13/03/24 – TD Garden Arena, Boston, MA
Commentary – Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz
The show begins with Renee introducing the show from backstage, a white Mercedes Benz parks up right next to her as the show starts, the door opens, gee I wonder who that is?
The show begins with Mercedes Mone AKA Sasha Banks coming to the ring.
She said she was home.
She cut a pretty standard promo about how grateful she is etc and how she is now ALL Elite.
She has went with the CEO gimmick instead of “The Boss” as she was known in WWE.
Wasn’t really much here in this opening promo from Mercedes to write home about so we will have to wait and see where she will go from here.
Renee is backstage with Samoa Joe ahead of his title match with Wardlow tonight, he said he hasn’t forgotten the last time they were in the ring together, he said debts are needing to be paid, Samoa Joe doesn’t lose championships at The Garden.
A Vignette is next of Adam Cole reading a book about Wardlow with a story of him conquering Samoa Joe and fulfilling prophecy.
AEW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Samoa Joe (c) vs Wardlow (with Undisputed Kingdom)
Wardlow jumps Joe from the get go with the two men spilling to the outside with Wardlow throwing Joe into the barricade. Wardlow grabs a sign that says “Joe is gonna kill you” rips it up and throws it back in the fans face.
Wardlow talks and moves like a man with high confidence at the moment. It’s criminal that the hasn’t been AEW Champion by now.
Back in the ring Joe tried to get Wardlow up to the top rope but Wardlow pushed him off then backflipped on top of Joe, super impressive for a man his size.
Wardlow seemed to fake a knee injury which allowed him to gouge the eyes of Joe behind the refs back, he then hit a knee to Joes head from the second ropes that only got a two count.
Wardlow went to finish off Joe but missed with Samoa Joe locking in his rear naked choke with Wardlow passing out.
Swerve Strickland came out with security trying to stop him, he had a chain and took all the security out and had his eyes set on Joe.
Samoa Joe wanted no part of Swerve Strickland as he grabbed his belt and retreated up the ramp with Swerve staring daggers at him.
I don’t understand the logic of having Wardlow squash enhancement talent week after week to then have him get choked out by Samoa Joe like here, where does he go from this?
Alex Marvez is Backstage with The Young Bucks and Okada.
Alex asked Okada the question of why did he align himself with Elite? Nickolas Jackson took offense to this question and said he was being disrespectful and to call Okada by his full name.
Okada finally speaks and said he is coming for his opponents tonight in PAC, Eddie Kingston and Penta and also to say Happy Birthday to Matthew Jackson, Okada insists that Alex Marvez sing Happy Birthday which he does.
Six Man Tag Match
The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada vs PAC, Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero Meido
Okada and Kingston go face to face with the crowd anticipating them squaring off, in heel fashion Okada tags out which frustrated Kingston.
Like Kingston, PAC got in the mix of the match and was looking at Okada like he wanted to kill him, it’s looking like Okada is making enemies very quickly so far in AEW.
Okada’s role in this match seemed to be to frustrate the hell out of Kingston which he did perfectly to the point where you just wanted to see Kingston punch him in face.
Finally Kingston and Okada got in the ring together with Kingston hitting some big chops to the chest and trying to hit his spinning back fist which the reversed into a DDT from Okada.
After all men scuffled in the ring it looked like it was coming down to Okada and Kingston again but Nicholas Jackson kicked Kingston in the balls with Okada hitting the “Rainmaker” to win the match for his team.
Winner – Okada and The Young Bucks
Tony Schiavone introduces Will Ospreay as he comes out to talk about his upcoming match with Bryan Danielson.
Will Ospreay has his own way of cutting promos with his thick English accent, he speaks well and uses a bit of British slang which makes him unique but the thing with this promo is, it’s just him talking about being the best wrestler in the world and that he is going to beat the other best wrestler in the world in Bryan Danielson.
If you look at the greatest promos of all time there is a lot more to them than “I’m going to beat you”
AEW is guilty of this a lot, promos that don’t really say a hell of lot, the passion is there, the intensity is there but there is just no meat on the bone creatively.
Dionne Purrazzo is backstage, she says that her feud with Toni Storm is far from over and challenges Storm and Mariah May to a tag match, she says she has a partner.
Singles Match
“Switchblade” Jay White vs Darby Allin
This is Darby’s last match before he goes to climb Mount Everest. I’m hoping that Darby Allin doesn’t do something so crazy he becomes a paraplegic from this match.
There is no way he can be 100 percent after his match only a week ago where his whole body was lacerated from glass.
Darby had massive bandages around his ribs and back,
Jay White’s eye told the story when he looked at the bandages, it was like a target for him. This didn’t stop Darby from diving through the rope and off the top to the outside using his body as a weapon on Jay White.
Jay White was relentless and kept punishing the wounds of Darby Allin even trying to take the bandages off Allin.
Allin did another crazy bump where Jay White was on the ring apron face down, Allin tried the Coffin Drop with Jay White getting out the way, Allin either clipped the apron or just hit the floor.
Allin narrowly missed the 10 count and ran in the ring with Jay White hitting “The Switchblade” for the win.
Winner – Jay White.
It looked like Jay White was going to help up Allin or shake his hand but instead motioned a gun with The Gunns taking him out.
They put Darbys leg in a chair and we’re going to smash it with a baseball bat but was stopped as The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn came out to confront them on what they were doing.
Billy Gunn pulled the bat off Jay White but when he turned around Jay White smashed him over the head with a chair.
The Gunns beat up the Acclaimed and they put Darby Allin Back in the chair and smashed his leg with the bat.
Just like that The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is no more, I really think they were put together originally lto combat against The Undisputed Kingdom but that didn’t ever eventuate, creative had no clue what to do with them so here we are, back to feuding with one another all over again.
Tag Team Match
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho and Hook vs The Gates of Agony
I said it on my last review that I think Chris Jericho’s time in AEW should come to an end with him possibly going back to the WWE for one last run. Here he is again involved in a pretty bland tag match.
Gates of Agony haven’t been presented as a threat and mostly lose on television so it’s not a surprise Jericho and Hook are going to win here.
It’s a shame as The Gates of Agony do look the part, they are two big dudes that you wouldn’t want to mess with in a dark alley but creative has failed them massively.
Just like most matches he is involved in, the much smaller Hook taps out the bigger more believable looking Kahn to win the match.
They can’t keep beating these guys in this fashion and expect the crowd to believe that they are big badasses, creative is killing these guys.
Kyle O Riley is backstage with Renee again, his first match back is on Collision against the poor Bryan Keith who never wins.
Backstage Mercedes Mone wishes Riho luck against her opponent Willow Nightingale.
This is followed by Renee with Chris Jericho and Hook who she names “LionHook”
Jericho says he needs to find out more about Hook and challenges him to a match for next week on Dynamite.
Singles Match
Willow Nightingale vs Riho
Yes this is really the main event of the night.
Has Tony Kahn lost his mind? Big Buisness? There has been no Buisness done tonight at all.
This match could have been something that would normally have been on Rampage.
Willow wins the contest with her sit down gut wrench powerbomb after a long hard fought contest.
Winner – Willow Nightingale
After the match, Julia Hart came out to confront Willow with Skye Blue attacking her from behind.
Both women were going to double team Willow until Mercedes Mone came out to make the save. Was Kris Statlander sleeping in the back?
Mercedes took care of both women easily.
Willow raised the arm of Mercedes Mone and welcomes her to AEW.
Mercedes paraded around the ring and with the fans and ringside as the show went off the air.
Kevs Thoughts – This show seemed like it was written around Mercedes Mone. It wasn’t gripping, the opening promo was generic and the end was flat.
The AEW fans in attendance chanted CEO and seemed to be loving it but normal fans In my opinion aren’t going to think much of Big Buisness.
Compared to last week I felt this show was a huge step backwards, there is no storylines going on or reasons why the wrestlers are fighting one another, it’s all about the “Im going to beat you and prove I’m the best”
To have this as your main event on a special let alone Dynamite has me scratching my head, a very poor Dynamite this week in my opinion.
Swerve just comes out the ring to confront Joe and we never see him or Joe again, why don’t we have him in the back hunting Joe?
Where’s Christian? You need these top guys on your main show weekly, otherwise you get a show like this and it’s just not very good.
