How is a time-limit draw a “screwjob”? If anything, it builds up both wrestlers as being in top form and so evenly matched that it’s going to be extremely difficult for one to come out on top - Ric Flair’s Broadways with Harley Race were what established him as one of the greatest, and if anything, it was Darby Allin’s time-limit draw against Cody back in 2019 that really put him on the map. I for one am eager for the rematch, which will probably happen at Revolution.
A secondary kudos from this week’s episode has to go to MJF, who once again proved that he’s the master of cheap heat by mocking CM Punk for resorting to “your local sports team sucks” promos while he unloaded with such lines as “Hey, Texas - YOUR DAUGHTER SWALLOWS!” and “Maybe you’d like me better if I was more like you - anti-education and pro-incest!”
The final segment of the show, where MJF retained the Dynamite Diamond Ring over Dante Martin with an assist from Ricky Starks, set up a trios match for next week where he and FTR will be facing Punk, Sting, and Darby Allin, which ought to be a good match.
Adam Cole also did a segment with the rest of the Superkliq where he promised he was going to have a gift for them on next week’s show, where they’re scheduled for an eight-man match against the Best Friends and a fourth man of their choice. I have a feeling Kyle O’Reilly is going to be showing up.
They also teased more strife between MJF and Wardlow with Sean Spears interrupting Wardlow’s squash win by taking a call from MJF to tell the big guy to pick up champagne for his upcoming victory over Dante Martin.
Wardlow already has some heat with Powerhouse Hobbs from a previous battle royal. I’d like to see those two big hosses tangle up.
PPV ain’t what it used to be. TV drives the revenue now. It’s the exact opposite of what Cornette remembers. PPV needs to be presented as a big event, but only to get more people watching TV, not the other way around. TV needs big events to keep the viewers coming back, and Page/Danielson (and Omega/Danielson before that) serves that purpose. AEW is doing so much better currently at making their TV meaningful while also giving young and new talent room to grow and shine. Is there anyone who will think Dante Martin came out of that match looking weak, or that he was buried? Meanwhile, even title contenders are often buried elsewhere.
As for KO, report says that his deal is somewhere in the $2-3 million/year range. AEW wasn’t going to match that. I just hope that he is treated decently creatively, but I don’t have high hopes.
Don’t ever propose to your girlfriend on live TV, because John Cena.
I like Guevara, but I can hardly wait for Max Castor to mock him in his rap.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Penelope Ford vs Willow Nightingale
Ex: See Willow Nightingale compete here on AEW Dark, always a very bubbly, effervescent competitor, but she can get it done in the ring, but Penelope charges right in with the high boot. Willow takes her down with the shoulder tackle.
Taz: I tried the same thing, to be bubbly before my matches, ah, not as much as Willow, lemme tell ya.
Ex: laughs
Taz: I’m trying to interject at least one sentence about myself in every match I call going forward here on AEW.
Ex: Haven’t you been doing that your entire career?
When I heard Excalibur’s comeback, I knew for sure this would be the Knowed_Out’s AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
I also considered the spot where a masked fan was yelling at one of the Renegade girls and Taz called them “Covid Jones.” There was also the girl singing opera during the match that had Taz and Ex giggling, but it was more of a “you had to be there” moment that wouldn’t be as funny presented as text.
HOLY SHIT! KYLE O’REILLY IS AEW! 3/4 of UE is here!
Weren’t they 3/3 of UE for a long time? Wasn’t Strong just added due to Fish’s injury?
Maybe so, but the best parts of Strong’s career were because of his time with UE. WWE doesn’t seem keen on keeping NXT 1.0 talent, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Strong swept into AEW the moment his non-compete expires, especially now that Marina Shafir is there. Plus, they’re already teasing Cole, Fish and O’Reilly splitting from The Elite, so even if it takes a year for Strong to make the jump, they’ve got a long-term angle building for his eventual debut.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Taz seemed less excitable today. Maybe sick of the holidays.
Kilynn King vs. The Bunny
Bunny rains elbows on King and takes her down while rage screaming.
Taz: Just wild. Bunny’s wild, Blade’s wild, Butcher’s not out here, he’s wild, they go on vacations together and everything, they’re crazy. They go to like butcher shops, throughout the midwest.
Ex: Down the rabbit hole Kilynn King goes, and the Bunny scores the win!
Taz: They got a whole vacation book. Blade told me earlier. Butcher, Bunny, Blade, they go to some butcher shop, out in Aspen there, Colorado. They go to watch this guy cut up meat, it’s nuts.
Ex; They have to go all the way to Colorado for that?
Taz: Yeah, there’s some kind of meat there, some cow, I dunno.
I thought for sure you would go with Taz and bear references during the Bear Country vs. The Acclaimed match. I guess I can’t call them all.
I was considering the bear conversation, but didn’t think it really had a payoff. Taz didn’t get huffy when Ex told him a koala bear was actually a marsupial, and they just listed more bear types.
Or I was just lazy. 
I was thinking when Excalibur said something about Taz using an encyclopaedia. Taz did get a little huffy there, telling Excalibur he was sitting right next to him and knows he’s not even checking his phone.
I’ve collected all this year’s Taz/Excalibur moments into a Google Doc. I’ll look up Taz’s and Ex’s emails and send it to them as well.
That was very enjoyable; thank you for doing that.
I’m watching Kofi Kingston’s rise to the WWE Championship around the events of WrestleMania 35.
As you’ll recall, he was a last-minute injury replacement for Mustafa Ali in the Elimination Chamber. Almost literally last-minute, because he was first announced for it two days ahead of the PPV, when he took part in a gauntlet match to determine the last entry.
Do you figure Kofi was literally given Mustafa Ali’s push, as Ali would later claim in a future storyline? Ali was a face at the time, but not really world-title-worthy.
He was given Ali’s push, but I don’t think Ali would have won the title. Kingston caught lightning in a bottle and rode it, and surprisingly McMahon recognized it and embraced it.
Yeah, I think Vince really screwed the pooch by not allowing Kofi to have a decently-long match with Brock Lesnar. Sure, he’d lose. But 10 seconds? C’mon. He did the same thing to Ricochet. Killed both men.