AEW DynamiteNew Years Smash Night One
January 6th, 2021
Commentators - Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, & Chris Jericho
1) The Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Jack Evans, Angelico, & The Acclaimed
Perrrrrfect way to kick off 2021 and this show. The Acclaimed does a rap and it’s actually funny, The Bucks are riled up and so is the crowd. The action here almost never slows down and it shouldn’t have. Just super fast paced stuff with a crazy spot or two down the stretch. Daniels ends up with a slightly scraped/bloody nose, but he, Kazarian & The Bucks come out on top.
Match rating - ***
Post match, Daniels & Kazarian confirm the rumors that if they lose another tag match they will stop teaming together, however, they want The Bucks one on one so they can not only become champs, but also beat the best tag team in the world. Bucks & SCU shake hands so I guess that’s happening sometime soon down the line? I’m up for it! Bucks/Daniels & Kazarian is always a good match and with these high stakes? I think they’ll deliver something great.
UP NEXT: Jon Moxley returns!
Awesome Moxley promo aaaaaas usual. It is very weird seeing him without the World Title. He says he isn’t gonna bitch & moan and he isn’t gonna attack Kenny tonight because he has a championship match with Fenix, someone who has been fighting for this chance for over a decade. He says he will get even with Kenny and then some, and Kenny will realize he screwed over the wrong guy.
Backstage it’s CHUCK AND ORANGE. Trent is out for 4-5 months with a torn pec :( Miro interrupts and offers for Chuck to be his young boy basically. Chuck responds with a counter offer of “How about I beat your big goofy ass in the center of the ring next week?” And I DIEEEEEDD LMAO. So that match is set for next week and I’m stoked.
2) Wardlow vs. Jake Hager
Our Lord and Savior Wardlow has done it again. He pulled a banger out of Jake Hager in a match that has been somewhat anticipated since MJF & Wardlow joined Inner Circle and Wardlow & Hager kept staring at each other. Wardlow showed here yet again that he has potential to be a successful singles star with his power and agility setting this match apart from being a plodding big man match. Just great shit. And he hit Hager with the F-10 for a clean pin????? Nuts!
Match rating - ***1/4
Private Party is backstage and Snoop Dogg walks up. Matt Hardy joins and presents them with their contracts to I guess be managed or whatever by him.
TNT Title Match Weigh In
Team Taz looks sick as always. Ricky Starks is such a legend. Darby is out next. Taz makes a big deal about Cage having to weigh in first. Cage weighs in at 270 and Darby at 170. A 100 pound difference. Darby gets the mic and cuts a rare promo in ring. He says this match has been building 27 years because he’s been dealing with shit from people like them all his life. Darby says we all know how this ends so let’s get to the fun part and gets his skateboard ready for an assault. Before the numbers can take control, lights go out and Sting shows up. Sting saves Darby once again. As they all stand in the snow and Team Taz flees to the stage. Taz drives the build for next week home in saying he’s tired of Sting and he’s tired of Darby and next week, Cage is taking the TNT title from him “you rotten son of a bitch.” Darby feels so.... larger than life right now. Sting by his side also helps big time. I’m just ready to see what this relationship is and maybe see something from Sting besides these walk out appearances he’s been doing each week.
Replays of Dark last night, where Marko and Brodie Lee Jr. had a confrontation. Jurassic Express is up for an interview and FTR interrupts to make fun of them and Stunt in particular. This leads to FTR vs. Marko/Jungle Boy being made for next week!
3) Cody Rhodes (w/ Snoop Dogg) vs. Matt Sydal
Happy to see Matt getting a big TV match here against Cody. It isn’t bad once they shook the cobwebs out in the early going. Sydal hit a nice shooting star press and Cody had to hit two cross rhodes to put him away.
Match rating - **1/2
Post match, Luther & Serpentico attack Cody and Sydal. I guess cause Cody threw Sydal onto them at ringside during the match. They fight back and set Serpentico up for a shooting star, but Snoop Dogg stops them and HITS A SPLASH OFF THE TOP ROPE DEAR LORD LMAO.
4) Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Abadon - AEW Women’s World Title Match
This was so weird and sorta bad. Abadon is a character I’ve been neutral on, but them doing a bit where she crawls under the ring and bites Shida’s neck... man. This didn’t feel like some AEW shit at all. I’m disappointed because if you discount that, the match wasn’t too bad, still though, there could be so much more done with the women’s division than this. Shida retains.
Match rating - **
Next week, Tay Conti challenges Serena Deeb for the NWA Women’s Title. Conti cuts a promo with Anna Jay, John Silver, & Alex Reynolds and says they will be at ringside with her.
Also next week: Chuck Taylor faces Miro, PAC faces Eddie Kingston (!!!!!), and The Inner Circle announces their New Year Resolutions.
5) Kenny Omega (c) vs. Rey Fenix - AEW World Championship Match
Omega and Fenix really had to go out and set the bar insanely fucking high for 2021 didn’t they? What a fucking match. This is my favorite match of the year so far even if I rated two matches from Wrestle Kingdom slightly higher. Fenix should be at the top of the card all the time and Omega did what he does best and delivered another epic match. Just crazy and brutal from bell to bell. Omega retains with a one winged angel after 20 minutes of insanity.
Match rating - ****1/2
After the match, we get yet another moment that I doubt can be topped this year as Omega & Callis show Fenix that Eddie Kingston & Butcher & Blade are assaulting PAC & Penta backstage. Omega says he’s gonna end Fenix’s career when JON MOXLEY HITS THE RING WITH A BARBED WIRE BAT. He nails Omega BUT HERE COME KARL ANDERSON AMD LUKE GALLOWS. THE IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS IN AEW. WhATTTYS. They destroy Moxley. The roster tries to fight back and jump the rails but they fight them all off in badass fashion aND GALLOWS POWERBOMBS A MOTHERFUCKER THROUGH A TABLE! This is insanity. And if it isn’t great enough... here comes The Young Bucks. They try to calm down Anderson, Gallows & Omega until Pillman Jr and someone else from ringside grab Omega and SUPERKICKKKKLKK FUCKKKKKK. Omega, Anderson, & Gallows too sweet each other and wait and THE BUCKS JOIN IN. WHAT A MOMENT TO CLOSE THIS SHOW HOLY HELLLL.
So much to unpack here. So many people involved. AEW NAILED their first show of the year and there is so many different ways they could go from here, I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!
