SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.
-A strange show top to bottom and tough to judge coming off of the high that was Friday’s AEW Rampage thanks to the C.M. Punk return. Nothing will top that, but the question is, did AEW put on a product in the follow-up that will get new eyes to keep coming back. That answer is iffy at best.
-Orange Cassidy being the first act out in the “new era” of AEW was a smart call. He’s a unique act, special, and clearly over for the AEW diehards in the building. To a new viewer, the fresh gimmick of Cassidy along with the crowd reaction signaled that AEW was different than other wrestling that they’re currently passing up.
-The presentation of Malaki Black continues to be a highlight of the show. His promo on Brock Anderson did a nice job of framing the character as menacing in a serious way. Black still needs context within the AEW ecosystem. What’s his goal? Mission? It’s important to define that.
-Jericho and MJF are magic on the microphone. Having lost three straight times to MJF, Jericho needed to navigate a minefield to convince the audience to back him in a fourth contest, but he did the job. He was authentic in his obsession and that made it easier to get behind him. MJF is a heels heel. He knows his role out there and plays it well.
-Varsity Blonds, welcome to the big leagues, kids. The talent gap between them and the Lucha Brothers was Grand Canyon in nature.
-Tony Khan is going to want that Jamie Hayter vs. Red Velvet match back – Hayter and Velvet too. This was a mess. The mistimed spots at multiple points in the match and the outright missing on key moves hurt any opportunity for flow.
-So, there is unrest in the Dark Order. Does anyone care? The individual talent in that group isn’t established enough for the audience to get behind one side of the group over the other. Not sure this has the intrigue to play out week to week like some in AEW think it does.
-Thumbs up to C.M. Punk’s follow-up promo with Tony Schiavone. Not a ton of depth, but a bit more story behind his purpose in challenging Darby Allin, which ultimately was the goal. Punk’s going to be in a strange spot for a bit as his genuine human emotion of being back in wrestling is still shown on his sleeve. Eventually, he’ll harness that in true, wrestling angle fashion, but it’ll take some time.
-Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston look like they’re having the time of their lives out there. A badass entrance and the straight up match was a quiet, but fun way to present them in a down week.
-Nothing flashy from Christian Cage and Kenny Omega, but good enough A to B material to progress the feud a bit before All Out.
-Satoshi Kojima vs. Jon Moxley at All Out? Ehh. Fine, but more of a Dynamite worthy match. A bit disappointing given the tease was Hiroshi Tanahashi.
-Malaki Black getting cheered after destroying Brock Anderson while his father looked on has to be concerning. It’s not that Black isn’t over, but the story playing out isn’t jiving with the reactions he’s getting. Is this a Cody problem? It starts there and a pivot may be in the cards sooner than later.
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