Austin, Texas here we come!!!
This Wednesday night, AEW comes to the H.E.B Center for another thrilling edition of “Dynamite” live on TNT! After last week's painful finale, what is in store for our fans this week as we get closer to the “Revolution” PPV event on February 29th? Two championship matches are on tap with the Women's and Tag Titles up for grabs, An Eye For An Eye with Moxley and Santana squaring off, the fallout from MJF whipping Cody, and more coming your way! You can be there live by grabbing your tickets at AEWTix.com, or tune to TNT at 8pm EST/7pm CST to catch all the action as it goes down!
Ten lashes with a leather belt, and a swift kick to the groin to top it off; that was what Cody had to endure a week ago on “Dynamite” as part of the process to get to “Revolution” and the desired match with MJF. It was a torturous process for, not just the fans of Cody, but also for his friends and family. So difficult was it to watch that Arn Anderson came out to offer moral support, Dustin Rhodes offered to take the lashes in his younger brother's stead, and The Young Bucks too came out to offer their support for their Elite brethren.
Each and every time, after each flesh searing lash, Cody rose to his feet, feeding Max's growing frustration that he was unable to break his former mentor, that he could not goad Cody into striking him, that even after allowing Wardlow to lay in one of the blows, Cody still found the reserve to stand. But after the ninth time Cody felt the leather across his skin, it seemed he had finally reached his breaking point. As tears welled up in Cody's eyes, as he struggled to keep a modicum of composure as MJF yelled in his ear to stay down, it felt like Max had maybe prevailed. That is until, to the shock of many, Brandi Rhodes came to ringside, divested of her Nightmare Collective trappings, and encouraged her husband to stand up for what should have been the final blow.
Weeks prior Cody had commented that everyone he would generally reach out to to help pull him up was a little preoccupied, but here, at one of the hardest moments of his life, a point in which the decision to “merely” stand-up seemed like the most impossible task in the world, he was surrounded by all the love and support that gave him the strength to stand.
That love, that strength, it proved to be more than Max could endure, so he punted Cody right in the groin and headed for the hills before any retaliation from the collected group whose attention was squarely on Cody's well-being.
With the ten lashes knocked off MJF's list of demands, Cody has two weeks to recover before he must meet Wardlow inside a Steel Cage on February 19th in Atlanta, and he must still find it in himself to not strike Max down where he stands. What shape will Cody be in as AEW rolls into Austin this week? And what further plans can Maxwell Jacob Friedman possibly have between now and the cage match?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE...
(#1) Jon Moxley vs. Santana
Perseverance has proven a hallmark of Jon Moxley, beyond just his career in All Elite Wrestling, it has been a defining trait of his life. In recent weeks, that has been glaringly clear to anyone who chooses to see as Moxley has continued on despite his impaired vision. Since being stabbed in the eye with one of AEW World Champion Chris Jericho's spikes, Moxley has officially claimed the #1 Contendership to the World Title by defeating PAC on the Jericho Cruise edition of “Dynamite”, and gone head-first into battle against the full Inner Circle with only a baseball bat in tow. Following that, Moxley traveled to Japan to compete, then came back to beat Ortiz in a singles contest, and following that victory, would go all in on the old adage of “an eye for an eye” at the expense of Santana, before hopping back on a plane to compete in Japan once more.
Perhaps, it should be mentioned, that Santana suffered his wound via a key to a certain car Moxley acquired recently...
But Moxley is not the only persistent one here in this battle. Santana has also lived his life, built his career, on persistence. A persistent desire to become a wrestler, a persistent drive to excel at his chosen profession, a need to become one of the best tag teams across the wrestling landscape with Ortiz, and, as of late, the persistence to thrive despite an extremely difficult 2020 thus far. To say that the actions of Moxley last week did not help these trying times would be a draztic understatement, and to say that “the chickens are coming home to roost” this week in Austin might be insufficient to encapsulate what's going on with Santana now.
This fight with Moxley might be his first one-on-one match since November 2018 (according to Cagematch.net), but it's not something with which he is unfamiliar. Just because Santana and Ortiz chose to make tag team competition their focus since they united in early 2012, does not mean this man isn't ready for war on his own, especially after Moxley's assault in Alabama. Also, let's be honest, when was the last time any member of The Inner Circle truly had to ride alone? Whether it's Ortiz, or Jake Hager, or Sammy Guevara, it's a safe bet that at least one member of Jericho's crew will be at the side of Santana while Moxley stands alone...
AEW WOMEN'S WORLD TITLE MATCH
Riho (c) vs. (#1) Nyla Rose
Riho has owned Nyla Rose once the bell rings.
There truly is no other way to look at it because in the three times they have been opponents (one Triple Threat, one Singles Match, and a Four Way), Riho has been the victor in every single one. The most important of the trio is undoubtedly that Singles Match as that battle was to crown the very first AEW Women's World Champion. In straight up one-on-one competition, with the most important prize at stake, Riho defeated Nyla Rose and it has eaten her up ever since.
The rage that is bursting out of Rose has only built with each passing week, to the point where at the end of 2019 she found herself suspended without pay because of her violent actions. Then, just to send a message, when Rose return to action at the “Homecoming” edition of “Dynamite” as part of the Four Way Women's Title match, she showed no remorse when decimating Riho with a table following another loss.
And as seen in the video above, that rage has not abated, but will finally have an official outlet this Wednesday night when Riho attempts to defend her title for the 5th time in her 130+ day title reign. She has beaten Britt Baker, Emi Sakura, and Kris Statlander in singles matches (the last albeit with some unwanted outside involvement) as well as Baker, Hikaru Shida, and Rose in that aforementioned Four Way contest. Will this week's episode of “Dynamite” be a repeat of the very first where Riho beat Rose, or will Nyla change her fortunes and channel all that red rage into championship success?
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. (#1) SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky)
Just a few weeks ago, during the Jericho Cruise edition of “Dynamite”, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page managed to knock SCU off the top of the mountain and claim the AEW World Tag Team Titles as their own. It was a victory that shocked many, considering all the strife that existed between Page and his partner, considering how much of an effort it has been for the two men to get on, much less stay on, the same page.
In spite of their issues, the two pulled it together to end the 83 day run of Kazarian and Sky, but the cracks quickly showed as Page was more interested in rubbing the victory in The Young Bucks faces, and celebrating with a pint (or ten) of whatever alcoholic beverage was put in front of him. Even two weeks ago, when Page swaggered down to the ring with beer in hand, he made sure the beverage was secure before delivering a Buckshot Lariat to The Blade, and then took it back from Matt Jackson before chugging it down, and wandering back off. It was like Page just wanted to rub it further into his former Elite brothers that they needed him, not the other way around.
Yet last week, when the quartet of The Bucks, Omega, and Page faced off with The Butcher & The Blade and The Lucha Bros, it was the decision of Page to not tag in Matt or Nick that ultimately cost them the match. Hangman's response was once again to sulk off on his own and drown his responsibilities with pints and pitchers in hand.
As for Kazarian and Sky, since losing the championship titles, they have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and now it is time to try again. They put down Jack Evans and Angelico, defeated Chuck Taylor and Trent, and done so with the spectre of The Dark Order hovering over all their actions. The cult...group...organization...has made it very clear they will hurt those Christopher Daniels cares about, and very clearly that is these two men right here. At the behest of The Exalted One, Evil Uno has directed the fury of Stu Grayson, as well as John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and the other, well, creepers at SCU in recent weeks, but in spite of that SCU has persevered.
Will that continue to be the case this week in Austin when the championship titles are on the line? Can SCU become two-time champs so soon after losing them in the first place? Can Page get it together, and realize he is actually part of something special before their title reign becomes an afterthought in the AEW record books?
JUNGLE EXPRESS VS. INNER CIRCLE
Jungle Boy vs. MJF
Aside from a Four Way bout at “Fyter Fest”, and the Casino Battle Royale at “Double or Nothing”, the paths of Jungle Boy and Maxwell Jacob Friedman have not intersected in All Elite Wrestling. Yet when Jungle Boy commented on Twitter (@boy_myth_legend) about how he can't wait to see Cody get his hands on Max after the ten lashes, MJF took umbrage with the statement and stated “How about you stay out of my business you little s***”.
Apparently Max is easily triggered and can't handle someone else wanting to see him get his comeuppance, and this has led to a back-and-forth across social media over the last several days with each competitor trashing the other.
Well, now they will have a chance to settle this online dispute inside the squared circle because, as announced on “The Road To...”, MJF and Jungle Boy will lock horns in Austin for this week's episode of “Dynamite”! Can Jungle Boy, whose shown he can hang with the World Champion Chris Jericho, knock MJF down a peg or two just a few weeks out from the impending “Revolution” fight with Cody, or will it be Max who puts Jungle Boy in check for his comments? Tune in Wednesday night to find out!!
THE REMATCH
Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara
Ever since The Inner Circle broke his arm as a message to Cody prior to “Full Gear”, Dustin Rhodes has been in pursuit of a measure of vengeance against Chris Jericho's cohorts. Rhodes got a taste of it when he and The Young Bucks defeated Proud-n-Powerful & Sammy Guevara on the “Dynamite” edition from Champaign, IL but, at the “Homecoming” edition of “Dynamite”, Sammy Guevara evened it up when he picked up the biggest singles victory of his AEW career by beating Dustin live on TNT.
Now, as AEW heads into Austin for this week's “Dynamite”, Dustin Rhodes gets the rematch he's craved right in hometown. As evidenced by the tweet embedded above, this one is about dismantling The Inner Circle one piece at a time. For Dustin, it starts with Sammy and will likely continue until there is no more Inner Circle infesting the ranks of All Elite Wrestling. Rhodes has a goal, a mission, and like his t-shirt says, Dustin will never give up, and keep stepping until that mission is accomplished.
MEET & GREET
Don't miss out on your opportunity to meet the athletes of All Elite Wrestling before the event! Space is limited for these Meet & Greet chances, so be sure to line up at the East Main Entrance if you want to take part, and be there early!
The path to “Revolution” runs right through Austin this Wednesday night when “Dynamite” goes live on TNT at 8pm EST/7pm CST! Two World championship matches, #AnEyeForAnEye, Cody, MJF, and a whole lot more in store for our fans at the H.E.B Center! Get your tickets now at AEWTix.com!
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