All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite: Dynamite 1/18 and Rampage 1/20

January 18, 2023 1:17 PM - Season 4, Episode 16

While the wrestling world reacts to the loss of Jay Briscoe, the show indeed must go on. Two homegrown talents defend their titles against out-of-company invaders, Willow and Toni square off, and Hangman has to explain to Renee why he gave her husband such (kayfabe) bad injuries.

Tonight's announced card:

-- Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido -- Danielson must win in order to face MJF at Revolution
-- Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager
-- AEW World Trios Champions Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Darius and Dante Martin)
-- Hangman Adam Page speaks with Renee Paquette
-- Willow Nightingale vs. Toni Storm
-- TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) vs. KUSHIDA
-- AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jay Lethal

posted by The Pluto Gangsta (4 comments total)

Top Flight just pinned the Young Bucks, damn. When was the last time the Bucks lost clean?
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:34 PM on January 18, 2023

Danielson and Bandido both showing off their core conditioning as much as anything else, with all their unassisted airborne stomach crunches they're doing.

Plus Danielson is so talented he can have a different style of match depending on the opponent: "Oh, we're doing a lucha-style? Yeah, no problem." And then he goes out and takes stalled brainbusters and Romero Specials.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:19 PM on January 18, 2023

I feel like I missed a memo with how suddenly Saraya and Toni Storm turned heel this week. Something about how the new homegrown women's talent... don't know their place? Because Willow and Ruby won last week?

I think the logic is that Tony still wants Saraya to have a match vs Jamie Hayter, but if the crowd loves Hayter they have to boo Saraya.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:44 PM on January 18, 2023

Dynamite was so good from bell to bell. More face vs face matches than you’d normally see but every one of them was a banger. Cornette would have hated basically everything here and that’s usually a sign that I’m going to like it.

I like how MJF’s challenge means we get a bunch of Danielson dream matches that have stakes without having to figure out why he’s beefing with Takeshita, for instance.

Everyone came out of it looking like a star, even in defeat.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:13 AM on January 21, 2023 [1 favorite]