AEW Dynamite: Cody bloodied but not beaten by Jungle Boy

It feels like we’re getting closer to wrestling events with live crowds. But AEW has managed to entertain us even with all of its events held in Jacksonville and no butts in the seats, so if it’s a little bit longer still, so be it. Tonight’s card features a pair of title matches, so it should be worth your two hours. Let’s go live to TNT and find out for sure.

As AEW has always held itself up to be a more inclusive wrestling company, it’s only right that tonight’s show begins with a show of support for Black Lives Matter. It’s short but direct.

Match 1 – Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc (challengers) vs. Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega (champions) – AEW Tag Team Championship Match

AEW does a lot of things more logically than competing promotions, but Sabian and Havoc winning last week and getting an immediate title shot while Best Friends had to grind it out to be No. 1 contenders and are still waiting for theirs is … a little strange. Perhaps discussing that fact themselves, Chuck and Trent are watching carefully among the “crowd” at ringside, while FTR is practicing absolute social distancing by mock cheering from much further away in the stands. Penelope Ford, attempting to break the record for times dismissed from ringside in a calendar year, is ejected again for trying a hurricanrana on Page, and Havoc capitalizes on the ensuing chaos by using a wrench. He tries a hacksaw (seriously) later, but we all know how this is ending. Page and Omega will have their date with the Best Friends at Fyter Fest.

Winners … and still AEW Tag Team Champions: Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega by pinfall

Tully Blanchard is back and he’s pretty fired up. Props to Shawn Spears for not hitting him with a chair, I suppose. Later, Tully says he has “the missing piece” and presents Spears with a fingerless glove. Black leather glove, no sequins. Your kids will get that.

Match 2 – Brian Cage (w/ Taz) vs. Shawn Dean

On Twitter, anyway, Dean bills himself as “The Captain Shawn Dean.” But captain of what? Former military? Self-appointed captain? Just a name he adopted when searching for an identity like Steve Rogers when he temporarily gave up the “America” part of his code name? We hardly even have time to ponder these questions before he’s pinned by Cage.

Winner: Brian Cage by pinfall

Taz issues another warning to Jon Moxley, which brings the champ out of the non-existent crowd. He’s got no problem with going to war with Cage, since that’s what makes him happy. He just doesn’t like the attempts to intimidate him. No one does, Jon. No one does.

Lance Archer takes a brief respite from beating up jobbers in the parking lot to cut a promo. As one does.

We’re just about to get an update on Marq Quen when Matt Hardy stops by to give them some props. Calling them the future of tag team wrestling, he offers his help or advice any time they want it. They take him up on immediately, asking if they think Hardy Party is a good name for them as a trio. Matt says he likes it and walks off, where he runs into Sammy Guevara in the hallway and confuses him by saying “We’re good. Respect.” Guess only “Broken” Matt has beef with the Inner Circle. Oh, and amazingly, Quen’s knee is OK after the nasty-looking spill he took last week and he claims he won’t miss any time.

After some self-promotional video (and it’s not undeserved) showing the Inner Circle’s scuffle with Mike Tyson and his MMA posse last week, additional footage shows Chris Jericho blaming everything bad that happened on Colt Cabana. Oh man, not Boom Boom? Apparently this mini-feud we didn’t even know about will be settled in the ring.

Match 3 – Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana vs. Chris Jericho (w/ Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara)

Guevara treats us to the worst rendition of Jericho’s entrance theme ever heard by man. Cabana turns in arguably his best singles performance since he arrived in AEW, though he still takes the ‘L.’

Winner: Chris Jericho by pinfall

Jericho grabs a mic and puts over the idea that Tyson vs. Jericho is the fight that everyone wants to see, and he wants it not next pay-per-view or next Christmas, but right now. Is the Baddest Man on the Planet in the building? Well, he is if he’s Orange Cassidy. There’s a short confrontation of the kind that Cassidy tends to be involved in, meaning no actual blows exchanged, before the Inner Circle rallies and Orange heads out to join his Best Friends on the floor.

Did you want to see how Dr. Britt Baker is rolling down the road to recovery? Well you’re going to, darn it, and it’s a pretty funny montage with a special guest appearance by Tony Schiavone.

Match 4 – Big Swole vs. “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose

Swole hasn’t wrestled on Dynamite since early March, otherwise known as the Forgotten Times. It’s strange seeing her in the ring and women’s champ Hikaru Shida in street clothes watching the action. Despite getting pinned, Swole says it feels good to be back in action, and when Baker crashes her post-match interview, she chases the dentist off with a steel chair and even feels confident enough to tell off MJF and Wardlow. Well damn.

Winner: Nyla Rose by pinfall

Schiavone wants to get Allin’s thoughts on not being allowed to wrestle because of what Cage did to him in the Casino Ladder Match at Double or Nothing. Pausing before answering for dramatic effect, Allin says, “Life is one big joke, but I’ll have the last laugh.” Skateboard shot to Cage’s head sometime soon confirmed.

That busy guy Schiavone has the first interview with FTR and leads with a logical first question: What does FTR stand for? They claim it doesn’t stand for anything permanent (wink, wink), but since they’re in AEW now, they say it currently means For the Revolution. And while they’re looking forward to working with many of the promotion’s top tag team, they have some special enmity for the Young Bucks. Upset about their treatment last week, Butcher and Blade come looking for FTR, but a gaggle of people come to prevent them from throwing down now, and they will wrestle next Wednesday on Dynamite instead.

Cabana gets some interview time as well, noting that he hasn’t been able to get that signature win in AEW to date. Mr. Brodie Lee comes by to offer some advice and make a soft sell invitation to join the Dark Order. “That’s nothing I want to be a part of,” Boom Boom says, but not 100% convincingly.

Main Event – Jungle Boy (challenger) vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody (champion) – AEW TNT Championship Match

This should be a classic “challenger takes a hard-fought loss but still comes out looking strong” deal, though it would be nuts if Cody (perhaps due to hijinks involving Archer, MJF, or his seemingly long list of enemies) dropped the belt right away. Then again, the interference could be due to people messing with the challenger, as proven by MJF jawing with Jungle Boy. Cody is busted open and bleeding fairly profusely, something he’s never been afraid to do. Despite the blood, Cody manages to send Jungle Boy through a table on the floor and hit the Cross Rhodes shortly thereafter to retain.

Winner … and still AEW TNT Champion: Cody by pinfall

Brandi Rhodes, Marko Stunt and Luchasaurus come out to check on their respective warriors, and the two wrestlers share a hug once they’re back on their feet. Jim Ross says this title means more to Cody than anything else in his professional life, so it’s clear the push is on to make this belt mean as much as possible. See you in seven!