The semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament came to an end tonight as Cody faced Darby Allin and Lance Archer battled Dustin Rhodes. The final two wrestlers will compete to crown the first TNT Champion at Double or Nothing on May 23rd.
AEW Dynamite Results (4/29)
- Cody def. Darby Allin to advance to the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament
- Wardlow def. Musa
- Best Friends def. Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc
- Shawn Spears def. Baron Black
- Brodie Lee def. Marko Stunt
- Lance Archer def. Dustin Rhodes to advance to the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s Dynamite:
Cody Advanced To The Finals Of The TNT Championship Tournament
Darby Allin battled Cody in the semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament in the first match of the evening.
Match Recap: Allin and Cody locked up in the middle of the ring to start the match off. Darby went after Cody’s knee but he battled back and sent Allin into the barricade. Darby charged at Cody but he got out of the way and Allin leveled Brandi Rhodes by accident as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, the action was back in the ring and Cody was in control. Cody locked in a Half Crab but Darby was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Allin locked in a submission but Cody was able to get to the ropes to break it up.
Allin tied up Cody in the Tree of Woe and leaped onto his knee. Cody stumbled out of the ring and Britt Baker hit him with a shoe. Back in the ring, Allin hit Cody with a chop block and then started headbutting his knee.
Back from another break, both Cody and Allin hit a Clothesline that sent them to the canvas. Cody hit the Disaster Kick before taking off his belt. Cody handed the belt to Aubrey and rolled up Darby for a near fall. Darby planted Cody with the Cross Rhodes but Cody was able to kick out at two.
Darby applied the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Brandi hobbled back to the ringside area with a bottle of water as Cody broke free. She handed Cody the water and he took a sip before leveled Allin with a Clothesline. Allin hit Cody with a Stunner and went for a Moonsault but Cody caught him.
Cody connected with the Cross Rhodes and went for the cover but Darby somehow was able to kick out. Cody then went for the Coffin Drop but Allin got his knees up. Darby hit the Coffin Drop but Cody rolled him up for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I really enjoyed this match but I wasn’t a fan of the finish. Cody didn’t even use arms to roll up Allin, he simply slouched over and Darby essentially pinned himself. I just thought it looked cheap and could have been done better. The Coffin Drop should be an unstoppable move but I can’t view it that way if you can just roll on your side and defeat Darby after he hits it.
MJF Provided An Update On His Hangnail
MJF provided an update on his hangnail. MJF stated that his doctor claimed that he has never seen someone heal so fast and that he now has the strongest nail in the world.
He pretended to get choked up and said that he cut his neck while shaving. MJF revealed a gigantic neck brace and vowed to be back sometime in the future. He said he is the candle that is lit in a dark room and is the only hope AEW has left. Wardlow then faced Musa and absolutely dominated him.
Best Friends Picked Up A Win In A Chaotic Match
Best Friends faced Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc in a No DQ match tonight. Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jimmy Havoc launched a chair at Orange Cassidy’s face to start things off. Chuck tried to Suplex Jimmy but Havoc countered and hit a Suplex of his own on top of several chairs.
Jimmy threw another chair into Chuck’s face as Kip launched Trent into the turnbuckle. Havoc and Sabian brought a ladder in the ring and sent Trent to the corner. Jimmy threw the ladder onto Trent and then catapulted him into it. Havoc went for the cover but Trent kicked out at two.
Kip set up Trent on a chair and went for a Splash but Trent got out of the way. Chuck got back in the ring and hit Jimmy with a Dropkick. Best Friends launched two chairs onto Jimmy before sharing a hug. Trent planted Kip with a Snap Suplex for a two count.
Sabian sent Chuck head-first into the chair and then turned around into a Tornado DDT from Trent. Trent hit Havoc with the chair and placed Kip on the ladder between the ropes in the corner of the ring. Trent climbed to the top rope but Jimmy broke it up. Havoc stood on top of the ladder and went for a Superplex but Trent blocked it.
Havoc tripped Trent up and sent him crashing on top of the ladder. Havoc set up some more chairs in the ring and slammed Trent on top of them. Sabian climbed up to the top rope and hit a Double Stomp but Chuck was able to break up the cover.
Chuck slammed Havoc onto the chair and delivered a Piledriver to Sabian on top of the chair. Chuck went for the cover but Penelope broke it up. Chuck Taylor bit Jimmy’s face and charged at him. Havoc countered into a Back Body Drop on top of the ladder. Orange Cassidy hit Havoc with a chair to the face and Penelope went for a kick but Orange ducked. Penelope accidentally booted Kip in the face as Cassidy made his way to the top rope.
Orange Cassidy then hit Penelope and Kip with a Splash off the top rope. Chuck planted Havoc with the Awful Waffle on top of the pile of chairs for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: This match was pure chaos and I loved every second of it. Jericho flipping out on commentary throughout the match was awesome.
Lance Archer Will Face Cody In The Finals Of The TNT Championship Tournament
Lance Archer battled Dustin Rhodes in the semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament. It was this week’s main event.
Match Recap: Archer dominated early and booted a chair into Dustin’s face. Dustin was busted open and Lance beat him down in the corner of the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
The action spilled out of the ring when Dynamite returned and Archer was still dominating. Dustin battled back with a couple chops but Archer knocked him to the floor with a forearm to the face. Back in the ring, Lance planted Rhodes with a massive Suplex as the blood continued to pour out of Dustin’s face.
Dustin set up Archer in the corner and hit with Shattered Dreams. Archer didn’t stay down for long and slammed Dustin to the canvas. Back from another break, Archer had Dustin in a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Rhodes broke free and sent Archer to the corner. Dustin hit Code Red but couldn’t capitalize with a cover. Rhodes and Archer traded punches in the middle of the ring. Dustin connected with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Powerslam. Dustin hit Archer with a Cross Rhodes but Lance kicked out at one.
Dustin made his way to the top rope and leaped but Archer caught him. Lance planted Dustin with a Chokeslam but Dustin kicked out at the last moment. Archer walked across the top rope and hit an awesome Moonsault for a near fall. Archer hit Dustin with another Chokeslam and went for the cover. Rhodes countered into a roll-up but Archer kicked out at the last moment.
Lance hit a big boot and then took off the turnbuckle pad. Archer bounced Dustin’s face off the exposed turnbuckle three times and Rhodes fell to the canvas. QT Marshall came down to the ring with a towel and tried to throw it in but Cody stopped him. Archer dragged Dustin back into the ring and bounced his head off the mat several times for the victory. Lance Archer will battle Cody in the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament at Double or Nothing on May 23rd.
Opinion: Cody not allowing QT to throw in the towel, only for Archer to brutally bash Dustin’s head off the canvas was great. While it was pretty obvious that Archer and Cody would wind up being the final two, I’m still looking forward to the title match at Double or Nothing. I like that they have a few more weeks to build it up even more as well. Overall, I thought Dynamite was a good show this week. Jericho & Guevara versus Matt Hardy & Kenny Omega was announced for next week and that should be great.
Several video packages and a brand new and star-studded episode of the Bubbly Bunch also aired during tonight’s episode. You can check them out below.