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From Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy's Dynamite debate to Matt Cardona's in-ring debut for the promotion, this week's edition of AEW Dynamite featured many contrasting moments.
While this particular episode started off in standard fashion, it got more impactful as the show went on, especially in the second hour, which made AEW Dynamite a must-see program last night.
What were your thoughts on this episode? How did NXT fare against AEW in terms of quality this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of AEW Dynamite (August 5, 2020).
#5: Eric Bischoff returned to TNT and moderated a heated debate between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy
Eric Bischoff returned to TNT for the first time in 20 years, which is a huge deal for AEW and Pro-Wrestling enthusiasts who know all about this WCW personality's history from the 90s.
More importantly, Chris Jericho also had some beef with Eric Bischoff back in the day, and it was great to see how that dynamic played out during Orange Cassidy and Le Champion's debate.
Jericho portrayed the role of a goofy heel perfectly, and it was funny to see how he couldn't win a war of words against a Superstar who is renowned for his silence.
After losing the debate, Jericho and Hager pounced on Freshly Squeezed pretty quickly, thus, beating him up ahead of what is now an awaited matchup between the Demo God and Cassidy next week.
Of course, this segment peaked during Orange Cassidy's "global warming" monologue, and Jericho's expressions perfectly encapsulated the viewer's reaction as well.
AEW may get criticized for bringing over names from their biggest rival, WWE, as well as defunct promotions like ECW and WCW, but Eric Bischoff's appearance was strictly booked to elevate the main performers in this segment.
#4: Matt Hardy got bloodied after calling out Sammy Guevara
Matt Hardy's AEW run hasn't been the most successful so far. He has peaked in bits and pieces since appearing on Tony Khan's promotion, but Hardy's infamous "Broken" persona didn't get over as well as one hoped it would.
Under normal circumstances, the wacky character's appearances may have been fuelled by crowd reactions, but in these unprecedented times, the absence of an organic crowd has hurt "Broken" Matt Hardy's run in AEW.
That is why the man came out to give an update on AEW Dynamite this week, where Hardy assured that this is a place where storylines and characters are booked on the basis of what the people want, which is why it's time to bring back his normal persona.
Simultaneously, Hardy addressed his problems with The Inner Circle's Sammy Guevara, and unfortunately for him, Guevara ambushed Hardy and bloodied the latter in the process.
Despite a nonchalant response to Broken Matt in AEW, I still believe that the company should take advantage of these times and book a cinematic match between Guevara and Hardy soon.
#3: Santana & Ortiz destroyed Trent's mom's minivan
The Inner Circle members appeared in different instances on last night's edition of AEW Dynamite. While Chris Jericho (accompanied by Jake Hager) debated against Orange Cassidy in a popular segment, Sammy Guevara beat up Matt Hardy.
Meanwhile, Santana & Ortiz wrestled in a tag team match against Best Friends (Trent & Chuckie T). The bout itself was fine in comparison to some of the best matches we saw on this week's AEW Dynamite, and Best Friends picked up the victory here.
But Santana & Ortiz didn't take the loss too lightly, as both of them proceeded to demolish a popular minivan that has escorted both Chuckie T & Trent into the arena in recent times.
But as it is with Pro-Wrestling's golden rule, you simply can't make it personal and expect to get away with it, and as silly as it may sound, Trent won't rest until he gets some revenge for what happened to his mom's minivan.
AEW's Tag Team Division is just too stacked at the moment, and even though it has been quite fun in recent times, the Tag Team Titles scenario, as well as FTR's equation with The Young Bucks, is far more interesting than Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz.
#2: Cody found his next TNT title challenger after wrestling alongside Matt Cardona
We know that Cody Rhodes and Zack Ryder are real-life friends, so it was good to see that Ryder, who goes by the name 'Matt Cardona' in AEW, made his in-ring debut for the company in a tag team match with Cody by his side.
Usually, Dark Order minions don't make a huge impact inside the ring. As a matter of fact, an average viewer probably forgets about their identities as soon as AEW moves on to the next segment or match.
But John Silver and Alex Reynolds left a great impression on last night's edition of AEW Dynamite. They moved and gelled perfectly together, and if the Dark Order ever decides to go after the tag team titles, these two men should be the ones representing Brodie Lee's faction.
Matt Cardona also made an impressive debut and pinned Alex Reynolds for the win, but it was after the match, where Scorpio Sky briefly came out and hinted that he wanted a shot at Cody's TNT Title.
Cody vs. Scorpio Sky should be an excellent bout on next week's episode.
#1: Jon Moxley defeated Darby Allin in a fantastic and bloody main event
Blood was used not once, but twice on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite.
Jon Moxley successfully defended his AEW World title against Darby Allin, and it was definitely the match of the night. Moxley had to push for that extra mile in order to win a match that he almost lost, thanks to MJF's shenanigans.
It would make sense why MJF wanted Moxley to lose the title last night, which is why he struck the champion's face with the AEW World Championship, while Wardlow distracted the referee.
This is not to say that Darby Allin is any less capable, but Jon Moxley is just on a whole different level at the moment. Once again, Allin proved that he deserves to become a future World Champion. Moxley even embraced him to show respect at the end of this week's AEW Dynamite.
Clearly, MJF vs. Jon Moxley is the big feud from this point onwards, and while MJF's antics will surely make up for an interesting buildup, I believe it's about time that management should add more accomplishments when it comes to Darby Allin's in-ring career.
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