Today’s match Review comes in the form of one of the most dangerous and hard hitting matches in AEW history.
A blood feud between two of the best teams in the AEW Tag Team Division. Best Friends, the long time duo of Chuck Taylor and Trent? (The question mark is in the name) vs the former ‘LAX’ in IMPACT Wrestling, Santana and Ortiz.
The Puerto Rican duo, who are part of Chris Jericho’s stable The Inner Circle, had less than the huge impact that was expected when they debuted at AEW at All Out.
They started by attacking two of the premier teams in the world, the Lucha Brothers and the Young Bucks before teaming up with Chris Jericho and his stable of wrestlers. A strong start which wasn’t built upon, unfortunately. They seemed forgotten with teams like SCU and Omega/Page taking the plaudits in the tag team division.
Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz
The Two Teams
The Best Friends however have been fairly consistent in their AEW run. With great comedic timing and great wrestling, Greg and Dustin, as Chuck and Trent refer to each other, have been consistent threats to the AEW Tag Team Champions, having faced both FTR and Omega/Page for the championships, sadly in losing performances.
However this match was about more than title belts. It was about fighting for the honour of Trent’s mum.
Yes, you read that correctly. The crux of this feud was simple. Santana and Ortiz felt aggrieved after a Dynamite defeat, destroyed Trent’s mums car in the car park (Trent’s Mom Sue had driven the Best Friends into the ring in her minivan prior to their match against FTR), and disrespecting her and the duo in promos.
They also attacked the Best Friends, and their other friend, Orange Cassidy, the lackadaisical wrestler who captured the hearts of the AEW fans with his apathy and surprising wrestling ability.
The Best Friends had previously beat Proud and Powerful in a match, but PnP refused to honour the stipulation, which was that if they lost, they must ring Trent’s mum to apologies.
The dastardly heels they are, not only did they not call her, but continued the attacks on the Best Friends, leading to this No Holds Barred, anything goes grudge match that took place in the AEW Parking Lot.
Thus, Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz was born.
The Match
Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz starts out as any great blood-feud does – both team come out swinging, swinging punches at each other to inflict as much damage as possible.
“Pinfall, Submission or Surrender” Jim Ross lays out exactly how to win this match – anything can happen, and the ref can’t stop the match if it’s getting to dangerous. Santana and Ortiz are wearing white face paint, a nice addition to what has so far been their biggest match in AEW.
Chuck Taylor is dressed as he normally is, while Trent is wearing jeans instead of his usual tights, a common attire change for a street fight or similar match types. Both teams run at each other and begin to brawl to start the match.
Chuck brawls with Ortiz as Trent works over Santana at the begining. The Best Friends get the upper hand as Chuck throws Ortiz into a car wing mirror, whilst Trent positions Santana under the car bonnet before slamming it down on him brutally. This is follow by Chuck front flipping onto the bonnet, crushing him, before Trent does a brutal looking back drop crushing him once again.
Pinfall, submission or surrender
The Best Friends set up a large sheet of plywood over the bed of a pick up truck, looking to put one of their opponents through it with a move. Trent throughs a plant of wood at Santana, hilariously hitting himself in the eye when he did, allowing Santana an opportunity to get back into it.
Ortiz grabbed a baton from under a car, to help even the odds and take control of the match. A brutal suplex onto a car, followed by a splash onto the recipient Chuck Taylor put PnP into control. Chuck managed to kick out at 2, but this showed that Santana and Ortiz still had some life in this match.
Trent managed to pull the match back, spearing Ortiz through a door balanced on the front of a car, before Santana used the same door to beat over the back of Chuck Taylor.
The two teams went back and forth with a variety of cars and weapons, each team at different points gaining the upper hand, with no clear winner. PnP manage to powerbomb Trent onto a car windscreen, with the sight of blood dripping down his back from the cut glass was chilling.
Orange Cassidy
The absolute climax of this match, and wrestling as a whole, then happened. Santana, having beaten him so badly he could barely walk, had cornered Chuck Taylor.
He was sitting, leaning against the boot of a white Chevrolet, as Santana brandished a heavy and dangerous looking lead pipe. He postured for a while, taunting Chuck. It seemed the end was nigh for the Kentucky Gentleman.
Then, as he began his assault, the car boot sprung open, and with a satisfying Orange Punch flew out Orange Cassidy. He Orange Punched Santana with a chain wrapped around his fist, knocking him out cold. Chuck Taylor then piledrived (piledrove?) him onto the roof of one car.
Trent then finished the match, hitting his signature Piledriver-type move through the plywood laid across the flatbed of pickup truck. He pinned him for the three count, and the Best Friends were crowned victorious. Orange Cassidy helped them gleefully into the backseat of Trent’s mums new minivan, and the show faded into black.
My Verdict
One of the best tag matches in AEW, and definitely the best No-Holds-Barred matches. Previous “Unsanctioned” matches had failed to hold my attention, but this one had a story that kept me invested and needed to see Best Friends, my favourite tag team, win. And with the help of Orange Cassidy, the best wrestler in the world, that made the win that much sweeter.
It had violence, it had danger, it had jeopardy, and it had a lazy man named after a fruit superman punching a man after coming out a car boot, which he’d been in for at least 15 minutes.
Sadly, the Best Friends have still yet to win the tag team titles in AEW. They are one of the best teams to never win the tag team titles. Sadly, injuries to Trent have derailed their momentum, although Wheeler Yuta has joined the team since this match, as has Kris Statlander.
Wheeler Yuta has been named as one of AEW Breakout stars of 2021. Meanwhile, despite her loss at All Out, we could be seeing Kris Statlander AEW Women’s Champion in the near future, after her great showing.
Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz
Rating
**** (Four Stars out of Five)
A very, very good match. The best of both teams AEW Careers, and the addition of Orange Cassidy secured it’s spot as a 4 star match. Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz is one of the best AEW matches of all time. I would say it’s the best tag match, but the Young Bucks have had some ridiculously great matches.
But still, hats off to all four men. Best Friends vs Santana and Ortiz is fantastic.
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What did you think of the match? Did it reach your expectations or disappoint? Let me know in the comments what you thought!
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