AEW Dynamite this week was in Cleveland, Ohio for the annual Beach Break episode. Being an Ohio native myself, I know Cleveland has its share of beaches. However, a beach in Cleveland would be a frigid wasteland in January. It’s an interesting choice for the Beach Break episode, but I’m sure the fiery action inside the Wolstein Center would help people forget about the frozen tundra outside.
Plenty of action on this edition of Dynamite, with a Inner Circle Trios match, a TNT Ladder match, and a lights out match. But did Beach Break give the perfect winter reprieve, or was the action inside a frigid wasteland as well?
Let’s find out!
TNT Championship Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara
Dynamite started with a bang, as the TNT Title unification match between Cody and Sammy opened the show.
I might ruffle some feathers with this review, but hear me out. The match itself was a physical marvel. Cody and Sammy have wonderful chemistry in the ring, and Sammy does insane things with his body. First and foremost, it was a great ladder match. Might be one of the best singles ladder matches ever. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the physicality of the match. These gladiators put each other through hell.
The ten foot Superplex, ladder Cross Rhodes, and Sammy’s ladder to ladder cutter were unbelievable moves. Absolutely amazing moves that put this ladder match in rare company. That cutter rivals Edge spearing Jeff Hardy as the craziest ladder spot of all time.
However, I still have issues with the story and overall finish of the match.
The beginning was fantastic. The story revolved around Sammy needing to withstand Cody’s strength with his explosivity. They set everything up well. Cody was his awesome brand of cocky whilst still playing to the crowd. However it didn’t take long to introduce the ladders, and simultaneously my criticism.
As is usual for ladder matches, they were used as weapons. That’s what you’re supposed to do! Multiple times throughout, Cody and Sammy used the ladders to bash each other in the face. There was a really cool spot where Cody threw Sammy into the underside of the ladder and it folded around his body. That had to hurt…
My issue was with the inconsistency of the selling. Or I should say the lack of selling.
Both guys would get hit with a devastating move, pop up like nothing was wrong, and climb the ladder at the last second. This happened multiple times. Cody spending multiple minutes using the ladder on Sammy’s leg, only for Sammy to use those legs for numerous moves really stuck out to me.
I hate to use the term “Spotfest,” but it felt like that a little. The only moves that seemed to matter were the big, epic ones.
Sammy won by bashing Cody’s head with the swaying belts, which was a fun little visual. I’m not a fan of Cody losing so quickly here either. I still think there was more story to tell with a cocky Cody rolling over more people, but I’m willing to let it play out. Hopefully we aren’t going back to the same Cody pattern.
Still a great match, don’t get me wrong. I’m just a story guy and felt it lacked in that department.
4/5
Segments:
- Up next was a hilarious promo interview with Schiavone, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Ricky Starks. They found Edgewater Beach to freeze their butts off during the segment, and Ricky Starks is putting the FTW Championship up for grabs against Dante Martin. Fun little interview with a different backdrop.
- Wardlow squashes two random local talents in his hometown of Cleveland. The crowd ate up his Powerbomb Symphony. This was fun to see and Wardlow probably loved getting to wrestle in Cleveland.
Jericho/Santana/Ortiz vs. 2point0/Daniel Garcia
Now this match is what I’m talking about! I loved this match between Inner Circle members Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz taking on 2point0 and Daniel Garcia. This match was a good match filled to the brim with story. The Inner Circle have cracks, as was shown last week. Santana and Ortiz have sacrificed their own accolades for the benefit of Jericho and the Inner Circle. It seems they have had enough.
Most of the match was dominated by 2point0 due to Inner Circle’s constant miscommunication. Jericho continuously wanted to tag in, but Santana and Ortiz wouldn’t do it. Even when Ortiz needed the hot tag out, he chose Santana. Jericho was obviously pissed off, so he hit the Judas Effect on Matt Lee when Santana wasn’t looking. This allowed Santana to hit his piledriver for the victory.
On the whole, I haven’t been a huge fan of Jericho’s work in a while. Whereas this Santana/Ortiz, Jericho, and Eddie Kingston stuff has me incredibly intrigued. It’s great stuff! Good match as well.
3.5/5
Segments:
- Lance Archer is challenging Hangman Adam Page to a Texas Deathmatch for the AEW World Championship. That should be awesome!
- Jurassic Express are being challenged by the new number one contenders, Private Party. There was also a mention of the Gunn Club as the “Ass Boys,” which, in retrospect, makes more sense later.
CM Punk Speaks!
An awesome promo segment between CM Punk and MJF followed. Punk comes down to the ring all dressed in his ring gear and ready for a fight. He’s tired of waiting and wanted to fight MJF in Cleveland. Obviously, the Salt of the Earth responded with a resounding, “NO,” but us fans don’t have to wait long. Next week, in Chicago, will finally be the match between MJF and CM Punk.
But the segment wasn’t over yet. The Pinnacle attacked Punk suddenly from behind and beat him down. MJF made Wardlow give Punk a powerbomb, even though it was clear Wardlow did not want to in his hometown. MJF finished the segment by sitting on Punk’s chest. This was an awesome visual to cap off an awesome segment.
Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet
There has been friction between Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet, and Kris Statlander over the past couple of weeks. Last week on Dynamite, Hirsch snapped and attacked the other two. This led to a match this week, which was pretty good! I like seeing more women’s feuds on Dynamite, especially between two lesser known talents.
Obviously both ladies are fairly new, so the occasional chemistry issue popped up here and there. It didn’t affect the rest of the match, however. Leyla dominated with her strength, which is amazing how strong she is at her stature. Velvet was able to turn it around with a really cool middle rope springboard stunner. They proceeded to fight back and forth with cool moves and fun transitions, but Leyla was able to steal the win with a rollup and a tights grab.
Leyla continued to punish Velvet post-match, which triggered Statlander for the save. Another match between those two forthcoming. Regardless, it was a good match.
3.25/5
Segments:
- House of Black had an amazing video promo in response to PAC. Brody King looks to be the perfect complement of Malakai Black. He’s huge, powerful, and surprisingly charismatic. The whole video was awesome and ended with, “Just like death, we are inevitable.” These kinds of eerie promos are everything I want from the House of Black.
- Britt Baker comes out to the ring to tout all of her 2021 Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards. Being in Cleveland, of course she comes to the ring dressed in Pittsburgh colors and bashes the Browns. That’s Heel 101 stuff right there. Super easy way to get HEAT. This was good stuff, except I’m not sure where her character is headed. The pay per view is a month away and there’s zero teases or possible opponents for her. Ultimately, I felt this segment did nothing but get Britt on television.
- Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero interrupt the show to challenge Ruby Soho to a match. Cool.
Lights Out Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Cole
And finally, it’s the main event. Dynamite ended with a Lights Out match between Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole, which was awesome. The entire bout was everything I hoped for, and then some. Cassidy and Cole have the perfect chemistry together. Both men could probably work with anyone, but Cassidy’s comedy and Cole’s cockiness play off each other perfectly.
Except for this match, Orange Cassidy wasn’t in a playful mood. Cassidy broke his own glasses and came firing away at Cole. The whole match followed this high pace because they hate each other.
Someone else apparently dislikes Adam Cole in a similar fashion. After a few minutes of fighting, Cole goes under the ring for a steel chair, and pulls out Danhausen! The Very Nice, Very Evil man points at Cole, the crowd explodes, and walks away. Such a cool little cameo that nobody saw coming.
The match only escalated from there. Our story ended up being about Cassidy’s hand, which Cole bashed with the steel steps. Cassidy wasn’t able to hit the Orange Punch because of it. Was a nice touch. Obviously we also got to see the craziness of a Light’s out match. There was a fire extinguisher, a trash can, and Cassidy was wearing a thumbtack cup. Can’t say I’ve ever seen that before.
The match eventually led to the rampway, with Cole climbing up the entrance tunnel. Cassidy met him up there, and hit a sidewalk slam through the ramp floor for the victory! This looked a lot better than when Jericho went through the floor onto some obvious mattresses. Fantastic match between the two of them, and I’m so happy to see Cassidy get a big win. Even though it technically doesn’t count on the win loss record.
4.25/5
Match of the Night
And that was the Beach Break episode of Dynamite!
Overall, I felt that this was a good, not great episode of AEW Dynamite. It was obviously bookended by big matches, with everything in between ranging from average to good. The CM Punk and MJF segment was phenomenal, and the Inner Circle trios match was good too. Regardless I had a great time, like always. Dynamite never disappoints!
Verdict: 3.75/5