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AEW Dynamite Recap – Chris Jericho Teases Inner Circle Breakup

Winter isn't just coming, folks. Winter is Here. AEW doesn't have another PPV until 2021, so this episode of Dynamite is looking like the biggest show until then, at least on paper. A year in the making, Kenny Omega is facing Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship. Unlike most television title matches, I kinda sorta maybe believe it might change hands tonight.

I'm Jude Terror, and this is The Shovel: Wednesday Night Wars edition, the column where I watch wrestling, so you don't have to. And this is part one of the AEW Dynamite recap (split into two parts, one for each hour, so I can get paid twice).

AEW Dynamite Recap for December 2nd, 2020 Part 1

The Dynamite intro is Winter is Coming themed. Jim Ross welcomes us to Dynamite and tells us it's 40 degrees in Jacksonville. Nevertheless, shirtless men surround the wrestling ring as it's time for the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale. After a brief pre-recorded promo by MJF, the match gets underway. Justin Roberts mumbles something about the "winners" of the battle royale fighting next week for the ring.

This isn't a slow build kinda battle royale. It's chaos from the start and difficult to follow the elimination order while recapping at the same time. Some highlights: Dark Order team up with Hangman Page in the match. After watching Scorpio Sky eliminate Shawn Spears, Tully Blanchard gives him the steel slug for his glove, and spears hits Sky with it, allowing Wardlow to toss him out. Matt Hardy is the Kane of this battle royale, eliminating a bunch of people. But when he eliminates members of the Dark Order, Hangman Page goes after him. This leads to a really cool sequence where Marq Quen and Matt Hardy try to eliminate Page with Poetry in Motion, but Dark Order catches him, so his feet don't hit the floor, put him back on the apron, and Page hits the Buckshot Lariat on Quen. Sadly, Hardy eliminates him after that, and he leaves with Dark Order.

Miro is the one to eliminate both Hardy and Quen. He then takes out Joey Janella, and that leaves just Miro, Jungle Boy, and the Inner Circle: MJF, Sammy Guevara, and Wardlow. Sammy and MJF spent most of the match standing in the corner behind Wardlow, guarding them. Now they try to jump Miro, but he takes them all on. Miro and Wardlow have an extended punch battle, and Miro looks about ready to eliminate Wardlow when MJF and Sammy recover and save Wardlow. They eliminate Miro, and now it's the Inner Circle and Jungle Boy for the final four.

Jungle Boy takes them all on. He has a ridiculous back and forth acrobatic battle with Sammy Guevara on the apron that makes its way to the top turnbuckle, and MJF shoves them both to the floor. Sammy is pissed, but MJF claims he was just trying to take out Jungle Boy.

In any case, that makes MJF and Warlow the winners… or does it?! Orange Cassidy, lying on the outside, was never eliminated. In another cool sequence, MJF poses for the crowd while Wardlow tries to make short work of Cassidy. But Cassidy manages to knock Wardlow into MJF, nearly eliminating him. After some miscommunication between Wardlow and MJF, Cassidy eliminates Wardlow.

MJF and Orange Cassidy win the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale

Those two will face off next week to see who gets the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the next year. Best Friends come out to celebrate with Orange Cassidy. Miro, Kip Sabian, and Penelope Ford come down to the ring to brawl, but officials won't let them in there. What an opener! So many storylines advanced in that battle royale. It also all went down in under fifteen minutes. Good stuff. Everyone goes backstage to get warm.

Frankie Kazarian comes to the ring now as Dynamite takes a commercial break. After that, Chris Jericho comes out as Excalibur shills for Jericho's new clothing line (painmaker.store/aew). They have a match, but I'm distracted by looking at Jericho's clothing shop. Did you know you can pay for a tee-shirt with four interest-free payments of $7.49? Well, you can. Did you know that Jericho is the only model on the site who doesn't have his face cropped out of photos? Well, he is. Did you know that you can get a Painmaker tracksuit? Well, you can. Four interest-free payments of $17.49 for the pants and four interest-free payments of $19.99 for the jacket.

Okay, I have to stop looking at that website before I'm tempted to buy the tracksuit. So there's a match taking place. MJF comes out and acts like he's gonna throw in the towel on Jericho, causing Sammy Guevara to run out and stop him. But when Jericho sees Sammy, he thinks Sammy is trying to throw it in. Jericho almost loses to a rollup here but kicks out and hits the Judas Effect to win.

Chris Jericho defeats Frankie Kazarian via pinfall.

Sammy shoves MJF after the match, and the opposing factions are about to brawl. Jericho says he's had enough of "this bullshit" and tells everyone in the Inner Circle to think about things. Next week on Dynamite, they'll decide whether they can work together as a team or break up forever.

Alex Marvez interviews the Young Bucks. He asks them about facing the Hybrid 2 next week. The Bucks say they're fighting champions, but TH2 haven't earned a shot yet, but if they win their match, then they can have a title shot next. I'm not a fan of the beat the champs for a title shot gimmick, personally.

"The Acclaimed" show up and mock the Young Bucks' book. One of them cuts a freestyle rap. The Bucks accused him of ripping off John Cena's gimmick. TH2 jump the Bucks while The Acclaimed shout "Worldstar." I'm not sure how to feel about this segment.

Britt Baker comes to the ring with Rebel (and we see a promo from her talking trash about her opponent and about Thunder Rosa). Leyla Hirsch comes out. They have a match. Baker looks to be a full foot taller than Hirsch, but Hirsch is really good. Hirsch is in control for most of the match, but thanks to interferences and distractions from Rebel, Baker is able to get her mandible claw locked in (no glove this time) to get the win.

Britt Baker defeats Leyla Hirsch via submission.

Thunder Rosa comes out of nowhere and attacks Baker immediately after the bell. Officials come out to try to break up the brawl. Jerry Lynn is there. Hirsch gets a little heat back by suplexing Rebel. Good match, better post-match angle.

A video package for the next match causes me to realize that Ricky Starks looks like The Situation from Jersey Shore. Once you see it, you can't unsee it—Darby Allin skateboards to the ring with the TNT Championship. Cody is out next, with Arn Anderson. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs come out with Taz.

The match gets started quickly, and a commercial break comes just as fast. Who will win this one? To find out, you'll have to click down below to get to part two of this AEW Dynamite recap. Why? Because I gotta get paid!

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