TV might be good for these guys because I think AEW’s got a lot of stuff figured out they just need shorter matches.
The. Elite. The The … Elite.
Loved the outside venue. Kind of love any outside venue.
The Buy In felt like a tighter show, going only 45 minutes and being more of a wrestler showcase than a Being the Elite/Librarian showcase. That was nice. The Cody and Dustin interview ruled too.
None of the commentator’s polo shirts fit very well, did they?
0. Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon w/ Leva Bates
This kind of ruled, going only five minutes or so but doing that thing not many wrestling matches do these days in that it got right to the point: Sonny’s incredible entrance, a natural babyface vs. heel dynamic, Sonny’s athleticism and charisma being showcased, and after brief peril a victory for our hero. I’m going to do something crazy and say I’m actually into the idea of The Librarian gimmick, pending the execution improving by both production and performer. There’s something to a gimmick like this that guys can get easy pops off of for years and years. Fuck a “READING SUCKS” chant though. ***1/4
Had a good chuckle at the Cody promo going from “this show is for charity” to “the team that wins tonight gets the most money.” Heart’s in the right place, at least, on charitable account and trying to recreate an era of wrestling where guys are fighting for cash.
0. Dr. Britt Baker & Riho vs. Bea Priestly & Shoko Nakajima
Hearing the World of Stardom and The Tokyo Princess Of Princess Championships name dropped on a wrestling show in America is some wild stuff. What’s also some wild stuff is that this god damn match went over FIFTEEN MINUTES despite Britt Baker apparently getting concussed like a minute in. It’s a match impossible to judge, though I will judge a lot of people for keeping it FIFTEEN MINUTES. There was some decent heel work by Priestly and Nakajima here and there, though anyone beating up Riho is kind of default going to be doing decent heel work. I am glad I now know of Shoko Nakajima, who seems to be a very good wrestler, but this felt like an occasionally sloppy match that went too long before it came out that Baker was legit concussed, and after it came out it just felt dumb. **
1. Joey Janela, Darby Allin & Jimmy Havoc vs. Shawn Spears, MJF & Sammy Guevara
A solid 6-man tag that felt a little busy considering all these guys could use some shine, but hey they did their job of having an exciting opener in front of a crowd excited to see all of them. MJF continues to be the MVP – he got some loud if not legit heat from the crowd, and after taking some offense from Janela and Havoc that kind of quieted them down, an EYEPOKE got them back. He also did the “10!” taunt to Spears which was easy but pretty fantastic. I liked that they saved the Spears/Darby showdown for midway through the match so they could have a MOMENT… until Spears tagged out, which was great. They’re handling Spears with care and he’s coming off as a big deal. Janela bumps around just fine but hasn’t come off as special yet, while of anybody Guevara probably had the best night as he continued to not just be a dipshit heel who can take crazy bumps and do wild dives, but one who can go toe-to-toe with the AEW midcard. ***1/4
Was honestly a big fan of nobody giving any of the special guests in the crowd a heads up that cameras would be on them, which resulted in shots of Shad Khan texting and one of the Farah & Farah guys being a hot drunk mess. We need more genuine moments in this world, damnit.
2. Allie vs. Brandi Rhodes w/ Awesome Kong
I’m not sure we needed 10+ minutes of Brandi Rhodes just yet, especially with Awesome Kong playing Gedo or some shit. Brandi came off as a hard-working babyface in the video package before the match then played a baddie in the match, shaking Allie’s hand before bringing out Awesome Kong as her muscle. As JR said in one of those moments where he speaks his truths out loud: “Well I don’t know who Brandi is for sure.” Neither do we, JR – how about you (senior) advise somebody on this? I like Allie though. Allie ready to fuck with Kong was very cool. She’s been in some tough positions but always delivers, coming off likable even if the match is no good. I liked Brandi’s knee to her back off a Kong distraction, but didn’t like a German suplex from Brandi that JR kind of accurately called a waistlock takedown. *3/4
Everything was worth it when it led to an angle for Awesome Kong vs. Aja Kong though. Aja is getting not just one last run but a recognition of her place in wrestling history and my heart is full. Her helping Allie up was so awesome too.
3. 3-Way Tag Team Match: Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy vs. Jack Evans & Angelico vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson)
Ah, the 3-Way Tag match – a fine showcase for teams we haven’t seen before, but a pretty forgettable experience overall. Not this one though. For this one saw the emergence of Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy as a major league tag team. Jungle Boy is so great, providing a perfect blend of campiness and wrestling babyface, while his Dinosaur is O-V-E-R, brother. The Boy sold his little heart out which led to a phenomenal hot tag that showed his Dinosaur is more than just one of the coolest looks in wrestling. I’m not sure the first big match for this team was the ideal moment to introduce Marko Stunt, but now that he’s here I can say he reminds me of Mikey Whipwreck and I like it. Dark Order looked good too, though they pretty quickly went from mysterious evil guys to dudes doing spots in a 3-way tag. Their double teams towards the end were incredible though, and Excalibur calling out Alex Marvez revealing Parts Unknown is in Canada killed me. Evans and Angelico again did, like, nothing. We’ll get there. Maybe? ***1/2
4. Hangman Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian
Individual neat spots aside, this was a boring 20 minutes of leg slap-enhanced moves. If “Superbad” Kip Sabian’s going 20 with a top guy headed towards the first AEW World Championship match, maybe milk it and make him look like a top guy or something eh? They didn’t though – they just had a basic-ass back-and-forth… match. I get wanting to establish the risk of a time limit draw maybe, but the 20-minute match is like the 2+ hour movie, you better have some real good shit planned to keep me focused. **1/4
Chris Jericho attacking Page a couple matches before his planned open mic segment was a nice bit, though the “guy wrestling guy lays guy out” angle already feels overused in AEW. Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho vs. Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Title are not matches that needed it.
5. The Lucha Bros vs. SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) w/ Christopher Daniels
The “CERO! MIEDO!” gimmick is REAL, folks. The Lucha Bros are blowing minds and SCU is still here just fuckin’ doing it. There were also a few awkward spots that JR couldn’t help himself calling them out. Fast-paced impressive awesome tag team wrestling and another standout performance for The Lucha Bros. Good, fun, you know the drill. ***1/2
6. Kenny Omega vs. CIMA
Witness CIMA turn back the clock and help Kenny Omega provide the Dream Match that CIMA vs. Kenny Omega promised on paper. It got a little over-indulgent and there were like five too many Meteora’s but otherwise this delivered all the tremendous action you’d expect from 2019 Kenny Omega opposite a time-traveling early 2000s CIMA. The finish was a blast too, with a moment or two where it wasn’t so obvious Omega was winning. It’s neither guys’ best work and the Dream Match style can sometimes feel soulless, but still – heck of a match. ****
Chris Jericho Open Mic
Ahhhhh Chris. He is still just GETTING IT DONE, this workaholic nutjob. I appreciated him laying out his reasons for attacking Page earlier in the show, but I’m again not sure Page getting revenge here has me any more interested in the match. Not a bad segment but as a world-building thing, kind of weak.
7. Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks
There was a lot of good stuff here but I can’t shake a take I read where someone (maybe Cornette) said it was a great tag match and then it went on for another 15 minutes. This sucker went a good 30 and it was a ride, which in a way I appreciate. There should be room in wrestling for matches like this, where they go long and it feels less like they’re stretching for time and more like they’re just TRYING STUFF. The boys are WRESTLING, people! They’re wrestling the hell out of each other.
The Bucks acted like dicks early on with a brother hug and fake crying, which was a nice way to set the tone. Then they worked over Dustin for a while. And they wrestled. Nick stood in Cody’s place for a mock hot tag, only to get popped in the face in one of those classic wrestling spots that makes you forget if the 10 minutes before it was any good or not. And they wrestled. Dustin did THE CROSSBODY to setup a great Cody hot tag, complete with a big ol’ dive over the top rope. And they wrestled. Cody and Dustin worked over Matt’s arm. They did plancha/cannonball double team. An assisted Crossroads. And they wrestled. Dustin teed off in the Bucks, so desperate and so passionate, so professional wrestling. Until a Meltzer Driver pinned Cody clean. ****
BOING!
For what seemed like a poorly received show, there were some real fun wrestling matches here. Fun wrestling matches aren’t enough for a wrestling company still introducing itself though. Double or Nothing had me over the moon not just because it was fresh and new and Moxley was there, but because there seemed to be such a laser eye focus on establishing the world that these wrestlers will be wrestling in. Fyter Fest and now Fight for the Fallen felt like a step back in that context. There were a lot of hits (Aja Kong, Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus, the last two matches), but the misses (Hangman Page, the 15-minute concussion match, everything going too long) overwhelmed them. 4/10
