Those Dynamite Kids - Dynamite recap for March 18, 2020

The show starts with "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes standing alone in the middle of a wrestling ring in an empty arena, with the arena dark save for a spotlight on the wrestling ring itself. Cody says he has never thought of his world as small before, but recent events can put into perspective we all are, and that it has clarified how big and important the service AEW provides is. Cody says that the irony in what he is about to ask is not lost on him, for he is about to ask three of the best athletes in the world to discard their petty differences and stand together, as we must stand together as human beings. For many, that means standing at a distance. Cody says that everyone must be informed and held responsible by health and science, but there is a profound difference in that and living in a prison of fear, which he does not consider living at all. He says that he is alive right now, and that he hopes the audience is alive as well. He tells Matt Jackson he knows that he is listening, and also says that Tony Kahn is second-most responsible for AEW existing. He says that Matt Jackson is a tag team expert and master, but that only means that Matt has to work harder, and that his anger with "Hangman" Adam Page is misplaced. Cody says that he does not need his hanger; instead, he needs his wisdom and he needs him to carry Nick Jackson's heart into tonight's match so The Elite can win Blood & Guts. He also says that he gets tired of putting over Adam Page and saying that he is the best wrestler in all of The Elite with a combination of light heavyweight skill and accuracy melded with heavyweight stopping power in the Buckshot Lariat. He felt that he would be the first AEW World Champion, but he lost to Chris Jericho. He tells Page to get over it and become the difference maker and the reason for why The Elite will win Blood & Guts instead of "the other guy in The Elite." Cody then addresses his friendship with Kenny Omega, and while they do not always like each other and argue over who is "1A" and "1B" until they are blue in the face and somebody passes them by, but this is Blood & Guts and he needs "the real Kenny Omega" who stood in front of others and proclaimed himself best in the world. Cody says he needs The Elite to be elite, then Matt Jackson and Kenny Omega show up. Omega says that they would usually speak in front of an arena of people, but they are friends talking to friends. Omega admits they have not always seen eye to eye, but the world is falling apart around them and everything they built could fall apart by next week, and he says that there might not even be an episode of Dynamite next week. He says that if it were up to him, he would go out the same way they came in: as The Elite. Matt says he loves the call to action for The Elite, and says that Omega is not wrong, but it is just the three of them and they know what The Inner Circle did to Nick, who could not even get on the airplane and is out indefinitely. Matt asks where Page is, but Cody and Omega do not know. Suddenly, Page shows up, and Matt says that while things have been a little strange between them the past few weeks, and while they cannot fix this either tonight or in a couple of weeks, he asks Page as a man if he will stand with The Elite. Page raises his cup of beer, drinks from it, and leaves. Omega says he knows people are watching on television, and says that while it is hard to feel their energy, they are out there, and AEW means the best for everyone. He says that all they can do is give the best they can do, and everybody needs some positivity and entertainment and they must give the best possible show they and everyone in AEW can give. He asks for the lights and the pyro, and declares that Dynamite begin.

We see a video package for The Death Triangle (PAC, Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix).

Tony Schiavone interviews MJF, who says he is outside of the ring because he does not have to wrestle. He says that while the winner's purse is big, he is sitting back and resting his undefeated body while letting the undercard talent get their TV time while he gets real money with Shawn Spears. Tony asks Spears and MJF if they are gambling, and MJF yells at him for accusing them of gambling before asking if he wants in on the action.

Brandi Rhodes is the ring announcer for tonight's show, and the top of her chyron reads "Said she would never ring announce again." (This is because ring announcer Justin Roberts could not make it.) Orange Cassidy guests on commentary for the net match.

The Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) beat Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent) after Pentagon Jr. kicks Trent in the groin behind the referee's back. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviews Best Friends, and Chuck Taylor calls The Death Triangle (PAC, Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix) "a bunch of chumps," and says that if they want to kick Trent in the groin, then they will challenge them to a Street Fight in an actual street or parking lot on the next Dynamite.

Hikaru Shida beats Penelope Ford, Kris Statlander and Riho in a four-way match.

Tony Schiavone interviews Colt Cabana, who admits that while tonight's empty arena is pretty weird, tonight's show has been great. After saying that Penelope Ford is great and that she would do better if she were not scheming with "Superbad" Kip Sabian, Sabian - still at ringside - takes exception to what Colt says and wants to fight him. Colt slaps Sabian in the face, and he walks away with Penelope Ford.

We see footage from earlier today of Tony Schiavone interviewing Jon Moxley. Moxley says he goes where he wants when he wants to, and says he has never been medically cleared in his blind spot. Moxley says he will let off some steam by driving around in his new sports car, and says that wherever The Inner Circle goes, he will always be in their blind spot, and when Blood & Guts happens, he will not miss it for the world.

Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy) beat The Butcher and The Blade after MJF inadvertently costs The Butcher and The Blade the match by calling for them to hit Full Death from the front row.

The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) show up. Evil Uno says that he hopes the production team is as smart as he thinks they are and focuses on his eye so that he can speak to his people. He then states that The Exalted One is near, and when he arrives, he will breathe new life into The Dark Order. Evil Uno says that Stu Grayson, John Silver and Alex Reynolds have done his bidding in preparation for tonight, and tonight, their eyes will see what he sees, for he has promised them and the the arrival of The Exalted One, for he never lies or breaks his promises because he cares about his fellow man, and together, The Dark Order is one and The Exalted One is near. Suddenly, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian show up from the front row, and Daniels tells The Dark Order to stop as Evil Uno has told lies for three straight months and wasted everyone's time, and they are sick of it. He says that The Exalted One is the biggest lie of all, and that it is just Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. Suddenly, a video plays on the video screen, and The Exalted One finally shows up, saying we will soon know who he is. He states that The Dark Order does what it wants when it wants, and if he wants something, he will take it. He says that if The Dark Order knocks on the door, you open it, and if you do not, he will personally kick the door open and lead The Dark Order through it. He then unmasks to reveal himself as Brodie Lee, formerly known as Luke Harper in WWE, and tells Daniels that he is very unsafe and that he will not go unpunished, saying he is not the first "out of touch old man" not to believe in him and that he will ensure he is the last. Brodie Lee then confirms that he is The Exalted One. When the video is over, Brodie Lee is in the ring with Uno and Grayson, and The Dark Order attack Daniels and Kazarian.

(This video is unlisted because you can Brodie Lee walking through the stage entrance at around 2:39; the video below carefully and wisely edits this out.)

Tony Schiavone interviews Lance Archer and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Roberts says that Archer is not here to talk, and that they laid the gauntlet at "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes' feet for nothing, and that neither of them play games. He says it is one thing for Cody to keep away from them, but to ignore them is like spitting in his face, and they will not have it. He tells Cody it is time to stand up and meet the man, and says that while this did not start out as something personal, it now has, and they will get his attention now that he has not met them head-on. We then see a vignette for Lance Archer and Jake "The Snake" Roberts where Archer gets in a backyard wrestling ring the middle of a rural area and takes on all comers while Roberts watches. During the video package, a photo of Cody with the word "Caesar" in red letters is shown, and a man is choke slammed onto a car after Archer leaves the ring.

On the next Dynamite: Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus in a lumberjack match! The Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent) in a parking lot fight! The Inner Circle vs. The Elite in Blood & Guts!

Chris Jericho guests on commentary for the next match.

The Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, Jake Hager) beat The Elite ("The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes, Matt Jackson, "Hangman" Adam Page) to get the advantage at Blood & Guts after Hager stops an Indytaker attempt by Page and Jackson. After the match, Hericho says he knew The Inner Circle would win and that he is banning fans from all future AEW events until he says so as The Inner Circle does not need "pumpkin-headed disphits"chanting for members of The Elite. He also reveals that The Inner Circle attacked Nick Jackson last week and says that The Elite does not stand a chance. He also says that there has never been a problem between the members of The Inner Circle and that they have done nothing but win in AEW, and that Blood & Guts will be no different. All of a sudden, a drone shows up, interrupting Jericho. Matt Jackson then tells Jericho that The Elite has a fifth man and that he made a phone call to a friend who owed him a favor. Piano music then plays, and "Broken" Matt Hardy is seen in the bleachers to end the show.

Here are the top five moments from tonight's show!