SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
•SCU vs. Best Friends – HIT: I was fine with the Lucha Bros taking out Christopher Daniels before the match. It sets up the Lucha Bros as heels and drives interest in a potential championship match with SCU. Scorpio Sky was really over with this hot crowd which made it look like an even smarter decision to put him in the match where much of the story revolved around him. A ton of great action as well making it another hot open for Dynamite.
•Santana & Ortiz vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver – HIT: Effective use of a simple squash match. It establishes Santana & Ortiz as still big time players in the tag division even though they are not a part of the championship tournament. Then they segwayed into Jericho’s promo setting up a match with The Young Bucks at Full Gear. I was concerned AEW wasn’t going to be using squash matches, but this was a perfect example of how to make it work in 2019. Make one team look dominant by beating some jobbers which then leads into a bigger match instead of giving it all away on TV.
•Cody Promo – HIT: It’s truly incredible to see such a professional, sports-oriented promo package on national TV for wrestling. This was something you’d see on ESPN “30 for 30” or before a big UFC fight. Along the lines of what Cody has been producing for the Road To… series that has garnered critical acclaim. At this point, I’m not worried about how much they point over Cody. This promo will come off as self-indulgent to some fans, but at this point AEW needs to be establishing stars. As of now, Cody is the face of the company and amongst the most over with the crowd. Down the road it would be nice to see this type of promo done for other talent.
•Riho vs. Britt Baker – HIT: This was slow to start, but really picked up towards the end. The crowd views Riho as a star and cheered for her as such. There were some dueling chants for Baker as well, but nearly as strong for Riho. My main gripe with the match was the lack of promotion beforehand. Riho vs. Baker is a pay-per-view quality match-up that was slotted in the middle of Dynamite. I understand wanting to put out big match-up for the first few shows, but this could’ve been built into a bigger program or something for Full Gear. In WWE, we are so used to seeing female talent sob after big matches. This was a refreshing step away from that cliche where both competitors can still express the thrill of victory and agony of defeat without shedding a tear.
•Jungle Boy & Marko Stunt vs. Lucha Bros – MISS: With the hot crowd, it’s too bad Luchasaurus was not healthy to compete because of the massive ovation he almost assuredly would have received. Marko Stunt is a unique talent, but this match was not what it could’ve been. I started to feel conflicted about the picture-in-picture during commercial breaks because there was some clear stalling when Pentagon was throwing Stunt around. In other matches there was so much action, I wanted them to get back to the match. Also, because of the short notice change this was toned down from what we are used to expecting from the Lucha Bros.
•Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega vs. Pac & Jon Moxley – HIT: We finally got to hear Moxley talk a bit! Not the full fledged in-ring promo that I’ve been wanting, but this still highlighted one of his biggest strengths. This match was filled with tons of great in-ring action. Going into the match, I had a preconceived notion that Hangman would be the one to take the pin only to be surprised when he pinned Pac. Pac won’t lose too much steam being losing here because Omega and Moxley had the 2-on-1 advantage when Moxley turned on him. It also sets up a great match-up for next week between Pac and Moxley.
•Chris Jericho vs. Darby Allin – HIT: Darby Allin needs to make riding the skateboard down the ramp a permanent part of his gimmick. There is something in Allin that is connecting with the crowd and a “cool” element to him that wrestling desperately needs. Chris Jericho played his role well of the grizzled veteran beating on the new up and comer. Allin shined in the match when he had his hands tied behind his back and still pulled off a springboard moonsault. The finish of this match with the interference from Hager indicates to me that they want to continue with Allin looking strong. Jericho could have easily gotten the clean pin because he’s the champion heading into a pay-per-view.
So, to sum it up:
– No pancake-tossing to the crowd.
– No cereal being poured on the crowd.
– No one talking about the buzzards.
– No one standing backstage randomly posing in front of the camera checking their text messages when someone walks into the shot and tells them they’ve got so-and-so, NEXT!
– No one trying to flip over a garbage truck.
And, oh, NO MISSES.
Take note, Stamford.
Sorry, I read over the “miss” for the Marko Stunt/Jungle Boy match. I’d have given that a miss, too.
One small correction to the last sentence- Jericho is “Le champion” 🙂
Otherwise, I’m in total agreement on everything you wrote.
Not happy with turning the Lucha Bros, heels!!!!
How did you watch that match between Lucha Bros. and Jurassic Express and see a miss? You had:
1: Cool Spots
2: Actual Ring Psychology
3: The Right Team Won
Marko Stunt + 500 Days = Household Name…
Not being snarky, I just can’t see a 5-2 guy being a threat; I may be in the minority, but I like wrestlers to actually look like wrestlers. I’m not saying Ultimate Warrior, Lex Luger, that type thing. That small of a guy is just not something that entertains me. It was ridiculous, I’m sorry.