AEW is lighting the fuse and bringing the boom for a Saturday night edition of Dynamite. To help you get hyped, AEW released AEW Road To Saturday Night Dynamite. Brandi Rhodes shot down conspiracies that The Deadly Draw was made just to make her a champion, Sammy Guevara apologized for not hurting Matt Hardy worse than he did, and Cody Rhodes discussed how confidence plays into his TNT Championship fight against Mr. Brodie Lee.
Of the three segments, Sammy Guevara’s non-apology to Matt Hardy was the most delightful. Sammy asked for time to address the incident of busting Hardy open with a chair. That part kicks in at the 4:42 mark of AEW Road To Saturday Night Dynamite.
Production dude: You asked for this time to speak about your action about Matt Hardy, what do you have to say?
Sammy Guevara: Yeah. Thank you for this time. Things got out of hand, and they got out of hand quickly. It hurts me to say this, right? I’ve been doing this for ten years. I pride myself on being a professional, and I failed at that. I don’t expect people to believe me. I don’t expect you guys to believe me. But, all I ask is that you listen.
Matt, and I hope you’re watching this, because growing up you were like a childhood hero to me. And, man, I’m sorry. That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say. I’m sorry. Thank you, guys. I’m just sorry. I’m sorry I...
I’m sorry I didn’t BUST your head open twice, brother. I’m sorry I didn’t throw the chair harder. You think I give a damn what I did to Matt Hardy? I don’t care. I wish I would have done it more. He got 13 stitches. I wish it was 36 more.
Matt Hardy. Oh, Broken. Wait, sorry. He doesn’t want to be Broken anymore. He wants to be the old version. No. What does he want to be? He wants to be the new version. No. God, Matt. There’s so many versions of you it has me asking the question of, Matt, how many versions of yourself do you have to play until you realize we don’t just give a shit about you anymore.
Do you (production dude) care about Matt? Answer me. Do you care about Matt?
Production dude: Yes.
Guevara: Oh, you do. Okay. Sorry, Matt. My apologies. The guys who still care about you are the people who are paid and obligated to like you.
Matt Hardy, I know everybody’s mad that I beat you up, that I busted your head, but I did that on purpose. And guess what. Everybody wants to be mad at me? Be more mad. I mean, Matt, even your own wife’s mad at me. Hi, Reby. Be prepared to be a lot more mad, because this is far, FAR from over.
That was an effective promo from Sammy Guevara. I strongly assumed that Sammy would come out on top of this feud. With Sammy doubling down on his sliminess, it makes me want to see Hardy succeed in his quest for blood. Sammy was so unlikable that it makes me doubt my previous assumption of the victor. How can that weasel end up on top? The fact that I asked that question shows how this promo added a sense of unpredictability to their eventual showdown, which in turn should make it a better match.
The episode opened with Tony Schiavone interviewing Brandi Rhodes about The Deadly Draw women’s tag team tournament. Brandi didn’t seem too concerned about wrestling Ivy and Del Monte (Ivelisse and Diamante). She laughed off the idea that they would be a challenge. That caused Schiavone to bluntly ask her opinion about fans that think this tournament was created solely to make Brandi a champion. She explained that this is a means to an end to secure a second action figure. That is what would make her whole.
I am highly entertained by this new turn from Brandi. Her delusions of grandeur make for a great side character. While I do look forward to seeing someone knock her block off, I am also sort of rooting for the Nightmare Sisters to win The Deadly Draw. With fans coming back next week in a limited capacity, I want to see how they react to Brandi. Will it be love as part of the Rhodes family? Or will Brandi be showered with boos as the perceived puppet master of the women’s division?
The closing segment was dedicated to the TNT Championship contest. Taz, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone analyzed the matchup between Cody Rhodes and Mr. Brodie Lee. The closing musical montage gave me goosebumps of anticipation for tonight’s big fight. I am now sufficiently hyped. Kick his ass, Cody!
Cody brought up a good point about how confidence can make an opponent dangerous. I think that can also be applied to Cody. His championship confidence has carried him through some of these open challenge wars. And I don’t mean his overconfident showboating. I’m talking about when Cody gets in a hole and pulls himself out to overcome. That kind of success helps build an iron will.
Did Sammy Guevara’s promo sell you on his fight with Matt Hardy? What odds are you giving Cody Rhodes to retain the TNT Championship?