***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Tonight’s episode began with a video package of “The American Nightmare” Cody, sitting behind a desk in a leather chair.
Cody faced a wall of monitors, where he was scouting footage of the remaining seven wrestlers in the tournament to crown the inaugural winner of the TNT Championship.
Footage played of Sammy Guevara: “A self-proclaimed Spanish god,” said Cody.
“A ‘murderhawk,’” said Cody of Lance Archer.
Cody looked at a monitor that played images of Kip Sabian, with Penelope Ford in Kip’s corner. “A UK paragon with pretty blue eyes in the back of his head.”
He saw footage of Darby Allin: “The intangible.”
Cody looked at a monitor with “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes: “A legend.”
“So who am I?” Cody asked himself. “I wonder…during these pressing times, has my sword been sharpened, or have I not answered the call? Where do I fit into all of this? It really can’t be ‘future endeavors’ unless you actually intend to endeavor. So am I the three-star general, mid-card for life, broke the throne because I was afraid to sit in it? You hear something enough times and it starts to get comfortable like old leather. Am I comfortable? Am I scattered in my role? I’m going to meet one of these men in the semi-finals and I need to answer the call.
“All of these men could be champion…there’s plenty of will in this tournament…now we find out who has enough of it.”
Tony Schiavone and “Le Champion” Chris Jericho ran down tonight’s card from the broadcast table.
The first match of tonight’s DYNAMITE was Sammy Guevara of The Inner Circle vs. Darby Allin in the Quarter Finals of the TNT Championship Tournament!
The winner will go on to face Cody in the second round. Sammy is on a three-match winning streak.
“Has there been a bigger break-out star since the beginning of DYNAMITE eight months ago than Darby Allin?” pondered Jericho.
As Darby made his way to the ring, Sammy jumped him, propelling himself over the top rope!
“The match has not even started! The bell has not even sounded!” said Schiavone.
Sammy whipped Darby into the steel barricade on the outside.
“This was The Inner Circle’s plan, and Sammy followed through,” explained Jericho.
Sammy set up a steel ladder, balancing it on top of the outside guardrail and the ring apron. Sammy positioned Darby onto the ladder and then splashed onto him from the top turnbuckle!
Sammy pulled Darby into the ring and ref Aubrey Edwards called for the match the start. Sammy immediately went for the cover but Darby managed to kick out at two!
Sammy pulled on Darby’s arms and stomped down on his head. Sammy propped up Darby on the top turnbuckle but Darby fought back! Sammy was caught in the ropes, and Darby yanked off Sammy’s boot and wrenched on his ankle.
“It’s a reverse ankle lock from the top rope. I’ve never seen that before!” said Jericho.
Darby began head-butting the ankle of Sammy, until Sammy kicked him away with the free leg. With one foot, Sammy hit a springboard cutter on Darby! There was another near-fall on Darby, who was bleeding from the nose.
Sammy walked up to a downed Darby, but Darby rolled him up with the ankle lock on the foot that had no wrestling boot! They began slugging it out until Darby finally released the hold. Sammy caught Darby with a spinning back-fist, and then kicked him right in the face. Darby rolled out to the floor after escaping the pin attempt, luring Sammy out with him. Darby ran back into the ring and launched himself through the ropes, but Sammy moved, sending Darby crashing into the guardrail!
Back in the ring, Sammy smashed onto Darby with a 630 splash! Darby grabbed the bottom rope just in time to break the pin attempt. Darby rallied back with a cutter, and tried for a quick Coffin Drop, but Sammy caught him mid-flight! Sammy tried for the GTS but Darby countered with the Last Supper and pinned Sammy! Darby Allin is advancing to the semi-finals of the TNT Championship Tournament!
Matt Hardy checked in from the Hardy Compound!
“I invited Christopher Jericho to the iconic Hardy Compound to face me in a battle that I would coin ‘The Elite Deletion,” explained Hardy.
“Seven nights ago on DYNAMITE, I did not hear a word. The only thing I saw was an episode of The Bubbly Bunch. Jericho—while I was watching that, my essence, Damascus, could tell that your essence was trembling in fear as you spilled the juice that is orange all over your counter. The only one of your underlings who said a word, who had the testicles to mention my name was Sammy Guevara—the false god! Well Samuel I welcome you here if you wish to fight Jericho’s fight for him but be warned…if you come to the Hardy Compound, I will mash you up and eat you, fraud Latino! Sammy, come here and I will sentence you to deletion!
“Wait, it all makes sense. I understand why Jericho did not mention my name: because he does not know how to handle my broken brilliance. Fortunately things are different this time with Broken Matt Hardy: for some people, a broken Matt Hardy is too intense, too over-the-top. And maybe that is the case for you, Jericho. Maybe you should speak to a different entity, the other entity that is Matt Hardy, the mortal vessel, the one that is unkillable. Speak to him Jericho.”
Suddenly the mortal vessel that is unkillable Matt Hardy appeared: “I’ve known Chris Jericho for a long time, well over 20 years, and during that time, we’ve been friends, we’ve been enemies, we’ve gotten along, we’ve had heat, we’ve been through it all. But still, whenever I showed up on DYNAMITE, and you were so angry that I had the back of The Elite—my friends, great guys—Matt and Nick Jackson, two of my closest friends in life. Cody—a great friend. Kenny Omega—I respect the hell out of him.
“These guys are powerful people in AEW. They’re the foundation, the pillars of All Elite Wrestling. And then I got it, I understood why you’re so mad, Chris. Because if you knock out all the pillars of AEW, it creates chaos, and in chaos there is opportunity…opportunity for you to sit atop the mountain, Chris. I can’t allow that to happen. Because AEW is not a platform for Chris Jericho. It’s not a platform for Matt Hardy. AEW is a platform for the future. They are trying to keep this business alive. They are trying to do something great for the generations that will follow us, and I am going to protect that concept, Chris. And if you want to send Sammy Guevara, who is an amazingly talented dude—I am going to kick your ass, Sammy, and I’ll keep kicking every ass in The Inner Circle until I get to you, Chris. And then ultimately I am going to kick your ass.”
“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega (one-half of the AEW World Tag-Team Champions) was in action next against “the Southpaw Serial Killer” Alan Angels!
Angels went for a leg sweep but Kenny brushed it off. Kenny knocked Angels down with a shoulder block. Angels snuck out of a snapdragon suplex attempt from Kenny, but that only angered Kenny, who lit up Angels with knife-edged chops. Angels tried a back-splash on Kenny, but Kenny lifted the knees in time! Kenny dropped Angels with a fierce backbreaker. Kenny turned Angels inside out with a lariat. Kenny ducked some offense from Angels and planted him with a snapdragon suplex! He followed up with a V-trigger knee! Kenny wiped out Angels with a gut wrench powerbomb and another V-trigger for the victory!
A video package aired of Scorpio Sky: “As far back as I can remember I’ve been a wrestling fan. I don’t have a story that started my love for pro wrestling. There wasn’t a moment where I discovered it. It was kinda always there.
“I always wanted to be a pro wrestler and I never thought of anything else. My mom used to tell me, ‘You’re special. There’s a gift that you have.’ That always stuck with me and it resonated with me. And I felt like no matter what obstacle I faced I would get through it.”
Scorpio detailed a serious lower back injury he suffered, and seeing a doctor in 2008, who told him he’d probably never wrestle again. He had two options: surgery or pain management.
“A lot of people don’t believe in miracles but I woke up one day and my back didn’t hurt that much anymore. And then the next day it felt better. And the first thing I wanted to do was get back in the ring. I haven’t had a problem since. But eventually, year after year after year, of not making it, not having any luck, and anytime an opportunity would come, I would do my best and find out, ‘Oh, he’s great, we love him. But we just don’t have a spot for him.’
“I went to my mom’s gravesite, and kinda talking to myself, talking to her, talking to God, not really sure what my next move was. I just said, ‘Whatever direction I’m supposed to go in, show me.’ And I went home and later on that night, the next day, I kinda made it up in my mind: let’s give pro wrestling one more chance.
“I felt like I had two outs, two strikes, and I stepped up to the plate, and I got that one opportunity to hit it out of the park. December 2017 we formed SCU.”
To Be Continued…
Highlights of the 200th episode of Being The Elite aired.
The next match was Jimmy Havoc vs. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (accompanied by Best Friends—Chuck Taylor & Trent)!
Havoc blindsided Orange, storming him from behind. He wacked Orange in the back of the head with a stiff forearm. Havoc removed Orange’s denim jacket and began to choke him with it until ref Aubrey Edwards stopped him. Havoc pulled the shirt off Cassidy and chopped him. Havoc choked him with the shirt.
“He loves to torture people,” noted Schiavone.
Havoc dumped Orange onto the floor outside the ring and then slung him into the guardrail. Havoc suplexed Orange onto the concrete! Havoc rammed Orange’s head into the steel post.
“He’s wiping the mat with Orange here,” said Jericho.
Jimmy Havoc applied an arm bar to Orange in the center of the ring. The ref broke the hold, as Orange was able to get to the ropes. Havoc started biting Orange’s hands.
Orange rolled out of the way of a clothesline and then dropkicked Havoc! Orange got a second wind and hit a flying cross body on Havoc! Orange nailed Havoc with a big DDT! Havoc barely escaped the pin.
Havoc punched Orange in the face and then set him up on the top turnbuckle. As Havoc was climbing to the top, Orange grabbed Havoc’s ankles and sent him crashing to the mat! Orange splashed Havoc for a two-count.
Orange connected with a superman punch on Havoc! Penelope Ford climbed the ring apron, trying to distract Orange Cassidy, but Chuck Taylor pulled her down. Kip Sabian ran from the back and jumped over the top rope, taking out both members of Best Friends! Penelope jumped off the top rope but Orange moved. In the middle of all the chaos, Orange rolled up Havoc for the victory! Havoc and Sabian double-teamed Orange after the match until Best Friends ran them off!
From Max’s Rat’s House in Cape Cod, MA, MJF provided an update on his “condition.”
“Hello. We are currently facing a nationwide epidemic. Mankind has never been through such debilitating, depressing times. The fact that MJF has not wrestled on AEW DYNAMITE is absolutely insane and I understand my fans have been craving to see me! I’m here to explain why I have not been there for you: On my last appearance on DYNAMITE, while gambling earlier in the evening, I suffered a serious injury.
“While throwing cash, I got a hangnail. But like a valiant warrior, I proceeded to gamble until the show’s ending. Unfortunately, due to my inability to quit, my severe injury became life threatening. But I am here to tell you, I will be back, and like a phoenix I will rise from the ashes and I will become your AEW World Champion…because I’m better than you, and you know it.”
Lee Johnson vs. “Mr. Mayhem” Wardlow was next!
Wardlow sent Johnson to the ground with an explosive knee! Wardlow pressed Johnson and then smashed him into the mat!
“I think he literally broke him in half,” said Schiavone.
Wardlow launched Johnson halfway across the ring with a release suplex! He did it a second time, throwing him like a sack of potatoes.
“That’s Mike Tyson-style power coming from that lower half of his body,” added Jericho.
Wardlow flung Johnson with a wicked airplane spin! Wardlow pinned Johnson and picked up a decisive victory.
A package played of The Dark Order and Mr. Brodie.
Mr. Brodie Lee told a new recruit: “I understand where you’re coming from. I understand your frustrations. Trust me, of all people, I get it. See a lot of people here in AEW, they didn’t work for their success. They were handed it. A lot of people around here are afraid of success.
“Do I look like I’m afraid of success? I want to offer you success. I want to offer you the power, the strength in numbers. We are the lions of AEW. We feed on the prey. You are home now. You are one of us. You are Dark Order.”
Mr. Brodie slid a Dark Order mask across the desk and the new recruit accepted it.
Our next match was Justin Law vs. “The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee!
Brodie Lee hammered Law with stiff uppercuts and forearms! He followed up with a superkick on Law.
“Justin’s out. He could pin this guy at any point now,” said Jericho.
Lee sent Law flying with two brutal suplexes. Brodie was staring down Marko Stunt from inside the ring. Brodie knocked out Law with a discus lariat and got the easy victory.
Brodie Lee approached Marko at ringside and sized him up. To his credit, Marko didn’t back down. Brodie walked off.
“There’s a fine line between courage and stupidity, and Marko is walking that line,” noted Jericho.
The second installment of The Bubbly Bunch aired.
Sammy was feeling down. The rest of The Inner Circle tried to cheer him up and did a Flim Flam video. The winner would receive a bottle of hand sanitizer. After flashy footwork and dance moves by all, Sammy was declared the winner!
It was time for our main event of the evening! “SuperBad” Kip Sabian (accompanied by Penelope Ford) vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes (with Brandi Rhodes) in the TNT Championship Tournament Quarter Final!
Rhodes announced that if he couldn’t beat Sabian tonight, he would retire. Dustin offered to shake Kip’s hand at the start of the match, but Kip declined.
Dustin missed a forearm and an elbow but eventually found his target with an uppercut and an arm drag to Kip. Dustin chopped away at Kip in the corner. Penelope Ford got involved and grabbed Dustin’s foot, buying Kip some time. Momentum shifted in Kip’s favor with a step-up enzuirgiri and a kick to Dustin. Kip applied a front face lock to Dustin.
Dustin powered Kip into the corner turnbuckle. Dustin ran to the corner and lifted a knee but Kip sidestepped it, causing Dustin’s knee to buckle.
“Dustin hurt his knee that time,” said Schiavone.
Kip wasted no time in targeting Dustin’s knee, stomping on it, and then wrenching it. Kip whipped Dustin into the corner, but Dustin went down in a heap.
“Dustin Rhodes can’t even walk now,” added Jericho.
Kip hit a dropkick and went for the cover, but Dustin countered with a roll-up for a two-count! Dustin attempted a scoop-slam but his injured leg gave out, and Kip landed on top of him for a near fall. Kip missed a dropkick and Dustin tried to pin him with a forward roll! Kip hit a knee on Dustin, then a discus lariat, and tried for the pin on Dustin.
“Dustin better pull out some energy reserves here, because if this was an MMA fight, Dustin would lose on points for sure,” said Jericho.
Kip snapmared Dustin over and kicked him in the back! Dustin got back on his feet and hit a quick spinebuster on Kip! Dustin followed up with a bulldog! Dustin used a Rhodes powerslam on Kip for a two-count!
“Dustin Rhodes may have a little bit left in his tank!” noted Schiavone.
Kip connected with a swinging DDT off the second rope! Dustin kicked out at two! Kip mounted Dustin and began the ground and pound attack, until ref Aubrey Edwards pulled him off Dustin. While the referee was admonishing Kip, Penelope tried to interfere, but Brandi speared Penelope!
Kip looked outside the ring to see what happened to Penelope, and Dustin used the opportunity to plant him with the Code Red Canadian Destroyer! Rhodes scored the victory and is advancing to the semi-finals!
As the show was going off the air, Tony Schiavone was notified in his headset by Tony Khan that signed for next week’s DYNAMITE is Best Friends with Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc in a No DQ, No Count-Out Match!
Catch all the explosive action as AEW DYNAMITE is broadcast on TNT next week!