On Saturday night, Orange Cassidy gets his chance at the AEW World Championship when he challenges Jon Moxley for the gold at Full Gear. On Wednesday night’s episode of Dynamite, Cassidy got a taste of what Saturday might have in store for him. And though he was beaten to a pulp by Moxley and the rest of the Death Riders, OC was standing in the end.
The fact that a joke wrestler like Cassidy is in a title match speaks volumes about the bad state of AEW’s booking these days. But there were a few other moments during the episode that reinforced how backwards some of these storylines have been playing out.
The show started off with a highlight reel, giving background on all the storylines that will culminate this Saturday night at Full Gear, set to the backdrop of “November Rain” by Guns ‘n’ Roses tune.
Match 1: Ricochet, Powerhouse Hobbs, Will Ospreay, and Mark Davis vs. Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Konosuke Takeshita
The faces were introduced separately and then collectively made their way into the ring. The heels all then came out together. So, even though the heels had an opportunity to attack any and all of the babyfaces during all this, they didn’t.
Instead, the faces decided to go on the attack, bolting from the ring and running up the ramp to attack the heels. This led to a huge brawl on the entrance ramp and all around ringside. Where the heels got the better of them. Because the babyfaces are idiots.
The rest of the match featured no refereeing, senseless brawling, some high-flying, and pretty much chaotic action for the most part.
At one point, Hobbs leg got crunched between the ring steps and the ring post, and he was taken to the back by Medical.
Archer impressed by absorbing blows from the babyfaces and throwing them around like sacks of garbage, including Chokeslamming Ricochet over the top rope to the floor where he landed on Ospreay and Davis.
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Finally, this started resembling an actual wrestling match, as the heels isolated Ricochet in the ring for a while, taking turns beating him up. But that was short-lived, as when he broke free, it was back to more chaos, including a lengthy spot where Ospreay and Davis double-teamed Takeshita while the referee stood there uselessly.
Later, as the heels were in control, Hobbs limped his way back to the ring sporting a knee brace, and he got the spotlight, taking out all of the heels.
Takeshita and Davis had a hard exchange, with Davis hitting a huge Piledriver. Fletcher broke up the tag, and that led to a fight between he and Davis, the first time the former partners interacted directly in the match.
Then, after more brawling, it was down to Fletcher and Ospreay in the ring, as a preview for their match at Full Gear. But when Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade, Fletcher pulled Davis into the line of fire, and Ospreay clocked his own partner. As Ospreay worried about Davis, Fletcher capitalized and put Ospreay out to the floor. Takeshita then hit a dazed Davis with a Big Knee Strike and got the pin.
This was a mess. Some people call this kind of thing a “party match”. But, to me, that’s the kind of party that the police should be called on to break up.
Winners: Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Konosuke Takeshita
Jon Moxley and the rest of the Death Riders were somewhere in the bowels of the building. Mox said some cryptic nonsense, and said he will destroy Orange Cassidy at Full Gear. Claudio Castagnoli spouted multi-lingual threats towards Darby Allin.
Cut to Darby Allin somewhere else in the building. He said that everyone in the Death Riders will have to pay for what they did to Brian Danielson, and today was Claudio’s day.
Renee Paquette was in the parking lot, and the Hurt Syndicate drove in. MVP said he had a special treat for the AEW audience: that Bobby Lashley would be in action tonight. Before Lashley could say anything, Swerve Strickland ran in and sucker-punched him with a chain-wrapped fist. You know, as babyfaces do.
Story-time with Adam Cole (bay-bay)
Adam Cole came to the ring and grabbed a mic. He said that MJF succeeded in keeping him out of the match on Saturday. But Roderick Strong succeeded in earning a singles match against MJF. And he and Roddy had a shared objective, which was to give MJF the biggest beating of his life.
Kyle O’Reilly’s music hit, and he joined Cole in the ring. Kyle talked about their history together and said that he knew Cole better than anyone. Which is why he could tell Adam to stop with his obsession on MJF. And to stop having his friends fight his battles for him. Kyle said that Roddy was attacked last week and hurt, but still wanted to beat MJF just to help out Cole. Cole asked Kyle if he doubted that Roddy could beat MJF, and Kyle said that MJF is two steps ahead of them mentally, and is pulling their strings, making them do his bidding. Kyle said that dealing with MJF is like playing with fire, and he doesn’t want to see Cole or Roddy get hurt. And that Cole, as a leader, should not want to see his friends try to take on MJF and get hurt. Kyle basically told Cole to let it go. Then he left, leaving Cole alone in the ring looking dumbfounded.
This was bad, and did nothing to help the muddled confusion that is the Cole-MJF storyline.
Cut to the back and Orange Cassidy said that he was going to beat Wheeler Yuta tonight, and then beat Moxley at Full Gear. He said he would do it alone. This brought out the rest of the Conglomeration who said they would be in his corner at Full Gear to even up the odds, as Moxley would have his Death Riders with him. Cassidy insisted that they not be there, and made them promise to that. They did. Cassidy said that he would take on all five of Moxley’s crew by himself if need be.
Match 2: Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida
After a handshake, they did some scientific wrestling to start the match. Statlander used her strength, while Shida relied on her technical expertise, and the advantage went back and forth.
The match spilled to the floor during the picture-in-picture, and when the show returned from break, Statlander took control, hitting some big power moves for near-falls. But Shida wouldn’t quit, and she unleashed some strikes and big moves of her own, including a Falcon Arrow that earned her a 2.9.
In the end, Shida went for a Kitana, but Statlander blocked it, picked up Shida, and hit a Tombstone for the pin.
This was pretty good overall. Not sure it was the match that Statlander needed heading into her title match against Mercedes Mone on Saturday, but there was nothing really bad about it.
Winner: Kris Statlander
After the match, Mercedes Mone’s music hit, and she came out with Kamille, who was wearing an arm sling. Mone said that she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time, and she will never lose the title. Mone ordered Kamille to get in the ring and take out Statlander, but Kamille wasn’t too enthusiastic about it, given her injury.
Kamille took a swing at Statlander, who blocked it, and then Statlander and Shida joined forces to throw out the injured Kamille. You know, like babyfaces do. Then Mone tried to attack Statlander from behind, but Statlander blocked the attempt and dropped Mone with a Tombstone, leaving her flat and out.
In a stairwell, Bobby Lashely and MVP attacked someone who was wearing Swerve’s fur coat, but it wasn’t Swerve. They beat up the guy anyway.
A short promo video aired for the Full Gear match between “Switchblade” Jay White and “Hangman” Adam Page. Page yelled a lot.
Match 3: Bobby Lashley (w/ MVP and Shelton Benjamin) vs. Joe Keys and Cheeseburger
Great to see ROH cult hero Cheeseburger on TV – he’s a lot of fun. Though the match probably wasn’t fun for him. Lashley beat up both of them simultaneously and then separately. He destroyed Cheeseburger with a Dominator and then flattened Keys with a Spear before putting him to sleep with the Hurt Lock.
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This was about as squashy a squash match as you’ll ever see. Exactly what it needed to be. Though, arguably, not having Lashley wrestle until his Full Gear match would have been equally, if not more, effective.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
After the match, Prince Nana came to the entrance ramp wielding a chair. Shelton Benjamin went to go get him. Meantime, MVP circled the ring with his cane at the ready, anticipating Swerve to come out through the crowd to attack Lashley.
But, instead, Swerve came out from under the ring, behind MVP’s back. Unnoticed, Swerve slid into the ring and attacked Lashley there, once again, decking Lashley with a chain before putting Lashley down with the House Call and a Swerve Stomp. As MVP and Shelton ran into the ring, Swerve skedaddled.
So, after that, what’s the draw of seeing them wrestle at Full Gear? They just had the babyface humiliate and give the heel his comeuppance.
In the back, Renee Paquette interviewed AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May and her friend Mina Shirakawa. Renee said that at Full Gear they will get their Championship Champagne Celebration because apparently they need that show to be five hours long. But on Friday, they will team up in a match. They put themselves over, and then jiggled their breasts. For your Emmy consideration.
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Match 4: Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Darby used some hit-and-move offense to try to confound Claudio, but as frustrated as he was, Claudio was still level-headed enough to maintain his composure. So when he went to the floor and Darby went for a Coffin Drop off the top turnbuckle, Claudio was still aware enough to catch Darby and then heave him hard onto the floor and then against the ringside barrier, before throwing him over the barrier.
Darby tried to climb back over, but Claudio deadlifted him up into a Suplex position, then walked up the stairs, with Darby still vertical, and planted Darby hard in the ring. Where the beating continued – including hard whips into the turnbuckle, and more smashes into the ringside barrier.
Darby managed to trap Claudio using the ring skirt and then blast him with some Flying Dive assaults. He went for a Coffin Drop, but Claudio got up and crotched Darby, before hitting Darby with a huge Gut Wrench Superplex that showed some power and balance. Man, Claudio is a beast.
Darby blocked a Powerbomb attempt with a choke, and then reversed it into a Code Red for a two-count. But Claudio recovered quickly and resumed the punishment, hitting Darby with some powerful shots. Including a Giant Swing on the floor and swinging Darby right into the ring steps.
In a true holy s— moment, Claudio stood atop the commentary desk, where he Gorilla-pressed Darby and threw him onto another ringside table. Which didn’t break, resulting in Darby hitting it with a sick thud before toppling over. Cue the “I am the table!” music, as Darby looked completely out of it after that.
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Darby beat the countout by diving into the ring. Where he was promptly finished off with a huge Running Lariat by Claudio, mercifully ending the slaughter.
This was fun, particularly if you are a fan of watching Darby Allin take huge bumps that look like they are killing him and certainly will shorten his career. Which is to say, fun.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli
In the back, Renee Paquette was in the back with the Tag Team Champions Private Party. They defend their titles at Full Gear in a 4-way match. They said that they will beat the odds at Full Gear, just like they did to beat the Young Bucks for the titles. A fat guy and his chubby son came into the scene and they said “Boom” with Private Party.
A video segment saw MJF park his car in front of a building that looked like it was in the wrong part of town. He then cut a promo on Roderick Strong, and talked about Roddy’s hard upbringing, including the fact that Roddy’s mom shot his dad. MJF said that Roddy will do anything for Adam Cole in order to feel like part of a loving family. MJF said that he’ll send Roddy back to the trailer park. And Roddy will wish that his mother had shot him instead.
In the back, Renee was with the fat guy and chubby kid. Apparently, the fat guy will take on QT Marshall at Full Gear. Which is something people are paying to watch? Seriously?
Roderick Strong speaks
Tony Schiavone introduced Roddy Strong who came to the entrance ramp with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. Roddy said that he is excited to get his hands on MJF at Full Gear. Roddy said that people shouldn’t feel sorry for him because of his hard childhood. Because it made him earn everything he has in life. Unlike MJF, who has been handed everything. Roddy said that he wants MJF to realize that he will have to pay for everyone he’s wronged. Roddy said that he’ll be happy to break MJF’s back and make him humble.
They showed clips from last week’s episode of Collision, where Daniel Garcia nearly committed vehicular manslaughter on Jack Perry. They then showed unaired footage from later that night.
Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard had Jack Perry in an isolated warehouse or garage, and had him tied to a chair where he was passed out after having been tied to the front of a vehicle that they drove around in. They woke him up by splashing him with a bucket of water and then screamed at him. Garcia said that Perry had the power, so they had to do what they did to take his power away. Garcia said that he has sacrificed a lot to get to where he is, and yelled some more. Garcia then picked up a crowbar and after teasing hitting Perry with it, he smashed Perry’s “scapegoat” bus instead. Garcia and Menard then left, leaving Perry for dead. You know, as babyfaces do. Garcia came across as completely unlikeable here, and Perry as the gritty one who wouldn’t quit no matter what he was threatened with. Completely bass-ackwards booking.
ROH Championship Match contract signing
Sitting in a locker room, Renee Paquette was with ROH Champ Chris Jericho and his challenger at Full Gear, Tomohiro Ishii. Jericho said he wouldn’t just sign the contract, but rather was going to have his legal team review it. He left the room and stopped to admire his photo on the wall. Ishii then started stalking him in the hallway, as Jericho tried to throw obstacles in Ishii’s path.
Jericho made his way into the arena concourse and then down into the arena, with Ishii slowly Jason Voorheesing his way a few steps behind. Jericho climbed into the ring and grabbed a mic. He told Ishii that he would sign the contract, but didn’t have a pen. So Ishii pulled out a pen and gave it to Jericho. Trapped and out of excuses, Jericho signed it. As soon as he did, Brian Ketih and Big Bill slid in from behind and started beating up Ishii. They held up Ishii and Jericho was going to stab him with the pen, but the Conglomeration ran in for the save. They beat up Jericho and the rest of the Learning Tree, with Ishii ending things by hitting Jericho with a Brain Buster. Ishii signed the contract and dropped it onto Jericho, who lay there shaking in pain and in fear.
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In a stairwell, Renee Paquette was with Jamie Hayter, whose interview last week was cut off by a Juila Hart video. Hayter said she was non-plussed by what Hart had done, but that if Julia wanted to have a chat…
And she was cut off once again by a Hart video. In this one, a voice told Julia that it was time to come home. Then Julia was seen walking in an archery field holding a bow, dressed in her black witch outfit. She fired some arrows at a target, while clips showed her in her cheerleader outfit, having been pierced in the heart with an arrow.
Match 6: Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta
As is my customary practice, I cannot sit through an Orange Cassidy match, so will give you the highlights that I was able to glean by watching in fast-forward.
OC tried for some quick rollup pinfalls, but Yuta kept kicking out. OC was pretty much owning Yuta, but then Yuta dropped OC on the back of his neck on the ringside barrier. Yuta tried to grind OC’s face into the metal turnbuckle arm and then DDTd OC on the apron.
They exchanged wild strikes, and then OC hit a few power moves for near-falls. But Yuta fired back with some big moves of his own, and OC hurt his neck. Yuta then hit some bad-looking elbow strikes, but OC countered with a finger lock and an Eat Defeat.
Yuta hit a Tombstone but OC kicked out, and then Yuta hit more bad Elbow Strikes. Yuta put on Cattle Mutilation, but OC got to the ropes to force the break.
Yuta went outside and got a chair and swung at OC but OC dodged it and Yuta dropped the chair. OC then rolled up Yuta from behind for the surprise pin.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
After the match, it looked like OC was going to show some respect to Yuta, but PAC ran in and blindsided OC with a kick. This brought out the rest of the Death Riders and they swarmed OC. They shoved OC’s hands into his own pockets and then duct-taped his arms around him. Then they circled him and pinballed him with kicks.
OC did his stupid slow kicks on Moxley and Moxley flattened him with a punch. They gave him one more stomp in the head for good measure and the Death Riders left through the crowd.
The Congolmeration came out after the Death Riders had left and picked up OC. He stood defiantly as the Death Riders glared at him from the crowd, to end the show.
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AEW Dynamite - November 20th, 2024
Santander Arena - Reading, PA
If you weren’t going to buy the PPV this weekend, there wasn’t much about this week’s episode to change your mind.