In this AEW Dynamite 4/8/20 review, Cody Rhodes and Shawn Spears meet in the TNT title tournament, Britt Baker goes one on one with Hikaru Shida, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: AEW Dynamite
- Date: April 8, 2020
- Location: ????
VIDEO: Jake Roberts continues to hype Lance Archer and calls Marko Stunt an idiot. Jake suggests Cody Rhodes may lose to Shawn Spears to avoid Archer in the TNT title tournament.
Lance Archer vs. Allen Ingles
Chris Jericho is on commentary with Tony Schiavone. Jericho hilarious calls Ingles by the wrong name multiple times, and he continues to be a treat as an announcer. This was all about Archer displaying his dominance, and he finishes off Ingles with the Blackout for the win.
Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida
Once again, Jericho is hilarious on commentary. Baker shows off an aggressive side of her game. Wrestlers are helping out Shida on the outside. At some point Baker gets a bloody nose, then she asks for a glove from the ref to put it in Shida’s mouth. Not ideal during a pandemic. Shida with a huge kick to Baker’s face, but Baker hits Shida with a superkick. Baker clearly has a broken nose, yet she’s embracing it and being even more aggressive. clearly with a broken nose but embracing it and being aggressive. Shida with a running knee to Baker’s face for the win in a very good match. (***3/4, Recommended)
VIDEO: Kenny Omega with Michael Nakazawa. Omega says they need a team name, so Nakazawa suggests Best Friends. Omega says they can’t do that, and Nakasawa says Omega can make it happen. Orange Cassidy comes out of the bathroom and Trent and Chuck enter the trailer angry. They issue a challenge for the team name.
VIDEO: A hype video for the Young Bucks’ book.
VIDEO: Excalibur runs down the AEW rankings:
Tag Team
5 – Best Friends
4 – Lucha Bros
3 – SCU
2 – Young Bucks
1 – Evil Uno and Stu Grayson
Women
5 – Riho
4 – Britt Baker
3 – Yuka Sakazaki
2 – Kris Statlander
1 – Hikaru Shida
Men
5 – Darby Allin
4 – Kenny Omega
3 – Cody
2 – Chris Jericho
1 – Jake Hager
VIDEO: Hype for the Moxley vs. Hager match for the AEW title. This was another great package promoting a big fight feel.
VIDEO: Cody and Spears hype their match in the TNT title tournament.
Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa
Spears is yelling at Nakasawa that he still needs a tag partner. Cassidy gets into the ring in the middle of the match and Omega and Nakasawa go to give him a hug, but he moves. Pretty funny spot. If you thought Best Friends were losing their name, they’re not. Trent and Chuck with the double team move on Nakasawa, that’s enough for the win.
VIDEO: Brodie Lee arrives outside a building with a few members of the Dark Order not wearing a tie. He says he has an opportunity for them.
BACKSTAGE: Interview with Baker, and folks, her nose is still bleeding. She calls Shida the dirtiest wrestler she’s ever faced in a classic heel move.
VIDEO: More hype for Moxley vs. Hager.
VIDEO: Matt Hardy hypes his feud with Jericho. He invites Jericho to the Hardy compound for a match.
Lee Johnson vs. Brodie Lee
Lee stares at Marko Stunt ringside, so I assume they’re gonna do that match at some point in the future. Lee hits a huge clothesline on Johnson (or the other Lee, if you prefer) for the squash victory. After the match, Lee stares down Marko once again.
VIDEO: More hype for Cody vs. Spears.
Shawn Spears vs. Cody – TNT Title Tournament Quarterfinals
Spears pushes Billy Gunn on the outside, then throws a chair in the ring. Off to a good start here. Spears removes the guard rail and props it up on the side of the ring before suplexing Cody on it. Cody hits Spears with the weight belt and Jericho loses it. Brandi gets on the apron and Spears moves as Cody nearly hits her. Spears hits the C4 on Cody over the top onto the table, but Cody dives back in before the 10 count. Cody hits back-to-back Cross Rhodes but Spears kicks out. Cody then locks on the Figure Four and gets the pin for the win to advance in the tournament.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON AEW DYNAMITE 4/8/20
- Overall Rating: 7.5/10
- Thoughts: Another good show from the AEW crew. They’ve been excellent at building characters without a crowd, and it’s allowing some of the talent to showcase their personality a bit more. Baker’s broken nose was brutal, but man did it push her character forward in a huge way. Cody defeating Spears was predictable, yet Spears still seems like a worthy player on the roster.
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