks bond over sightseeing and bury the hatchet over the Inner Circle stuff that went down 7 years ago. And apparently they’re 2 Names, 1 Team.

The Bucks of Jericho (Or Is It Y2 Jackson?) v. Mark Davis, Andrade & Ricochet

Jericho already has jackets ready with the new name, of course. Also whatever weird subtext Jericho was playing at previously appears to be completely gone and he’s just a straight up babyface now with the crowd singing along with the song and everything. Jericho and his sparkly pants throw chops on Andrade to start, so Andrade bails to the floor for some selfies and Jericho chases him out there for a further beating. Back in the ring, the Bucks of Jericho triple-team Andrade in the corner. Over to Davis and he cuts off Nick’s comeback and hits him with a senton, but Matt comes in and he also runs wild. The rolling northern lights suplexes on Andrade follow and then he adds Ricochet for a double suplex for good measure. Everyone piles up on the floor and Jericho dives onto them and we take a break. Back with Jericho hitting a codebreaker on Andrade to set him up for some superkicks from the Bucks, but Andrade cuts them off and suplexes Nick onto Matt to take over again. He tries the double moonsault but hits Matt’s knees, and the Bucks hit him with the BTE Trigger, but the Ricosault breaks that up. Jericho and Ricochet brawl to the floor and into the crowd, but Jericho hauls him back in with a suplex through the timekeeper table. Back in the ring, Mark Davis finally gets involved, but Andrade accidentally boots him to the floor, and a second BTE Trigger on Andrade gets two. But then Davis takes the ref and the Dogs run in, allowing David Finlay to nail Matt Jackson and put Andrade on top for the pin at 13:40. Very entertaining opener but nothing special. ***. This brings out the GOA and Jack Perry (and a bag of onions for some reason) for a further brawl, and then the Hurt Syndicate joins in and everyone fights all over the arena like some kind of stampede in a stadium.

Meanwhile, we take a look at the Darby v. MJF title match, and Darby does an interview with Renee where he promises to do whatever it takes to beat Speedball tonight.

Anything Goes: Tommaso Ciampa v. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe hits him with forearms to start, but Ciampa dropkicks the knee, but he goes for some plunder and gets his hand caught in a giant mousetrap. Briscoe breaks a broom over his back and we get the table set up, but Mark jumps over it with a kick and chokes him out with a chain. Briscoe goes up and Ciampa puts him through the table already, and into the ring for some cheese grater action. Oh now I bet they’re just showing off for Mick Foley. We take a break and return with Briscoe going nuts with a fire extinguisher and then finding another table. And he decorates that one with barbed wire. But then Ciampa uses the barbed wire and staples some papers to Mark’s head, and back in the ring Ciampa suplexes Mark into a ladder in the corner for two. And then hits him with a knee strike via thumbtack-covered kneepad. To the top for a fight up there, but Briscoe escapes and puts two chairs back to back and slams Ciampa onto those. And then it’s a Jay Driller off the apron, through the barbed wire table, and he drops a froggy bow to finish at 14:13. This was too much blood and too much nonsense for what was basically just a midcard match on a random TV show. The work was good but was it way too super-violent and it wasn’t for me. ***1/2

Swerve Strickland joins us but Bandido attacks him in the aisle before he can make it to the ring, hitting him with a dive. Swerve goes after the injured arm, but Bandido presses him and grabs a chair, chasing him to the back.

Meanwhile, Willow reveals that she hurt her shoulder against Red Velvet and has to withdraw from the Owen and relinquish the TBS title as well. Man that women’s tournament is CURSED.

Continental title eliminator: Jon Moxley v. Kyle O’Reilly

They trade takedowns to start and fight to a stalemate, but Moxley slugs him down and goes to work on the arm. Kyle reverses out of that, but Moxley hits him with a bodyshot and starts tenderizing the ribs. Kyle backdrops him to the floor to escape, but can’t run the ropes due to his injury and thus can’t dive. So Moxley clubbers him down again and we take a break. Back with them fighting on the floor and hitting a double clothesline out there for a double down. Back in the ring, Moxley takes him to the top for some biting and fingernail rakes, and that sets up a superplex for another double down. Moxley with the choke and Kyle goes for the ropes, but Mox gator rolls him back to the middle and Kyle has to get to the ropes on the other side instead. Back to the floor and Kyle dropkicks him into the railing, but they head back in the ring and Moxley catches him in a cutter for two. Kyle puts him down with a PK and they slug it out with time running out, but Kyle rolls him into the anklelock and sinks it in. Moxley holds out until the time limit, however, and it’s a 20:00 draw, which gives Kyle the title shot anyway. I could tell what they were going for here, but it never really clicked and didn’t have a lot of heat until the finish. It was good, but not as great as their other matches were. ***

Meanwhile, Rush challenges Darby Allin for next week if he retains the title at Double or Nothing. Well hopefully he’s not making solid plans yet.

Thekla, Skye Blue, Julia Hart & Athena v. Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirakawa, Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor

Rosa and Athena trade springboards to start, and the Birds double-team Skye. Mina comes in with a tornillo dive on Thekla for two and we take a break. Back with the heels working on Mina in their corner, but Rosa gets the hot tag and hits Skye with a northern lights suplex for two. They all fight in the ring and Athena throws suplexes until everyone is down. Out on the floor, Mina hits Athena with a tornado DDT. But then Julia sprays the black mist at Rosa and Thekla rolls her up for the pin at 10:00. This was pretty messy to the say the least. **

Meanwhile, JetSpeed hype each other up for the World title match tonight and it sounds pretty sexual not gonna lie.

Meanwhile, the Death Riders are doing pushups to work out their aggressions, and Moxley is pretty sure Kyle O’Reilly isn’t gonna tap him out a third time.

AEW World title: Darby Allin v. Mike Bailey

Bailey comes flying with kicks right away while MJF joins us for commentary, and he SWEEPS THE LEG on the apron and moonsaults Darby to the floor. Bailey with a kneedrop out there, as he tries to end it fast, and follows with a double knee off the stairs. They fight to the railing and Darby hits him with a Scorpion Death drop up there as we take a break. Back with Darby hitting a dive, but he tries a coffin splash in the ring and Bailey dropkicks him in the back to put him down. Speedball misses the Ultimate Weapon kneedrop and Darby goes up with a coffin drop, but it only gets two because MJF helps out Speedball. So Kevin Knight joins us to even things up, even though MJF just saved his partner’s title hopes so I’m not sure why he’s pissed. Bailey with a cradle for two and a spinkick to put Darby down for two. Bailey with a moonsault kneedrop and they trade cradles for two, but Darby hits him with the Death drop and they’re both down. Darby with the Scorpion Deathlock, but Bailey makes the ropes. So Darby hits him with a coffin drop and goes back to the Scorpion Deathlock, and this time Bailey has to tap at 11:19. Another really good Darby title defense, likely his last one. But it’s been a hell of a ride and I’m happy to be proven wrong about him. ***3/4

And we’re off to Collision so I’m done.

I thought it was a solid go-home show that put in the work and did a good job of setting up the PPV matches, which is what you want. Shame about Willow, who was on the run of her career this year, though.