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.
-Do we really need another ladder match? Especially with Wardlow. Like, why? A straight-up match with Christian Cage would not only be better for him as a performer, but for the audience too. This is a strong example of AEW overthinking a match that is pretty darn clean and simple to get to.
-A little more on Wardlow … what was with that Arn Anderson promo backstage? That seemed out of place. Wardlow could use a mouthpiece like Arn, but the concept of one doesn’t work in practice. Wardlow needs to be too much of an alpha as a character to calmly listen to a manager. Not sure about the pairing at this point. Disconnected at best.
-I’ve been saying it again and have been saying it for weeks — Orange Cassidy is the MVP of AEW in 2023 thus far. He gets stronger and stronger reactions each week. Someone to watch as the year continues on because he’s slowly building momentum that may be impossible to stop.
-Ok, so Sammy Guevara is going full-on babyface then, eh? Not buying it. It’s too much of a 180 degree pivot, even for AEW. I smell a turncoat type spot of sorts in the match at Double or Nothing that reveals his true colors. If not, we’ve been here before folks. Babyface Sammy just doesn’t work.
-I liked the angle with FTR and the Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal team this week. It felt like an old school wrestling angle and it got the heat it needed to. The heels looked bad and credible. The babyfaces looked very likable, sympathetic, and cheated. Thumbs up. I could do without Karen Angle, but I suppose there is a chance she can add another layer to already strange team of Jeff, Jay, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh.
-AEW is treading water with The Outcasts vs. OG story in the women’s division. Some combination of the six women involved have tagged against one another for weeks now and we still don’t have a definitive endpoint. Toni Storm vs. Jaime Hayter is the PPV match at Double or Nothing, but we’ve been there and done that too. This has to get somewhere so that people will continue to care.
-My prediction for Roderick Strong vs. Chris Jericho came true. Holy smokes, I mean, who could have seen that one coming. Everyone, but Adam Cole getting involved was smart and logical. Cole vs. Jericho is going to happen at Double or Nothing, but it’s not announced yet. A nice little match that adds an upper mid-card level bout to the show.
-Rush did ANOTHER job. I mean whatever attitude Tony Khan takes with Rush to get him to job the way he does, he needs to replicate when talking to CM Punk. Right? Rush almost paralyzed Jack Perry in a botched spot off of the ring apron, but he also played an aggressive heel well, which played nicely off of Perry. We don’t need Jack Perry grabbing the tights to win matches. He’s as babyface as babyface can get and any idea to move in another direction is misguided.
-As long as we get more from MJF next week on the go-home Dynamite, this week’s appearance was fine. He looked like a supreme level jerk and that was that. Thumbs up and good enough. Still, the four pillars title match is a weak one for PPV, but I don’t think there is anything MJF can do to change that at this point.
-Really good match between Ricky Starks and Jay White. Why, yes! Jay White is a part of the AEW roster I swear. No, this was good stuff, crisp, and well executed. The lack of a true finish will certainly lead to a PPV match at Double or Nothing. Hopefully. White has to have a PPV match to keep any semblance of top guy swagger warm with the fans.
-It was wonderful to see AEW wrap-up Dynamite this week with an angle that began last week on the show. That type of continuity is important and this went off great. The Elite looked like stars thanks to Adam Page and the audience was jazzed up for a match between them and Blackpool Combat Club. One question, is Don Callis with BCC? They probably want to address that in some fashion. On the surface that is not a good fit, but he’d certainly help get BCC booed. Really good angle.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.