New Year's Smash (January 2021)

The January 2021 New Year's Smash was the inaugural New Year's Smash professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The two-part event took place on January 6 and 7, 2021, at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida and was broadcast on TNT as special episodes of AEW's weekly television program, Dynamite. Night 1 aired live on January 6, while Night 2 was taped on January 7 and aired on tape delay on January 13. The event was originally supposed to begin on December 30, 2020, and end on January 6, 2021, but was postponed by a week due to the death of AEW wrestler Brodie Lee; the December 30 episode was instead held as a memorial event for Lee.

AEW New Year's Smash
Promotional poster for Night 1 featuring various AEW wrestlers
Promotion	All Elite Wrestling
Date	January 6–7, 2021 (aired January 6, 2021 and January 13, 2021)
City	Jacksonville, Florida
Venue	Daily's Place
Attendance	Night 1: 770[1] Night 2: 0 (behind closed doors)[1]
Event chronology
← Previous First Next → December 2021
AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology
← Previous Brodie Lee Celebration of Life Next → Beach Break

In the main event of night one, Kenny Omega defeated Rey Fénix to retain the AEW World Championship. In night two's main event, Darby Allin defeated Brian Cage to retain the AEW TNT Championship.

Production

Other on-screen personnel

Role	Name
Commentators	Jim Ross
	Excalibur
	Tony Schiavone
	Chris Jericho (Night 1)
	Taz (Allin vs. Cage)
Ring announcer	Justin Roberts
Referees	Aubrey Edwards
	Bryce Remsburg
	Mike Posey
	Paul Turner
	Rick Knox
Interviewers	Alex Marvez
	Dasha Gonzalez

Background

On the December 9, 2020, episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced that the December 30, 2020, and January 6, 2021, episodes would be a two-part event titled "New Year's Smash".^[2] However, on December 28, it was announced that the event had been postponed to January 6 and 13, 2021, due to the death of AEW wrestler Brodie Lee on December 26. Night 1 of New Year's Smash aired live while Night 2 was taped on January 7 and aired on tape delay on January 13.^[3] The December 30 episode was in turn held as a memorial event titled Brodie Lee Celebration of Life, featuring matches and segments with fellow wrestlers honoring and paying tribute to Lee.^[4]

As part of a tie-in with TBS's Go-Big Show, in which former AEW executive and wrestler Cody Rhodes served as a judge, rapper Snoop Dogg, who was also a judge on the show, was announced to make a special appearance during New Year's Smash.^[2] On December 23 at Holiday Bash, it was announced that Jon Moxley would return on Night 1 of the event.^[5] During the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life event, it was announced that Sting would also make an appearance on Night 1. Also announced for Night 1 was an AEW TNT Championship weigh-in between champion Darby Allin and challenger Brian Cage, with the title match taking place on Night 2.^[6]

Storylines

New Year's Smash featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.^[7] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television program, Dynamite, the supplementary online streaming show, Dark, and The Young Bucks' YouTube series Being The Elite.

Rey Fenix was originally scheduled to face Kenny Omega on October 28, 2020, in the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament, but was replaced by Penta El Zero Miedo due to an injury Fenix sustained in his previous bout.^[8] On the December 16, 2020 episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Omega would defend AEW World Championship against Fenix on Night 1.^[9]

On the November 25 episode of Dynamite, Hikaru Shida retained her AEW Women's World Championship against Anna Jay. After the match, Abadon made her return and went after Shida and her title.^[10] On December 23 at Holiday Bash, it was announced that Shida would defend her title against Abadon on Night 1.^[11]

Taz first offered to help Darby Allin as his manager during a backstage interview on May 6, 2020, after Allin lost to Cody Rhodes one week prior.^[12] On May 23 at Double or Nothing, Taz accompanied the debuting Brian Cage in the Casino Ladder match, a match Allin was also competing in, which Cage won.^[13] On September 5 at All Out, Cage eliminated Allin in the Casino Battle Royale after putting him in a body bag with thumbtacks and powerbombing him over the top rope.^[14] On November 7 at Full Gear, Allin defeated Rhodes to win the AEW TNT Championship and after the match, Team Taz (Cage and Ricky Starks) beat down Allin and Rhodes.^[15] This led to a tag team match on the November 18 episode of Dynamite, pitting Team Taz against Allin and Rhodes, in which Cage pinned Allin to win.^[16] On December 23 at Holiday Bash, it was announced that Allin would defend the TNT Championship against Cage on Night 2.^[17]

After an eight-month absence from television, Pac returned to AEW on the November 11, 2020 episode of Dynamite, where he confronted Eddie Kingston. During Pac's absence, Kingston had formed a stable composed of The Butcher and The Blade and Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo), the latter of the two being Pac's former stablemates.^[18] Fenix and Penta would reunite with Pac on the November 18 episode of Dynamite to reform their stable Death Triangle.^[19] The trio began feuding with Kingston, The Butcher and The Blade, and on December 30 at Brodie Lee Celebration of Life, it was announced that Pac vs. Kingston would take place on Night 2.^[20]

Reception

The first night of the event was held live and attended by 770 people, with 650 of those being paid fans, and the rest being AEW personnel who sat at ringside. Night 2 was pre-taped, and took place with no paying fans in attendance for security reasons.^[1] Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave Omega–Fenix a rating of 5 stars, making it the sixth AEW match to be rated 5 stars or more by Meltzer. He also rated the eight-man tag team match 4 stars, and Allin–Cage 4.25 stars.^[1]

Television ratings

The first night of New Year's Smash averaged 662,000 television viewers on TNT and a 0.25 rating in AEW's key demographic.^[21] The second night of New Year's Smash drew 762,000 viewers, and achieved a rating of 0.30 in the key demographic.^[22]

Aftermath

During Night 2, the match card for the next Dynamite on January 20 was announced: Jon Moxley in action, Penelope Ford vs. Leyla Hirsch, Chris Jericho and MJF vs. Santana and Ortiz vs. Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager to determine the official tag team of The Inner Circle, Matt Sydal and Top Flight vs. Matt Hardy and Private Party, Cody Rhodes vs. Peter Avalon, and Adam Page and The Dark Order (Colt Cabana and Alex Reynolds and John Silver) vs. Chaos Project (Luther and Serpentico) and The Hybrid 2, billed as Brodie Lee Jr.'s (-1) birthday celebration match. Page has said he will reveal whether or not he will join The Dark Order after their match. Several segments were also announced: AEW World Champion Kenny Omega reflects on his dominance, Sting congratulates AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin, and an update from Miro and his new butler Chuck Taylor.^[23]

A second New Year's Smash was held in December, thus establishing New Year's Smash as AEW's New Year's television special. Additionally, while the second event retained its two-part format, the first part aired as Dynamite while the second part instead aired as the same week's episode of Friday Night Rampage, a second weekly program that began airing in August.^[24]

Results

Night 1 (January 6)

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times[25]
1	The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) defeated The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and The Hybrid 2 (Angelico and Jack Evans)	Eight-man tag team match[26]	9:59
2	Wardlow defeated Jake Hager	Singles match[11]	10:17
3	Cody Rhodes (with Snoop Dogg) defeated Matt Sydal	Singles match[26]	10:03
4	Hikaru Shida (c) defeated Abadon	Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship[11]	8:27
5	Kenny Omega (c) (with Don Callis) defeated Rey Fenix	Singles match for the AEW World Championship[11]	15:03
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match

Night 2 (January 13)

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times[27]
1	Pac (with Lucha Brothers) defeated Eddie Kingston (with The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny)	Singles match[20]	9:31
2	Miro (with Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford) defeated Chuck Taylor (with Orange Cassidy) by submission	Singles match[20] Since Taylor lost, he was forced to be Miro's butler until Sabian and Ford's wedding at Beach Break.[28]	3:32
3	The Elite (Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (with Don Callis) defeated Danny Limelight and Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison)	Six-man tag team match[29]	9:21
4	FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (with Tully Blanchard) defeated Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt)	Tag team match[17]	12:16
5	Serena Deeb (c) defeated Tay Conti (with Anna Jay)	Singles match for the NWA World Women's Championship[30]	9:28
6	Darby Allin (c) defeated Brian Cage (with Ricky Starks and Hook)	Singles match for the AEW TNT Championship[17]	13:47
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match

See also

• 2021 in professional wrestling

References

1. Observer Staff (January 8, 2021). "January 13, 2021 Observer Newsletter: More on the death of Brodie Lee, Tokyo Dome, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
2. Rose, Bryan (December 9, 2020). "AEW announces Holiday Bash, New Year's Smash special events". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
3. Khan, Tony [@TonyKhan] (December 28, 2020). "AEW New Year's Smash will now take place across the first 2 weeks of 2021, on January 6 + January 13 on @tntdrama. I'll announce the card for this week's #AEWDynamite Celebration of Mr. Brodie Lee's Life in a moment. Thank you to all who have shared their love for Jon this week" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
4. All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (December 28, 2020). "Watch the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of #AEWDynamite this Wednesday LIVE on TNT Drama at 8e/7c. Tickets are ONLY available by emailing [e-mail] or calling 904-633-2000" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2020 – via Twitter.
5. All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (December 23, 2020). "Here's a look at your match card for next week and as well as Jan 6th. Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
6. Lambert, Jeremy (January 5, 2021). "Sting Appearance, TNT Title Match Weigh-In Added To 1/6 AEW Dynamite". Fightful. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
7. Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
8. Thompson, Andrew (October 23, 2020). "Fenix injured, Pentagon Jr. facing Kenny Omega in AEW World Title Eliminator tournament". POSTWrestling. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
9. Rose, Bryan (December 16, 2020). "Omega vs. Fenix title match set for AEW New Year's Smash Night One". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
10. Lambert, Jeremy (November 25, 2020). "Abadon Returns On AEW Dynamite, Targets Hikaru Shida". Fightful. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
11. Nason, Josh (December 23, 2020). "Jon Moxley's return set for AEW New Year's Smash night one". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
12. AEW Staff (May 6, 2020). "AEW DYNAMITE Results for May 6, 2020". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
13. S. Lealos, Shawn (May 23, 2020). "AEW: Former World Champion Debuts, Wins BIG at Double Or Nothing". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
14. Thomas, Jeremy (September 6, 2020). "AEW News: Update on Darby Allin and Matt Sydal After All Out, New Video of Chris Jericho Falling Into Mimosa". 411 Mania. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
15. Klyn, Parker (November 7, 2020). "AEW Full Gear live results: Five title matches, Omega vs. Page". Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
16. AEW Staff (November 18, 2020). "AEW Dynamite Results for November 18, 2020". Retrieved January 11, 2021.
17. DeFelice, Robert (December 23, 2020). "FTR vs. Jurassic Express, Darby Allin Defending TNT Title Added To AEW New Year's Smash Night 2". Fightful. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
18. Thompson, Andrew (November 11, 2020). "PAC returns, set to compete against The Blade on 11/18 AEW Dynamite". POST Wrestling. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
19. Thomas, Jeremy (November 18, 2020). "Death Triangle Reunites on AEW Dynamite (Video)". 411 Mania. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
20. Nason, Josh (December 30, 2020). "PAC vs. Eddie Kingston added to AEW New Year's Smash night two". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
21. Metcalf, Mitch (January 8, 2021). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.6.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
22. Metcalf, Mitch (January 14, 2021). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.13.2021". showbuzzdaily.com. Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
23. AEW Staff (January 19, 2021). "AEW Dynamite Preview for January 20, 2021". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
24. "Tony Khan confirms Jacksonville return for Dynamite & Rampage". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
25. Acero, Tony (January 6, 2021). "Join 411's Live AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash (Night One) Coverage". 411 Mania. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
26. Nason, Josh (December 30, 2020). "Eight-man tag team match added to AEW New Year's Smash night one". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
27. Barnett, Jake (January 13, 2021). "1/13 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of New Year's Smash night two with Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage for the TNT Title, Miro vs. Chuck Taylor, FTR vs. Marko Stunt and Jungle Boy, Serena Deeb vs. Tay Conti for the NWA Women's Title, Pac vs. Eddie Kingston". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
28. All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (January 7, 2021). "We get an update on the current condition of @trentylocks and an interesting challenge made between @SexyChuckieT & @ToBeMiro. WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
29. All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (January 6, 2021). ""Let's have an Elite reunion as @KennyOmegamanX the AEW World Champ & the World Tag Team Champs have a 6-man tag-team next week!" - @TheDonCallis. Night Two of our New Year's Smash this Wednesday on @TNTDrama at 8e/7c" (Tweet). Retrieved January 6, 2021 – via Twitter.
30. All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (January 6, 2021). "Next week during Night Two of our New Year's Smash we have a STACKED card for you! WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama" (Tweet). Retrieved January 6, 2021 – via Twitter.

External links

• All Elite Wrestling Official website