AEW Dynamite 8/21/2024

AEW Dynamite 8/21/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/aew-dynamite-8142024.html

Mercedes Mone, Kamille and Britt Baker come out for a contract signing. Mone says she's the future and Britt is the past. Britt said Mone hobbled in on crutches last year at All In to watch. She said before there was a CEO, there was a DMD.

Mone says this is Britt's dream match. She asks if Britt is All In and said she put women's wrestling on the map which is All In. She says Britt will not beat her. Britt says she admired Mone and said she walked so girls like her could run. Britt says Mone is arrogant and cares more about money than her legacy. She said she hopes she finds the old Mone as that's the girl she wants to say she beat. She says she won't hit Mone, but this b!tch is getting on her nerves. She hits Kamille with the mic and jumps off the table on Mone and Kamille.

The Learning Tree are interviewed. Jericho asks what right does Tommy Billington have to call himself "The Dynamite Kid". He said he hasn't even earned the right to be on Dynamite. He says it's his chance to prove himself. He said what he does to Tommy tonight, he does to Hook 7x over at Wembley.

Chris Jericho vs "The Dynamite Kid" Tommy Billington

Tom armdrags CJ then shoulders him over. Tom slams him and top rope dropkicks him. Jericho's buddies trip Tom off the apron and send him into the post. We go to PiP break and return. They collide in mid-air with crossbodies.

Tom dropkicks Jericho then slams him. CJ asai moonsaults him. Tom germans him then CJ puts him in a crab. Tom ropebreaks then suplexes him. Tom tombstones CJ then dives on Bryan Keith outside. Tom comes off the top and takes a codebreaker from CJ. CJ wins.

Thoughts: Tom looked really small here compared to Jericho, who isn't exactly a giant. It was not Tom's best match here as he had some trouble moving CJ and he didn't get the 15-20 minutes he might get on Collision to get a match over.

CJ gets on the mic after. He says he will do the same thing to Hook at All In. He says he would rip him apart if he's here then Hook's music hits. Hook comes down and get chokeslammed by Bill. 

AEW Women's Title - Toni Storm (c) vs Saraya

Toni armdrags her twice. They each do headlock takeovers. Sar gets a pin attempt in and Toni poses. Toni's throat is pulled down over the top and Sar hits knees to the chest. Harley Cameron, who is with Sar, throws Toni into the rail. Sar cannonballs Toni off the apron.

We go to PiP break and return. Toni ddt's her. Toni fisherman suplexes her. Sar hits a lightning spiral for 2. Sar sunset bombs her off the buckles then does a lifting clutch ddt for 2. Toni hits a sky high for 2. Harley gets on the apron and distracts the ref. Toni kisses Harley and sends Sar into her. Toni then rolls up Sar for 2. Toni kisses Sar and hits a storm zero for the win.

Thoughts: I wasn't a fan of this. The 2nd rope sunset bomb was treated like nothing here and I could have done without Toni kissing people.

Mariah May hits Toni with a shoe after then kisses her. 

The Conglomeration and Willow Nightingale are interviewed. Mark talks about All In. Kyle does a British accent and they want a match with Undisputed Kingdom at Collision.

Will Ospreay comes out to talk. The crowd chants for him and MJF interrupts. Will makes a bunch of English culture references. MJF said he's not a flip merchant like Will is and said all he had to do to get the crowd to cheer louder is to do the kangaroo kick. MJF says he was begged by WBD and AEW top brass to return from injury quicker.

Will said the joke with Adam Cole went on too long and said he wasn't even employed last week. He said Tony called him for All In last year, saying he can't rely on his champ to do it. Will talks about restoring wrestling. MJF says he doesn't care about the people and only cares about winning. He calls Tony a four-eyed, curly haired dork. MJF asks who told Will that he was the best wrestler other than the fans.

MJF says Will can only beat him with the tiger driver but isn't man enough to pull the trigger. Will says everyone in the world will say he's the best wrestler. MJF said the fans loved him until Will showed up and ruined it. MJF brings up Will's wife and his wife's kid. MJF said he talked to Will's wife and the next kid she has won't be Will's either.

Will asks Tony Schiavone how much the fine is for hitting MJF. They tell him and Will says it's worth it. Will beats up MJF and security gets involved. MJF hits will with his ring. MJF hits mounted shots and a brainbuster. Will is busted open and MJF counts his own pin on him. MJF goes for the tiger driver '91 and security breaks it up.

Thoughts: This was all over the place and wasn't good.  

Renee tells us there was an altercation in the office and Adam Page was told to leave the building. Adam Page walks in. He said he did what he had to do and is in the casino gauntlet at All In. He says he will run you over if you stand in his way. Evil Uno walks by and asks if he knows anyone in the gauntlet. Uno says he is in it and Page chairs him. Page says if you are in his way, he will run you over.

Thoughts: Uno was back to being a face here after being a heel on ROH for a while.

AEW Continental Title - Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Claudio Castagnoli

They back each other up on the ropes to start early. CC shoulders Okada over. CC lands on a back body drop and they stare down. They hold hands and boot each other. Okada running back elbows him.

We go to PiP break and return. CC suplexes him. CC running euros him outside. CC elbow drops him. They trade forearms and Okada goes down. Okada neckbreakers him. CC euros him then lariats him over the top. CC goes with him. Okada pushes CC into the post.

 CC karelin's lifts him (they call it this too and I know Excalibur had to have read my blog to see that since no one else calls it that) then double stomps him for 2. Okada knocks him off the apron. They fight on the buckles. They get back down and Okada dropkicks him. Okada top rope dropkicks him.

Okada takes a giant swing. CC runs the ropes and Okada dropkicks him. CC 2nd rope corkscrew euros him then Okada does an over the back neckbreaker on the knee. Okada backslides him then CC pop-up euros him. Okada holds onto the ropes to try and drag this out to the time limit. CC double stomps him and the 20 minute time limit expires.

Thoughts: It was a heavy wrestling based match as expected. I didn't think it was a classic or anything and it was pretty much just here to provide great wrestling. It was fine but didn't do a ton for me otherwise.

The Elite come down. The Bucks say the match was phenomenal. They ask if we want to see them go 5 more minutes then say this won't be happening tonight. They say CC can leave and say they will physically remove him if he doesn't. Darby Allin then comes down and they start announcements for the next match. 

Darby Allin and FTR vs The Elite (The Young Bucks and Jack Perry)

CC and Okada brawl outside as this starts. Dax back elbows Jack then Darby hits a surprise tope on Jack outside. FTR and The Bucks square off. FTR take stereo plancha's outside. Darby then hits a coffin drop on The Bucks outside off the top.

We go to PiP break and return. Darby takes a buckle bomb and double kicks from The Bucks. Darby tags in Dax. Dax hits punches on the heels. Dax hits germans on Jack. Cash backdrops Jack and hits shots on The Bucks. Cash takes a double superkick and Jack backslides him for 2.

Everyone starts getting a move in. We get a triple sharpshooter spot. Cash triple topes the heels outside. Darby hits a code red then takes a reverse ddt from Jack. Jack takes a shatter machine then a Buck takes a powerplex. Darby hits a coffin drop and wins.

Thoughts: I was shocked that this didn't go longer than it did. It was fine and they didn't overdo it here which was welcomed. There was nothing wrong with this one.

The Bucks leave and The Acclaimed come out.

Max says they will be crowned tag champs at All-In and say it's time to nut up or shut up. Bowens says neither team can beat The Acclaimed. Bowens says they will fight until they are the next tag champs.

Will Ospreay is bleeding in the back and Renee wants to talk to him. Bryan Danielson goes up to him and tell him to "do it".

Nigel Mcguinness is in the ring and bring out Swerve. He asks him how it feels to go into this match as a favorite. Swerve says he's the most dangerous man in AEW. Swerve talks about the people he beat and hurt. He says he will dissect Bryan Danielson from head to toe. Swerve says if he tries to come back on the indies or under a mask, he will beat him up in the streets.

Bryan runs down and hits a busaiku knee. Bryan says maybe Swerve is confused. He says he's the best wrestler in the world and has been for the last 20 years. Bryan says he will leave his soul in the ring. He then leads the crowd to a "YES" chant to end the show.

Thoughts: It's hard to buy Swerve as this stone cold killer when he hasn't really done anything like that in AEW since he invaded Nick Wayne's house. It's also hard to get real into this since he was a face a few weeks ago and is now a heel again.

Overall thoughts: It's the last Dynamite before the PPV so we weren't going to learn a lot of new things here as the card is already set. I didn't think they did a good job. Will/MJF is all over the place. Bryan/Swerve has various issues with it being hard to buy Swerve as the baddest guy in AEW and AEW doing everything they can to tell us that Bryan is done in various ways after this match. Mariah May vs Toni Storm may be the best built to thing on the card but they've never really explained what the issue really was with them that caused it. The tag title match isn't anything to get really excited about and it just feels like The Bucks are detached from FTR and The Acclaimed. I wouldn't recommend this one.