All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite: Dynamite 7/5 and Rampage 7/7

July 5, 2023 4:17 PM - Season 4, Episode 40

While some of the AEW roster spent their Fourth of July playing hooky in Japan (semi-spoiler alert: someone in AEW now has a shiny NJPW title!), others look forward to (a) the Owen Hart Cup, (b) a Blind Tag Team Eliminator Tournament, (c) setting the stage for Blood & Guts.

Announced Dynamite card:

We’ll hear from Jon Moxley

Mox will probably appear by video, because he went to Japan so he and El Desperado could bleed buckets on each other. (WARNING: blood and pointy things)

We’ll hear from Chris Jericho

After just losing to Sting & Darby Allin in last week’s main event, Chris may have frustration to get off his chest, and could potentially take it out on face-turning Sammy Guevara

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal: MJF and Adam Cole vs. The Butcher and... Daddy Magic Matt Minard?

I hadn't expected existing tag teams to get reconfigured in this blind tournament, but this should be some good comedy wrestling -- at least as close as AEW comes -- in furtherance of the "Can they co-exist?" storyline.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal: Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin

No, no they cannot coexist. If this match doesn't end with Keith Lee yeeting Swerve into the balcony, I want a refund on my (nonexistent) money, Tony!

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Ruby Soho

This is the match that was delayed from last week. Britt better bring a posse, because you know Ruby will.

Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta

Does Yuta continue to be the "Jobber to the Stars"? I don't know at what point the BCC booking lets him off the chain, but a surprise win over Kenny would make good melodrama on the path to Blood & Guts.

posted by The Pluto Gangsta (7 comments total)

Oh, last minute addition:

With his partner in the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament, The Blade will team with Bollywood Boyz to fight The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass in a trios match tonight.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 4:20 PM on July 5, 2023

"When I said 'Push Darby Allin to the moon', I didn't mean you should throw him there, Keith!"

Keith's having enormous fun being smarmy in this match, snatching Darby's coffin drop with one hand, "tagging" Swerve in by chopping him in the chest, then just smiling his way through the fight until Swerve screws up for their side. Can we get our rivalry blow-off yet?

Also NICK WAYNE HYPE is real!
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:23 PM on July 5, 2023

MJF and Adam Cole getting buddy-buddy is hilarious, because of course there's enough egotism in Adam to slowly be taken in by Max's overtures of camaraderie. Also, MJF adds a layer of deceptive charm to the whole affair when he proves that he knows exactly how to work the underdog babyface role in a match.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:16 PM on July 5, 2023

Relatedly, Britt Baker referred to two things Ruby could not take away from her and it was: her pride, and her title from the first Owen Hart Tournament. Interesting that Adam was not on that list...
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:28 PM on July 5, 2023

Aha, didn't I say Britt should have brought some helpers to the ring with her? But nope, now that she's babyface all her friends have flown away from her as though magnetically repelled.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:50 PM on July 5, 2023

Wheeler Yuta continues to play the asshole role, targeting Kenny's neck and shoulder to follow-up on that Tiger Driver he took from WIll Ospreay 10 days ago. Joke from DIscord: "The crowd is split 50/50, half of them saying 'Let's go Kenny!' and the other half saying 'Yuta sucks!'"

Again, Don Callis provides the distraction for Takeshita to interfere (looking eeeeeevil in a Carmen-Sandiego-esque jacket), but this time Kenny kicks out, looking desperate as he does so. The rest is a setup for Friday's "Rampage 100" where the Elite come out to defend Kenny, but the Dark Order also won't let Hangman get too physical, anticipating their match for later.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:15 PM on July 5, 2023

BRB, ordering an enormous painting of Callis and Takeshita to hang above my fireplace
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:03 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]