Aew Dynamite Anniversary
Hey kids, want to see a Hall of Fame basketball player in an AEW ring? Well you’re in luck, because Shaquille O’Neal, yes, Shaq, will be in action. And we won’t even have to wait long to see him, because the mixed tag team match teaming Shaq and Jade Cargill to face Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet is the first bout on tonight’s AEW Dynamite card, which is being called The Crossroads. Let’s get to it.
Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill and Shaq
Look, no one expects Shaq to put on a five-star catch-as-catch-can classic, but it’s still pretty cool seeing him in a wrestling match on free TV. He and Cargill absolutely cut imposing physical figures, and you know Cody can work with him to produce something fun. Not to be forgotten is that this match marks Cargill’s Dynamite debut as well. She has the cocky heel persona down like she was born to do it, and Red Velvet gets a chance to shine as well, hitting a moonsault to the floor after Shaq beats up some of the ringside midcarders. Are there tables coming into play here? There sure are. Cargill gets the table out, but the big question is who’s going through it. Make that who’s going through them, as Velvet sets up a second table. Shaq hits a huge powerbomb and Cody sort of bodyslams him in return. I’m not mocking him by saying that — Shaq is an immense human being. The problem with that is that he lands hard, which is exactly what happens when Rhodes leaps over the top rope and takes Shaq from the apron to the floor through both tables. Good on you, Shaq. That means it’s up to the women to decide this, and Cargill does exactly that with a facebuster. Pretty darn good for a match featuring a celebrity, if you ask me.
Winners: Jade Cargill and Shaq by pinfall
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Shaq is loaded into an ambulance, but Tony Schiavone wants to find out how he’s doing. The doors open but Shaq isn’t in there. Maybe he summoned the power of Kazam.
The AEW: Dynamite Anniversary celebrates lots of accomplishments and lots of jobs well-done. AEW’s women’s division – and more specifically the state of the AEW Women’s World Championship – is not one of them. The company flouted its devotion to diversity and sports-based pro wrestling. AEW has the deepest tag team division in wrestling right now. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood are. 11 hours ago Christian Cage is set to make his first Dynamite appearance on March 10. AEW announced new signee Christian Cage will speak on Wednesday's Dynamite. Cage was revealed as the latest major signing by AEW at Revolution, and though he signed his multi-year contract, he did not grab a.
Pac and Rey Fenix vs. John Skyler and D3
Hey, if there’s going to be a squash tonight, you could do a lot worse than having Pac and Fenix do the squashing. It takes only a minute or two for the Death Triangle duo to get their victory.
Winners: Pac and Rey Fenix by pinfall
We now interrupt the proceedings to bring you a press conference by the Inner Circle. The announcers declare that the group has some explaining to do, though that’s really always true for a heel stable. Someone needs to turn up the mic for the person asking questions of Chris Jericho and MJF. Jericho reminds us that it’s been a year since he lost the AEW World Championship, and it’s time for him to hold some gold again. Lest we forget, Le Champion is a seven-time tag champ, with partners like Dwayne Johnson and “AEW’s own Paul Wight.” Heh. Chris and MJF seem to be pretty ornery otherwise, taking offense to questions about Sammy Guevara and Papa Buck. Hey, I recognize the next gentleman asking a question: It’s Eric Bischoff. Needless to say, Jericho is none too pleased about his pointed question about motivating the Young Bucks by hurting their dad, and the Bucks are even more upset about said hurting. Matt and Nick Jackson give an impassioned speech about how Papa Buck’s DIY spirit helped create the Young Bucks, the Elite, and even AEW itself. Matt tells Chris that if there was no AEW, “you’d probably be jerking the curtain at the Performance Center.” One yike. The Jacksons get the Superkick Party started, forcing a plethora of officials to head down to try to break up the melee. The Good Brothers come out to lend a hand as both Jacksons leap and send Santana and Ortiz through tables simultaneously.
A video package promotes the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match at Revolution with a mix of clips we’ve already seen and commentary from people who know this particular gimmick match well. Can’t wait.
FTR and Tully Blanchard vs. Jurassic Express
Now this is legitimately a piece of history, as Blanchard is making his first appearance in a match in a major wrestling promotion since 1989. That was so long ago I wasn’t even writing for SLAM Wrestling yet. In other words, eons ago. He’s still got it, especially in terms of psychology, as he fakes like he’s going to do a tope suicida before backing off. Also, J.J. Dillon is out there with FTR, making this feel even more like WCW reunion night. Tully gets the fans going by busting out a vintage slingshot suplex, and his team also gets help from a masked cameraman. FTR floors Luchasaurus with a spike piledriver and Blanchard gets a pinfall in the Year of Our Lord 2021.
Winners: FTR and Tully Blanchard by pinfall
The masked man reveals himself to be Shawn Spears, and Arn Anderson points to the group and holds up the Four Horsemen symbol. Not like WWE is doing anything with that gimmick.
Schiavone returns to the stage to officially introduce Wight to AEW. The world’s largest athlete, sporting a “No More BS” shirt, comes out to promote his color commentator gig on AEW Dark: Evolution. He also has a scoop: Wight says he knows AEW is about to sign a “Hall of Fame-worthy” talent but also teases “it’s not who you think.” Interesting. We’ll learn who it is on Sunday during Revolution.
Nyla Rose vs. Ryo Mizunami – AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament Final
It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen Ryo in an AEW ring stateside, and neither Rose nor the announcers are quite sure what to make of her in-ring antics. I’m all for strong style combined with some personality. The problem is she’s up against an even heavier hitter here, but you know wrestling — Rose’s impressive offense might just be the setup to make her opponent look even better when she survives and prevails. That’s exactly what happens: After an eye-popping suplex and a spear, Mizunami hits the guillotine legdrop off the top rope to receive her trophy from the very woman she’ll challenge for the title on Sunday. They trade forearm shots in the most classic Japanese style there is.
Winner: Ryo Mizunami by pinfall
Schiavone returns to the ring, a necessity on any show prior to a PPV. He summons Sting to the ring, and the Icon says it took a Brian Cage powerbomb to make him feel like he was really ready to wrestle again. He’s ready for a street fight, but first he needs to listen to what Ricky Starks has to say. Somewhat surprisingly, Absolute admits he saw fire from Sting last week, and that he’s still got it. Alas, Starks also says Sting is no icon, slapping him to punctuate that hot take. Bad move, Ricky. Sting immediately lays into Starks until he can lock him in the Scorpion Deathlock. The rest of Team Taz tries to turn the tables, but some big hustle by Darby Allin gets him to the ring in time to prevent any serious harm. This will get settled on Sunday.
Dark Order’s 10 vs. Max Caster – Face of the Revolution Ladder Match Qualifier
Scorpio Sky joins the announcers and wastes no time claiming he will be the face of the Revolution. Caster’s entrance rap goes somewhere I wouldn’t, saying “I’ll light you up like Lady Gaga’s dog walker.” Caster figures to be the one who will win here, but the end comes in somewhat surprising fashion, as Jack Evans smacks 10 in the head with Caster’s boombox when the ref is distracted. Caster gets the win, and the whole plot is revealed as Matt Hardy has an envelope of money for him. His beef with the Dark Order is deep.
Winner: Max Caster by pinfall
Miro has a message for Chuck Taylor, and it is delivered in more than one language but comes to the same conclusion: Game over.
Matt Hardy and Marq Quen vs. John Silver and “Hangman” Adam Page
This is kind of like two intertwined feuds in one, though fan reaction to the Page-Hardy part of it appears to be mixed, at best. Never fear, this feels like a temporary subplot until Page makes a legit run at the AEW title. And honestly, Hardy as a mouthpiece/mastermind for Private Party is fine business. A spot in a main event like this really shows how far Silver has come as well. There is some payoff after it takes quite some time for Page to get his hands on Hardy, but will they figure in the finish together? Not quite, as Silver and Page work well as a team to finish off Quen.
Winners: John Silver and Adam Page by pinfall
Hardy wastes not even a second before attacking Page with a microphone, but the full might of the Dark Order soon rushes to the rescue. Then a ton of other wrestlers spill from the back into the ring, leaving -1 beside himself on the stage. Now that is a show-ending brawl if there ever was one. Don’t forget Revolution is this Sunday, and we’ll see you in seven!
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Sure, I’m grading this on a curve as a pre-PPV show, but since the Shaq match was more fun than it had any right to be, some of the other matches were good, and there was just generally a lot going on, this was a fast and enjoyable two hours. Revolution is stacked but could be quite long, so we’ll see if that ends up working for or against it.
It’s bound to come up during tonight’s show, but AEW picked a hell of a year to make its debut. Other promotions might have wilted during the pandemic, but AEW Dynamite has soldiered on and been pretty good more often than not. That’s no small feat considering the circumstances. The company celebrates one year of programming with a stacked-on-paper card that features all titles on the line, though with Full Gear not far off, it doesn’t seem very likely any of them are in real danger of new folks claiming them. Let’s find out, shall we? Live to TNT we go.
Match 1 – Best Friends (challengers) vs. FTR (champions) – AEW World Tag Team Championship Match
The “backyard comedy wrestlers” finally get their chance, earned by being the No. 1-ranked team for four straight weeks. The announcers talk up Trent and Chuck’s record and their triumph in the parking lot fight with Santana and Ortiz. Wait, are we just glossing over the fact that Orange Cassidy popped out of a trunk to help them win that? Well, are we?!? Just kidding. This bout has the full 60-minute time limit, so it’s more of a full-on serving of greatness as opposed to a mere brush. If you feel like this will be the kind of match where the challengers get their chances but Tully Blanchard makes the difference in the end, you’ve hit it right on the head. Also, if you dislike violence inflicted on classic video game cabinets, you won’t want to watch this. FTR retains their titles like probably everyone will tonight.
Winners … and still AEW World Tag Team Champions: FTR by pinfall
Seeking vengeance for the arcade game, perhaps, Miro and Kip Sabian (but mostly Miro) add injury to insult by beating on the Best Friends. They also have a match up next. A squash match, but hey.
Match 2 – Miro and Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Sean Maluta and Lee Johnson
Or maybe Johnson is now officially Shotty Lee, I don’t know. He and Maluta are helpless against Miro, who gets a submission win. As it turns out, yep, Sabian and Miro are angry about the video game getting destroyed. Jericho once had a feud started over a spilled cup of coffee, so this isn’t that ridiculous in comparison.
Winners: Miro and Kip Sabian by submission
Something is happening backstage, let’s get a camera back there! That something is Lance Archer laying into Jon Moxley, a sneak preview of their upcoming main event.
Pull up a chair, because we’re about to see the latest segment with both MJF and Chris Jericho, which are always fun. Jericho comes to the ring with the entire Inner Circle, all wearing the sweet jackets MJF gave them two weeks ago — except for Sammy Guevara, who refuses to wear his as he got it belatedly and about three sizes too big. The kissing up is in full swing, with MJF buttering up Le Champion for something. Jericho wants to know what that something is, revealing along the way that he hates Animal Planet for some reason. It takes some time and is incredibly hard for him to say out loud, but MJF wants to join the Inner Circle.
It’s Spa Day for Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., who gets a treatment of some sort while talking to Tony Schiavone, who is getting his own pampering. Baker reveals the next step in her plan is to be “the baddest bitch on the block” before freaking out when she realizes Schiavone is naked under his towel. She subjects the announcing legend to painful chest waxing and puts the entire women’s division on notice.
Match 3 – “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (challenger) vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody (champion) – AEW TNT Championship Match
Someday, Cassidy is going to reach the natural finish line for the run he’s been on in AEW and win some individual gold. Today is probably not that day, however. Darby Allin is watching from the stands, and he’s a very interested observer since he’s getting a shot at whoever holds this title at Full Gear. The Dark Order also wants to get a close-up view of the proceedings, but it isn’t long before the ref gives them the heave ho for intervening in a physical nature outside the ring, if you smell what I’m cooking. After soaking up tons of punishment in the early going, Cassidy rallies late. But alas, there’s a 20-minute time limit in play, and just as Cassidy appears to have Cody down for three, he runs out of time mid-count. What are the chances? GG in the chat, Orange.
Winner: None, as the match goes to a time limit draw, and Cody remains AEW TNT Champion
With Archer about to get his backstage interview, Moxley is having none of it, attacking him while yelling “we ain’t finished” or words to that effect.
Back at the ring, Schiavone gets a health update from Matt Hardy, who is psyched to be at the one-year anniversary show. Hardy says he is cleared to return to action, but on the big screen, someone is setting fire to pictures of him. It’s Guevara, naturally, who comes clean about attacking Hardy with a classic “it was me all along” quip.
Now it’s time for a tag team draw. Apparently the four teams drawn will compete for a chance to challenge FTR for the titles. And the lucky winners are Private Party, Silver and Reynolds of the Dark Order, The Butcher and The Blade, and the Young Bucks. The Jackson brothers offer FTR a handshake and it quickly turns tense. They’re not here to superkick Schiavone this time, or even FTR. But they do superkick two members of the other teams, starting off a brawl that ends with them staring down Private Party. The Bucks give Private Party fist bumps but then superkick them too. In the words of noted (albeit fictional) philosopher Dark Helmet, “I can’t believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book! … What’s with you man? Come on!”
Match 4 – Big Swole (challenger) vs. Hikaru Shida (champion) – AEW Women’s World Championship Match
It’s been really enjoyable seeing Swole in some more technical sequences these last few weeks, growing her beyond being known as strictly an athletic powerhouse. Despite some fear in my mind that maybe Shida would be the one champ to drop their gold on a night full of title matches, she wins and continues her lengthy title reign.
Winner … and still AEW Women’s World Champion: Hikaru Shida
A video package shows Shawn Spears claiming he isn’t stalking Scorpio Sky, but is instead upset about Sky “stealing” a moment from him. Scorpio now owes him a debt of some sort.
Main Event – Lance Archer (challenger) vs. Jon Moxley (champion) – AEW World Championship No Disqualification Match
Or maybe this could be the match with hijinks. Not only has it been made a no DQ affair, but Eddie Kingston and his “family members” Rey Fenix and Pénta El Zero M are at the announce table. Feels like something could happen here. You want weapons, we get a bunch of them in this one, including chairs, tables, and a trashcan. Moxley connects with the Paradigm Shift twice, but Archer manages to kick out. Archer connects with the Blackout, but Moxley rolls him onto his shoulders and barely escapes with his belt.
Winner … and still AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley by pinfall
After the bell, Kingston yells “go help him.” But surprisingly, Fenix nails Archer with a chair shot, and even though the Murderhawk Monster no-sells it, Jake Roberts tells him to walk away. Kingston gives Mox some props and says he’s proud of him, but it’s all a lengthy setup. After a spinning hammerfist to the already beaten up Moxley, Kingston applies the rear naked choke until he’s out. The Mad King talks about how beautiful the title is and that Moxley stole it from him since he never tapped out. And as this show is really short on time, we’re out of show. See you in seven.
Aew Dynamite Results
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Aew Dynamite Anniversary Results
Hard to me too mad at a show full of good to very good title matches, and there was some storyline advancement to boot. Chris Jericho and MJF are magic almost every time they are in the same segment, so it was good to see their dynamic continue to evolve. All told, it was a worthy celebration of a year with plenty of successes.