In this AEW Dynamite 3/18/20 review, the Inner Circle square off with the Elite in the main event of the company’s first show without fans.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: AEW Dynamite
- Date: March 18, 2020
- Location: Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL
IN THE RING: This is the first AEW show without fans in attendance due to COVID-19. It’s certainly a unique visual for a medium that’s driven by fan interaction. But it’s business as usual aside from that, as Cody Rhodes addresses Matt Jackson’s anger towards Hangman Page. Cody tries to motivate Page, then says he needs Kenny Omega. Matt and Omega make their way into the ring, and Omega talks about the unknowns. Matt questions Page’s loyalty, so Page comes out. Matt wants to know if he’s with them. Page nods and raises his beer. Omega says they’re gonna put on the best show and they call for the pyro to start the show.
ON THE STAGE: JR, Excalibur, and Taz hype the evening’s matches.
VIDEO: Hype for the Death Triangle.
RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone with MJF, who says he doesn’t have to wrestle. He’s gonna watch the matches ringside, and Tony suggests he and Shawn Spears are betting on matches.
Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros
Brandi Rhodes joins the announce team for this match. Wrestlers are sitting ringside to try to add an atmosphere to the empty arena. Orange Cassidy is also on commentary. As for the Lucha Bros, they are simply must-watch. The wrestlers in the crowd are doing a good job of staying engaged in the match, which definitely helps in a unique situation like this. Orange eventually leaves the announce area and dives onto Pentagon and Fenix. However, Pentagon hits a low blow on Trent, then uses the package piledriver for the win. Meanwhile, MJF celebrates winning his bet with Spears.
ON THE RAMP: Schiavone with Best Friends. Chuck Taylor is pissed and challenges the Lucha Bros to a street fight. Trent says for Lucha Bros to meet them in the parking lot.
Penelope Ford vs. Riho vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander
The announcers bring up Ford pinning Riho on AEW Dark. Kip Sabian gets involved in the match, so Statlander and Shida decide to punch him. Unfortunately, Ford botches a hurricanrana on Statlander and plays up a knee injury afterward.. It’s Shida with a running knee strike on Ford to earn the win.
RINGSIDE: Schiavone with Colt Cabana. He says Ford is special and that she would be better without Sabian. That leads to Sabian walking over, and as if Statlander and Shida punching him wasn’t enough, Cabana smacks him in the face too. Sabian runs away with Ford.
IN THE PARKING LOT: Schiavone with Moxley. He’s not medically cleared, so he says he’s gonna take a drive and blow off steam.
The Butcher and The Blade vs. Jurassic Express
Once again, the energetic atmosphere is really helping these matches. Props to everyone for bringing it. Some incredible kicks and a moonsault from Luchasaurus, as he continues to showcase his skill set. MJF is still in the crowd, and he yells instructions for Butcher and Blade to finish them. That doesn’t happen, as Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy hit double team move for the win.
IN THE RING: Evil Uno says the Exalted One is near. SCU interrupt, and Daniels is tired of the lies and says there is no Exalted One. A video plays and Brodie Lee reveals himself. He threatens Daniels and makes reference to Vince McMahon. We cut to Lee in the ring and he, Uno, and Stu Grayson attack SCU.
RINGSIDE: Schiavone with Jake Roberts and Lance Archer. Jake taunts Cody, then he cuts an awesome promo saying they’re gonna get Cody’s attention.
VIDEO: Hype for Archer’s dominance. He destroys dudes in a backyard ring as Jake sits in a chair and watches. Archer then slams a dude on a car. This was good stuff.
VIDEO: The announcers hype the matches for the next Dynamite. It’s worth noting that they aren’t saying it’ll be next week due to all the uncertainty.
The Inner Circle vs. The Elite
Sammy Guevara and MJF are hilariously singing Jericho’s music on the mic. Just tremendous. Jericho joins commentary for the match. The announcers hype Nick Jackson and Kenny Omega’s injuries, and JR plays up the Elite not trusting Page. Cody, Matt, and Page do the same in pushing the distrust between them, and Jericho pushes their issues more on commentary. Ortiz’s selling is awesome in this match. Wardlow eventually gets involved with Cody, but Arn Anderson hits him with the notepad. Jericho jokes about it not working. Santana uses a roll-up on Matt for the win as Jericho celebrates. He also says he’s banning all fans from AEW events moving forward in a classic Jericho move. (Must-See)
RINGSIDE: Vanguard One flies through the arena as everyone gets a confused look. Matt Jackson says the Elite aren’t outnumbered, and that’s when we see Matt Hardy on the balcony.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON AEW DYNAMITE 3/18/20
- Overall Rating: 8.5/10
- Thoughts: All things considered, this was a very entertaining show capped off by a great main event. This is uncharted territory for pro wrestling, and I thought AEW handled it as best they could by bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Having the wrestlers in the crowd was an excellent idea. They added so much to the presentation. Of course, there were also the AEW debuts of Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy, who both figure to play key roles in their respective storylines.
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