HEYDORN’S AEW DYNAMITE RECEIPT 11/30: MJF definitive as a heel in first promo as world champion

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.

-I’m out on Adam Page vs. Jon Moxley at this point in time. It’ll be a fine match and the build will have intensity to it like their brawl did this week, but who does this serve? Page and Moxley are both babyfaces that really should be kept away from one another and involved in other stories with legit heels. It’s time. It’s time to define both as top babyfaces and let them act like it opposite the bad guys. It’s simpler than what we’ll see now, but more effective long term.

-Just a great match between Dax Harwood and Bryan Danielson. Awesome stuff that deserved more of a story around it. If the match had one, it would have been even better.

-Did Ricky Starks use the term “judgement call” properly in his promo? I don’t think he did, but it was smart to give him that time on the microphone to talk about his upcoming match with MJF. The squash match later in the night helped his perception, too. Starks is moving up the card a tad with the MJF stuff, so it’s good to reestablish him as a winner.

-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho feels very dull and played out at this point. Even for an ROH PPV. Did AEW always have a soundstage in Nashville as declared during this backstage segment?

-Well, the MJF was all over the place. He talked about the relationship with William Regal, The Firm, tied up loose ends with his positive crowd reactions, talked about the bidding war of 2024, addressed future opponents, and unveiled a new championship belt all in one segment. Now, that’s too much. However, he was clearly a heel and that is important. Really important. Sure, the audience cheered parts of what he said, but this felt like a definitive step by MJF to be hated. Thumbs up to that because he needed clear definition.

-The angle between MJF and Regal was effective, too. AEW doesn’t let much breathe on their shows, but Regal hurt on the mat was given time to exploit for a reaction and it worked pretty well. Bryan Danielson vs. MJF looks to be on deck as the next major AEW World Championship storyline.

-Alright, it may be too soon for this critique, but I’d like to see Jaime Hayter not play second fiddle to Britt Baker in interviews. As the champion, she shouldn’t. This week, though, Baker took the lead in speaking for her and it didn’t seem as if Hayter cared at all.

-That was quite the promo from Jade Cargill until Bow Wow got involved. Cargill doesn’t need Bow Wow. She has plenty of major things to sink her teeth into in AEW. Defining herself down to the level of Bow Wow, isn’t anywhere close to the main event level material that Cargill deserves right now.

-Another exciting match between Death Triangle and The Elite. Not a lot of “new,” but exciting nonetheless. This thing is going to game seven it seems. Not a big surprise there given the seventh match is already announced to take place out west in Young Bucks territory.

CATCH-UP: 11/30 AEW DYNAMITE TV RESULTS: Sage’s “alt perspective” report on Trios Title Match 3, MJF Speaks, More.