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From Hangman Page and The Young Bucks returning at the end of the episode to Jake 'The Snake' Roberts and Arn Anderson's confrontation before AEW Double or Nothing, this week's edition of AEW Dynamite featured many contrasting moments.
There was nothing particularly wrong about this episode, but you could sense that it was less exciting than AEW's usual content, especially when Double or Nothing takes place a few days from now.
Perhaps they wanted to save the best for the actual pay-per-view, and this week's Dynamite may have been the calm before the storm.
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 (May 20, 2020).
#5: Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson got into a heated conversation before AEW Double or Nothing
AEW previously advertised a sit-down confrontation between these two veterans in the business. Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson's clients will face each other in the final round of AEW's TNT Championship Tournament at Double or Nothing.
Interestingly, Jake & Arn never had a singles bout with each other, and that was explored during this conversation as well.
For Lance Archer, Jake Roberts talked about how The Murder Hawk Monster will obliterate Cody this Saturday. Archer has been one of the most destructive forces in AEW so far. In the kayfabe realm, he almost ended Dustin Rhodes' in-ring career a few weeks ago.
For Cody, Arn Anderson conveyed that The American Nightmare must win the TNT title to prove that he can lead this company both inside and outside an executive office.
Arn and Jake almost transitioned into a brawl with each other before the officials had to break up this affair and save it for some other time.
#4: Fenix defeated Orange Cassidy as the participants of the Casino Ladder Match engaged in a multi-man brawl
Before Orange Cassidy and Fenix could go at it against each other, AEW rolled footage where PAC took some shots at Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.
There is only one participant of the Casino Ladder Match left to be revealed at AEW Double or Nothing. PAC could very well end up in that spot this Saturday.
Orange Cassidy vs. Fenix was probably the most engaging bout of last night's show, except the fact that it had to end in a cheap finish, where Kip Sabian intervened and cost Cassidy an important victory.
A number of participants of the Casino Ladder Match followed Kip Sabian and started brawling with each other after the bout.
The participants of the upcoming Ladder Match haven't had enough time to interact with each other, so AEW made sure to finish the buildup with an epic brawl for all parties concerned.
However, Darby Allin made his presence felt with a more subtle approach last night, where Allin posted a cryptic video for his rivals at AEW Double or Nothing.
#3: Nyla Rose pinned Hikaru Shida ahead of their title match at AEW Double or Nothing
Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander teamed up against Britt Baker and the AEW Women's World Champion, Nyla Rose this week.
Unfortunately, the AEW Women's Division has been plagued with in-ring blunders for a long time now, and last night's show was no different.
Britt Baker may have been injured during a spot in the match and given that she is scheduled to wrestle Kris Statlander this Saturday, it wouldn't be good news if she were legitimately compromised last night.
Hopefully, Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida fare better at AEW Double or Nothing, since a No Disqualification stipulation always spices up a pro-wrestling match.
Speaking of which, Rose successfully pinned her Double or Nothing opponent this week, but Shida got back at her with a table spot a few moments later.
This effectively conveyed that even though Nyla Rose may be tough to beat in a straight-up singles match, Hikaru Shida could easily gain an advantage with the No Disqualification stipulation this Saturday.
#2: Jon Moxley broke a Dark Order minion's arm to send a message to Brodie Lee
Jon Moxley and Brodie Lee's AEW feud has been a mixed bag of content so far.
One important arc of this storyline has revolved around the fact that Mr. Lee stole Moxley's AEW World title. In order to get back at The Exalted One, Moxley injured Lee's most prestigious minion.
After defeating "10" in singles competition, Moxley dared Lee to come out. He trapped 10's arm with a chair, and when Lee refused to save his minion, Moxley smashed another steel chair onto his victim's arm.
Although Moxley could care less about compromising relatively innocent people, it is Brodie Lee's sadistic manner that was highlighted this week.
The AEW version of Brodie Lee has been viewed as one big cheap shot towards Vince McMahon, but last week, Lee did reveal that his character was simply inspired by mafia movies in general.
You could see how Lee came to be the Godfather of lost souls within the Dark Order, but just like a fictionalized version of a gangster, Lee cares most about protecting his image at any cost, and the fact that he simply sacrificed one of his minions showed us the limits he is willing to cross in AEW.
#1: The Young Bucks and Hangman Page returned to aid Kenny Omega against The Inner Circle
Say what you want about the rest of the episode, but AEW Dynamite ended on a promising note this week.
After Matt Hardy defeated Sammy Guevara in the main event, The Inner Circle was seen brutalizing Kenny Omega in an empty stadium.
The Stadium Stampede match has favored The Inner Circle because of their tight chemistry and also the fact that we haven't seen Adam Page and The Young Bucks on AEW Dynamite for several weeks.
That changed last night when The Elite showed up in full force to even the odds against Chris Jericho's Inner Circle.
The show ended on an interesting note as it still felt like Hangman Page wasn't on the same boat as the rest of his teammates. There is still a solid chance that he might snap against Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks this Saturday.
With Hangman's Page future in question, it will be interesting to see how The Elite bands together in what should be the most entertaining match at AEW Double or Nothing.
