The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.18.24

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.18.24

Live from Wilkes-Barre, PA, and man that arena is embarrassingly dark and empty tonight.

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Taz & Excalibur

Orange Cassidy v. Chris Jericho

A trios match breaks out with the Learning Tree and the Conglomeration, and Orange dives onto the heels, as does Mark Briscoe. Jericho teases his own dive, but Orange hits him with the Orange Punch and gets two. Jericho bails and Orange follows him out for a brawl, and back in for a slingshot splash from Orange that gets two. He goes up and tries a diving rana, but Jericho catches him and takes him down with the Walls, which Orange reverses into a cradle for two. Jericho with a running powerslam for two. They slug it out and Orange ends up on the apron, so Jericho runs him into the railing and then does his own camera work while putting the boots to him. Back in with a double axehandle and Lionsault for two. Orange with the stunner and Michinoku Driver for two. Excalibur going through and highlighting all the big matches we’re getting next week kinda makes the show we’re getting THIS week look like it’s not worth bothering, to be honest. They fight on the floor again and Jericho suplexes him through the timekeeper’s table as we take a break. Back with them slugging it out in the ring until they both drop. Orange slugs away in the corner, but Jericho hits him with a lariat for two. They fight to the top and Orange puts him down with a headbutt, but Jericho counters a DDT into the Walls again. Orange makes the ropes this time, but Big Bill hits him with the big boot from the floor and Jericho gets two. Kyle O’Reilly chases him off again and Orange gets a small package for two, but Jericho gets a death valley driver for two. Orange comes back with a DDT and goes up with a diving DDT for two. Orange Punch is countered into the codebreaker, which gets two. Jericho misses the Judas and Orange gets the Beach Break for two. But now Bryan Keith comes in and brawls with Briscoe, which allows Jericho to find a roll of coins, which Orange steals and hits him with for the pin at 19:35. Really good opener and thankfully Jericho did the job here. ***1/2

Meanwhile, Pac and Claudio tell Yuta that he needs to join them next week to defend the Trios titles. But he’s not obligated. Well kinda.

Meanwhile, Wheeler Yuta tries to leave the arena, but Alex Marvez stops him for an interview, and Yuta agrees to participate next week, even though he’s distracted.

Hook v. JD Ink

JD is certainly appropriately named given his tattoos. Hook immediately smashes him with a lariat and throws him around the ring with suplexes before choking him out with the Redrum at 1:05. And next week, Hook defends against Roddy, who I am still confused about why he’s getting a title shot.

Meanwhile, Private Party wants to step into the ring for the Trios titles and promises a surprise partner.

Meanwhile, The Patriarchy joins Renee, and Nick Wayne has a four-way match on Rampage, which Christian declares is going to lead to them holding championships at the same time. But then Kip Sabian is lurking around again and causing trouble.

Serena Deeb & Mariah May v. Queen Aminata & Yuka Sakazaki

Oh this one is gonna die. Yuka and Deeb trade cradles for two and battle to a stalemate, so Aminata comes in for a double-team while Mariah watches from the floor. So Deeb catches Aminata with a dragon screw in the ropes and Mariah decides to come in as we take a break. Back with Yuka hitting a missile dropkick on May and then she suplexes Mariah onto Deeb for two. Superkick gets two, but Mariah hits her with a german suplex and they all throw suplexes. Yuka with a spinning hammerlock slam on Deeb as everyone bails to the floor, and she follows with a dive. But then Mariah hits her with the belt for the DQ at 8:10. Mariah whips Yuka with the belt as Yuka actually makes sure to arch her back up and take the shots harder. Not much to the match, just felt like filler. **

Meanwhile, Mina Shirakawa has heard Mariah’s cries for Mina and will be coming back soon to answer and celebrate with her.

Meanwhile, we get a history of the Nigel McGuinness v. Bryan Danielson war.

Jon Moxley and the still-unnamed crew of badasses join us, but Private Party jumps them in the crowd. So that goes badly for them, as Jon and Claudio absolutely kick their asses. And then Moxley points out that Private Party are in the same position they were 5 years ago, and gives him a gift of resistance by breaking his hand with a hammer. And then Darby Allin makes the save and promises to win next week and go on to be AEW World champion at the PPV. Well this finally woke up the show a bit.

Ricochet v. The Beast Mortos

I learned from Mark Sterling this week that Mortos is also a lawyer, which checks out. Ric gets Mortos on the floor and hits him with a dive, and back in for a shooting star press that gets two. They trade armdrags and Ric takes him down with a rana, but Mortos lands on his feet and they battle to a stalemate off that. Ricochet with an enzuigiri to put Mortos on the apron and he follows with a superkick and dive, but Mortos powerbombs him onto the apron, THE HARDEST PART OF THE RING, as we take a break. Back with Mortos holding a chinlock, but Ricochet gets a 619 and handspring. Mortos catches him with a samoan drop and that gets two, however. They trade kicks and Mortos lands on the floor, but Ricochet overshoots on a dive and gets caught. So he recovers with a Code Red on the floor and they’re both down. Back in with a springboard 450 for two. They fight to the top and Mortos gives him a terrifying press slam from the top rope, which gets two. Ricochet comes back with a crucifix bomb, and finishes with the reverse DDT at 11:52. I wouldn’t have thought they’d mesh that well, but they had a hell of a TV match and Ricochet looks like he’s having a blast out there. ***3/4

Meanwhile, the powers of FTR and the Outrunners finally come together, and they’re teaming up on Collision.

Hangman Page joins Tony and accuses him of being one of the people standing with Swerve, so Jeff Jarrett hits the ring with an unlikely babyface save and they get into a brawl, and then Jeff promises to kick Hangman’s ass if it’s the last thing he does in his career. I can see where this is going and I approve.

Meanwhile, Ricochet is about to talk to Renee about his win tonight, but Ospreay stops by and Ricochet calls him out for the Dynamite 5^th Anniversary show.

Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita v. The Young Bucks & Kazuchika Okada

Will and Kyle double-team Nick to start, and Okada comes in for the showdown with Ospreay that everyone suddenly realized that they needed to see. Okada teases the big chop on the ropes and then backs off, so Ospreay takes him down with the rana and Takeshita tags himself in. But before they can tussle, everyone comes in for a brawl and we get triple sentons from the Elite. So they all pose on the floor, but the babyfaces hit them with triple dives as we take a break. Back with Fletcher hitting a brainbuster on Nick for two, and it’s back to Okada, but Fletcher hits him with a Michinoku Driver and brings Takeshita back in. Takeshita with a brainbuster on Okada and he goes up with a senton for two, but Okada gets a DDT and Takeshita has to fight off all three Elite. The babyfaces come back with a triple dropkick on Okada for two and everyone brawls as Takeshita no-sells the SUPERKICK PARTY and lays them out with a double clothesline. Okada puts Takeshita down with the neckbreaker for two and we take another break. Back with Matt hitting Takeshita with a Sliced Bread for two, and the Risky Business gets two. And then Okada drops the flying elbow for some more Elite posing, but Takeshita hits both Bucks with a german suplex and brings Ospreay in again. Ospreay with a handspring double kick on the Bucks and a standing moonsault on Matt gets two. Okada blocks the Ozcutter, and the Bucks follow with the double superkick and a guillotine stomp into a powebomb for two. The Bucks pump up the shoes, but Ospreay makes a comeback, so the Bucks superkick him into oblivion for two. Fletcher breaks up the EVP Trigger and they hit Matt with a crazy spinebuster double-team for two. Double-team cutter on the Bucks and Takeshita hits Okada with the Blue Thunder Bomb and then tosses him for a dive, while the Bucks double-team Kyle and set him up for the TK Driver. Kyle reverses that into a tombstone for two, and Ospreay hits Nick with the Hidden Blade to get rid of him, allowing Ospreay and Fletcher to finish Nick with the Correolus at 21:30. Well this was an incredibly great trios match to end the show. ****1/2

Next week: Grand Slam!

I wasn’t feeling this one for the first hour, but that second hour sucked me in and by the end this was a great episode of television. Tony Khan you son of a bitch, you did it.