One week after Blood & Guts, AEW brought forth an even bigger episode of AEW Dynamite, featuring title defenses of the IWGP United States Championship, AEW World Tag Team Championships, and the TNT Championship. Here’s a look at the AEW Dynamite results for Wednesday night, featuring ratings and analysis.
AEW Dynamite Results & Ratings (5/12/21)
— IWGP United States Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Yuji Nagata
Winner: Jon Moxley
Rating: 3.50 (***1/2)
— AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks (c) vs. SCU
Winner: The Young Bucks
Rating: 3.75 (***3/4)
— No. 1 Contender For AEW World Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. PAC
Winner: Draw
Rating: 3.25 (***1/4)
— Thunder Rosa vs. Jazmin Allure
Winner: Thunder Rosa
Rating: 1.00 (*)
— TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Miro
Winner: Miro
Rating: 3.25 (***1/4)
In-Depth Match Analysis
IWGP United States Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Yuji Nagata
We are moments away from the start of #AEWDynamite and we kick it off with the @njpwglobal United States Heavyweight Championship match with @JonMoxley defending against @njpw1972's @nagata769
Tune into @tntdrama NOW! pic.twitter.com/dxfLxIH871— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 12, 2021
It’s a big fight feel for any title match, but when it’s AEW vs. New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), it feels even more special. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley laid down the gauntlet to former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and NJPW legend Yuji Nagata for this match and it delivered to its magnitude. Moxley and Nagata essentially dropped bombs on each other from beginning to end, hitting one another with massive strikes whether it be forearms or kicks. There was a beautiful near fall where it looked like the legend Nagata was going to win, but Moxley managed to survive at the last second. If you have seen Moxley wrestle in New Japan compared to AEW, there is a certain aggression difference in his NJPW matches. He hits harder, more often, and holds back very little.
That’s the version we got from him tonight while Nagata reached into the fountain of youth and showed out as well. An elevated Death Rider (aka Paradigm Shift) DDT spelled the end for Nagata. After the match, these two showed one another immense respect after an all-out war.
This match was really everything you wanted from it. Moxley at his best against the legend Nagata, who was able to wrestle as though he was still in his prime. These two men not only told a story but just had a fight that is sometimes the best version of a match in professional wrestling. It’s worth checking out for all wrestling fans.
TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Miro
The @AEWonTNT Championship will be defended TONIGHT on #AEWDynamite LIVE, as @DarbyAllin goes for his 10th straight defense when he faces @ToBeMiro! If Darby cannot compete…he'll forfeit the title.
Watch Dynamite tonight at 8/7c on @tntdrama! pic.twitter.com/Q6ZmGEU1tO
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 12, 2021
There was a specific feeling in the air when this match was beginning. Miro showed unmatched confidence, while Darby Allin showed a different form of mystique that almost felt as though he didn’t think he would make it out of this one. Before the match began, Miro beat Allin around the ring for no less than five minutes. He made easy work of him and it felt as there was zero chance the champion would have a fighting shot at retaining his title. But as Allin has shown all throughout his reign, he fought with every ounce of fight he had left to the final bell. These two simply wrecked each other, with Allin taking most of the damage. It was both terrifying as it was beautiful violence. Miro was the possessed destroyer that many had been asking for all these years really.
Despite a great effort, Allin could not survive. Miro locked in a devastating Camel Clutch that wrenched Allin in half. The match was ended via referee stoppage and there was a new TNT Champion.
We have learned in only a year of the TNT Championship that it is utilized to build stars — whether it be with the reign itself or one devastating, one-sided win. Brodie Lee‘s dominating win over Cody Rhodes to become champion is something that will be remembered forever. And though Allin had far more fight than Rhodes did on that night, this was a moment to make Miro the monster he always has been destined to be. If you like unadulterated brutality, this match is the one for you. Miro finally took his spot as one of the best monsters in wrestling as Allin officially established himself as the main event underdog AEW has always wanted him to be.
More from LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
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