The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 07.22.26

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 07.22.26

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Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Taz

Meanwhile, Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega do a wacky promo where they both want to stress that they’re available for a hot tag whenever needed. Moxley: “There is no tension in this room”. Kenny: “Well there wasn’t.”

TNT title: Kevin Knight v. Darby Allin

Darby hits him with a dive before the bell, as you’d expect, and they slug it out in the crowd before Darby clotheslines him back over the barricade. Darby to the top of the post for a clothesline into the timekeeper pit, further proof that Darby is out of his damn mind. Back in the ring to actually start the match, but they head to the ramp and Knight sends him crotch-first onto the railing and elbows him off. Man and Darby just got married, too. Knight runs him into the stairs and catapults him underneath for a neat visual that pops off the top. Back in, Knight gets two off that and Darby is bleeding. I don’t wanna be an old fuddy-duddy, but they way overdo blood on TV, especially with kids watching. Knight puts him on the top rope, but Darby comes down with a Code Red off the top for two. Next up, Darby goes to work on Knight’s arm, wrapping it on the post and then sending Kevin to the floor another one dive as we take a break. Back with them colliding for a double down, but Knight gets a backbreaker for two. Darby tries the death drop, but Knight bumps the ref to escape and grabs the belt. Darby with the death drop to counter that attempt, but he tries a coffin drop and Knight hits him with the belt to block it. That leaves Darby open for the coast to coast dropkick, and the UFO splash finishes at 11:15. Knight had to win going into the PPV and at least it was clean in the middle with his finisher. ***1/2.

After the break, Renee talks with the entire Don Callis Family in the ring, and Kevin Knight is tooting his own horn too much for Kyle Fletcher’s liking, as they slow burn another babyface turn in the Family. Also they should let Mark Davis talk more, he’s delightful as an unhinged Aussie.

Brodido v. Kyle Fletcher & Kazuchika Okada

Fletcher and Bandido get some shine on each other to start and the babyfaces double-team Kyle in the corner and Brody slams Bandido onto him for two. Okada comes in and trades forearms with Brody and that’s a bad idea, so the DCF hits him with a double suplex and a flapjack on Bandido as well. Protokada gives us a Megapower handshake of trust and we take a break. Back with Bandido evading them and making a hot tag to Brody. He hits Okada with a lariat for two, but Okada puts him down with the neckbreaker in some impressive strength. Fletcher with the powerbomb Bandido, but he counters for two and Okada saves before brawling to the floor with King. Bandido tries the 21Plex, but Fletcher blocks that, so Bandido hits him with a pop up cutter for two. Brody hits Kyle with the cannonball to set up Bandido’s frog splash for two. They try the monkey flip 450, but Okada hits Bandido with the dropkick to counter…and then accidentally takes out Fletcher with the Rainmaker. He’s like “Oh well” and leaves, and Bandido finishes Kyle with the 21Plex at 13:00 to set up their PPV match. Yeah but everyone knows Bandido is just the guy to put over the champion on PPV, so the big win is lacking a certain amount of impact. Match was great though. ***3/4. It’s a really weird dynamic with Bandido, because he’s so far ahead of everyone else in ROH that they can’t find anyone to believably challenge for HIS title there, but then Bandido gets to the AEW roster and no one believes he’s gonna win there. Athena has the same issue.

Afterwards, Okada apologizes profusely and humbly to Kyle, but then Kyle turns his back and he appears to be less sorry than initially promised. And Andrade comes out to yell at Mark Davis and remind us that it’s a match on Sunday as well.

Meanwhile, we recap the saga of the PAINMAKER. He enjoys making pain, from what I gather.

Mick Foley joins us, so he can interview Thekla and Willow. Mick is a pretty short guy overall but he TOWERS over Thekla. Willow is happy to be there, but Thekla doesn’t buy the smiles and rainbows and all that crap. But then Willow GOES THERE and calls her out for being short. Thekla throws some shade at Mick and Willow won’t stand for that, but Thekla promises to piss on the rainclouds and attacks Willow. But Willow pounces her out of the ring to stand tall before the PPV. This was a fun buildup and they had a good dynamic together.

Meanwhile, Maya World will be facing Hikaru Shida for the TBS title at the PPV.

Jay White v. Clark Connors

While I’m thinking of Thekla, apparently the SCUTTLEBUTT is that she and the Reverend Seed here are a thing, to which I say she could do WAY better. Clark runs away and stalls to start, but Jay nearly catches him in the Blade Runner before Clark escapes. Jay beats on him with chops and takes him down with a wristlock before going to work on the arm and chopping him down for two. They head to the floor and Jay suplexes him onto the apron, but Clark sends him to the ramp and spears him out there as we take a break. Back with them fighting on the floor as Connors does his weird “lighting a match” gimmick, but he charges and runs into a chair on his way into the barricade. Back in the ring, Jay takes him down with a dragon screw and a DDT for two. Connors with a spear and he tries for an elevated DDT, but White hits a uranage for two. White blocks a spear and kicks him down, followed by a sleeper suplex, but Clark rolls him up for two. Powerslam gets two. But then Jay catches him in a sleeper and bridges into a head and arm choke to finish at 12:25. An OK match but the crowd didn’t buy Clark Connors as a top guy at all and they were pretty dead for it. **1/4. Afterwards, David Finlay attacks with his Whacking Day stick and steals it back before wheeling away an unconscious Clark in a gaming chair in a funny visual.

Meanwhile, Cage & Cope challenge Pac & Claudio for the tag team titles at the PPV, which prompts an attack backstage from the Death Riders. And that’s ANOTHER title match on the PPV with a foregone conclusion.

Women’s tag team title: Lena Kross & Megan Bayne v. The Sisters of Sin

The champs have “Divine Dominion” hockey jerseys for this no-DQ match, and they’re kind of rocking it. The Sinners attack and they brawl on the floor with kendo sticks, and Julia takes Kross in the ring for a ropewalk into a rana. But Kross catches her and drops her onto a chair facefirst. Megan suplexes Skye in the ring as Skye is bleeding from an accidental screwdriver to the head as we take a break. Back with Julia superkicking Kross for two, but Lena fights them off and Bayne suplexes Julia for two. Everyone trades kicks and they’re all down and out. Next up, everyone grabs their belts and we get a showdown, but the Sisters win that battle with stereo DDTs on the belts for two. Skye goes up and Megan chokeslams her off the apron and through a table at ringside. Julia wraps her up in the submission, but Megan tombstones her and the champ hit her with the double chokeslam to finish at 12:22. Not a fan of them playing up the Sisters winning the Stardom tag team titles and then jobbing them out right away. Fun match though. ***

Meanwhile, it’s Jay White & Juice Robinson v. Clark Connors & David Finlay in a double chain match at the PPV. That’s got some potential. Also I’m very glad to have the Bang Bang Gang back and at FULL POWER again.

Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega v. Hechicero, Brian Cage & Jake Doyle

Will and Hechicero trade takedowns and the babyfaces bring him to the corner and work on his arm one after another. Moxley wants to be included in the fun but Kenny is hesitant to tag. But then he gives in and lets Mox in, and Doyle immediately stomps him down in the corner. Doyle runs wild with his crotch and takes everyone out, and then Cage suplexes both Kenny and Will as we take a break. Back with Ospreay looking for a hot tag, and he chooses Omega, leaving Mox hanging. Omega with You Can’t Escape on Cage for two. Cage fires back with an F5 and it’s over to Hechicero, as he hits Kenny with a knee strike and wraps him up in a leglock, but Kenny does the dramatic crawl to the corner while Moxley waits for the tag and then finally just comes in and takes care of things himself. The babyfaces work on Hechicero and Omega joins in on the Death Rider elbows in the corner, and they all brawl to the floor. Kenny with the snapdragons on Cage, but he accidentally hits Moxley with a knee, and Hechicero hits Kenny with the flying guillotine for two. Doyle smashes Kenny with a forearm for two, but Ospreay saves and the babyfaces clear the ring. That leaves poor Hechicero alone for a Hidden Blade and V-Trigger combo and that finishes at 14:26. A very wholesome and fun main event that set up a couple of different dynamics. ***1/2. Afterwards, Moxley and Omega continue beefing as Ospreay tries to make peace, and then the Young Bucks come out and try to break them up as well. RPG Vice comes out and goes after Omega, but IT’S A TRAP as they sucker Kenny into trying a V-Trigger, which allows Kevin Knight to fly in with a springboard clothesline to lay out Kenny and stand tall going into the PPV.

A good show this week to build up a weak PPV as best they can, even though basically every match outside of the Women’s title has an obvious winner and really it’s not much of a card overall. If I wasn’t reviewing it, it would be a skip for me this month, and honestly I can’t blame you if you feel the same way.