AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES 2/15: Wardlow, Danielson, MJF hit, The Elite misses, more

BILLY GUNN & THE ACCLAIMED (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) defeated JEFF JARRETT & JAY LETHAL & SONJAY DUTT & SATNAM SINGH vs. ORANGE CASSIDY: NARROW MISS

High comedy with mediocre wrestling. It was definitely the kind of match that would bring smiles to some faces, but it also stretched the bounds of reality far beyond even a regular Orange Cassidy match. The spot at the end with Max Caster holding Sonjay Dutt’s legs open for well over 60 seconds hit me right in the face with “this is a choreographed sitcom. Just enjoy it.” I don’t like seeing that when it involves wrestlers with titles.

I also didn’t like how they didn’t maximize the use of Satnam Singh. I understand he may be limited, but they could have at least found a more creative way to get him out of the picture instead of making him choose to tag out due to a height difference. What they did made no sense in the context of a pro wrestling match, especially for a heel.

Condolences to Jeff Jarrett on the loss of his father. Nice to see him want to show up tonight and wrestle, but it would have been completely understandable if he chose not to.

Bryan Danielson Video Promo: HIT

Good, intense promo by promo by Danielson playing to the fearful emotions MJF was displaying last week.

JON MOXLEY & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. PRESTON VANCE & RUSH (w/Jose the Assistant) – Texas Tornado match: MINOR HIT

If the opener was on the extreme end of AEW’s comedy spectrum, this one veered toward the high end of the violence spectrum. I thought the blood was needless considering the limited story going into this match. Given what we saw last week and tonight, how is blood ever going to mean much in matches that deserve it?

At least the wrestling and will-to-win attitude from all competitors was better than the opener. It’s nice to see Preston Vance with a harder edge to his character.

Wardlow Sit-Down with Jim Ross: HOME RUN

Excellent interview that added a layers to Wardlow’s character. Layers he desperately needed. I really like how he made the hair cutting compelling and significant, bringing in his tragic real-life past. This was well done and worth going out of your way to see.

MARK BRISCOE defeated JOSH WOODS: MINOR HIT

This was a fine match to fill the middle portion of the show. I am very new to the Briscoes and I felt this was a decent introduction to Mark’s character. He’s definitely quite eccentric in the ring. Next, I’d like to see a video package or promo to really explain what his goals are in AEW.

Adam Cole Sit-Down with Renee Paquette Interview: MISS

We didn’t learn many new things here. While listening to these medical details is compelling, I feel like blending real life concussion-related injuries with storyline pushes a needless boundary. Given how tight-lipped AEW is about their wellness policy and medical screening, I don’t know whether I should feel good about the excitement I feel regarding Adam Cole’s return. Please just give us a straight answer on his condition and get him into a feud.

MJF-Christopher Daniels Promo: HIT

Excellent stuff as always from MJF, and this is the best I’ve seen Christopher Daniels on the mic. I actually saw the commercial-free version of MJF’s entrance and that just made the entire spectacle even better. MJF not only build up heat for himself, but also found a way to give credence to Danielson, which is always great to see.

“JUNGLE BOY” JACK PERRY defeated BRIAN CAGE: MINOT HIT

The match was moderately competitive exhibition to get to the post-match stuff with Christian Cage.

Post-Match: HIT

After the match, Christian Cage came out to confront Jack Perry on the ramp. Perry attacked but Cage sprayed some mace into his eyes to keep him at bay. Christian’s arm was still in a sling, but he took it off at the end of the segment to show that he’s ready to compete again.

Good stuff, here. Christian came off unlikable and built up enough heat to get us excited for the resumption of this rivalry. I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

The Acclaimed Backstage Interview: IT HAPPENED

Apparently AEW has rematch clauses now? Anyway, I don’t get why the Acclaimed would invoke their rematch clause for a four-way instead of a traditional tag match with the Gunns. It’s one thing for babyface defending champions to welcome all comers, but they are challengers right now.

I did appreciate the Acclaimed’s intensity here though.

The Elite and Top Flight Backstage Segment: MISS

I can’t make heads or tails of the Elite’s characters (when have we heard that before?). They came across as heelish in wanting camera time just to discuss basketball and then turning down Top Flight’s challenge.

“HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE defeated KIP SABIAN (w/ PENELOPE FORD): MINOR HIT

Pretty decent match, actually. You would expect Hangman to beat Sabian more handily, but the beatdown earlier in the show made it plausible for this match to go longer.

Post-Match Promo with Jon Moxley and Dark Order: MINOR HIT

A little clunky with Moxley initially asking Hangman to “let it go” then being “glad” that Hangman still wants to fight him. He also overlooked the fact that Hangman does have “friends” in the Dark Order, and we were supposed to be surprised when they entered to support him.

I liked Evil Uno’s intensity here. They veered away from the comedy, and it seems we’ll get some matches between BCC and Dark Order on the road to Revolution.

Jericho Appreciation Society Backstage Interview: IT HAPPENED

Key piece of news coming out of this is we’ll have Starks vs. Garcia on Rampage this week, which should be great. I just can’t help but wonder why Ricky Starks wants to go after Jericho when he’s already beaten him once.

The Firm Backstage Interview: MINOR HIT

Stokely Hathaway wanted “justice” for Hook breaking his arm, and Schiavone informed him that Hook had been suspended. This was mildly entertaining, but they are packing too much into a show as usual.

RUBY SOHO defeated BRITT BAKER and TONI STORM (w/ SARAYA) in a Triple Threat Match: MINOR HIT

Decent match that served more as a means to the post-match confrontation than anything else.

Commentary: MINOR HIT

Nothing special.

Overall Show: MINOR HIT

Nowhere near as good as the previous few weeks. Most content on this show was largely average. I was hoping we would have Ricky Starks come out to cut a promo and rebuild his credibility after the gauntlet last week did him absolutely no favors, but I guess we’ll have to wait for that. Go out of your way to watch the Wardlow interview, and the Danielson and MJF promos.

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CATCH-UP: HEYDORN’S AEW DYNAMITE RECEIPT 2/15: Flat show features important building blocks for Revolution