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AEW Dynamite
October 9, 2019

by Samoa Rowe

From the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. The building is sold out, meaning there's somewhere between 6,000 - 8,000 fans in attendance, depending on which seating capacity chart you believe. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Tony Shiavone.

PPV-style hype video for Young Bucks vs. Private Party, which establishes that the Young Bucks recruited Private Party to AEW, but have every intention of becoming the first tag team champions.

Tag Team Championship Tournament - First Round:
The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)

I doubt I can type fast enough to do this match justice, but here we go. The crowd is jazzed for this and provides dueling chants during a feeling out portion. Nick spits his gum into Kassidy's face and it's on. The Young Bucks tag and hit quick tandem offense on Kassidy, while Matt finds time to knock Quen off the apron. Kassidy avoids some power moves and scores an Asai moonsault on Matt. Quen tags and enters with a springboard crossbody and immediately scores four consecutive HIGH dives. Quen's 450 splash gets a CLOSE nearfall. Young Bucks rebound with a SUPERKICK PARTY, and appear shaken by the previous nearfall. Matt sunset flips to powerbomb Kassidy onto the steel ramp! The Bucks hit a powerbomb/blockbuster combo on Quen and Nick transitions right to a Sharpshooter (rope break). Bucks overwhelm Quen with tandem offense, including a springboard double stomp while he's draped on Matt's knees. Quen blocks a superkick by thrusting Matt's leg into Nick. Quen dives for a hot tag but Nick pulls Kassidy off the apron. Quen blocks a double suplex and hits a double Pele kick. Kassidy's hot tag leads to a double missile dropkick and he sells his back while delivering a double rana! Matt jabs the bad back, but Kassidy bounces off his partner to stay in the ring, but Matt nails a series of Northern Lights suplex, with a final suplex on both Private Party members! Kassidy eats a buckle bomb/enziguri combo and gets caught in a Scorpion Deathlock long enough to serve as a great false finish before getting the ropes. Fans chant "Fight Forever." Kassidy hits a reverse rana and Quen leaps up to rana Matt into a cutter! Quen's HIGH SSP only gets 2! The Meltzer Driver is blocked and Quen rolls up Matt for the massive upset win at 13:43! This provided awesome high level action while still telling a good tag team story, and gets extra credit for making Private Party instant stars, ****½.
Winners: Private Party

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and his new oddball collection of stablemates, consisting of Jake Hager, Ortiz, Santana, and Sammy Guevara come to the ring to talk. Jericho gleefully cuts a promo that clearly was not written for him by writers, and he just seems to be having the time of his life. Jericho puts his group over for ending last week's show by beating up The Elite. He puts Guevara over for being a "Spanish God" and is on his list. Jericho says her personally recruited Ortiz and Santana and frames them as nasty street fighters, "Viva La Raza" (cue the Eddie chants, he would have been 52 today). Jericho says Jake Hager may be a former world champion, but now he's the top MMA fighter in the world. Crowd chants "We, the people" and Jericho shuts it down by saying that gimmick sucks and is dead and buried. "It was a stupid idea by bad creative and all that's gone!" Crowd LOVES this. Jericho brands the group "The Inner Circle" and they are taking control of AEW. Jericho runs down Cody, calling him entitled, calls his dead father a jerk, and calls Dustin Rhodes a moron. Jericho plans on beating the ever loving "sh!t" out of Cody at Full Gear and then have a bit of the bubbly in the streets of Baltimore. This promo was MONEY and was just as entertaining as the opening match in it's own right.

#1 Contenders Match: Jimmy Havoc vs. Darby Allin

Just in time for Halloween HavoK, it's Jimmy Havoc, looking to earn a title shot next week by beating the increasingly popular Allin. They sprint to a couple of breaks and Havoc spits in Allin's face. Allin answers with a running back elbow and shotgun dropkick. Havoc bites the fingers and suplexes elbow off the apron! Havoc slows things down to work over the fingers and arm. Havoc works a sleeper in the corner and transitions into a suplex. Havoc maintains control through a commercial break, hitting a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles. Havoc's Tiger Driver ‘98 only gets 2, and Allin counters with a crucifix pin. Darby bites the finger as well and leaps over Havoc to hit a stunner. The Coffin Drop finishes it at 6:35 (shown). Gutsy win by Allin, solid match all around, **¾.
Winner: Darby Allin

Bea Priestley and Emi Sakura vs. AEW Women's Champion Riho and Dr. Britt Baker

Riho starts against her mentor, Sakura. Riho tries to quicken the pace but Sakura catches her in midair for a power slam. Sakura seems pleased with herself after throwing Riho by the hair. Sakura puts Riho in the Romero Special. Priestley tags and ignores Riho to go right after her archnemesis, Baker (I have no recollection what their issue is). Sakura helps Bea suplex Baker on the floor, but Riho surprises them with a top rope dive. Cue the commercial! When they come back, Baker is on the receiving end of a Sakura beatdown. Baker hits a stunner and Riho interferes with a double stomp to the stomach. Baker's neckbreaker gets 2! Swinging neckbreaker by Baker and she rakes the mouth while stretching the neck to gain the submission win at 6:01 (shown). Good action in this one, even if I don't know why Priestley and Baker are feuding, ***.
Winners: Riho and Britt Baker

The Best Friends of Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta are interviewed at ringside about their upcoming tournament match against SCU. They deflect the question to Orange Cassidy in the front row, who casually gives a thumbs up.

Shawn Spears (with Tully Blanchard) vs. Jon Moxley

"The Bastard" Pac joins commentary for the festivities. Moxley is eager to kick some ass and takes the fight right to Spears, who manages to get his own shots in as well. Moxley clears the ring and drives a knee into Spears' back on the floor. Blanchard leaps on Moxley's back, but Moxley recovers with a flying forearm off the apron. Blanchard interferes again, driving Moxley into the ring steps. Spears follows with a hard Irish whip into the rails. Meanwhile, Pac whines that he's been overlooked despite his stellar international win/loss record. Spears hits a Death Valley Driver into the barricade to send us to commercial. Back from break, Spears continues to roll with a sitout powerbomb into a single leg crab. Spears hits a torpedo suicida, which inspires Moxley to pop up to hit one of his own. Moxley rallies with clubbing offense and a running knee to the head for 2. Spears throws some elbows but Moxley slaps the face and a crushing lariat. Spears recovers with a backbreaker onto his knee for 2. Spears does the "10" gesture to which Moxley locks up his knuckles for a sick head butt! Moxley nails the Paradigm Shift for the win at 9:02 (shown). Great fire and intensity from Moxley, who continues to look rejuvenated in this environment. Spears has got to start picking up some wins soon though, ***¼a.
Winner: Jon Moxley

Kenny Omega shows up on the stage with not just a barbed wire bat, but also a barbed wire broom. Omega offers the bat to Moxley and they are about to duke it out when Pac sneaks up to smash a chair into Kenny's head. Crowd is PISSED at Pac for breaking up this badass moment. Moxley isn't too pleased with Pac either and takes the high road by not attacking Omega while he's down.

Dustin Rhodes and Hangman Page vs. AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara (with Jake Hager)

Jericho and Guevara are already sporting Inner Circle t-shirts, while Hager still looks like he's ready to attend a Trump rally. Dustin jumps Jericho at the bell and pulls his shirt over his head for some hockey style punching. Dustin uppercuts Guevara out of the air. Page tags and helps Dustin plow through Guevara with clotheslines and uppercuts. Page hits an overhead power slam and hits a second with a pin for 2. Dustin throws Guevara into position for Page's running SSP, but Jericho breaks the cover. Jericho distracts Page on the top rope, allowing Guevara to lift him up to pancake him on the top buckles. Great pacing here as they take a commercial. They come back with the Inner Circle working over Page. Jericho's Lionsault is countered and Page kills Guevara with a buckshot lariat. Dustin gets a big pop for the hot tag and mows through Guevara and Jericho with atomic drops and a flying crossbody on them both! Crowd LOVES this. Page takes down Sammy with a moonsault to the floor, but Hager ambushes him with a hard clothesline. Dustin hits a flip powerbomb on Jericho for a good nearfall and sets him up in the corner for a kick to the groin, but has to stop to power slam Sammy. Hager runs in for a blind clothesline while Sammy distracts the ref. Jericho hits the Judas Effect on Dustin for the win at 10:55 (shown). Hot match and the crowd is mad at that finish in a good way, ***½.
Winners: Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara

The Inner Circle aren't satisfied and proceed to beat down Dustin and Page while the crowd loudly chants for Cody. Page throws a chair into Hager's face and they brawl away, leaving Jericho and Sammy to continue putting the boots to Dustin. The lights go out and return to reveal Cody in the ring. Cross Rhodes on Sammy! Santana and Ortiz run in to save Jericho from Cody. MJF runs in with a chair and convincingly teases turning on Cody before using the chair on Santana and Ortiz. The crowd pops hard for MJF and I hope this is his official babyface turn, no more wishy washy "heel who is best friends with the top babyface" nonsense. Jericho puts MJF down with a Codebreaker. The Young Bucks are next to run in for a save and clear out Santana and Ortiz with dives. Jericho backs off and throws the ring bell into the ring out of spite. Darby Allin then SKATEBOARDS DOWN THE RAMP to wipe out Jericho! Allin beats Jericho up with the skateboard and stands tall with the other good guys. Cody, Allin, Young Bucks, Dustin, and MJF appear to be a united force against the Inner Circle. Jericho calls them "stupid idiots" anyway and says next week will be Darby's funeral, bitch.

Final Thoughts: This just flew by, featured ZERO filler, good-to-great matches up and down the card, and hot angles with the formation of the Inner Circle and the Elite standing up to them. This was an absolute pleasure, Thumbs Up!

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