Matches:
1.Jericho vs Juvy ***3/4
2.2.0, Garcia vs Wild Things, Darby ****
3.Christian vs Blade ***1/2
4.AEW TNT Title: Miro(c) vs Johnson ***1/2
5.Bunny vs Hirsch ***1/2
6.Black vs Rhodes ***
Thoughts:
We're starting with Jericho versus Juventud. Chris' entrance is such a fucking sight. A great way to start the show.
UPDATE THROUGHOUT THE SHOW AS YOU'D LIKE
We're getting a cruiserweight match to start a wrestling show pm TNT from Jericho in 2021. Isn't this what he left WCW for, in part, all of those years ago? JR mentions that Juice doesn't look as smooth as he used to, seemingly. Is shut down. I mean, yeah...he's slowed down. He still has a lot of skill. I would honestly love if they'd hire him on full time.
Did you read that interview with Gage, where he basically bragged about how chill the locker room was to him? Even Tony himself getting high on him. Yeah, the reason that this show is so entertaining is exactly that. They've taken the PWG tone and put it in a huge televised product.
I dig the back and forth nature on display here. This is sincerely great. Yeah, please sign Juvy so I can watch the dude every few weeks. He should do frog splash. Jericho. For the finish. Nevermind...a diving Judas Effect was fucking gold. That surpassed my expectations. Rough around the start but picks up nicely.
Wardlow runs in and beats down Jericho and Juvy. Looks like gold in the process. Is announced as the fourth opponent. MJF will be ringside. I was told that TK says no surprises this week. I guess he was being honest.
The Lucha Bros, sans PAC, backstage. Didn't they air this already? I had surgery a few days ago and have been in a slight haze. But yeah, Andrade and Chavo continue trying to recruit Penta and Fenix. If you care to know, this is setting up a match. Andrade, Rush, and Dragon Lee versus Death Triangle.
Oops.
Tony chats with Dark Order backstage. Page is ducking them. Feels bad about letting them down. Is cutting their relationship. Evil Uno is Oprah.
Time for 2.0 and Garcia. This feels like a crowd pleasing get-them-in, house showy match at worst and a seed for something else later at best. It'll be fun. Notably, no entrances for the instigators. We NEED six-man belts. The amount of respect being shown for 2.0 right now is incredible. Eddie getting such a response...God, as an old CHIKARA diehard, I love this moment. JR is in an interesting mood tonight. He's better when he's like this.
PIP!
Better than nothing, right TNT!?
Sting is staring down 2.0. Sets up an awesome dive visual from Darby. This is gold.
Darby, Mox, and Eddie is an awesome team. The match itself was fantastic and also exceeded expectations. Best 2.0 match I think I've ever seen.
I would have loved a heel turn here. Mox and Kingston attack Sting in a brutal way. Darby. Leave them broken. That would have been one of the biggest moments of the year.
Cage drama package.
Brian Cage. Not the many others.
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The Elite called Dark Order. Apparently two of the members are still getting a title shot. Just at the IMPACT belts. Matt and Nick call out the division. Harley Race mocks Page for dropping the ball. They're retiring champs. Omega should have dropped the F. The chicken cries are amazing.
That one dude that retired nearly a decade ago and is now having the time of his life? Yeah, he and Blade are up next. They start with a brawl at the ramp. Bunny looks terrified. Rivalries starting this hot is exactly how it should be handled. I've been liking this rivalry more than I though I would, for whatever that's worth. Captain Charisma outsmarts Bunny's attempt at distraction in a well-agented spot here. Leyla runs out and fight to the back. A nice way to add some sizzle for their match later.
Sets up a near fall. Everything tonight is getting a lot of thought. I would note that this getting PIP clearance makes me fear that the women's match will get hit. The only women's match on the episode. I doubt TNT gives AEW back that one they took last week.
The match actually did have a bit clipped off to promote Star Wars Weekend and Spectrum full screen, for some reason. Oh, and Alienware. Promoting that they can actually run Cyberpunk.
Blade is in control when it returns. A special Dark airs this Friday, for some reason. I dig it. Christian later got a "you've still got it" chant for some reason, as if we hadn't already learned that. Blade hit a powerslam that Orton would make THIS face at. A smart finish and yeah, this was all well done. Borderline great match.
The FTR/PnP drama package was super well done. It's not over and I'm thankful for that.
I wish I could get Poder del Norte in AEW, by the way. Just a thought.
Baker's out to kill it on the mic. Red Velvet interrupts. BB reminds her that she beat her in 3 minutes. Velvet comes back at her by pointing out her growth. Great attitudes. I think it'll be fun. Booked for the Rampage debut. Smart. Rebel tries to be cheap. Baker is instead. Thumbs up.
Chavo looks to hire Fuego del Sol as a servant. Fuego is then murdered for a second week in a row.
We're hearing from Page after the next commercial break, with Tony. Some of these commercials are a fucking chore. Hey, we're back. The Elite break up the interview before it becomes anything. They all share a moment. Kenny says that Adam isn't worth allowing back in, which was never actually suggested. Page slapped Kenny and was beat down for it. Stu and Evil stop the Dark Order from helping. Awesome sight. Kaz tries to make a save, fails. Page eats a belt shot and lies on the ground as the BTE theme rings out. It's hard to watch this Page angle play out but they've earned enough of my trust that I think it'll work out. If it lands right, it could be epic.
Lambert is bringing backup next week......
TNT Championship time.
I just got this text...
Lee is getting a decent stuff. Scraped away from being squashed down. We're getting PIP again. Yeah, the women's match is getting the full screen treatment.
Apparently some folks online have convinced themselves that Cody is actually leaving the company, not just taking time off for his show and new kid. Qanon level shit. Wanon. There it is. That's what I'm calling shit like that now. Wanon.
Miro is brutalizing this dude. The comeback bit for Lee was well done. The dude is winning over folks big here. Since Scorp is too busy with Ethan these days, I'd love them to get more color in the main event picture. Lee could maybe do that. He's winning me over here. Everyone is on their A game. Hell, surprise me. Have him win here. Instantly elevate the guy. They wont, but still. I'm not the best booker in the world though, so fuck it. When Miro gets that look and does his taunts, imagine him doing that at home, oiled up, in the mirror. This was a pretty good match, folks. Pretty good.
Jericho, Mark Henry, Excalibur, and Taz are the commentary team for Rampage. That's fun.
Tony and Christian will chat backstage after a commercial break. Maybe this saves the eliminator match.
A PBR commercial airs because, what is life anymore...
I believe I am 100% on the night so far versus my predictions post I made earlier. I'd link it, but just hit backspace or the logo in the top left and you'll see it.
Christian sang us a tune. Leyla apparently turned down his help because she has Best Friends. Cage is indeed apparently being set up for a shot against Omega. I've seen a lot of folks complain about that idea and I kind of agree. Oh well, it'd be a fun match I suppose. Better for TV, though.
Leyla came out with the Best Friends as suggested a second ago. This should be fun. Any chance we get Kamille in AEW at some point to promote their NWA match? Yup, she's at ringside. I like that the NWA Women's Championship is basically a secondary belt for the division.
Little Caesar commercial during the PIP. They are MDK confirmed. Look at all of sponsors running away.
Kris and Nyla share a moment at ringside. JR throws shade at Knox. That knee strike was awesome. The nearfall was, too. The entire closing stretch rocked in general. Another enjoyable match. Leyla called out Kamille, who fucking dwarfed Layla. What an amazing visual.
A Jade package runs.
The Satanist by Behemoth would be a great theme for Black. His entrance is awesome. The mask reminds me a big of Hunter. JR seems to have let something slip before, hopefully, the last commercial break.
Eric Mutter just asked if I could believe that WWE fucked up with Black. Yes, yes I can.
The Allegra guy is a bit creepy.
Cody has Dustin as a manager tonight? Tony mentions that QT called off his apology this week. Christian's song earlier cut the segment. That's what we'll go with.
Will Excalibur namedrop PWG?
The table spot was awesome. Black is going to be a fucking star. He destroyed Cody. Fucking destroyed him. What a moment. Tony comes to the ring to interview Rhodes in a send off moment. I admittedly won't be watching that reality show. That's fine. Is he retiring? He calls AEW competition, no longer an alternative. He addresses the in-fighting rumors with the EVPs. Thanks everyone. Fuck, is he leaving?
He puts a boots in the ring. Black slams him with a crutch.
The buzz from this moment will fuel things for the entire week. He'll be back after filming. It'll be a fun moment.
What a fucking episode. AEW is on such a roll. Watch this one for sure. Great television.
Overall Rating: 85/100%
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