“I’m back.” – CM Punk
From sometime around 2004 to 2014, following the career of a guy named CM Punk helped unlock a combination of pro-wrestling love and real-life pride in a young me that was searching for something that made some sense. Then he dipped, and bless him for it. Six months later I got married (it wasn’t connected). Then a son. Then that Presidency. Then the pandemic. It’s called growing up.
As I sat in Section 312, Row 8, Seat 8, at the United Center and watched Punk make his return to pro wrestling seven (sixteen?) years after he moved on, seventeen years after I first saw him wrestle in Chicago Ridge, ten years after I cheered with a passion and viciousness not seen since as he faced down John Cena and Vince McMahon at the Allstate Arena, seven years after I went to the first RAW there after he left WWE and joked on the way to the show that they’d trot out Big Show at the end as a misguided make-good and then they actually did… I thought to myself: maybe I should start watching AEW Dark.
It’s 2021 and a few weeks ago — after watching him wrestle in multiple suburbs of Chicago over the years — I went to the United Center in actual Chicago with thousands of other like-minded fans on basically a strong hunch that CM Punk was returning to wrestling. Then he did, and bless him for it.
My pals and the people I pay attention to are enjoying this thing going on right now where the hobby is having a moment after pantomiming as a quarterly stock report for 20 years, and occasionally my weekly reaction boils down to “gee gosh wrestling is awesome and simple and fun ha.” So welcome to HWL’s new monthly wrap-up on All Elite Wrestling, because they earned it.
August 2021
Two weeks after I bought tickets to AEW All Out thinking I’d see Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page if I was lucky, AEW chief Tony Khan announced a show at the United Center set for two weeks before All Out and I bought tickets to that too. So it began.
Even before “The First Dance,” August was busy: All Out shaped up, a second weekly show premiered on TNT, and on the first Wednesday of the month Malakai Black kicked Cody Rhodes into a long vacation. The first few editions of Rampage started strong too: Episode 1 had Christian Cage beating Kenny Omega, Fuego del Sol signing with AEW, and Jamie Hayter returning as Britt Baker’s Ace.
Episode 3 had Giannis (that one) freaking out in the front row. Episode 2 had CM Punk.
AEW gave one of the most curious and anxious of fanbases (putting it mildly) something to anticipate for a few weeks, let them in on the secret just a little bit, and then — in a twist — completely delivered.
After one of the loudest and most cathartic audience reactions that I’ve ever personally experienced, Punk explained his time away, offered empathy for anyone disappointed, name-dropped Britt Baker, buried WWE, told a story, challenged Darby Allin, teased future matches, promoted a pay-per-view, gave away free ice cream, sold a bunch of t-shirts, and de-canonized WWE as pro wrestling better than that doofus Triple H ever could. He also said “I’m back.”
The Elite are the Champions and effectively annoying: Kenny Omega moved on from Hangman Page to Christian Cage, and a tournament for a shot at the Young Bucks helped The Lucha Bros and Jurassic Express matter again.
Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Darby Allin and Sting rule as top guys but it rules even more how sidetracked they all got this month by Daniel Garcia and 2point0, new additions to the roster who absolutely maximized their minutes as both quality wrestlers and recruitment packages for the good folks still with WWE.
Everybody being in a faction laid a solid foundation: Orange Cassidy and Best Friends vs. Matt Hardy’s Family Office, Death Triangle vs. Andrade el Idolo and the boys, Team Taz vs. Brian Cage and nobody. Chris Jericho vs. MJF stayed alive too with the 5 Labours of Jericho that gave us Juventud Guerrrera back to TNT and a little too much “Judas.”
Besides brief rivalries for Britt Baker/Red Velvet and Diamante/Big Swole, the women’s division was mostly found in squash matches on Dark. At some point though, by month-end to be exact, the roster felt developed enough for a Casino Battle Royale.
Dark had its’ 100th webisode, Dan Lambert talked shit, and Dante Martin had like ten breakout performances. The Redeemer Miro ruled as TNT Champion, Joey Janela turned heel, and The Factory went after Tony Schiavone‘s kid and Paul Wight for some reason too.
Top 10 Matches
- Impact World Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Christian Cage (Rampage 8/13/21)
- AEW World Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Jurassic Express (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black (Dynamite 8/4/21)
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- TNT Title: Miro [c] vs. Fuego del Sol (Rampage 8/13/21)
- Matt Sydal vs. Daniel Garcia (Dark: Elevation 8/19/21)
- AEW Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament – Final: Jurassic Express vs. The Lucha Bros (Rampage 8/27/21)
- Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston & Darby Allin w/ Sting vs. 2point0 & Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- Matt Sydal, Mike Sydal & Dante Martin vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks w/ The Elite (Dynamite 8/11/21)
- Dante Martin vs. Anthony Bowens (Dark: Elevation 8/23/21)
- Wheeler Yuta w/ Chuck Taylor vs. Matt Hardy w/ Private Party (Dark 8/17/21)
1. Impact World Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Christian Cage (Rampage 8/13/21) – Christian’s signature spots and great corner punches, Kenny’s reliable urgency on the close, and a BS finish that came together masterfully…. AEW kicked off Rampage with a title match that was more a Christian Classic then Kenny Special and it made the wrestling god’s rejoice.
2. AEW World Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Jurassic Express (Dynamite 8/18/21) – Two days before they entered a tournament for a shot at the Tag Titles, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus challenged the Bucks for those same Tag Titles in a match so good I’m not sure anyone questioned the logic. The Bucks have won me over, the most obnoxious shits casually pumping out great tag after great tag and making people look great doing it. They gave Jungle Boy the shine (including a wild rana to the floor) and all the (awesome) double teams and near falls at the end were basically designed around Luchasaurus just laying there, which completely worked. Even dinosaur did a dive.
3. Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black (Dynamite 8/4/21) – This match is five minutes long. I’ve tried to limit revealing the results of matches here lately, but there’s no use in talking about this one without it: in this match, spooky newcomer Malakai Black beats company prince Cody Rhodes in five whole minutes. He does it in the middle of the ring after kicking him in the head, then hits him with a crutch and stole his boot after. No wasted motion here — great introduction and well-executed angle.
4. TNT Title: Miro [c] vs. Fuego del Sol (Rampage 8/13/21) – This match is two minutes long, but that’s just how things are now. You can still get things done with wrestling matches as long as you’re trying to actually get things done. Unstoppable Miro vs. silly Fuego del Sol could’ve just been a kick and Accolade, but they put in 120 seconds of WORK.
5. Matt Sydal vs. Daniel Garcia (Dark: Elevation 8/19/21) – Daniel Garcia arrived in AEW from all sorts of directions in August and somehow more than lived up to the hype that came with him, which I guess was: “The 22-year-old who broke his legs in a car accident a few years ago but is now the best unsigned technical wrestler in the world.” This was my favorite performance of his this month — he’s a purposeful little ass-kicker working with the intensity of a Stampede guy, and here it was opposite solid veteran Sydal. Clever finish too.
6. AEW Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament – Final: Jurassic Express vs. The Lucha Bros (Rampage 8/27/21) – With the Greek Freak himself sitting at ringside and genuinely having a great time, the most breathtaking tag team in the world faced a glorious pair of babyfaces and made some magic.
7. Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston & Darby Allin w/ Sting vs. 2point0 & Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/4/21) – What is a squash match called when it gives just as much shine to the guys getting beat? With limited time and in zero position to win, the former Ever-Rise and Daniel Garcia had an ideal Dynamite debut where 2.0 showed charm and Garcia ability. Also features Matt Lee asking Sting if he’s the real Sting then getting wrecked with a Darby psycho dive, just a beautiful production.
8. Matt Sydal, Mike Sydal & Dante Martin vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks w/ The Elite (Dynamite 8/11/21) – Tremendous trios action made even better by young Dante Martin having one of the most impressive run of high-flying spots on wrestling TV in recent memory. A genuine breakout performance with five guys going full tilt around it.
9. Dante Martin vs. Anthony Bowens (Dark: Elevation 8/23/21) – Martin and Bowens go a little longer than usual and Elevation and kind of crush it, with Bowens showing off some badass offense (and punches!) while Dante did the amazing flying thing he does. They create some serious drama towards the end, even with a few Bowens moves that felt too complicated. Also has Eddie Kingston marking out when Martin pulls Bowens back into a headlock.
10. Wheeler Yuta w/ Chuck Taylor vs. Matt Hardy w/ Private Party (Dark 8/17/21) – It was between this and the Orange Cassidy match on Dynamite, but long story short Matt Hardy still does excellent TV matches. He was definitely a step behind young newcomer Wheeler, but it wasn’t to the match’s detriment – Wheeler just made sure the action was extra fun when it was his turn.
Other Cool Matches
- Jack Evans vs. PAC (Dark 8/3/21)
- Eddie Kingston vs. Dante Martin (Dark 8/3/21)
- Labors of Jericho – Jericho Must Win with Top Rope Move: Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston & Darby Allin w/ Sting vs. 2.0 & Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- TNT Title: Miro [c] vs. Lee Johnson w/ Dustin Rhodes (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- The Sydal Brothers vs. The Lucha Bros (Dark: Elevation 8/9/21)
- Fuego del Sol vs. Daniel Garcia (Dark 8/10/21)
- Darby Allin w/ Sting vs. Daniel Garcia w/ 2.0 (Dynamite 8/11/21)
- Impact Tag Team Title: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows [c] vs. Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (Dynamite 8/11/21)
- Wheeler Yuta w/ Chuck Taylor vs. Matt Hardy w/ Private Party (Dark 8/17/21)
- John Silver, Alex Reynolds & Preston Vance vs. RSP, Andrew Palace & Bill Collier (Dark 8/17/21)
- Dante Martin vs Lee Moriarty (Dark 8/17/21)
- Sting & Darby Allin vs. 2.0 w/ Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- 5 Labors of Jericho: Chris Jericho vs. MJF (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta w/ Kris Statlander vs. The Blade & The Hybrid2 w/ The Bunny (Dark: Elevation 8/23/21)
- Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy (Dynamite 8/25/21)
- Evil Uno vs. QT Marshall w/ The Factory (Dark: Elevation 8/31/21)
- Matt Sydal w/ Mike Sydal vs. PAC w/ The Lucha Bros (Dark: Elevation 8/31/21)
Best Angles and Promos
- The Elite lay out Hangman Page after The Dark Order hesitates saving him (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- Cody Rhodes leaves his boots in the ring and Aleister Black attacks (Dynamite 8/4/21)
- Britt Baker returns to Pittsburgh (Dynamite 8/11/21)
- Sammy Guevara gives Fuego del Sol an AEW contract (Rampage 8/13/21)
- Jamie Hayter debuts (Rampage 8/13/21)
- 2.0 and Daniel Garcia attack Moxley and Kingston in the crowd (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- The Elite lays out Christian Cage (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- Jon Moxley promo on Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/18/21)
- CM Punk returns to pro wrestling (Rampage 8/20/21)
- Big Swole and Julia Hart promo on Diamante (Dark: Elevation 8/23/21)
- CM Punk in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone (Dynamite 8/25/21)
- Miro/Eddie Kingston pull-apart brawl (Rampage 8/27/21)
Areas of Excellence
- The entire approach to the CM Punk debut (8/20) and maybe Bryan Danielson (8/25)
- Dynamite opens with Juvy one week (8/4), a trios match the next (8/11), a crowd brawl the next (8/18) – we love it
- Lots of heel beatdown and faces close show standing tall energy all over the place
- The Dark Order is giving their friend Adam Page space (8/4)
- The confidence to debut semi-unknown Jamie Hayter to close the debut of Rampage (8/13)
- Now that I’m watching Dark, I know now: squash matches are back!
- Malakai, Miro, Kingston – confirmed stars
- David Crockett gets brought in for guest commentary and Tony Schiavone calls him buddy (8/2)
- Homecoming for Britt Baker in Brittsburgh (8/11)
- Even if he’s spending time developing in tags with Shawn Spears, Wardlow’s cage victory over Cody still gets brought up (8/11)
Favorite Parts
- Fuego del Sol’s genuine reaction after he got the contract (8/13)
- Chuckie T gets chants in a big arena (8/11)
- “You see uh, Luther doin’ the clapper like he’s one half of the Rock & Roll Express” – Taz (8/10)
- Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia sneak in awesome chain wrestling on American wrestling TV (8/11)
- Jack Evans does a skytwister knee strike (8/3)
- PAC does a draping top rope neckbreaker into the Brutalizer (8/3)
- Ortiz & Santana’s smooth double-team finish (8/19)
- Nyla Rose’s spring-to-the-top-rope gets a genuine “oh shit” crowd reaction (8/19)
- Nyla Rose counters Kris Statlander’s handstand with a spear (8/13)
- Wardlow crushes an apple (8/1)
Favorite Things
- Taz singing Jungle Boy’s music
- Every cool thing Dante Martin did
- Lance Archer’s entrance sometimes being carrying his terrified opponent down the ramp
- Lance Archer’s entrance sometimes being throwing his terrified opponent into the ring
- Thunder Rosa being SO over
- 2point0’s music
- Jamie Hayter’s lariat
- Preston “10” Vance’s hoss offense
- Eddie Kingston storming to the ring for his Dark matches
- JD Drake’s Big Bubba Rogers attire
First Dance Observations Pre-Punk
- Justin Roberts brings this depressed wedding DJ energy to the Dark intros – kind of works though?
- Wondered if people would chant CM Punk prior, but they put Tay Conti on first – nobody dared
- Emi Sakura is a professional’s professional
- Ethan Page makes funny faces
- Frankie Kazarian hits a fantastic lariat
- Cool to see local guy Robert Anthony do a tope con hilo at the United Center
- Legit Leyla Hirsch is the inverse of a wrestling giant, even smaller than you think in person
- Evil Uno vs. QT Marshall kind of brought the house down – two near falls everybody bit on
- The line for the shirt was one of the most obscene things I’ve ever seen
- Ice cream bars were quality
HWL’s AEW Power Rankings: 8/1/21 – 8/31/21
- The Young Bucks
- Miro
- Kenny Omega
- Christian Cage
- Malakai Black
- Britt Baker
- Darby Allin
- Jurassic Express
- Jon Moxley
- MJF and Chris Jericho
HWL’s Dark All-Stars: 8/1/21 – 8/31/21
- The Lucha Bros
- Dante Martin
- Daniel Garcia
- Lance Archer
- PAC
- Thunder Rosa
- Eddie Kingston
- Wheeler Yuta
- Matt Sydal
- Emi Sakura
