1.Jurassic Express vs MJF, Wardlow ***1/4
2.AEW Women's Title: Shida(c) vs Ford ***1/2
3.AEW TNT Title: Cody(c) vs Hager ***1/4
4.Inner Circle vs Private Party ***1/2
5.AEW Tag Titles: Elite(c) vs Best Friends ***1/2
Thoughts:
We're in July now as I catch up and I see both nights of this special edition installment received strong reviews so lets dig in. I might have two other Dynamite episodes that were taped this month to review in full too if time allows. The choice to watch these in full was aided by my kiddos wanting to see, "that dinosaur and the bang guy" more, by the way.
I'll be doing a large roundup of July content separate as well, like I've done with the other months.
Up first, Jurassic Express against MJF and his bodyguard, Wardlow. The cute little kip up sequence was fun and the entire thing was entertaining. The finish could've been a tad better and nothing here blew me away, but it was a good start. The MJF promo that preceded this was pretty good, by the way.
A commercial for a puppy battle royal aired. Why not...
A package building Ford and Shida was next. Decent. Ford can be a good worker and is far better than Kip, at least. Shida can make just about anyone look better than they are, too. I honestly even could see Ford as champ one day in AEW. Not that she'd be the best option, I just see it happening. She indeed did look solid here, but Shida's control sections were far better showings. Props for the Matrix dodge, though. Pretty good overall, just inking into recommendation levels by a hair.
They broke down Mox's finish next with Taz. Felt hokey.
Cody defended against Hager next in the match I had the least expectations for. Despite that, it was actually an enjoyable contest. Perhaps I just have a history of seeing Hager matches barely get far outside of two star range. Perhaps it's the bad taste I still have after that Dustin match Hager had. Oh well, props to the two for exceeding expectations a tad. It wasn't great, but for what it was and who these two are, it was about as good as it gets. Cody is very much a flash in the pan dude. He can be amazing in the right situations but they're rare moments. Other times, he's a very serviceable worker. Never really bad, at least and I like what I've seen of this reign though the finishes aren't my cup of tea.
Moving along, Darby gets a moment. Basically reminds me of the old skate tapes I used to watch back in high school. I have loads of scars from those days. Short and sweet.
Orange came out and joined the commentary crew. Did Orange stuff. Dude is Fire, AiN'T he?
PnP versus Private Party in the semi spot. Matt came out with the latter again and worked as their manager. I like that relationship and would love to see them grow as a team. They've been good at times, but a tad inconsistent. Luckily, they were up against one of the best teams in the country. I'll go ahead and recommend this one too, but just barely. Don't rush if you missed it, but consider it. I'm sure a pay per view rematch would be better.
Jericho and Orange shared a moment after. Should I get a Bullet Club or Inner Circle sticker for my acoustic, by the way?
The bikini chicks are a tacky addition.
Omega and Page cut a promo and we got some previews for night two. Then Taz and Cage got some time to shine. I like the pairing of the two. Taz mocked WWE a tad which is fair, but AEW really shouldn't get too soapboxy. If they really wanted to do things safe, they'd try a bubble method like NBA. AEW deserves props for their methods working thus far but it more to do with luck than people might be willing to admit.
The main event saw the World Tag straps on the line against Chucky and Trent. Trent's mom dropping them off was good stuff and the match was very good and a strong way to close the episode. Page and Kenny have sincerely been one of my favorite duos in the game and work so well together. Post, FTR share a moment with the champs.
Honestly, this was a strong special episode where everything was either worth seeing or close to it. No MOTYC's, but good tv nonetheless.
I'd like to close this review by sending my condolences to Ruth Bader's family and friends. I know you're very likely not reading this, but I wanted to send out the good vibes regardless.
RIP.
Overall Rating: 75/100%
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