SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Adam Cole & ReDRagon defeat Hangman Adam Page & Jurassic Express – HIT
Over the last few weeks, Tony Khan has experimented with different ways of formatting Dynamite. That’s resulted in more episodes opening with in-ring promo segments that start the show on a different tone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Opening this episode with entrance themes and getting straight into the opening match felt like a great palate cleanser from those experimental episodes, and when paired with the hot crowd, brought back memories of the first few episodes of Dynamite.
The match was a blast, having the typical spots you’d expect from a high-energy Dynamite opener, but worked as a great showcase for Hangman and did a good job of prioritizing slowing down the pace to highlight him correctly. The triple moonsault was incredible and really highlighted the agility of the face team. The end kind of came out of nowhere but made sense given the pace of the match. Overall excellent and energetic start to the show.
Keith Lee-Ricky Starks Segment – MINOR MISS
This segment was solely purposed for making sure the audience knew Keith Lee would be wrestling Friday. Nothing wrong with that, but some awkward acting and lines made what was supposed to come off as a tense setting feel like they were trying not to laugh.
Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley defeat Wheeler Yuta & Chuck Taylor – HIT
This was a blast of a match, including having William Regal on commentary. (If Danhausen puts out a “Demon Waif” shirt, I might consider buying it.) Regal was masterful on the mic breaking down the psychology of how Mox and Danielson work together.
Seeing the chemistry break down between Yuta and Taylor as the match went on made the ending and angle after the match feel organic and flowed well. Yuta building himself up through the match and try and get in Bryan’s head was inspired work, showing a refreshing side to Wheeler we haven’t seen yet in AEW.
Post-Match Angle – MAJOR HIT
After the loss, Wheeler continued the character work he began in the match and seemingly split from the Best Friends, attempting to get Regal to let him join the violent gentlemen Mox and Danielson. Seeing Wheeler take the slap from Regal, and then get in William’s face in a way that only Mox has thus far made me really intrigued to see where they take Yuta and love the idea of the younger performers on the roster fighting to join them, rather than Bryan Danielson’s original idea of recruiting them.
FTR Segment – MINOR HIT
This was a fine enough segment, cementing in the audiences minds that FTR are going to be face for awhile. It seemed like FTR were trying to plant Easter eggs for a Bret Hart team up, but that could’ve just been me.
The Acclaimed-Ricky Starks Segment – HIT
This segment was deceptively interesting. Starting as a simple call out segment letting the audience know that Caster would be Keith Lee’s opponent on Rampage on Friday, then added Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs giving their vote of confidence in Caster. Shane “Swerve” Strickland then walked into frame and started talking smack to Starks.
The best part of this came at the very end. As Swerve walked away, Caster leaned into frame and broke the silence between The Acclaimed, Starks, and Hobbs with “Wait, isn’t that guy a rapper?” I loved it.
Jericho Appreciation Society Promo – MAJOR HIT
This segment was stupendous, echoing the past to build on the future while taking subtle and clever shots at the promotion’s competition. Having Matt Lee break the silence and start the segment was a great vote of confidence in Lee, and set an interesting tone to the segment. Jericho calling back to one of the earliest episodes of Dynamite with the “it was a stupid idea from bad creative” line was one of those lines that would make longtime fans pop hard, but wasn’t shoehorned in in a way that messed with the flow of the segment. Jericho giving Matt Lee and Jeff Parker outrageous names was hilarious, especially with their Butch body language. Having Daniel Garcia get in and calling himself a sports entertainer with a completely straight face worked for me in a way I wasn’t quite expecting, but I’m excited to see more. Having Hager end the segment with the group’s mission statement was a great ending.
Serene Deeb Promo – MINOR HIT
Serena Deeb is doing a great job of evolving her character from the bubbly Deeb she debuted as into The Professor. These video packages are perfect for her, in the way these types of video packages built up Miro’s character so well. The only major downside is that they’re going back to the rivalry with Hikaru Shida. It’s a great rivalry which has produced some great matches thus far, but their last match felt like the logical end to the feud for now, and it feels a little too soon to go back to that. There’s plenty of women in the back who could pull off a “taking The Professor to the limit” style feud.
Scorpio Sky defeats Wardlow – HIT
Great match for both men. This was Wardlow’s toughest opponent to date, both in the ring and possé outside. Fighting someone who could keep up reasonably well and had friends to help on the outside really messed with Wardlow’s flow. He looked more vulnerable and sold more tonight than he has thus far in his career.
Then he wasn’t. He was able to adjust his offense and shut Scorpion down, leading to a Powerbomb Symphony in four parts. Sky played to his intelligence as a veteran, first rolling out of the ring and then allowing Mr. Low to be distracted by Shawn Spears and then allowing MJF to hitting Wardlow’s head against the corner of the ring, causing enough damage to allow the easy roll up to secure the win for Sky.
Post-Match Angle – HIT
Great bit showing the smarminess of MJF. Paying off Dan Lambert and American Top Team ensured that even if anyone came out to help Wardlow, the Pinnacle would be able to keep them away and make sure MJF didn’t have to lift a finger, except the one with the ring at least.
Jade Cargill/Smart Mark Sterling Segment – MISS
This wasn’t the best work from Cargill, but it seemed like they were trying to plant seeds of Cargill getting frustrated with Sterling. Beyond that, it felt like this wasn’t rehearsed and should’ve been re-shot.
Matt & Jeff Hardy defeat Private Party – HIT
The crowd really enhanced this match and made Matt and Jeff look like stars. Jeff looked as good as he has, showing no visible ring rust. The chemistry with his brother made Matt look better than he has in recent months. He showed an assertiveness and flow in his moves that we haven’t seen recently. The chemistry between the Hardys and Private Party was good, and helped build up the Hardys for tougher opponents. If they can spread the matches out and make them feel like bigger deals, it’ll give them the added benefit of keeping Matt and Jeff fresh and could give them more mileage.
Post -Match Angle – MINOR HIT
This was fine. Just an excuse to get Andrade, Sting, and Darby Allin on screen.
Red Velvet Promo – MISS
This just felt awkward. Velvet’s delivery on her lines lacked confidence and didn’t feel like they meant anything. Seems like Hirsch is already in Velvet’s head, making the match feel small in scale.
Thunder Rosa defeats Dr. Britt Baker DMD – MAJOR HIT
Fantastic match showing the top of the depth of AEW Women’s Division. Thunder Rosa’s entrance was incredible, with an all-woman mariachi band and an elaborate costume and makeup. The match started slow but quickly fired up, both women wearing a red face not long after the start.
The bumps that they did, including Baker’s fall onto the crag of steel chairs, the thumb tack spots, and a head chairshot really amplified the drama. I think we’re reaching the maximum number of times Khan should be allowed to use tacks in a year. Twice in a matter of weeks, whether on PPV or not, is a lot. The way they got from spot to spot felt slow as well, but I’d rather them take their time and do their moves safely rather than doing them quickly and recklessly. That could’ve caused what appeared to be a rushed ending to the match, but once it was over and the emotion of Rosa’s victory swelled over her face, it didn’t matter. It was a fantastic ending to the show and a culmination of the story they started last year.
Overall – MAJOR HIT
This show was deceptively well paced. In the moment, it doesn’t feel dramatically different, but limiting the episode to five matches and sprinkling in videos and in-ring promos to further character development was a smart way of letting the show breathe and allow fans to properly digest what they’re seeing.
I was critical of Khan’s choice to forgo having the title change at Revolution and doing it tonight, but it did work well. The crowd was hotter because they were there to see Rosa and Baker, not Rosa and Baker and 11 other matches packed into five hours. This deserved the time to breathe and Baker and Rosa deserved this ovation from the fans.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 3/16 AEW DYNAMITE RESULTS: Keller’s detailed report and analysis on Hardys vs. Private Party, Baker vs. Rosa for Women’s Title, Sky vs. Wardlow for TNT Title
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