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AEW DYNAMITE ON-SITE REPORT
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“FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”
AUGUST 16, 2023
NASHVILLE, TENN.
BY BRAD DUKES, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
DYNAMITE NOTES
-It was a wonderful time until the chainsaw match. Everyone was invested and into it the show until then. It was awful. Then I felt the Brit Baker vs. The Bunny match was a lull, but then things picked up from there again. The crowd got won back over, which was a miracle after that chainsaw match.
-It was a good course correction to have The Acclaimed come out after the Baker-Bunny match.
-The chainsaw match started backstage and there was no sound at all. Hardy came out to his music, but then just left backstage. It was really tough to tell what was going on. There were all these people entering the fray and there was no context and it was just a mess. Then the chainsaw guy came out and I thought, come on, this is terrible. Some sound or context would have helped.
-Tony Khan came out after Dynamite and said all the money they made from the chainsaw match went to aid the situation in Maui after the fires.
-Eddie Kingston got the biggest pop of the night. When his music hit and he came out, the whole place blew up. It was surprising considering how little he’s been on TV.
-MJF and Adam Cole was the highlight of the night for everybody, I think. That story has taken on a life of its own and exceeded my expectations. The crowd paid close attention to the Outback Steakhouse video on the big screen. The Kangaroo Kick was immediately over. People were just eating up everything that Cole and MJF were throwing at them. As somebody’s who’s been thinking the Cole & MJF thing might be done with after the first match and initially rolled my eyes at them teaming, I’m really looking forward to seeing where everything goes. I have no idea where this is going and I can’t wait to see what happens.
-Don Callis had the loudest boos of the night. I could hardly make out anything he said because people were relentlessly booing him. He’s so loathsome and it’s so fun to boo that guy.
-I love Kenny Omega as an athlete, but as a personality, I don’t get it. The cutaways to J.R. was so weird. The crowd was paying attention to it, though.
-I was disappointed that The Young Bucks vs. The Gunns only had 10 or so minutes. I think the Gunns and Bucks could be a PPV match down the road. I have mixed feelings about the Bucks. They didn’t get much of a grand entrance. I’ve enjoyed their matches, but I don’t know if I even know what either of their voices sound like. I wish those guys had more of an identity than “Hey, we put on some really good tag matches.”
-They didn’t really hype Rampage during Dynamite at all, so I didn’t know if I wanted to stay.
-Overall, the crowd reacted how Tony Khan would like. There were no mutinies. I don’t think I saw a C.M. Punk shirt. The only talent-specific shifts I saw were the Acclaimed, Orange Cassidy, and MJF. AEW’s merchandise is so thin at these live events.
-I had fun and it’s great that AEW came back to Nashville. I went to the previous two Dynamites that were at smaller venues in the area, and they didn’t pack those, so going to the Bridgestone Arena this time was a gamble.
RAMPAGE TAPING
(1) Rey Fenix vs. Kommander. That was a real banger. Most of the fans who stayed were on their feet for that. (Winner: Kommander)
(2) Aussie Open (Kyle Davis & Mark Fletcher) vs. Brother Zay & Ethan Page. Aussie Open talked about facing MJF & Cole afterward. (Winners: Aussie Open)
(3) Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Cruz. (Winner: Guevara
(4) Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm (w/Saraya). This led to all four women in the All In four-way match getting into a brawl. (Winners: Shida & Blue)
-Matt Sydal wrestled in a match before Dynamite.
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RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (8/16): Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cole and MJF, Omega interview, Cassidy’s selling, Hangman’s beer swig, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Rampage spoilers: A second reader report on Friday’s TNT show (spoilers)