12/29 AEW DYNAMITE RESULTS: Keller’s detailed report and analysis on Jim Ross’s return, Jade Cargill vs. Thunder Rosa, last episode on TNT

By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor


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KELLER’S AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
DECEMBER 29, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. DAILY’S PLACE
AIRED LIVE ON TNT

Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross

Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts


[HOUR ONE]

-Excalibur introduced the show as pyro blasted. He said he was alongside Tony Schaivone, but then said they have a very special guest. Jim Ross’s entrance theme played and he walked out to a standing ovation. Ross waved at the fans before sitting at the announce desk. Ross said it’s Wednesday night and you know what that means.

(1) JURASSIC EXPRESS (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) & CHRISTIAN & THE LUCHA BROS. (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero Miedo) vs. MATT HARDY & PRIVATE PARTY (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) & FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)

As Excalibur plugged the move to TBS next week, Ross and Schiavone reminisced about meeting on TBS in 1987. Ross joked that they’ve been going steady ever since. Excalibur plugged what’s scheduled including a C.M. Punk promo and the official debut of Kyle O’Reilly in a match. Ross talked about the death of John Madden and said they all learned from him. Ross said sometimes JB’s mannerisms remind him of Ricky Morton. JB took a beating for a while, then hot-tagged out to Penta. Fenix landed a top rope senton for a near fall on Quen. At 11:00 Luchasaurus got a hot-tag and rallied to a big crowd pop. Penta blind-tagged in, and Luchasaurus and Christian took issue with it. Penta scored a near fall on Dax. Luchasaurus went after Blade at ringside, but Hardy shoved him from behind into the ringpost. Elsewhere, Fenix did a twisting dive onto a crowd at ringside. JB followed up with a big dive, also. Christian blind-tagged in, which Penta didn’t like since he was setting up a Fear Factor. FTR shoved Christian into Penta, then delivered the Big Rig on Christian for the win.

WINNERS: FTR & Hardy & Private Party in 13:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good action throughout, plus the angle within the match of dissension between Lucha Bros. and Jurassic Express.)  [c]

(2) EDDIE KINGSTON & SANTANA & ORTIZ vs. 2POINT0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) & DANNY GARCIA

Kingston chased the heels out of the ring before the bell. They cut to a split-screen break several minutes in. [c/ss]

Matt Lee rolled up Santana for the win, but had a yank of the trunks for leverage.

WINNERS: 2Point0 & Garcia in 8:00.

-After the match, 2point0 and Garcia attacked Santana. Garcia grabbed the ring bell and was going to hit Santana with it when Kingston tried to intervene. Garcia knocked him back down and then rammed Santana with the ring bell. Chris Jericho then made his return, charging to the ring with a baseball bat to make he save. The heels fled. Santana was down and selling the bell shot for a while. Kingston then walked up to Jericho and asked what he was doing there. Schiavone said it’s clear what he was doing there, he helped him out. Excalibur said Kingston has made it clear he doesn’t want Jericho’s help. Eddie and Jericho yelled at each other as Ortiz stepped between them.

(Keller’s Analysis: As with the first match, some fun in-ring action from everyone. The match was more or less a way to set up the angle afterward to continue the feud, plus feature the return of Jericho.)

-A backstage segment aired with MJF along with Wardlow and Shawn Spears. MJF said he’s one of the top ratings draws in pro wrestling. MJF called Sting an untrained outlaw hack and referred to what happened last week. He said if he was wrestling for a more professional organization, that wouldn’t have happened. He said that will have to wait until the ultimate bidding war of 2024. MJF said Sting is a distraction from his ultimate goal, which is a championship. MJF sat down and told Wardlow that when he wins the Face of the Revolution ladder match, with the winner getting a shot at the TNT Title, he’ll go on to win the TNT Title but then have to relinquish it to him. Wardlow said, “What’s that?” (He channeled Kevin Nash there.) Spears fetched “Smart” Mark Sterling who read the contract MJF has with Wardlow which said Wardlow will have to relinquish everything he wins including championships to MJF. MJF said he’s going to start racking up wins so he can become TNT Champion and AEW World Champion.

(Keller’s Analysis: A lot happened there, but MJF just said he’s going to wrestle more often to rack up wins to go seriously after a title in 2022, plus he said if Wardlow wins the TNT Title, Wardlow has to relinquish it to him, which either creates more dissension in general or has shown us the moment Wardlow will ultimately severe his ties with MJF. Good delivery from MJF as always, but the other three in this segment played their parts well.) [c]

-Backstage Schiavone was interviewing Lucha Bros. & Alex. Christian barged in with JB and Luchasaurus. He challenged them to an AEW Tag Team Title match. Alex accepted on behalf of Penta & Fenix.

(3) WARDLOW (w/Shawn Spears) vs. COLIN DELANEY

Delaney looked worried, but tried to muster some optimism during his ring introduction. Wardlow elbowed and clotheslined Delaney into a somersault bump in the opening seconds. Wardlow delivered four powerbombs. They are calling these a Symphony of Powerbombs. Excalibur said it’s only a matter of time before he captures a title in AEW. He said MJF claims if Wardlow does win a title, it will be handed over to MJF. As Delaney walked out of the ring with help from the ref, Spears hit him from behind with a chair. Excalibur said Wardlow does all the hard work, then Spears grabs the spotlight himself.

WINNER: Wardlow in 1:00.

-A promo aired with Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and the Young Bucks. Cole said they will go down as the greatest group in AEW history. Matt Jackson said O’Reilly hasn’t even said hi to them. O’Reilly said hello. Then he asked for a minute to talk to Cole alone. Matt said he can say it in front of him. Cole said it’s okay. The Bucks left. O’Reilly asked Fish to leave, too. O’Reilly then told Cole that he knows Fish has his back, and he’ll find out tonight if Cole has his back too. Cole told Brandon Cutler to “cut it” and he called him an idiot.

-Dan Lambert stood in the ring with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Lambert said his MMA business is a full time job, but he thought it’d be cool to come to Jacksonville as an old-school fan. He said there’s nothing cool about Cody. He said Arn Anderson is one of his favorites, but now he’s just a guy kissing up to people in power for a buck. He said Brandi Rhodes is the first person he’s ever known named Brandi who wasn’t a stripper. Ethan said, “Not currently a stripper.” (Astute point.) Lambert said they can’t keep coming back with stripper jokes or they’ll get very old and very tired quickly, “kind of like what happened to Brandi the last couple of years.”

Lambert said he knows how hard Cody has worked in recent years, including having a Transformers logo tattooed to his neck that even Mike Tyson thinks looks stupid. He said he has leapfrogged more deserving talent. He said AEW fans are idiots, but even idiots don’t like the taste of the shit sandwich being shoved down their throats.

Brandi marched out and asked who told him it’s open mic night. Fans booed. She called him a bobble-headed, ugly-ass, less talented version of Paul Heyman.” Schiavone said gloves are off. Lambert said, “I actually prefer Jim Cornette.” Lambert said the sound of her voice makes him wish he was back in Minneapolis getting his balls stapled to his leg by Jericho in the street fight. When Brandi began talking again, there were more scattered boos. She asked when the last time was he got beat up by a woman and didn’t have to pay for it. She said she will whoop his ass tonight for free. Lambert called her Bambi and then apologized because he gets his stripper names mixed up sometimes. He said he’d love to do it. “Let’s go.” He said he’s a black belt. She said she’s a black bitch. Dustin Rhodes ran out to talk  Brandi down. Ethan and Scorpio jumped Dustin from behind, then then fled the ring. Schiavone complimented Brandi for not backing down and facing three men alone.

(Keller’s Analysis: This is an uphill battle obviously, as many fans were booing Brandi and it didn’t sound like anyone was cheering her. Her performance was strong, though, and she just might have won some fans over with her in-you-face bravado. It’s tough to tell, but I think fans are going to continue to overwhelmingly cheer Lambert when he’s opposite of Brandi and Cody. People aren’t going to be able to think of Brandi Rhodes without thinking of her having a “stripper name” now.) [c]

-A video package aired on next week’s “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson match for the AEW Title with three judges to rule in case of a tie. Ross said fans will have a good time speculating on what the judges’ will factor into their decision should it go to a draw.

[HOUR TWO]

(4) JADE CARGILL (w/”Smart” Mark Sterling) vs. THUNDER ROSA – TBS Title Tournament semi-final

Rosa charged at Jade and dropkicked her knee as soon as the bell rang. Sterling blocked Rosa from diving onto Jade. Rosa leaped onto Sterling instead. Jade then attacked Rosa at ringside. Rosa fought back with kneelifts to the body. Jade recovered and pounded Rosa with forearms. Rosa dove off the ring apron at Jade, but Jade caught her mid-air and landed a backbreaker. Rosa made a comeback and focused on Jade’s knee. They were fighting at ringside a long time, well beyond a reasonable ten count. The ref counted so slowly. Jade rolled into the ring to reset the count, then went back after Rosa. She threw Rosa into the ring, but Rosa avoided her when she charged. Rosa yanked Jade’s leg across the middle rope with a Dragon Screw. Then she caught Jade with an elbow, but Jade came right back with a big boot. They cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]

Rosa made a comeback as they returned from the break and attacked Jade in the corner. Excalibur said the winner will face Ruby Soho next week on Dynamite with the winner becoming the first TBS Champion. Jade kipped up, but sold a left thigh injury. She kneed Rosa and then went for a gut-wrench backbreaker over her shoulder. Rosa fought back with a knee breaker seconds later, then applied a figure-four leglock mid-ring. Jade managed to grab the bottom rope. Sterling distracted the ref as Jade powered out of a figure-four. Then someone bashed Rosa across the back of her head with a bottle, shattering it. Jade then landed her finisher for the win.

WINNER: Jade Cargill in 11:00 to advance to the TBS Tournament final.

-After the match, Rosa jumped Jade as she was about to celebrate her win. The masked person entered the ring and revealed herself as Mercedez Martinez. Ross said she’s one of the best wrestlers in the world. Schiavone asked what she was doing there. Ruby Soho made the save with a pipe in hand, so the heels fled.

(Keller’s Analysis: Decent match. The extended ringside brawling helped lengthen the match without pushing Jade into deeper waters than she’s comfortable with in terms of regular spots in the ring. There were a couple sloppy spots, but overall they pulled off a 10-plus minute match with the still green Jade, who continues to get better at an encouraging pace, I suppose. Soho vs. Jade is a good final match in this tournament.)

-A clip aired of Kris Statlanders vs. “Legit” Leyla Hirsh on Rampage, with Hirsh denying a handshake offer after the match. [c]

-A graphic advertised Dr. Brit Baker vs. Riho for “Saturday Fight Night” on Jan. 8 on TNT’s premiere episode of “Battle of the Belts.”

-C.M. Punk made his ring entrance, his first at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Schiavone talked about MJF being a coward, but he doesn’t blame him from staying away from MJF. A loud “C.M. Punk!” chant rang out. Punk said he’s never been to Daily’s Place so he’s not sure of the set-up and then he looked around for Ross. He then found him and said it feels great to see him sitting back at the booth. He said he’s the best ever and he’s glad to see it. He said he’s glad to see give people their flowers when they deserve it. He said Daily’s Place has been a home for AEW, and it gets him thinking about Brodie Lee. Fans chanted “Brodie! Brodie!” He said if there’s anybody out there who tries to minimize what he meant to everyone, it means they never met him. He said watching the tribute show from home last year made him want to come to AEW. He said there’s someone who doesn’t want to be there. He said MJF is a Twitter troll – someone who talks a big game, but when it comes down to it, he hides behind a keyboard or Dax and Cash.

He said he’s smart enough to know fans want to see them wrestle, but he’s dumb enough to compare himself to Roddy Piper. He said Piper laced up his wrestling boots whereas MJF laces up his running shoes. He said MJF said he’s done with him, and that’s fine with him because he had a chance to wrestle with Darby Allin and Sting last week. He said MJF’s talking about becoming the AEW Champion. Punk said Ross often says that if you don’t want to be champion, you shouldn’t be there. Punk said he wants to be champion, too. Fans cheered. Punk said there are bigger and brighter things on the horizon for him. He said MJF is a bigger waste of Khan money than Timmy Tebow. Fans cheered. Punk held up the mic and the cheers got louder. He said he never wanted to mess with MJF, but he found out the hard way that nobody can touch him in the ring or on commentary. He said sooner or later, he’ll see him in the ring, and it’d be a real shame if someone interfered with his quest for gold.

(Keller’s Analysis: Punk’s mic work feels more sure-footed now than when he first arrived. It helps to have a heel to play off of, but just in general, any rust seems gone. Punk-MJF feels like the most fully fleshed out and clear ongoing storyline in AEW right now.)

-A promo aired with Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Ricky touted Hook. Then he shifted to talking about Dante. He owned his interference against Dante. He said Dante’s progress has stalled since he got involved with Lio Rush. Hobbs asked if he really wants to go to round two with him. “Marinate on that,” he said.

-Excalibur commented on highlights of Cody Rhodes beating Sammy Guevara to become TNT Champion.

-Guevara walked out to his music with his big stack of signs, but no belt. During a split-screen break, Guevara held up the names of the four challengers he beat in a three month title reign, but then losing to Cody in his fifth defense after two Crossroads. He said that’s a memory he won’t forget. He said in the new year, his resolution is to beat Cody and get his belt back. [c/ss]

-A soundbite aired with Hikaru Shida.

-Schiavone interviewed Brian Pillman Jr. in the ring who said last week his partner and brother walked into the House of Black. He said he doesn’t remember much from that evening. He congratulated Malakai Black for his cheapshot at him. He said he’s been busting his ass day in and day out. He yelled it all started in Jacksonville, Florida. He said now it’s his turn to visit the House of Black, but he’s not going to bust down his door because that’s what Black wants him to do. He said he never knew his father, but he learned from his life that you only get one of them, and he’s not giving him his. He said next week, Black will meet a new Brian Pillman Jr. The lights went out. Then on the stage, Black was standing there with a head piece with horns. The lights went out again and he disappeared. (Magic!) Excalibur said he was playing mind games with Pillman.

-Excalibur plugged Rampage this Friday: Cody vs. Ethan Page for the TNT Title and Darby (with Sting) vs. Anthony Bowens (with Max Caster).

-A promo aired with Caster and Bowens outside in front of a brick wall. Bowens said he is going to beat Darby’s “my chemical romance looking ass all over Jacksonville.” He added that’s a mic drop.

-A promo aired with Sting and Darby. Sting said he treats all his matches like their main events, whereas some wrestlers today treat them casually. He said it’s food for thought. (Huh?) Darby said he can be the first or last match on the card, but he takes them all seriously. He said he’s ready.

-Excalibur hyped that next week’s show would feature a “Technique By Taz” segment focusing on Hook’s Redrum finisher. Fans popped for the Hook graphic. He also hyped Penelope Ford & The Bunny vs. Tay Conti & Anna Jay. A video package aired on that match. Then Schaivone confirmed Pillman vs. Black and the Lucha Bros. vs. Jurassic Express for the AEW Tag Team Titles in addition to the TBS Title Tournament finals and the AEW World Title match. [c]

(5) ADAM COLE & BOBBY FISH & KYLE O’REILLY vs. ORANGE CASSIDY & TRENT BARRETTA & CHUCK TAYLOR

They cut to a break after a few minutes of rapid-fire action. [c]

Cole and Chuck fought on the ramp. Chuck backdropped Cole to block a Panama Sunrise. Then he flip dove onto O’Reilly and Fish. Trent followed up on Cole with a spear. Back in the ring, Cassidy landed a leaping DDT off the top rope for a near fall. Trent piledrove Cole next. Cassidy gave Cole his Beach Break. Fish and O’Reilly broke up the cover before three. Schiavone touted the action in the TV main event as fans chanted “AEW! AEW!” Excalibur noted that Rampage will remain on TNT. Excalibur told viewers to adjust their DVR settings to record the new Dynamite channel on Wednesday nights.

Cassidy and O’Reilly battled one-on-one next. O’Reilly mistakenly gave Cole a boot to the face to knock him off the ring apron when Cassidy ducked. That led to a near fall. Chuck tagged in. Chaos broke out. Trent gave Fish a suplex. He and Chuck then hugged mid-ring. Brandon Cutler ran out with his cold spray and he slid into the ring. Chuck and Trent punched him as soon as he entered the ring. The Bucks ran in and superkicked both Chuck and Trent. O’Relly and Fish then landed their Chasing the Dragon on Chuck for the win.

WINNERS: O’Reilly & Fish & Cole in 15:00.

-After the match, the Bucks checked on Cole. Cole left with the Bucks as it was clear some tentative trust was broken because of the O’Reilly kick.

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