The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 10.06.26

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 10.06.26

How in the hell are we in October already?

“Grand Slam France”

Taped from Paris, France

Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness

Pour lire cette critique en français, appuyez sur neuf

ROH World title: Bandido v. Kofi

They trade takedown attempts to start and some wristlocks, and that triggers a dance off. Bandido with a monkey flip and Kofi lands on his feet, but then Bandido also does the same and adds his own dancing. Bandido bails to the floor and Kofi fakes a dive, but then sends him out to the other side and hits one for real this time. This crowd is HOT tonight. Back in, Bandido with the delayed suplex, so delayed they should call it the Skydance acquisition of WBD, and Swerve comes out, followed by Hangman, as we take a break. Back with Kofi making a comeback with a one footed dropkick and a bodypress for two. Kofi puts him down with a big boot for a double down and Kofi is up first with a flying splash to the back for two. They head to the top and Bandido brings him down with a blockbuster off the top for two. Bandido tries the X Knee, but Kofi reverses him into the Naval Distress Signal for two. And then everyone jaws at ringside, allowing Bandido to hit the distracted Kofi with the 21-Plex to retain at 14:17. Hell of an opener as Kofi continues to look refreshed and motivated again. ****

Meanwhile, Renee explains the rather complex rules of Clockwork Carnage. I’m not sold on it.

Meanwhile, Will Ospreay talks about the Clockwork match, and Mike Bailey announces his qualifying match for Collision.

Jack Perry v. Samoa Joe

Winner gets into the Clockwork Carnage, and Perry shows some fire and manages to take Joe down a couple of times. Jack with a blind charge that turns into the uranage from Joe. Jack bails to the floor and Joe follows him out and lays him out with an elbow and then chops him over the railing and into the crowd. Back to ringside with a suplex and into the ring for a beating from Joe and elbowdrop as we take a break. Back with Perry missing a bodypress for the walk-away spot. Perry fights back and slugs away in the corner, but Joe lays him out again. Perry keeps fighting and tries the piledriver, but goes with a rollup for two instead and then turns it into the Snare Trap until Joe makes the ropes. Back to the floor and Jack gets an Area Code kick around the post, but Joe slams the shit out of him on the floor and Jack barely beats the count. Joe with the choke, but Perry reverses to a cradle for two. To the top, but Joe brings him down with the Muscle Buster to finish at 10:48. Well we knew Perry wasn’t gonna be in the main event of a PPV. Hard fought match. ***1/4

Meanwhile, Okada speaks some French and plans his new tribute to his greatness, the ARC D’OKADA!

Jon Moxley & Gabe Kidd v. Mark Davis & Jake Doyle

Doyle and Mox trade shoulders and Kidd hits a senton for two. Gabe beats on Doyle with headbutts in the corner and then rebounds off the ropes with a lariat. Mox and Davis crash into each other on the floor and it’s a double down out there. In the ring, Kidd and Doyle also smash into each other until they both go down and we take a break. Back with Moxley taking Doyle down into the bulldog choke, but Davis breaks it up and the heels put the boots to Mox. Mox escapes a piledriver and hits Davis with the cutter, setting up the hot tag to Kidd, who hits Davis with a rebound lariat for two. Brainbuster gets two. Mox comes back with the sleeper on Doyle to take him to the floor, and then Kidd hits Davis with a running knee and they trade backdrop suplexes until Davis gets the piledriver for the pin at 10:24. Good I hope they heat up Davis & Doyle again as a team, I was really digging them before Doyle’s injury. They had a pretty good slobberknocker here but it never really seemed to click like it was trying to. ***

TNT title: Darby Allin v. Kyle Fletcher

They slug it out to start and Darby dropkicks him into the corner before taking it to the floor, where Fletcher catches him and sends him into the barricade with the lawn dart. But Darby keeps coming with a bodypress off the post and over the railing, knocking Fletcher loopy. Darby has no sympathy and hits him with a dive immediately, and takes him to the announcer desk, where Kyle backdrops him facefirst onto the other table for another crazy Darby bump. Back in the ring, Darby tries a sunset flip and then suckers him into a guillotine, but Fletcher slams out of it. And we take a break. Back with Fletcher pulling off the top turnbuckle to block a Scorpion death drop, and he puts Darby down with a lariat. Darby with a cradle but Fletcher reverses for two and flows into the Michinoku Driver for two. They fight to the top and Darby takes him down with a Code Red and then a second one for two. They fight to the apron and Darby misses a coffin drop out there, landing on the apron. Back in the ring, Fletcher hits him with a brainbuster for two. Kyle keeps beating on him and tries another brainbuster, but Darby blocks that, so they head to the top for another try, allowing Fletcher to hit him with the turnbuckle brainbuster onto the exposed turnbuckle. Darby bumps to the floor off that, but Kyle hurts his knee on the bump. And Darby is busted open, but he runs Fletcher into the steel and rolls him into the Scorpion Deathlock. He makes the ropes, but Darby immediately hits him with the coffin drop and pins him at 16:00 to retain. I still don’t know how Darby manages to walk out of these matches on his own power but this was another awesome one. ****1/2. I’m assuming the big spot was set up by someone commenting to Darby that he’s gone through plenty of tables facefirst, but never gone through a table facefirst IN FRANCE, and Darby took it as a personal challenge.

AEW Women’s World title: Mercedes Mone v. Queen Aminata

I haven’t studied the French Revolution in a while but I don’t recall it going particularly well for Queens and other regents. Hopefully Aminata fares better. Aminata slugs away on Mone with elbows to start and hits a backbreaker to set up the dreaded Chocolate Kisses, but Mone escapes that. But then they trade piledriver attempts and the Queen gets her Kisses on the second try and follows with a PK. Mone sends her to the floor and follows with the double knees off the apron as we take a break. Back with Aminata headbutting her for two. Aminata misses a running boot and Mone rolls her up for two and tries the Three Amigos, but Aminata gets a neckbreaker for two. Mone with the sunset flip into the corner, but she misses a charge and Queen hits her with the running boot and goes up with a double stomp for two. Knee strike sends Mone to the floor and they brawl out there. Aminata puts her on a chair and dropkicks her off. Back in the ring, Mone with the lungblower and the Moneymaker finishes at 11:08. They meshed well together and this was solid! ***1/2. Afterwards, Thekla hits the ring to attack Mone and set up their title match at WrestleDream, although sadly we did not get Thekla drinking real champagne and doing commentary about all the dumb bitches in France.

AEW World title: Will Ospreay v. Kazuchika Okada

The crowd is of course nuts for Ospreay and manages to sing his entire song! They do the staredown across the ring and the arena is just going nuts. The crowd heckles Okada in song form until he threatens to leave. Back in the ring, Will takes him down with a monkey flip but they battle to a stalemate. Ospreay with a slam and kneedrop for two and he goes to work on the arm. But then he goes to the top and Okada dropkicks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Will coming back with a corkscrew kick and the springboard elbow. That gets two. Okada with a neckbreaker as the crowd is just singing everything they see like a bunch of French Randy Newmans. Okada with the flying elbow, but Will hits him with an enzuigiri. Okada tries a dropkick and Will catches him in mid-air and powerbombs him for two. They slug it out and fight to the apron, where Ospreay gets the cutter to put Okada on the floor. Back in, Will catches him with a dropkick on the way in,but Okada counters the OzCutter with a dropkick and Rainmaker for two. Okada with a shotgun dropkick into the corner and he follows with the OKADA DROPKICK to set up another Rainmaker. But Ospreay counters into a Rainmaker of his own, but it only gets one. Ospreay with the Styles Clash for two. Hidden Blade misses but he walks into another Rainmaker, and then Okada rolls right into a second one. Third one is countered with a Hidden Blade, and Will loads up another Blade and gets two. Stormbreaker gets two. So Will pulls off the elbowpad and hits another Hidden Blade, and this one finishes at 18:55 to retain. What, like they WEREN’T gonna have a balls out great match on this show? ****3/4

A fun show with a MOLTEN French crowd and a bunch of bangers makes this one an easy thumbs up! US crowds should watch this show and take notes.