**CONTAINS SPOILERS**
Tonight’s episode was a celebration of the life of Mr. Brodie Lee (1979-2020).
For one night, AEW fan favorites embraced the Dark Order into their ranks as they competed against some of wrestling’s worst villains to honor “The Exalted One.”
The show began with a 10-bell salute in tribute to Mr. Brodie Lee, with the entire AEW roster on the ramp to honor the man and his legacy.
Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur were the broadcast team for tonight’s event. “The Demo God” Chris Jericho joined them for commentary at the start of the event.
Our first match: AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson, & Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana (of the Dark Order) vs. Private Party—Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy, & Matt Hardy!
Cabana and Kassidy started the match. Cabana got the better of an offense exchange with Kassidy. Hardy ordered Marq Quen to tag in. Cabana and the Bucks teamed up for a triple dropkick on Matt Hardy, sending him reeling to the outside! The Bucks jumped over the top rope onto the opposition, and then Colt followed up with a beautiful quebrada!
Marq Quen caught Matt Jackson off-guard and then tagged in Kassidy, who took the boots to Matt Jackson. Quen tagged back in and connected with a high dropkick to Matt Jackson, preventing him from getting the tag to his corner. Kassidy backdropped Matt Jackson and covered him for a two-count. Hardy tagged in and dropped an elbow onto Matt Jackson. Hardy whipped Matt Jackson into the turnbuckle and Private Party used consecutive elbows on Jackson. Hardy planted Matt Jackson with a side effect. Matt Jackson used a twist of fate for the hot tag to Cabana! “Boom Boom” cleaned house with some flip, flop and fly, and then the flying apple to Kassidy for a near fall! Cabana went for Mr. Brodie’s discus lariat but Kassidy countered with the help of Hardy. Hardy body slammed Cabana and ordered Private Party to opposite ends of the ring. Nick Jackson super kicked Matt Hardy and followed up with a hurracanrana to Marq Quen!
Private Party caught Nick Jackson in Gin and Juice, and Marq Quen followed up with a shooting star press, but Colt was able to break up the pin just in time! Hardy tried to hand Marq Quen a steel chair but Quen resisted it! Cabana hit a bionic elbow to Hardy, and then dropped Kassidy with the Chicago Skyliner. After an assist from the Bucks, Cabana beat Marq Quen with the superman pin!
The Acclaimed’s music began to play after the match. They approached the ring but SCU—Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian—knocked them into the ring! The Bucks super kicked the Acclaimed and Cabana hit another elbow for good measure!
“Mad King” Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade (with The Bunny) vs. “The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer (with Jake “The Snake” Roberts), Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (of the Dark Order)!
Evil Uno booted Eddie Kingston in the head!
“The donnybrook has begun,” said Chris Jericho.
Evil Uno and Stu Grayson suplexed Lance Archer onto Eddie Kingston! Grayson began to stomp Kingston in the corner. Bunny grabbed Grayson’s leg, allowing Butcher to blindside Grayson. Butcher splashed Grayson in the corner. Blade tagged in and powerslammed Grayson. Roberts grabbed Blade’s ankle and Grayson hit the big Brodie slam on Blade!
Uno and Kingston traded Kawada slaps to the face! Uno ducked one and hit Kingston full-on with the half-and-half suplex! Archer and Blade tagged in, and Archer rip corded Blade and planted him! Blade evaded a chokeslam but then ate a running elbow to the jaw from Archer. Then Lance walked the ropes and flipped backwards onto Blade! After an assist from Uno and Grayson, Archer hit a frog splash on Blade!
Kingston tagged in and DDT’ed Grayson right in front of Jake Roberts, but Grayson kicked out! Grayson tagged out to Archer and Archer attempted his blackout, but Kingston stopped him. Grayson hit the fatality on Blade (after a DDT on Butcher from Grayson), and then Evil Uno pinned Blade! Afterwards Archer, Butcher and Blade took turns striking Kingston, and Jake Roberts finished him with his legendary short-armed clothesline!
Inner Circle members—MJF (with Wardlow), Santana & Ortiz (with Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page, and Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds!
Silver and Reynolds threw wadded up papers at Santana and Ortiz before the match began. MJF was wearing gear presented to him by Santana and Ortiz earlier. John Silver stopped Santana in his tracks with an elbow strike! Reynolds tagged in and dropped and elbow on Santana. Soon Santana shifted momentum and caught Reynolds with a neck breaker and then two suplexes. Ortiz tagged in and helped Santana with the third suplex!
“Hangman” tagged in and dropped MJF with forearms and then his fallaway slam!
“Man, when Adam Page turns it on, he can turn it on,” said Jim Ross.
Page got outnumbered by MJF, Santana and Ortiz, and they stopped him before he could connect with his buckshot lariat! They took turns working over “Hangman.” MJF flipped off Brodie Lee, Jr., who was watching from the front row!
John Silver tagged in and took out all three members of the opposition like a human bowling ball! Silver used a cannonball senton! MJF ran in and whipped Page into the turnbuckles! Silver caught MJF with a destroyer and then a tope suicida to Santana on the outside! After three heavy shots from the Inner Circle, they tried to pin Silver but Reynolds made the save. As ref Aubrey Edwards had her back turn, Wardlow ran in to chokeslam Reynolds. Erick RedBeard came out from the back and stopped Wardlow in his tracks! Brodie Lee, Jr. (aka “-1”) used a kendo stick and whacked MJF right in the head! Silver used a clothesline on Ortiz and pinned him!
Erick RedBeard came back to the ring and held up a sign: “Goodbye for now, my brother. See you down the road.”
Anna “99”Jay (of the Dark Order) & Tay Conti vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (with Rebel not “Reba”) & Penelope Ford (with fiancé Kip Sabian, and “Best Man” Miro)!
Jay took down Baker with a headlock. Britt rolled through with wrist control. Jay went for the Queen Slayer finisher but Britt telegraphed it and slipped out, tagging in Ford!
Conti used judo throws on Penelope Ford for a two-count! Penelope Ford countered with a release German suplex and tagged in Baker. Britt used vicious knee strikes on Conti. Rebel held down Conti and then Baker jumped from the turnbuckles to the apron, delivering foot stomps to Conti’s midsection!
Jay tagged in and took down Britt with clotheslines and then a flipping neck breaker!
“She has learned a lot from Mr. Brodie Lee,” said Chris Jericho.
“He taught her confidence,” replied Jim Ross.
Anna Jay blasted Baker with the Dangerous Jay kick! Baker came back with a fisherman’s neck breaker. Jay kicked out at two! Penelope Ford tagged in and nailed Jay with a flipping neck breaker for a near fall! Penelope Ford flipped backwards but Anna Jay caught her with the Queen Slayer, forcing Ford to submit!
“Anna Jay went out there and one won for big Brodie Lee, who taught her so much,” said Chris Jericho.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Dr. Britt Baker in the ring.
Baker said the whole match was one big rig! Thunder Rosa sprinted from the back and jumped Dr. Britt Baker from behind! AEW officials had to separate Thunder Rosa from Dr. Britt Baker!
Next was a Brodie Lee, Jr. Dream Match—with a team handpicked by -1 to take on Team Taz!
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes (with “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson), “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (with Chuck Taylor & Trent), & Dark Order’s “10” vs. Team Taz’s “The Machine” Brian Cage, “Absolute” Ricky Starks, & Powerhouse Hobbs (with Taz & Hook)!
Cody ran into Powerhouse Hobbs, but Hobbs didn’t budge. Starks tagged in and he and Cody traded chops in the corner!
“Starks is going to be a big, big star,” said Jim Ross.
Starks hit Cody with a jumping shoulder tackle and took him down. He posed and Cody seized the moment, grabbing Starks and then tagging in 10! Starks was bounced off the top rope and then suplexed by 10!
Hobbs tagged in, and then Orange Cassidy tagged in, slowly rolling into the ring. Hobbs wanted a test of strength but Orange put his hands in his pockets, still wearing his aviator sunglasses! Hobbs had enough and pushed him hard to the mat with a concrete-like shoulder block. Hobbs picked up Cassidy, spun around and powerslammed him! Hobbs dropped Cassidy after a standing vertical suplex, and then tagged in Brian Cage, who also used a delayed vertical suplex.
“Cage is making it look effortless,” said Excalibur.
Ricky Starks tried for a delayed vertical suplex but Orange Cassidy reversed it! Cassidy flipped over Starks and tagged Cody! Cody removed his weight belt and tossed it out to the crowd. Cage hit Cody with a knee from behind. Cody was so fired up that he powered forward, getting a tag to 10, who then powerslammed Starks! 10 nailed Starks with the Brodie Bomb! Starks retaliated with a big spear that nearly cut 10 in half!
Cassidy tagged in and hit a big DDT on Starks! Cage tagged in and flatlined Cody Rhodes! 10 ran in and pump kicked Cage! Starks employed great footwork and caught 10 with a quick DDT, nearly getting the pin!
Taz, frustrated, grabbed a steel chair, but Arn Anderson met him on the ramp with a steel chair of his own! While the ref was trying to settle them down and restore order, Cassidy connected with the Orange Punch! Then Cody followed up with a CrossRhodes on Stark! 10 hit Starks with a spine buster and pinned him!
“This is the biggest win of 10’s career!” said Chris Jericho.
The rest of Team Taz jumped into the ring! Hook hit Cassidy! Brian Cage powerbombed Cody! The arena lights went dark! Darby Allin’s music began to play! Darby appeared with his skateboard.
The arena went black again! It began to snow and Sting appeared, emerging from the same area of the arena as Darby Allin! Sting and Darby Allin joined Cody Rhodes, Orange Cassidy, and 10 in the ring, while Team Taz retreated to the back!
Once things cooled down and order was restored, Cody Rhodes stood in the ring alone.
The crowd chanted “Brodie! Brodie! Brodie!”
Cody said Brodie Lee was a beautiful man and then Cody introduced Brodie Lee, Jr!
Brodie Lee, Jr. walked to the ring with his mother. They were accompanied by Tony Khan, and 10 of the Dark Order. Brodie Lee, Jr. placed his father’s boots in the middle of the ring to retire them. Tony Khan presented Brodie Lee, Jr. with the TNT Championship. Tony Khan said Brodie Lee was the greatest TNT Champion, and said Brodie Lee was the TNT Champion for life.
Thank you Mr. Brodie Lee. We love you.
Be sure to join us next week for all the explosive action on Night One of “New Year’s Smash” as AEW DYNAMITE is broadcast live on TNT!
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