Cody Opens up the show.

Highlights:

• Cody opens up the show at a time when we need to be honest about what’s going on. It’s scary and there needs to be a call for calm and reason.
• This promo feels like the end of a storyline that never materialized. The Elite falling apart was too much for a show that’s already full.
• The lack of audience actually adds to the show. The segment is more intimate and the lack of entrance music and lighting gives it a stage play feel.

Low Points:

• Switching gears and coming into a promo talking to the members of The Elite feels ill-timed given the seriousness of the subject just talked about.
• “I respect the fact both of us don’t want to be bridesmaids” There are better ways of saying runner-up.

Lucha Bros. DEF. The Best Friends

Highlights:

• Anytime the lucha Bros. perform a doubles maneuver it’s always looks good even if it’s not that complicated.
• Chuck Taylor’s clothesline to Ray Fenix on the outside. Anytime some flips from that it looks great.
• The Assisted Cutter by The Best Friends is this matches highlight move.
• The addition of heels and faces on separate sides of the ring.
• Despite their loss, the Best Friends end up still looking strong for being able to compete with the Lucha Bros.

Low Points:

• This match didn’t need to go on as long as it did. The outside brawl could have been cut out or they could have added the Orange Cassidy dive there to save time.

Hikaru Shida Def. Penelope Ford, Riho, Kris Statlander

Highlights:

• Seeing Kip Sabian actually get hit. Why don’t more wrestlers just attack the valet/manager when they interfere in the match?
• Penelope Ford’s reverse Hurricarana on Kris Statlander is perfectly executed. A definite highlight of the match.
• Hikaru Shida getting the number one contender rspot feels like it’s long overdue. Even when Riho was champion Shida felt like she should have been champion.

Low Points:

• Kip ends up getting hit repeatedly and looks like a terrible heel. So much for him as a serious competitor.
• The botched top rope move from Penelope Ford onto Kris Statlander.

Jurassic Express DEF. The Butcher and The Blade

Highlights:

• Great athleticism from Jack Perry from being thrown into the barricade to being thrown around by the Butcher and the Blade.
• Luchasauraus’s Moonsault onto the Butcher is the highlight of this match.
• More character building between The Butcher and the Blade with MJF.
• Marko Stunt not being with Jurassic express after last week’s tantrum opens the possibility for a new storyline.

MJF gets what he paid for. Photo courtesy of AEW

Low Points:

• Wouldn’t it have made more sense for MJF to pay for them to throw the match? Because he’s paying them for no real reason otherwise.

The Exalted one reveals himself

Highlights:

• Christopher Daniels plays advocate for the audience. It’s been three months with this story and we’ve been waiting for the payoff.
• “You are not the first out of touch old man to not believe in me” nothing like a shot at your ex-boss to make you look good.

Low Points:

• Revealing his identity in a video package takes away from the aura of mystery. Generally, in-ring reveals go over way better.
• This is one of those times when it would have been better with an audience.
• It’s hard to take the Dark Order seriously when they’re still not posing a threat to main event talent. Maybe the exalted one will be the threat they need.

Jake The Snake has some words for Cody

Highlights:

• It takes a little bit for Jake to get going but once he gets in the zone he stays there. Harkening back to his promo’s from his WWE days.
• The video package for Lance Archer is well shot, creates a feeling of an unstoppable machine. Hopefully, more promo videos are shot like this.

Low Points:

• “Don’t you realize I’m a hall of famer? You should pay attention to me” not a good line for someone who’s supposed to be a serious heel.
• In the video package, some shots show the back of a house suggesting this was filmed in a backyard and taking away from the deep woods vibe created by the cinematography.

Santana and Ortiz w/ Jake Hager Def. The Elite

High Points:

• Sammy Guevara and MJF singing “JUDAS” when Chris Jericho comes out. Maybe the only time we’ll get to hear MJF sing.

• Adam “Handwash” Page. Social Distancing since November. One of the best ones yet to come out of this running gag.
• We get a little taste of Adam Page and Matt Jackson possibly making amends.
• A solid match as usual from The Elite and The Inner Circle as usual.
• Post-match promo by Chris Jericho. Jericho is always gold on the mic and even with an empty arena.
• MATT HARDY! Great choice debuting Matt as a face and better yet an ally to the Elite.

Low Points:

• You know how I go on about stupid babyface wrestlers or the ref being blind? well this match is full of those instances: MJF distracting Cody, numerous times the ref argues with the faces. It’s one thing for them to be babyface but don’t make them stupid.
• This is the blowout match to Blood and Guts and it ends with a roll-up?