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 fun and fresh way to open Dynamite this week. The angle right out of the gate with The Young Bucks getting attacked was a good hook to start things off and also wove throughout the show. More of this and remember, The Bucks and Omega can be good storytellers when they want to be.
-What else can you say about the opening six-man tag besides the fact it was an enjoyable watch with an audience in the background just eating everything up all the way through. AEW should make Sting wrestling more of a big deal, but that’s a minor gripe. This worked.
-Are we looking at AEW PPV signage now too, AEW wrestlers? Say it ain’t soooooooooo!
-The video packages surrounding and recapping last week’s MJF segment with the four pillars of AEW indicated that the story there pays off at Double or Nothing. Not sure they can get there with it. At this time, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy all feel like low level challengers for a major PPV event like Double or Nothing. Even all of them together in a match doesn’t scream “one of four title matches on PPV.” We’ll see what they do, but Tony Khan has better options to go with in that spot.
-An ROH angle rearing it’s head on AEW television. Look Tony Khan, you don’t want to make this a habit. Plus, when you do it, make it be around one of the bigger angles, not a second from the top feud in the tag division. Top Flight vs. The Kingdom isn’t a thing unless you are one of the few thousand people who have watched the new ROH product.
-FTR’s AEW careers are on the line, folks. Are they doing the job on the way out? Did they re-sign with AEW and now are getting the big push? The angle seemed a little rushed and went from 0-60 very fast out there, but they landed in a great spot. That AEW audience is going to be firmly invested in the match due to the stakes at hand. Either way it works for AEW, too. FTR wins? FTR remains a huge act for the company and reestablishes themselves at the top of the tag division. FTR loses? The Gunns get a TON of heat as the heel champs. Win/win.
-I liked the Hook vs. Hathaway match. Hook’s momentum is fading a bit. If I’m Tony Khan, I’m trying to heat that up again. It means putting him in a position he might not be ready for and seeing if he sinks or swims. He doesn’t do anyone any good to get ice cold in the name of not being ready. Sometimes the moment calls for you to simply be ready. Let’s see what he has.
-The Adam Cole promo this week was my favorite part of the show. The most effective, too. That’s a strong babyface right there. Cole was confident, definitive, ready, and had a mission in mind. He articulated it well too and the crowd loved it. Here’s to hoping they stay this direction with Cole. He doesn’t need a cast of characters around him anymore. He can be a guy that carries part of the company.
-Well, the Blackpool Combat Club are certainly heels at this point in terms of how they are being booked on the show. Not sure I buy it yet. Not sure the audience buys it yet either. Jon Moxley is just too likable. He’ll need to get on the microphone at some point and work his verbal magic to get the crowd against them. Even though they are attacking the poor Dark Order, they aren’t firmly booed at this point.
-QTV, get off my damn TV. That was awful. Truly awful stuff.
-A good little match between Skye Blue and Toni Storm. It served the purpose of further the OG vs. Outcast story and to that end it worked. Blue showed a little more in the ring than we’ve typically seen too. Like, what’s good about it at this point. It’s there, but that’s about it.
-Holy Kenny Omega vs. Vikingo! That was a spectacle of epic proportions. Just as I thought it would be. Better hype and promotion would have gotten more eyes on it and that is the point of all the discourse. Why you wouldn’t want to do that is beyond me. That said, wow, what a match and something well worth going out of your way to see.
Since when is Moxley likeable? Even as a face he comes across as just as much of an absolute prick as any heel on the roster aside from MJF. Dude plays himself as an utter asshole, and has for the majority of his time there.