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Winter is here! This event is usually close to a pay-per-view quality show every year, but I was not expecting something quite that good this week. I figured with a legitimate PPV set for a little over two weeks from now, we would get a solid episode of Dynamite with good matches and furthering of stories to set up Worlds End. My hope going in was for the company to continue its course-correction with more serious storylines and less nonsense. Here we go!
HITS
OPENING PROMO/CLOSING ANGLE
While I was disappointed that MJF was not on the show, I think they did a very good job with the Devil storyline. With all the wrestling promoted for the show, it was smart to start things off with an in-ring promo and who better than Samoa Joe to get it going. Joe had his usual intensity and clear vision on what he was trying to do.
I like adding “Hangman” Page to the story by using a talking point discussed in wrestling circles during the week that the beer bottle used to take out MJF pointed to the Hangman. When the wrestlers are vocally sifting through all the possibilities like we do, it brings the fans right into the narrative as well. The closing angle was also well done as you can close the book on Hangman being the Devil and it sets up a revenge angle once everything is revealed.
CONTINENTAL CLASSIC MATCHES
Once again, you got a wide range of good matchups in the tournament. I probably wouldn’t have squeezed five matches on this show, but it was clear the delay of Bryan Danielson starting his matches means they had to play catch-up at some point.
Andrade vs. Brodie was so fun to watch. It was a physical battle that showcased both guys as great workers and Andrade has really stepped up during this tournament. While I expect him to come up just short in making the finals, this could really springboard him into a solid feud coming out of this. It looks like they are setting something up for Miro and, if so, I hope Andrade comes out on top. Perhaps C.J. turns on him to reunite with Miro and that solidifies Andrade as a babyface.
By the way, thank you Excalibur for finally clearly explaining that the top two point-getters in each League will face off in a semifinal. It was very vague and confusing over the weeks and I’m glad we got a clear explanation.
Rush had a nice win, as did Jay White. I really enjoyed the main event as well and was pleasantly surprised we got a finish when most expected a draw. Now, it was a controversial finish as you could see Swerve’s shoulders were up on the three count, but you know there will be a rematch between the two in the semifinals so I expect a definitive finish in their next match-up.
MISSES
GOLDEN JETS FLAME OUT
Chris Jericho is a legend, but I’d expect he’d admit he wasn’t at his best in this promo. Kenny Omega was charmingly “all over the place” with the mic as usual, so that didn’t bother me all that much. Jericho bombed so badly that he pulled out the “Enzo” card just to get a reaction. Not a great look. Ricky Starks has certainly been better himself, so I’ll chalk this up to a bad segment, but I’m still looking forward to the match at Worlds End for the titles.
NO VON ERICHS?
If memory serves, I thought they promoted an in-ring celebration of some sort for the Von Erichs on last week’s show. They seemed to have pivoted to a match on Rampage, and all we got on Dynamite was a short backstage interview that was quickly interrupted. I would have loved to see a little in-ring segment and it would not have to have been long.
LIMITED MAIN EVENT PROMOTION… AGAIN
For the second week in a row there was a highly-anticipated main event. And for the second week in a row, we were well into the second hour of the show before we saw a preview of that match. Just mentioning it earlier in the show just doesn’t do it justice. With a match like Moxley vs. Swerve, you could have sprinkled video previews throughout the first hour going in and out of commercial breaks to make sure people remember what is coming up and to get them more hyped for it.
FINAL THOUGHTS…
As stated above, I didn’t think this was going to be a monumental show. I do think they could have done a little more to spice it up, though. The matches were good and the Devil storyline was advanced, but in order to get those ratings and attendance numbers up, I thought they could have done more to make a show dubbed “Winter is Coming” a little more memorable.
For more chat about AEW, please check out The All Elite Conversation Club on the PWTorch Dailycast podcast lineup this Friday afternoon where Joel Dehnel and I will break down all things AEW.
Thanks for reading!
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Dynamite results (12/13): Powell’s live review of Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley, Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe, Rush vs. Jay Lethal, and Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo in Continental Classic matches
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