In this WrestleTalk News, Cody Rhodes retiring OH GOD NO PLEASE NO, another fired WWE star
to AEW, SummerSlam in jeopardy, and my review of last night’s AEW Dynamite.
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I’m not going to do it.
I’m done, I’m over it.
I’m over dancing and humiliating myself for you marks.
What did you say?
Did you say sub?
I guess just for one… more… sub… you promise you’ll subscribe.
Please.
Last night’s Homecoming special episode of Dynamite not only saw the in-ring AEW debut
of Malakai Black, who squashed Cody Rhodes in under five minutes - winning with just
one foot on his chest - but also a teased retirement for Rhodes himself.
Hey Tony, you should’ve called it the Homelander special then… because it was called Homecoming,
and Cody dresses up like Homelander from Boys at the moment.
It works.
That’s a good joke.
Subscribe, I’m dancing for you again.
Following the match, Cody cut an impassioned, if slightly long and rambly promo - possibly
selling a kayfabe concussion from Black’s knockout kick.
In it, he thanked you people for their support, probably said something about America and
then began to unlace his boots to leave them in the ring, the universal wrestling symbol
of retirement.
Like that time Undertaker did that really sad striptease.
Black was like, nope, though, and attacked Cody with a booking crutch while he had just
one boot off, to make sure it was his moment, not Cody’s.
That’s how Dynamite went off the air, but following the show, Cody continued the retirement
tease, taking off his remaining boot, leaving it in the ring, getting on all fours and kissing
the mat before being helped out by his brother Dustin.
This is almost certainly AEW’s way of writing Cody off TV so he can go and record the next
season of the Go Big Show - a TBS programme where celebrity judges encourage Paul Wight
to do things.
A very similar angle happened exactly the same time last year before Cody recorded the
first season, with him being squashed by Brodie Lee to lose the TNT title.
Although that one didn’t have Cody then teasing his retirement.
Do you think Cody is really retiring from wrestling?
And, if not, is this going to make some fans even more frustrated with his character?
Let me know in the comments down below where I’ll be replying to people for the first
30 minutes after this video goes live FROM OUTTA NOWHERE with All Out spoilers, where
Cody will squash Black right back.
America!
Proving NXT really is a great developmental system, just for AEW and not the WWE main
roster, Fightful Select is reporting that plans are in place for Ruby Soho, the former
Ruby Riott, to become All Elite soon.
Soho was released from WWE on June 2 at the same time as Aleister Black, but an error
on Black’s contract meant he could debut in AEW after just 30 days.
Ruby will presumably have to wait the full 90 days, which will make her available just
before Chicago’s All Out on September 5th, along with Braun Strowman, Buddy Murphy and
Lana and Malakai Black.
That is, if All Out actually happens in Chicago.
After reports that AEW is contingency planning for a potential return to Daily’s Place
if covid restrictions are ramped up, Bodyslam.net is reporting that WWE management are also
concerned SummerSlam might have to take place in the Performance Center or a ThunderDome
equivalent.
A decision is expected to be made “within a couple of weeks”, and the company “fully
expects” to not be on the road in four weeks’ time.
However, WrestleVotes tweeted to say that SummerSlam at the Allegiant Stadium in Las
Vegas “is still the plan”, despite a new mask mandate being enforced for the arena
ahead of the show.
“WWE has had conversations with the city and venue, and as of this very moment, all
things remain on track.”
But it’s Thursday, you know what that means - my review of last night’s AEW Dynamite:
Homelander.
It’s still a good joke.
Move aside, AEW’s return to Daily’s Place for this episode, because the biggest return
in wrestling ever, of all time, kicked off the show: Juventud Guerrera.
I still can’t believe this is happening.
Chris Jericho took on Guerrera in MJF’s third Labour of Jericho, where Chris could
only win with a move off the top rope - a stipulation that Jericho tackled inventively,
getting a great submission spot when he countered a top rope hurricanrana into a drop down Walls,
which technically counted, and winning with a Judas Effect off the top rope.
It’s highly Judas Effective.
Wardlow beat up both men afterwards, and MJF announced he’ll be Jericho’s fourth Labour
with the stipulation of… MJF being at ringside.
It’s a bit of a let down considering we’ve gone from chairs match, to death match, to
The Juice match.
AEW appeared to accidentally broadcast a house show match next, with Darby Allin, Jon Moxley
and Eddie Kinston beating Daniel Garcia and the former NXT act Ever Rise, debuting as
2.0.
Continuing the Christian vs the Hardy Family Office feud, Cage took on The Blade next.
The Bunny brawled to the back with Leyla Hirsch early, setting up their match later on.
The Blade went to use the brass knucks, but Christian won with a Spear - making him the
new No. 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s AEW World Title.
I love Christian, but surely he’s a red herring for the All Out World Title match.
AEW is too smart to just put some ex-WWE guy in there.
You need someone homegrown like a CM Punk or a Daniel Bryan.
Especially because AEW still seem to be far more interested in building Omega vs Hangman
Page.
We got three separate segments devoted to their continuing feud on this episode - firstly
with Page apologising to the Dark Order for losing them their tag title shots, and saying
they have to go their separate ways.
He needs to do this by himself.
The feels!
The Super Elite still being goofy with basketballs backstage and the Good Brothers giving the
Dark Order IMPACT Tag Team title shots… which kind of undermines last week’s match
stipulation.
And then an in-ring promo segment, where Page directly faced off against the Super Elite,
composing some excellent visual storytelling with Hangman all alone in front of them.
Kenny said if Page is trying to rejoin the Elite, he no longer fits the bill.
Look at them now.
Since Hangman left, they’ve all become champions.
They don’t have losers here.
Page slapped Kenny, and the Elite beat him down.
The Dark Order ran down to make the save, but Evil Uno and Stu Grayson stopped the young
un’s from getting in the ring.
Hangman said he has to do this alone now, and they have to respect his wishes.
This is an incredibly tricky dynamic to pull off, and the Order achieved it with heartbreaking
impact - never once making it look like they’re turning on Page, but that they’re just as
conflicted.
There was also some token Kaz getting beaten up, and Kenny knocked out Page with the title
to close the segment.
Maybe Christian books himself a No. 1 contendership match with Page to set up Kenny vs Hangman
for All Out?
I still can’t believe AEW would put this feud to one side for Cage.
God and me now have two things in common.
We both disapprove of thou coveting thy neighbour’s wife, and Miro is our favourite champion!
He came out like an absolute star here to annihilate Lee Johnson.
As watching Brock Lensar will show you: being a dominating monster is great.
Being a dominating monster who can suddenly give his dominated opponent believable offence
is even better.
Johnson got a brief flurry of offence before Miro won with the Game Over.
The Lucha Bros turned down Andrade and Chavo’s offer to join them again, so Fuego Del Sol
got beaten up.
Poor Fuego Del Sol.
Cage vs Starks and Dax vs Santana and Ortiz got video packages.
Dan Lambert said he’s coming to next week’s show after his awesome promo last month, and
he’s bringing back up.
Red Velvet challenged Britt Baker in an in-ring promo for Rampage’s debut episode next Friday
in Britt’s Pittsburgh hometown.
But far better built was NWA’s Women’s division, which got Leyla Hirsch vs the Bunny
to decide Kamille’s No. 1 contender.
The in-ring action was decent, but the interactions outside between Kamille, Nyla Rose and Kris
Statlander proved having more than 1-2 women on an episode of Dynamite can be very beneficial.
Hirsch won, and Kamille got in the ring for a staredown using the Charlotte Flair tactic
of BEING WAY TALLER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.
And the main event saw Malakai Black make his in-ring AEW debut, including his latest
incredible entrance, coming out with a crazy cool Hereditary style skull mask.
Even the match graphics beforehand showed Black’s typical attention to detail, with
a burning tree behind Malakai.
The match was intense from the start, with Black taking out Cody’s knee, pushing him
off the top rope through the timekeeper’s table outside, then hitting a Black Mass when
he beat the count to win with one foot on his chest.
Cody gets a lot of criticism for not putting people over recently, but the argument is
he should win a lot, so it means even more when he loses.
Unfortunately I feel like the post-match severely undermined that.
As I’ve already covered, Cody then cut a promo heavily teasing retirement.
It was a good promo, with the usual Rhodes charm and tears, but his loss to Brodie Lee
last August worked so well because Cody didn’t get up right after to talk for five minutes.
In fact, Cody’s wife got beaten up too, the show went off air with them unconsciously
holding hands in one of the most emotive cliffhangers of the year.
Sure, Black then attacked him after five minutes, but Cody’s retirement tease has taken over
the conversation that should’ve been focused on Malakai’s victory.
And AEW should have known that.
What did you think of Black’s debut and this episode as a whole?
Let me know in the comments down below and vote in the poll on a pole match on our community
tab, where 79% voted for Malakai Black to the (blood) moon!
It’s amazing that an episode with Black’s in-ring debut and the return of Juventud Guerrera
feels like a relatively tame week, but that’s the bar AEW have set themselves.
I also don’t agree with the Cody retirement angle, and the rest of the card seems to be
in a holding pattern ahead of any debuts that might happen later this month.
This week’s Dynamite is 3 out of 5.
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