Pantoja’s AEW Dynamite Review 11.10.21

AEW Dynamite

November 10th, 2021 | Indianapolis Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana

It’s the go-home Dynamite before Full Gear!

Bryan Danielson (7-0-1) vs. Rocky Romero (1-0)

Hey, Rocky has a win in AEW. ROPPONGI VICE THEME! These two have history from Japan and ROH, which is cool. This match was so right up my alley as they exchanged quality technical wrestling stuff right from the start and the crowd seemed to appreciate it. I liked commentary noting that Danielson might consider tapping out if he gets in trouble to preserve himself for the PPV match with higher stakes. This match even gave us a Danielson/Cassidy face to face outside, which was cool. They nailed the little things in this match, like the way they would battle for the upper hand on submissions and really make it feel like a struggle of a fight. Down the stretch, we got some excellent submission counters and exchanges involving armbreakers, calf slicers, ankle locks, and more. Danielson did the head kicks and went for the LeBelle Lock but Rocky blocked, only for Danielson to turn it into the Tequila Sunrise, winning in 10:53. That ruled. I love a good technical wrestling clinic and that was one of the better ones all year. More random forbidden door stuff like this. [***¾]

The Inner Circle came out for a promo but got jumped by Dan Lambert and his MMA goons, along with Men of the Year. No Paige VanZant this week so I have zero interest in what’s happening. The beat down led to Jericho getting isolated in the ring and the goons setting him up for a powerbomb through a table off the top by Lambert. They promised to have Lambert pin Jericho at the PPV and tonight, they’ll have him tap. Lambert put on the Walls (which he called the Boston Crab from Championship Wrestling in 1975) and Sky tapped Jericho’s hand. This segment worked for what it was.

Britt Baker (18-1), Jamie Hayter (4-2) and Rebel (0-2) vs. Anna Jay (6-4), Tay Conti (37-5) and Thunder Rosa (29-3)

The TayJay theme is great. Also, I love them. The idea here was to preview Baker/Tay and Rosa/Hayter, which will be part of the TBS Tournament. Surprisingly, we got an early Rosa/Baker exchange. I loved that tease because I firmly belie the best booking call is for Baker/Rosa to headline Revolution for the Women’s Title in February. They worked through the commercial break and brought a lot of fire to this. Jay took the heat to set up the hot tag to Tay, who kicked everyone in each corner. Rosa took out Hayter with a rough looking plancha before Tay put down Hayter with the DDTay in 7:58. Baker watched it happen, choosing not to face Tay. Good stuff. [**½]

A solid hype video aired for Ruby Soho/Kris Statlander in the TBS Title Tournament.

Anthony Bowens (29-16) vs. Jungle Boy (14-3)

Unlike last week’s Rampage, Max Caster’s rap this week was really bad. This was like a lesser version of Bowens/Danielson from Rampage. Bowens was there to show that he has potential and that he can go as a singles guy, while Jungle Boy is the guy with more singles upside right now. They had some back and forth stuff early but Bowens took control heading into the commercial break. During that break, The Acclaimed argued hard with a random fan. That opened the door for Jungle Boy to get going again for a bit. He made his real comeback soon after returning from commercial, took care of Caster, and won with the STF in 10:07. That was just what it needed to be. [***]

Post-match, Bobby Fish attacked Jungle Boy until Christian Cage and Luchasaurus made the save.

A video package hyped Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega.

Backstage, the SuperKliq spoke and Bobby Fish joined them after helping to take out Jungle Boy. Matt Jackson said there’s no dispute, it’s the era of the Elite in AEW. GET IT? HE SAID UNDISPUTED ERA BUT DIDN’T SAY IT. MATT JACKSON IS SO CLEVER. Anyway, Fish will face Jungle Boy at Rampage.

A video package, complete with clips from the early 2000s, hyped CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston.

Wardlow (19-3) vs. Wheeler YUTA (14-10)

You know what this was. Wardlow dominated and hit some stiff powerbombs but his win came on a knee strike that looked weak. It went 2:18. [NR]

After the match, Best Friends were jumped by the Hardy Family Office. This Hardy/OC feud will never end, huh? Matt hit a Twist of Fate on OC with a chair around his neck.

In the parking lot, Punk and Kingston tried to fight but were held back by Dustin Rhodes, Ruby Soho and many others. I dug this. It felt super intense but wasn’t a case of overdoing something or giving it too much time. MJF segments need to take a lesson.

Dante Martin and Lio Rush (0-0) vs. Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal (1-0)

Lots of build here and though it’s not a ton of big names, there’s potential here. Martin and Moriarty started things off and that’s a case of two guys who feel like future stars. They might not be close to having everything they need now but they’re young and full of raw talent. After a fun standoff, tags were made to Lio and Sydal. I think it’s funny how Lio is basically the mentor here but he’s barely older than the other young dudes. They worked through the break and kept hitting really cool aerial stuff. Sydal might be older but he can still do some dope shit. Near the end, Lio got going and just started stealing the show with some great offense. He directed traffic and called for Martin to beat Moriarty with the double moonsault in 10:18. That was awesome and why I love variety in wrestling. I got a technical match earlier and a high flying one now and I dug them both. [***¾]

Miro got a promo to say that Danielson is standing in the way of him getting back to his wife. Danielson will have to say goodbye to his wife so Miro can say hello to his.

Dax Harwood (34-8) vs. PAC (20-7-2)

PAC feels like he should totally have a better singles record, right? Anyway, this was a rare singles match for Dax but he made the most of it. He was aggressive throughout, talked trash, and had a mean streak. The interesting bit is that PAC also does all of those things, making for a match that felt more intense than you’d expect. This got more time than expected and also went through a commercial break. Dax did cool stuff like a Brainbuster and a slingshot powerbomb while PAC responded with a German Suplex and some kicks. In the end, PAC used the Brutalizer and Dax tapped quickly, likely to stay fresh for the PPV, losing in 13:47. Better than expected and hard hitting as hell. [***½]

Cash Wheeler hit the ring to attack PAC. The lights went out and FTR was joined by Malakai Black and Andrade. They continued the assault until the Lucha Bros arrived and Cody Rhodes ran in from the crowd. The faces cleaned house.

RAMPAGE!

· Jungle Boy vs. Bobby Fish

· Matt Hard vs. Orange Cassidy

FULL GEAR BUY-IN!

· Nyla Rose and Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa and Hikaru Shida

A Darby Allin/MJF vignette aired.

PAC and Cody vs. Malakai and Andrade was added to the PPV.

It’s time for the main event contract signing. The Elite and Dark Order aren’t just barred form ringside but they’re banned from the building. Page signed first after saying that he can’t wait to get his hands on Kenny. Before Kenny signed, he spoke about how Page could’ve been champ a while back but he had to deal with his insecurities while the Elite picked things up for him. Omega was wrong to see himself in Hangman. Meanwhile, Page said Kenny had another tag partner who he couldn’t measure up to either (Kota Ibushi for those unaware). They traded a few more words before Kenny signed and shook Page’s hand one final time. They did but then the cameraman blindsided Page. He revealed himself to be Don Callis in disguise. They beat up Page and sign the contract in his blood to close the show. That was a fun little twist.