It’s Wednesday, you know what that means…
All Elite Wrestling’s December 30th edition of Dynamite is a hard night to sit through but it’s necessary. For the wrestlers and viewers alike, this show is the catharsis that hopefully starts the healing for everyone in the wrestling world. Tonight we remember the wrestler Brodie Lee and the loving father and husband Jon Huber.
The show begins with a 10-bell salute in honor of Brodie Lee. The entire AEW roster stands together while Huber’s family become the centerpiece for a touching moment. Jon Moxley’s tribute to Brodie helped set the tone for tonight’s show. Tonight is a celebration of a life that was lost too soon. We can’t take anything for granted, every moment is a gift.
For the first match we see The Young Bucks & Colt Cabana face down Private Party & Matt Hardy. The entrance for Colt was a somber one as he’s accompanied by members of the Dark Order. Private Party are quickly absorbing the tutelage of Matt Hardy as their aggression reaches a new peak. Still, the Bucks and Colt managed to rally through and after a hectic scramble of finishers, they were able to prevent what was sure to be a victory for Hardy Party. After a moment of dissent between Mark Quen and Matt Hardy, Colt and the Bucks turned everything around with a finisher sequence of their own, landing a series of superkicks, the Chicago Skyline and the Indytaker into a Superman Pin for Colt securing the victory.
After the match, The Acclaimed came out trying to play spoiler to a warm moment of grief but were interrupted by SCU’s Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels. The crowning moment is an image of Colt Cabana finally throwing up the Dark Order salute.
The next testimonial is provided by Darby Allin who spoke to the humility that Brodie displayed. This was a rare moment of humanity from the TNT Champion and it really goes to show just how respected Brodie was as a wrestler and leader in AEW’s locker room.
Our next match is a bout between Evil Uno, Stu Grayson & Lance Archer facing down Eddie Kingston’s Family. After a quick farewell by Kingston he can’t help but antagonize the Dark Order prompting Evil Uno to kick off the action early. Both sides rush into a scrap as the match properly begins. Whenever the Dark Order try to gain momentum they’re cut short by underhanded tactics from Kingston’s Family. Whether this is through interference from Allie or double teaming by Butcher & Blade. This proves to not be enough though as The Dark Order are no strangers to their own dastardly tactics. After a brutal toprope DDT by Stu Grayson and subsequent Fatality, the Dark Order pick up a win and exact some revenge on Kingston.
FTR’s Dax Harwood, Arn Anderson, Colt Cabana and Bryce Remsburg shared kind words and warm memories for Brodie. Brodie’s family at home and his family in wrestling are intertwined. Yet his wife and kids were always his number one priority. Everything Brodie did was to make the world brighter for them. This was cemented with Bryce’s last words in the tribute: “If there was a Mount Rushmore of wrestling dads, I think Brodie Lee should be on that face.”
The Good, the Bad and the Hungie enter the ring next. This could be the moment that cements Hangman’s association with the Dark Order. Proud and Powerful with MJF enter quickly after with MJF wearing Puerto Rican inspired gear to help solidify his friendship with the tag team. As the wrestlers face off in the center of the ring, Silver and Reynolds show they have Brodie’s iconic papers holstered in their gear. Locked and loaded, the recruitment specialists fired off on Proud and Powerful. Hangman even gets his shot of papers on MJF who chooses to antagonize -1 in the ringside crowd throughout the match.
This match was intended to help cement John Silver as a star to viewers who may not be familiar with Dark Order’s antics on Being the Elite. The major highlights of this match involve Silver running rampant in a hot tag, a debuting Erick Redbeard taking down Wardlow and -1 finally shutting up MJF with a kendo stick to the head. Reynolds and Hangman stepping aside to let Silver land the discus lariat into the pin became the perfect bookend to a terrific match. In the celebration, Erick Redbeard returns to the ring as the Dark Order embrace for an emotional farewell to Brodie Lee. The words “Goodbye for now my brother. See you down the road” etched onto a sign.
Eddie Kingston’s words for Brodie Lee were emotional. The history that both men shared together was immediately displayed in this short segment and Eddie’s love for Brodie as a family man played an important role in who he was as a person.
Anna Jay and Tay Conti make their way to the ring accompanied by the rest of the Dark Order. Penelope Ford and Britt Baker seem to be an odd coupling for this match but their styles mesh well together. Brodie Lee taking Anna Jay under his wing became a huge moment for her meteoric rise in AEW. Now Anna is trying to do the same for her partner Tay Conti as she hopes to bring a similar elevation to her partner. Ford and Baker’s dastardly tactics make it easy to root for TayJay as Tay endures an agonizing level of offense. A molten hot tag to Anna Jay brings the momentum back in their favor. After a touching tribute to Brodie Lee, Anna’s offense is cut short until a snappy reversal into the Queen Slayer on Penelope Ford. Tay Conti rushes to take out both Britt Baker and Reba allowing Anna to secure the victory by submission.
After the match, Britt Baker throws a tantrum and a nice shoutout to Brodie Lee as she proclaims that tonight’s events were a “big rig” against her. Thankfully this was cut short as Thunder Rosa rushes in and takes her down.
Chris Jericho’s words for Brodie Lee show just how vast the warmth Brodie had in the wrestling world. It feels like no matter who Brodie Lee encountered, he left an impression and truly in these last 6 months on AEW he cemented himself as one of their biggest stars.
Team Taz makes their way to the ring as a solid unit which contrasts with how rag-tag the team of -1’s favorite wrestlers are. The official for this match is Bryce Remsburg and it’s fitting as the two men shared a deep friendship through their years of working together. The combination of 10, Orange Cassidy and Cody Rhodes show just how intertwined every wrestlers’ path has been in AEW.
The match becomes a reintroduction to 10 as he displays a great level of power against Ricky Starks. When 10 tags a lethargic Orange Cassidy into the ring, the King of Sloth Style gets freshly squeezed by each member of Team Taz. Orange Cassidy manages to tag Cody in who gets cut short after a trade of lariats with Ricky Starks. 10 finds his way back into the action and displays the amount of potential he has in the coming years. Taz tries to disrupt the action in the finishing sequence but is met with Arn Anderson outside the ring. This opening allows Orange Cassidy to land the Orange Punch, Cody’s Cross-Rhodes and 10’s Spinebuster on Starks for the win. Their celebration is cut short as Team Taz assaults the victors but this is cut short as the lights go out and Darby Allin and Sting make their way to the ring. The final shot of the victors standing together in the ring with snow falling down on them looking at Team Taz in retreat is a sight to behold.
Cody kicks off our final moments as he emphasizes just how many lives Brodie touched in wrestling and introduces Brodie Lee Jr. into the ring accompanied by his mother Amanda Huber, 10 and Tony Khan. Brodie Lee Jr. lays his fathers boots in the center of the ring and is rewarded the TNT Championship belt as Tony Khan introduces one final memorial video for Brodie Lee.
This show was a necessary moment to help fans and wrestlers alike heal. My own time as a fan has been short. Eddie Guerrero’s untimely death ended my initial love for the sport but it was due to AEW’s Revolution and overarching mystery of the Exalted One that pulled me back into this world. Brodie Lee’s reveal as the Exalted One became one of my earliest memories with AEW and the impact he’s made in such a short time for me is synonymous with my returning love for Pro Wrestling. For Jon Huber’s family: his wife, Amanda, their sons, Brodie Jr. and Nolan, I offer my deepest sympathies and thanks. Brodie Lee helped me fall in love with wrestling again and I hope his family remains loved and cared for by AEW and beyond.
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