12/30 AEW DYNAMITE TV REPORT: Keller’s report on Brodie Lee tribute show including Team Taz vs. Cody & Cassidy & “10,” Page & Silver & Reynolds vs. MJF & Santana & Ortiz, Jericho on commentary

AEW DYNAMITE TV REPORT
DECEMBER 30, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT DAILY’S PLACE
AIRED ON TNT
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts

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[HOUR ONE]

-The show opened with the AEW roster gathered on the stage. Jim Ross said, “It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means.” He said it’s a celebration of the life of Brodie Lee. They began a ten bell salute.

-Jon Moxley, with a hat pulled over his eyes, spoke about Brodie Lee’s levity, smile, and sarcastic wit. “He brought joy to the people around him.” He said he had the privilege of being on a journey with Brodie for a decade. He said he loved being a husband and father above all else. Mox said Brodie told him he would love being a dad, but he told Brodie he liked being able to do what he wants and order Chinese food and stay up all night. He said when the calendar turns over to 2021, when he thinks of Amanda and the kids, it’s about the community loving and supporting each other when the chips are down, uniting over the one thing they love. He said he hopes Brodie’s legacy inspires everyone to appreciate each other, smell the roses, enjoy every sunrise and sunset. “I know I will,” he said. “Every day is special. Every day I spent with Brodie was special. I love you, brother, and I will never forget you.”

-Ross said there will be more testimonials and from-the-heart messages throughout the show.

(1) MATT HARDY & PRIVATE PARTY (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS & COLT CABANA

As Hardy and Private Party came out, they showed clips on split screen of past matches with Private Party and the Bucks. Schiavone welcomed Jericho to the commentary desk and said they’ll be celebrating the life of Brodie Lee. Jericho said it’ll be a tough but cathartic night for everyone. “What a guy he was!” he said. “Let’s pump up the energy.” Nick Jackson came out and pointed to the sky. Matt was in tears. Then Colt Cabana came out with several members of Dark Order by his side. He was emotionally broken up, barely able to stay composed as he entered the ring. Jericho said everybody backstage is shaken up and emotional, “and if you want to cry, it’s okay dammit.”

Jericho said he loves seeing the Young Bucks work and they pull stuff out of their back pockets he’s never seen. Nick flip dove over the top rope onto Hardy and Private Party. Colt then springboard backflipped onto a crowd at ringside. The audience chanted “Colt Cabana.” Jericho talked about Brodie Lee’s various names in his career. Schiavone talked about the history of Lee becoming the leader of The Dark Order.

Jericho talked about how he needed ankle support with boots and he couldn’t wear sneakers like Private Party. He said they’re young and some day, like him, they’ll need to wear boots, too. Nick hot-tagged in and went after Quen, but Hardy tripped him as he ran the ropes. Nick kicked Hardy in the head a minute later, then backflipped onto him on the floor. Nick said, “That’s for you, Brodie!” When Nick returned to the ring, Private Party quickly hit him with Gin & Juice. Kassidy and Quin hit top rope moves, but Colt made the save on the cover. Hardy threatened Quen with a chair. Colt tagged in and knocked Hardy off the ring apron. Kassidy and Quen double-teamed Colt, but Colt blocked Gin & Juice. Nick gave Quen a superkick, and then they hit the Indy Taker. Colt then leveraged Quen down with his Superman cover for the win.

WINNERS: Cabana & The Young Bucks in 15:00.

-They showed Brodie’s older son at ringside watching while wearing a Dark Order mask. Jericho said his two year old younger brother was also there.

-The Acclaimed walked out. As Max Caster began to talk derisively about Dark Order, Christopher Daniels and Kaz ran out and attacked them. Colt gave The Acclaimed double elbows to the head. Excalibur said this is the first time Cabana has acknowledged and embraced the Dark Order.

-They cut to the announcers on camera. Ross hyped the main event of Team Taz vs. Cody Rhodes & Orange Cassidy & “10.” Jericho hyped MJF & Santana & Ortiz vs. John Siler & Alex Reynolds & Hangman Page. Excalibur plugged Anna “99” Jay & Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker & Penelope Ford. Ross hyped Evil Uno & Stu Grayson & Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston & Butcher & The Blade. [c]

-Darby Allin, sans make-up, said the first time he met Brodie, he told Sammy Guevara that he’s the number one person he wanted to wrestle. “I was so excited he came to AEW,” he said. “I’d go up to him and I’d talk to him, but I found out real quick there was no ego with Brodie. He wasn’t here to take someone’s spot, he was here to elevate us all.” He said he wasn’t selfish and he wanted to lift everybody up. He said he had so much knowledge that he was willing to share with all the young guys. He looked down and said he was the man and the no. 1 man he wished he could have wrestled.

(2) EVIL UNO & STU GRAYSON & LANCE ARCHER (w/Jake Roberts) vs. EDDIE KINGSTON & THE BUTCHER & THE BLADE

Uno & Grayson & Archer made their entrance first. Kingston stepped onto the stage and said he loved Brodie and he loves him and misses him. “Now that all the niceness is out of the way, the Dark Order is nothing without him, and we’re going to prove it tonight, you cowards,” he said. Schiavone said they are celebrating Brodie Lee’s life on TNT. Uno popped Kingston as the start. All six brawled. Archer, Uno, and Grayson triple-teamed Kingston. Uno and Grayson suplexed Archer onto Kingston. Excalibur noted that Brodie and Blade were early rivals in NWA Upstate, battling all over the state of New York and beyond. They cut to a break, but stayed with the action on split-screen. [c]

Ross noted every match tonight would feature a member of Dark Order. Kingston saved Blade from a Black Out by Archer. Jericho said you can build a company around Archer “and we’re doing that currently.” Grayson landed a DDT over the top rope onto the ring apron, then Butcher. Then Grayson leaped off the top rope and drove Blade’s head into the mat off of Uno’s shoulders leading to the win. After the finish, everyone took turns hitting Kingston. Jake gave him a signature short-arm clothesline. Jericho said the man invented the move.

WINNERS: Uno & Grayson & Archer in 10:00.

-A video package aired on Brodie Lee with family photos, narrated by various AEW wrestlers including Arn Anderson, Colt Cabana, Dax Harwood, and Bryce Remsburg. Bryce, crying, said he had a chance to catch up with Brodie and they talked about their kids. He said if there was a Mount Rushmore of dads, it’d be Brodie Lee. Colt said Brodie couldn’t wait to get home to kids after work. “He’d always race home to see his family,” Colt said. [c]

(3) “HANGMAN” PAGE & ALEX REYNOLDS & JOHN SILVER vs. MJF & SANTANA & ORTIZ (w/Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara)

Other Dark Order members stood on the stage with Reynolds & Silver during their entrance, then returned to the back. Reynolds and Silver threw papers at MJF, Santana, and Ortiz to jump-start the match. Jericho said Brodie Lee liked to do that, and it’s a foreign object and should be illegal. He said papercuts hurt. Page knocked MJF out of the ring with a paper. MJF yelled at Brodie’s son at ringside, twelve inches from his face. Schiavone said he’s the biggest asshole anywhere. We even got a Tony Garea reference by Jericho after a sunset flip. A few minutes in, Page rallied and signaled for a Buckshot Lariat on MJF. MJF rolled to the floor. Santana and Ortiz entered and went after Page. MJF then entered and flipped Page onto his head for a two count. They cut to a split-screen break. [c]

Back from the break, Silver rallied against Santana & Ortiz. Santana made a comeback and gave Silver a cutter. Ortiz gave Reynolds a spinebuster. Silver gave MJF a Destroyer, then dove at Santana at ringside. Back in the ring, Silver showed fire. MJF snapped his head and gave him a Heat Seeker. Ortiz then gave Silver a sitout powerbomb. Santana kicked Silver and it led to a near fall. Wardlow entered and clotheslined Reynolds. “That’s my boy right there!” Jericho said. Erick Rowan made a surprise appearance and slammed Wardlow. Jericho said he doesn’t even work there. He called him “Big Red! That’s Brodie Lee’s former tag team partner in the Bludgeon Brothers.” Silver and Reynolds then went after Ortiz. Page then landed the Buckshot Lariat and Silver went for the pin. MJF put Ortiz’s leg on the bottom rope. MJF yanked the mask off Brodie Lee’s son. Brodie Lee’s son bashed MJF in the head with a cane. Page then leaped over the top rope onto MJF. Brodie’s son smiled wide and looked really excited. He stuck his tongue out. Ross said, “He’s having the time of his life.” Back in the ring, Silver clotheslined Ortiz for the win.

After the pin, Silver kneeled on the mat. His partners surrounded him. Erick Rowan stood with a sign that said, “Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road.” He pointed to the sky. Page hugged Rowan and Silver.

WINNERS: Silver & Reynolds & Page in 13:00.

-Kingston said he’s going to miss Brodie Lee busting his balls. He shared some funny stories. “I’m going to miss you believing me when I didn’t believe in me.” He told his kids their father isn’t gone. “As long as you’re alive and you remember him, and you remember his teachings, he’s never gone.” He told them his father was a warrior who took care of his family. “Many fathers don’t do that. From the moment you were born, he loved you so much.”

-As Anna Jay and Jay Konti made their entrance, Ross emphasized that these are real feelings, not “TV persona feelings.” He said everyone is getting a picture of how important Brodie Lee was to the business and AEW specifically. [c]

(4) ANNA “99” JAY & TAY KONTI vs. PENELOPE FORD (w/Kip Sabian) & DR. BRITT BAKER (w/Rebel)

A few minutes in, with Baker and Ford in control, they cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]

Konti welled up after kicking Baker. She soaked up the moment. Baker recovered and attacked from behind, then landed a fisherman’s neckbreaker for a near fall. Ford tagged in and also scored a near fall a minute later. Jay put Ford in a sleeper a minute later to get the tapout win. Ross said the streak continues in Dark Order matches. Konti and Jay embraced after the match.

WINNERS: Jay & Konti in 10:00.

-Schiavone entered the ring to interview Baker mid-ring. She said the whole match was a conspiracy and was rigged. She said Jay and Konti were rigged. “The whole thing is kind of a big rig,” she said. Thunder Rosa ran out and jumped her from behind. Rebel intervened, and several referees joined in.

-Ross plugged that Snoop Dogg would be a special guest next week. Ross plugged Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix next week. “Could it be the match of the year?” he asked. He also said Moxley would appear in person next week. Excalibur plugged Hikaru Shida vs. Abadon in a title match. Plus Young Bucks & SCU vs. The Acclaimed & The Hybrid 2, Jake Hager vs. Wardlow, and Cody vs. Matt Sydal. Jericho said he’d be back next week to keep the announcers in line. Excalibur noted that on Jan. 13 in two weeks, Darby Allin would defend the TNT Title against Brian Cage.

-Jericho spoke about working with Brodie Lee 27 times in his career. He credited Alex Marvez for that stat. He talked about how smart he was and what a great sense of humor he had. He said he was one of the best performers he worked with. He said he believed in him and helped bring him to AEW. He said he proved to everybody what he knew he could be – a main event star and a legit PPV headliner. He said his dog is not the friendliest of dogs when it comes to strangers, but she loved him. He said even she knows what a great guy he is. “I promise we will take care of your family,” he said. [c]

(5) DARK ORDER’S “10” (Preston Vance) & ORANGE CASSIDY (w/Chucky T & Trent) & CODY (w/Arn Anderson) vs. TEAM TAZ (Brian Cage & Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks w/Taz)

Justin Roberts introduced this as the match Brodie Lee Jr. picked. Ross talked up Starks, saying he’s going to be a big, big star. Jericho said it’s been a weird year, but this match has a lot of rising stars. Cody went for a tag, but Cassidy didn’t reach for a tag. Jericho said he’s so lazy, he couldn’t reach for the tag. Instead, “10” entered the ring. When Hobbs tagged in, 10 tagged in Cassidy. He looked up to the sky, then stared down Hobbs. Hobbs offered a test of strength. Cassidy lifted his hands, then dropped them into his pocket. He lightly shoulder butted Hobbs. Hobbs knocked him down hard. [c/ss]

During the split-screen commercial break, Cassidy did some slo-mo roundkicks. Hobbs powerslammed him. Starks eventually battled 10, leading to a Starks near fall. A “10” chant broke out. Jericho said that’s the first time you’ve heard that in AEW. Taz picked up a chair and squared off with Arn who was holding a chair on the stage. Cody then threw Starks into the arms of 10 who slammed him and scored the three count.

WINNERS: Cody & Cassidy & 10 in 12:00.

-After the match, as Cody, 10, and Cassidy showed emotions as they paid tribute to Lee, Ross said he’s never seen so many emotions on display. Team Taz attacked them. The lights went out. Darby Allin’s music played. He came out with his skateboard. Sting then came out next. They both emerged from the same door in the stands. Team Taz stood on the stage and yelled at Cody, Sting, Darby, 10, and Cassidy in the ring as Sting’s music played. [c]

-Cody said you can judge a man’s character by how he treats somebody who can do him no good. He said we’ve heard so many stories from people who were positively affected by Brodie Lee. “He was a beautiful man,” Cody said as he began to break down. He said he has left behind a legacy. He introduced “-1” Brodie Lee Jr.

Brodie Lee Jr. and his mom Amanda walked out next. Cody put his arm on Brodie Lee Jr.’s back as he stared down at a pair of his  dad’s boots in the ring. Tony Khan said his dad was the greatest TNT Champion of all time. He presented him with the TNT Title belt and said he is the TNT Champion for life. He put the belt on his shoulder. “10” comforted Amanda as she cried. Khan said Brodie is one of wrestling’s greatest men. He said they put a special tribute together, and there’s no better way to end the show than this. The tribute video aired to the tune of “Ol’ 55” by Tom Waits.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I didn’t comment on the wrestling or angles as usual due to the nature of the show, but what a beautiful tribute to an inspiring person. The tributes to him by those who knew him best were touching. You can’t watch this and now be emotional for Brodie, his family, and his friends and colleagues. Brodie Lee Jr. was shown how important and special his dad was, and he seemed to genuinely love being part of the show. The fact that his family participate this soon after his death is a tribute to how they feel about their AEW family, and how safe. I hope that was as therapeutic as it seemed for them, as they continue to grieve.