ITS WEDNESDAY, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS - AEW DYNAMITE REVIEW 20/12

Welcome to this weeks episode of Dynamite. 5 matches and the culmination of the gold league so let's get started.

Match one Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs Rush 

This crowd is super hot for swerve. AEW need to not waste his momentum atm. 

Rush starts with a go behind, Swerve sitches, Rush drops to the mat, gets behind, Swerve is able to escape and they both stand. Swerve misses a right as Rush hits a chop followed by another, swerve reverses the rope whip and attempts a dropkick but rush steps to the side and sends swerve outside. Rush flies to the outside and lands hard on his left leg. 

They get back in the ring, and Rush hits chops in the corner. Swerve drops and Rush stomps his shoulders. Rush poses but Swerve counters into an arm lock. He turns that into a pin for 2. Rush with a powerslam for 2. Rush up first and he kicks Swerve’s face a bit, then the chest. Swerve catches one, hits some uppercuts to the thigh, big kick to the thigh, and a dropkick to the injured thigh again. 

We end up outside after Rush trips Swerve up on the apron. Swerve hits a German on the floor, Rush rolls through and dropkicks Swerve into the barricade. Both guys are sharing chops on the apron. Rush hits a belly to belly onto the mat outside. Back in the ring Swerve hits a 450 but Rush kicks out at 1. Swerve with a roll through Flatliner followed by a Brainbuster. Swerve to the top rope and lands the stomp. Heres the pin and heres the win. 

Here is your winner: Swerve  

Great opening match. Swerve was always winning this one but Rush is a serious talent for AEW. But right now Swerve seems to be the hottest thing in AEW. Please don’t waste this. I feel like we have been here before many times.  I just bloody love Swerve and need him not to get wasted right now.

Match two Continental Classic Gold League: Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe 

They fight over a lockup to start until Lethal takes him down into an armbar. With that broken up, Briscoe chops away in the corner until Lethal wins a fight over a suplex. Briscoe is sent outside for the suicide dive from Lethal, who gets in the strut on the apron. Another dive is broken up and we take a break. 

Back with the Lethal Combination putting Briscoe down but he breaks up Hail To The King. Lethal knocks him back and grabs a torture rack slam for two . The Lethal Injection is blocked and Briscoe hits  A fisherman’s buster for two but the Froggy Bow hits raised knees. Lethal’s Jay Driller gets two as Briscoe returns with a Jay Driller of his own and this one is all over. 

Here is your winner: Mark Briscoe 

With nothing at stake here this was just two guys who know each other very well having a great wrestling match. Mark needed this win more than Jay but both guys need more as they are both incredibly talented but not being used at all. Jay needs to get away from the Jarrett group and focus on something as he is starting to get a bit stale. 

Here is Samoa Joe, who wants answers about the Devil. He finds it interesting that we’ve never seen MJF laid out and wants him out here right now for some answers. Cue MJF, who says he remembers Joe promising to protect him on the way to Worlds End. MJF doesn’t remember the Devil’s Henchmen touching Joe last week, so MJF wants to fight right now. Things were about to get heated with Joe and MJF but a bunch of masked men try to make the jump but Joe and MJF clear the ring. More come but again Joe and MJF hold the ring. The lights go out and we see the Devil on screen. Text saying “Where Can You Go? Who Can You Trust” appears, followed by a challenge for the ROH Tag Team Titles next week. MJF and Joe accept. Will we finally get to see the Devil?

Match Three Riho vs. Saraya 

The winner of this match will face Toni Storm For the Women’s Title at Worlds End. Ruby Soho is watching in the back as Riho takes over but Saraya bails away from a running knee. Riho snaps off a headscissors on the floor but Saraya hides behind a security guard. That’s enough for Riho to be swung into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Saraya getting in some mocking but being pulled into a headlock. A northern lights suplex gives Riho two and a top rope double stomp into a running knee finishes this one. 

Here is your winner: Riho 

Enter same storyline for the womens title. Riho goes on hiatus for a few months – returns- gets title shot- loses title shot- disappears again. the womens division needs some change. They have a roster of talented women but we are re running the same storylines. Who is genuinely being built right now to challenge Toni Storm? No one. They are wasting the womens division. We need Britt Baker back. 

As for Saraya, was she just bought in to get a huge pop at Wembley because apart from that she hasn't done anything else.

MJF finds a Devil’s henchman mask outside the Mogul Embassy’s locker room. A knock brings out Swerve Strickland, who MJF seems to know from their independent days. Swerve calls him the best chauffeur he ever had. Threats are made over MJF’s lack of respect, but MJF says show some respect to the champ. MJF accuses Swerve of being the Devil and violence is teased, with the rest of the Mogul Embassy comes in. Samoa Joe comes in as well to get MJF out of there. That was a really fun interaction. They are building this devil storyline so well and building up challengers for MJF. The list is just growing and growing and everyone seems to want a piece of the champ. 

Match four Roderick Strong vs. Komander 

The Kingdom is here with Strong. They fight over a lockup to start so Komander flips away, earning a running knee to the face. Back up and a headscissors into a dropkick has Strong down but he’s right back with a backbreaker. Komander knocks him to the floor though and we take a break. 

We come back with Komander avoiding a charge into the corner and hitting a kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Komander two and he kicks Strong face first into the turnbuckle. Komander hits a phoenix splash for two so the Kingdom pulls Strong outside. That earns them all a big moonsault to the floor but Strong knees him out of the air back inside. End Of Heartache from strong and this one is all over. 

Here is your winner: Roderick Strong 

Post match the Kingdom gives out MJF IS THE DEVIL signs and Strong doesn’t like the accusations that Samoa Joe had anything to do with it. That’s his best friend by proxy. 

I just love Roderick Strong. His work at the moment is just brilliant and I genuinely believe he has something to do with this Devil story. Loving having the kingdom on tv more now too. Its wins all round for this one 

Match five Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Jay White 

We're joined by Jim Ross at commentary for our main event. Great to see Jim Ross back.

White goes to the floor to start but has to escape the rear naked choke back inside. A piledriver gives Moxley an early two so White has to get outside from another choke. Back in and Moxley punches him out to the floor again, where they fight up the ramp. This time White reverses a piledriver into a backdrop but Moxley hammers away back inside. White gets in a shot to the knee though and sends Moxley outside again as we take a break. 

Back with White holding a Muta Lock but Moxley fights up. White gets knocked into the corner and stomped a bunch before a clothesline sends him outside. Moxley hits a suicide dive but White gets in a shot of his own, setting up a chop block to the bad knee. The count is beaten and Moxley grabs a Paradigm Shift for two. 

A running knee gives Moxley two but White snaps off a sleeper suplex and swinging Rock Bottom for two of his own. The Kiwi Crusher gets two more but the Blade Runner is countered into a King Kong lariat. The Death Rider is countered into a Blade Runner out of nowhere though and this one is all over. 

Here is your winner: Jay White 

We have to give AEW and Tony Khan credit here for this tournament because no one expected Jay White to be pinning Mox clean. Same way we didn’t expect Andrade to pin Danielson. I love that side of this. Any one can beat anyone - apart from Daniel Garcia.

Were set up now for a triple threat match semi final with swerve up against Jay white and Moxley. And that can go any way. Good work from AEW here. 

A good show this week on Dynamite and storylines are continuing nicely. Im excited for the coming weeks. Thanks for joining me this week guys. See you Friday for Rampage.