Sissy Rambles About AEW Matches in 2022 (Part 1: January-February)

Sissy Analyzes Random Things: Sissy Rambles About AEW Matches in 2022 (Part 1: January-February)

There's no awards here. I have no standing in the wrasslin' world. I'm just a ditz who's gonna ramble about good ass matches.

Let's cut to the chase here. I'll split the best matches by the month, with any honorable mentions for said month. The honorable mentions will be sorted by date. Once the year's over, there's a match of the year with two or maybe three honorable mentions.

The matches are also split with the best matches in the men's and women's divisions. Even though the tag team is its own separate division, it'll fall into the men's category here for obvious reasons. There will also be a bonus "Because I liked it, okay?" part... because I can do that, I guess.

Enough talk, let's get started here.

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January

Match of the Month

Men: January 26 (Dynamite - Beach Break) - Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara (Part III. Yes, it's Part III.) (Unification Ladder Match for the TNT Championship)

All is truly right in my biased little world once again. A bunch of my favorite wrestle boys received, reclaimed, or retained their title belts in January. I will enjoy it while it lasts.

On the TV broadcast, there was no opener. We went right to the match. However, Sammy's and Cody's entrances were right on AEW's YouTube channel. As for statistics? Cody had already defeated Sammy twice before, and we all know that the second time was... well, let's just say that it was not well received. Anyway, about the match itself...

I... was left speechless. Here, you have two men who enjoy playing their skills to the crowd. And then you add ladders to it? This match is absolute proof of Cody's words; it proves that the TNT Championship is definitely not a secondary belt here (well, it technically is, but the matches for it are pretty good). Seriously, watch the damn match. Do not watch just the highlights. Watch the whole damn thing.

It gets even more poignant when we all discovered that Cody left AEW in mid February. And it's even more of a bookend when we discovered that Sammy was Cody's first and last opponent on Dynamite.

Women: January 21 (Rampage) - Jade Cargill vs. Anna Jay (TBS Championship Match)

I'll be honest, I like Jade. I know that Jade's still a little green in the ring (no pun intended; she does say that she's "green like money", and I am not going to argue with that one bit), and I also know that she's definitely doing her absolute damndest to improve her skills.

But with all of that being said, this was a good match. In my opinion, it was Jade's and Anna's best singles match to date, and they really showed their strengths here. Jade's definitely getting more comfortable in playing to the audience and having fun while doing it. Seriously, if the crowd starts counting along while you're doing push-ups in the ring? It shows that you're having fun with it.

Honorable Mentions - Men

January 5 (Dynamite) - "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson (Part II) (AEW World Championship Match; if this match went to 60 minutes, three judges at ringside would decide the winner.)

Honest confession here: I adore Hangman (thanks to his story of self-confidence that got him to the path of becoming champion), but I will always put my biases aside every time I analyze these matches. Even if his title defenses don't end up being the match of the month, I can't deny that they have been or probably will be good enough to be honorable mentions. Now, to describe this match.

Good gravy, they started the year swinging heavily. This match pretty much set off a high bar to begin the month with some intense storytelling to put this feud to a rather bloody end. The day of the match (actually nearly 40 minutes prior to Dynamite even airing!), we found out that it was the first match of the TBS era of Dynamite. And like the calm and rational person that I was at the time... I completely lost my shit. I wondered, "Are they gonna go another whole ass 60 minutes?" I also typed that in caps to my boyfriend along with a string of "OH GOD OH FUCK". Yeah, I'll admit it.

Anyway, it turned out that we didn't need 60. We ended up with nearly 30. You could sense the champ's urgency by wanting to finish this match as quickly as possible, especially since he said that he could slay the dragon in less than an hour. And of course, he had to pull off his usual brand of good ass Cowboy Shit to keep that promise. He didn't want to win via judges' decision. He wanted to win with his own hands, and it showed. This was the first televised match of the year, and it actually sat there as the match of the month for the men until the TNT unification ladder match kicked it off of its perch. It's still a damn good second place.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend watching this match by itself, since it's pretty much the end of a chapter in the champ's reign. Start at the November 17, 2021 Dynamite episode, watch everything leading up to last year's match at Winter is Coming... and yes, watch the match from that, too. I know that people complained about it being a time limit draw, but let's be honest. The draw from that match was not just a call back, it was also needed to make this Dynamite match make sense.

January 8 (Battle of the Belts) - Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara (Interim TNT Championship Match)
(It was originally going to be Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship, but Cody came into contact with family that had Covid-19 and was required to quarantine as a precaution. Thankfully, neither he or Brandi contracted the virus.)

As a whole, the Battle of the Belts was... well, it was there. It wasn't terrible, it was just a decent waste of an hour. This was the first match of the evening, and if I can be honest, the only one that was pretty much worth watching (especially for a certain table spot, though I was worried about what would happen since another certain table spot on the 5th caused a seriously gnarly looking injury). Dustin Rhodes is a class act, and seeing him in action every once in a while is pretty neat. He doesn't have to be inside the ring, either.

January 14 (Rampage) - Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and John Silver) (AEW World Tag Team Championship Match)

Silver and Reynolds may be entertaining outside of the ring, but inside? They always show that they're no joke. It's a good match with four effective competitors. What more needs to be said here?

January 19 (Dynamite) - The Acclaimed ("Platinum" Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) vs. Darby Allin and Sting

Goth phase, huh? It's anything but one. Thought you could try to take the human wrecking ball named Darby Allin out and it would work for the whole match? Nah, have Sting literally keep the pace with two much younger dudes.

Sting is 62, by the way.

January 21 (Rampage) - Nick Jackson vs. Trent Beretta
(This match was originally supposed to be the Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice, but Rocky Romero contracted Covid-19. This match does indeed happen in February.)

Just because the younger Jackson brother is mainly a tag team guy doesn't mean that he's a slouch in the singles department. I honestly prefer the Bucks as heels, since they are really great at being some of the hammiest villains ever. Lucha Libre!

January 25 (Dark) - Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yeah, we all know that Yuta's basically a glorified jobber here, but... even the jobbers have the potential to not be jokes. Yuta going toe to toe against freaking Penta is not a joke. It's like you got a Dynamite style match without having to even watch Dynamite.

January 26 (Dynamite - Beach Break) - Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Cole (Unsanctioned Lights Out Match)

This is a reminder that you should never piss off Orange Cassidy.

Though this match was mostly bloodless (the only blood here came from Cassidy's hand), it didn't mean that it was not going to hurt. A cup laced with thumbtacks. Low blows and fighting backstage. A long drop at the entrance and crashing through the stage to end it all. My boyfriend knew that Cole was going to lose this match, but remember... it doesn't hurt his standings, his reputation, or his record. Lights Out matches are unsanctioned, meaning that they won't affect a competitor's win-loss record at all. I don't know why people lost their shit at Cole's loss here. It's not a big deal. Kenny Omega and Britt Baker also lost Lights Out matches, too. And guess what? They ended up holding title belts. The bitching about this particular loss was completely ridiculous.

I'm surprised that those people didn't add his loss in the Falls Count Anywhere match at last year's Full Gear for the extra whiny spice.

Anyway, while this ends the feud, both competitors will move on to their next places in their storylines. And in Adam Cole's case? I'm sensing a battle with a certain other Adam at Revolution. Get your snacks and drinks for that one, good people. Can't wait for some Cowboy Shit... baybay.

Honorable Mentions - Women

Sadly... I have no true honorable mentions for the women here. I'd like to mention Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Riho at the Battle of the Belts, but if you're going to watch that, just watch for those ladies' skills in the ring. Unfortunately, that match was bogged down heavily by the good doctor's henchwomen being overly constant distractions and the ref taking way too damn long to finally eject them from ringside.

(While writing this up, I discovered that Riho broke her collarbone during this match and still carried on like a trooper. Holy crap. January must've been the month of injuries there. The superstitious side of me thinks that the bloody match from Hangman and Danielson may have been some accidental blood sacrifice or something. Ironically, Beach Break didn't have any serious injuries, thank goodness.)

Also... can we please have some solid storytelling in the women's division? Please? If we can get that, we can hopefully move on to at least a second match on Dynamite or something.

"Because I liked it, okay?" Mentions

January 5 (Dynamite) - MJF vs. "Captain" Shawn Dean

And that match didn't really happen because CM Punk did a Go To Sleep on Dean and gave MJF his first loss of the year, messing up the Salt of the Earth's chance to rise up the ranks and challenge Hangman.

For now.

January 11 (Dark) - "Hangman" Adam Page, Alan "5" Angels, and 10 vs. Matt Hardy, Isiah Kassidy, and Serpentico (Trios Match; if Hardy's team won, he'd get an instant title shot for the AEW World Championship on the January 12th episode of Dynamite.)

Let's be honest; if Serpentico's on your team, it's an automatic loss. The End.

Yes, I know that I said that I'd put my biases aside. But sometimes, you just have to succumb to them every once in a while. I mean, seeing Cowboy Shit? On Dark? Yes, please! I just watch this match for my own amusement, and mainly for Serpentico's antics.

January 12 (Dynamite) - Sammy Guevara vs. Daniel Garcia (Interim TNT Championship Match)

No, I'm not putting a match here because it's my birthday. And no, it's not because one of my favorite AEW guys has a belt on my birthday, either. Ironically, around this time, a handful of my favorites were holding the AEW World Championship, the Interim TNT Championship, the TBS Championship, and the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Why not have a lot of my favorites hold a belt?

Anyway, we all know what Sammy's capable of. However, Daniel Garcia is a super talented guy here. I can honestly see him with the TNT title in the future. If this pace keeps up, it'll definitely be around his waist. This is more of a "Watch This Space" kind of thing.

January 19 (Dynamite) - The Return of Jon Moxley

I know, I'm cheating, it's not even a match. But it's my list, and I can do whatever the hell I want with it.

There's nothing wrong with needing and getting help for any problem. He didn't need to apologize for it. And he's much better for getting the help that he needed. Also, fuck the guy that jeered him. Dumbass spent money for a ticket just to get tossed out in like the first five minutes of Dynamite. Hope it was worth it.

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February

Match of the Month

Men: February 2 (Dynamite) - CM Punk vs. MJF (Part I)

"Second City. So I beat that bum twice."

Y'all can't say that Maxwell Jacob Friedman's only good at saying things into the funny talking stick any more. His big matches are usually reserved for the Pay-Per-Views... and for good reason. If you're getting an MJF match (that isn't a squash match, mind you) on regular ass TV, you're getting a PPV match for free. Not only that... it's CM Punk vs. MJF! In Chicago! On regular ass TV!

The false finish was fine, but the only minor downside for this match was the actual finish, in my opinion. Yes, Max is a heel, and he has to use heel tactics, but... does he need to rely on his ring almost every time? But that's neither here nor there since his entire aesthetic is basically an old school wrestling heel gimmick.

It's pretty funny that one of my favorite faces and one of my favorite heels in this company shattered a legend's undefeated streak this year. And then it might culminate in said favorite heel dethroning said favorite face for the AEW World Championship? And then the heel will probably get lava hot heat for it because the face is one of the most beloved guys in the company? Yeah, 2022 is going to be wild.

(And it turns out that we're getting Part II at Revolution. Stipulation? Dog Collar Match.)

Women: February 4 (Rampage) and February 16 (Dynamite) - Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa (February 16 match was a No Disqualification match)

(About the Feb. 4 match)
Finally, the women's division is getting storylines... sort of. Now we know why Mercedes Martinez is here; she was hired by the good doctor to take out Rosa. Does this mean that we're getting a match between Baker and Rosa at Revolution? Please say yes. And if this match happens, will the title change hands? I feel like it will happen.

Even though this match ended in a disqualification via Mercedes using a pipe to smack Rosa with it, this part of the story is far from over.

Yeah, it's a DQ. And I hate to say it, but that kinda took the fun out of this match a bit. But that was only needed to set up the February 16th match, so it makes sense.

(About the Feb. 16 match)
"Kill Britt", anyone? This is what happens when you let two talented ladies just go at it in the ring. Brutally crazy stuff here.

(The Feb. 18 edition of Rampage confirmed it; we are getting Baker vs. Rosa at Revolution.)

Honorable Mentions - Men

February 4 (Rampage) - "Absolute" Ricky Starks vs. Jay Lethal (FTW Championship Match)

About time we saw these two guys in action again. And not just in a match together, but in general. It's also about damn time that something's happening with the FTW belt. That belt needs to be challenged for more often, honestly. This was a super solid bout, especially when it came to the ending. It's a very good honorable mention.

Seriously, more Ricky Starks, please.

February 9 (Dynamite) - CM Punk and Jon Moxley vs. FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler)

So CM Punk gets a dude who just loves to brawl as his tag team partner because he was forbidden from teaming up with Sting or Darby. And where's the harm in that, really? Perhaps it was a favor since Darby and Mox are pretty much allies... or more likely, because Mox was the person who wrecked MJF's undefeated streak in the past. You want four awesome guys in a tag team match? Here, have four awesome guys in a tag team match. Enjoy some brawling mixed with some old school wrasslin'. I'm definitely here for this.

February 9 (Dynamite) - "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Lance Archer (AEW World Championship Match; Texas Death Match)

"Hey, Hangman, just to let you know, Lance noted that it was a Texas Death Match."

"...A what?"

And now, a rant.

"That reaction made him look like a weak champion," my fucking ass!

Yes, let's ignore how much of a sweet and silly guy that he can be at times because he has the belt and somehow needs to be an instant hardcore badass every waking minute. Clearly, some folks don't want or care to remember his personality traits. It's like the first two years of AEW need to poof into ash simply because he won the damn title.

He's known as the "Anxious Millennial Cowboy" for a reason. If getting the belt nullified his development, he would've reverted right back to being the standard babyface who those same people shat on in the very beginning of this entire promotion for being "boring" and "overhyped". There's a reason why we went on a whole two year journey with this man.

Hell, his lower third nameplate graphics still poke fun at him, even though he's the damn world champion. They even poked fun at him even when he was part of a championship tag team with Kenny. I don't know how or why those people ignored those facts, too.

Sorry for the rant, it's just that the completely idiotic "weak champion" reactions that he's been getting lately just make me want to bang my head against a wall. Now let's talk about the match itself.

No matter how you slice it, he's a badass when he needs to be. This was Page's third title defense, and not only was it the shortest, it might have been his craziest one so far. It's funny how the title defense times have been practically cut in half from a full 60, to nearly 30, and now this one took a little over 15 minutes (15:29, to be exact). At least his fourth title defense won't be 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

The buildup to this match was pretty mediocre, to be honest. However, I still counted down the days. I painted my nails red for this, just because I wanted to. I also should've known that it'd get serious since the cowboy's fact sheet on AEW's twitter prior to this match had his actual statistics on it.

I was ready to hum along to Ghost Town Triumph, but then I remembered something crucial... Lance Archer loves to beat the pulp out of his opponents backstage. Of course, the champ fought back and gained the upper hand there.

I'm also a bit salty that the Murderhawk Monster robbed me of a goofy nameplate graphic.

Anyway, it seems that the whole gimmick with Hangman's title reign so far involves beating his opponents at their own games or in their home environments. Attempt to powerbomb him on a chair laced with barbed wire? Grab it quickly, lace it around your hand, fight it out! Dismantle the top rope so that he can't use his Buckshot Lariat? Time to improvise with the ref's back after dropping the barbed wire! Well... he did that once before, if you've seen the Stadium Stampede at Double or Nothing 2020. It's still impressive, no matter how you slice it, especially since this improvisation here ended with an insane table spot.

While there were some crazier spots than that (hello to the garbage can lid, hello to the Blackout on the steel steps, and hello to the fork!), I do want to know... are we getting a title defense that doesn't have the cowboy bleeding enough to practically donate to a blood bank with his matches alone? Granted, this was a freaking Texas Death Match, and I'm always gonna root for my guy, but still!

(Ironically, while I was writing this out, the champ tweeted that he was tired of bleeding every month. Yeah... lemme tell you about bleeding every month, cowboy. Shit sucks, man. Another ironic bit is that his nameplate graphic the following week mentions blood donations to the Red Cross.)

Now it looks like we are definitely getting the battle of the Adams at Revolution. And they do have some history together (they are both former members of Bullet Club; Cole debuted there a mere day before Page did). Perhaps this match may have made the past resurface just a little bit. And the cowboy might be unable to fully escape from it. Until then, I'm rooting for the Adam whose last name ends with an E. Cowboy Shit, baybay!

And speaking of defeating his opponents in their own games and environments... Adam Cole is billed as being from Panama City, Florida. Revolution is in Orlando, Florida this year. Yep. Get the snacks and drinks. Let's go.

(It was confirmed on the Feb. 18 edition of Rampage. We are officially getting Page vs. Cole at Revolution!)

February 11 (Rampage) - Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. Roppongi Vice (Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero)

The good thing about AEW is that there's a bunch of different folks and wrestling matches for everyone. You wanted a New Japan style match? Here, have a New Japan style match.

February 11 (Rampage) - Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) vs. ~~Gunn Club~~ Ass Boys (Colten and Austin Gunn) (AEW World Tag Team Championship Match)

Welp, I'm getting sued for that. Don't care.

Ass Boys had some pretty slick looking ring gear that night, not gonna lie. It's a step up from them beating jobbers up on Dark and bragging about an undefeated win streak that nobody truly cared about.

February 16 (Dynamite) - Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty

You have two technical wrestlers. One's a veteran, the other's an up-and-comer. Seriously, imagine what would've happened if Danielson did win the title belt. How the heck is he gonna teach these dudes how to wrassle good on teevee?

Everything happens for a reason.

February 16 (Dynamite) - Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin (Part III. Yes, this is also Part III.) (TNT Championship Match)

A hilariously reckless showboater who's running around with two belts and a human wrecking ball enter the ring for the third time. And this time around, they're both on good terms.

Do you know what else they have in common? They defeated Cody Rhodes to gain or regain their TNT Championships.

I will also take the time to state that Darby vs. Sammy Part II at Revolution 2020 is criminally underrated, in my opinion. It didn't help that Omega and Hangman vs. the Young Bucks came right after it! Seriously, if you watch those two matches back to back, it's a damn good ride.

Darby had already defeated Sammy twice in the past. And it probably would've been a third time if a certain someone didn't interfere... and take the champ's belts as well. Unfortunately, everyone saw that coming a mile away. Seriously, how the hell do you manage to knock Darby fucking Allin out with a damn iPad? That man puts his body to insane use, and a measly ass tablet knocks him out? Yes, I'm well aware that the tablet was shattered after that, but still!

Okay, whatever. Are we getting a triple threat match between Sammy, Darby, and Andrade at Revolution since Sammy probably won't count his unintentional victory as a legit one... even though the records will say otherwise? Yes? Please say yes.

(They said no. It's a Tornado Trios Match. Sammy, Darby, and Sting vs. Matt Hardy, Isiah, and Andrade. And Hardy's been slowly snapping and he will eventually revert into his Broken persona.This will get messy.)

February 18 (Rampage) - Dante Martin vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (Part III. Seriously, how many Part III's are here?) (Winner went on to the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match.)

In the leadup to this bout, both competitors had a match to their names. And now...

Um. Okay. Alrighty, then.

Look, I like Dante. The dude's very talented. Hobbs is also very talented. But, uh... Dante sure got yeeted all over the place in this match. But that didn't mean that he didn't put up one hell of a fight. It just wasn't enough to take Hobbs down this time around.

Overall, very solid stuff by both competitors.

February 18 (Rampage) - Trent Beretta vs. "Switchblade" Jay White

Trent's a member of CHAOS. Yes, most of us probably know that he's a part of Best Friends, which is a sub-group of CHAOS. Switchblade is the current leader of the Bullet Club. These two groups feud. A lot.

Damn right, it was stellar stuff.

February 23 (Dynamite) - Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia

Oh, shit, the American Dragon came out of the heel tunnel. And apparently, the ladies loved the violence. Hey, I don't really bother with what folks like. Whatever floats your boat... you know, as long as it ain't illegal.

February 25 (Rampage) - Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade el Idolo (TNT Championship Match)

Their intros were on the YouTube channel. On TV, we went straight to the match.

It looks like Sammy's second run with the TNT Championship is shaping up to be a lot better than his first run so far.

Honestly, since we rarely see Andrade in action here, it's unfortunately easy to forget how good he actually is. It turns out that this was his first attempt at getting a title here. I'm also convinced that it won't be the last time, either. In my opinion, he's another possible holder for the TNT title in the future.

February 28 (Dark Elevation) - Frankie Kazarian vs. Alan "5" Angels

You want a match that could be on Dynamite? Here you go. Solid stuff here.

Honorable Mentions - Women

February 2 (Dynamite) - Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose (Part II)

Criminy, Nyla's definitely playing into her moniker of "The Native Beast", isn't she? She's also improving her skills... to the point that she's doing swantons. Good gravy.

"Because I liked it, okay?" Mentions

February 9 (Dynamite) - Isiah Kassidy vs. "Limitless" Keith Lee (Winner went on to the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match.)

I think this is less "Because I liked it" and more "Because a whole lot of people liked it".

Yes, it was a bit of a squash match, but... holy fucking shit, it's Keith Lee! And he's in AEW! The debut was simply amazing! It must've been one hell of a thing to experience live, and especially when you saw how comfortable and relaxed he was. He definitely looked like he was super happy to be there. Holy shit. That's some good shit.

Also, let's be honest; we could watch this man yeet people across the ring all day.

February 9 (Dynamite) - Jade Cargill vs. AQA (TBS Championship Match)

I'm seeing some massive improvement in Jade's skills. AQA seems to be a very talented individual. If she makes it into AEW, the women's division will have some life pumped into it. And it sorely needs some great talent. I'm not saying that the women that are already there aren't talented, it's just that this division definitely needs more. And it looks like we're starting to see more.

Only downside is a few weird bumps here and there with both competitors, which kind of made the match look a tiny bit messy. However, give them some polish, and they'll both be entertaining performers. Well, more so than usual, since they both looked pretty good here.

(AQA became All Elite on the 11th. Life's getting pumped into this division!)

February 11 (Rampage) - Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Robyn Renegade

The Renegade Twins are gonna be signed, right? Hopefully? Maybe?

February 11 (Rampage) - Hook vs. Blake Li

Look, QT Marshall the person is great. QT Marshall the AEW character absolutely sucks as a villain. He's probably one of the least threatening villains in AEW. And so the least threatening villain sends his "best student" to face Hook.

He gets absolutely obliterated.

Obviously, just watch it for Hook. You know you want to. He's another person who could get his hands on the TNT Championship in the future.

February 23 (Dynamite) - Good Ass Promos!

Hangman. MJF. Eddie. Jericho.

Holy shit. You know how you can kill a person with words? They all did it that night.

Who's ready for Story Time with Adam Page, baybay? The "Other Adam" made himself the "Better Adam" there. Everyone who bitched about the cowboy "not being badass enough" because of his two second reaction to the Texas Death Match can politely shut the fuck up now.

Is MJF truly speaking from the heart? Or is he manipulating all of us? I honestly didn't know if I should've cheered or booed. I remained silent throughout the entire thing. The fact that MJF, of all goddamn people, managed to cut a promo fitting of a babyface spoke volumes. We found out that there was a Facebook post from his past that mentioned that he truly wanted to be a pro wrestler, so it looks like the former turned out to be true. Perhaps this may have been a villain origin story?

Honestly, I could listen to Eddie cut promos all damn day. That man is a master of his craft. Doesn't matter who's on the other mic, either. I just want to listen to Eddie Kingston.

And despite all of this, we're supposed to boo Jericho. Yet we'll still sing along to the first verse of "Judas" because we're all dorks who want to have a good time.

It's a Revolution! Let's head to March!
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