AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (2/14): Toni Storm’s latest theatrical production, Dax and Mox get physical, Cassidy vs. Taven, Free Jay White, Don Callis match-maker

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Last week it was Mercedes Moné and this week we got the reported news of Kazuchika Okada joining AEW so the future seems bright for the company. That said, we still have a PPV to continue to build towards which brings us to this week’s Dynamite. I’ve both loved the new direction AEW has taken over the past couple of months while understanding they have work to do to make these stories matter and improve both viewership and attendance. Let’s see how they did this week.

HITS

DAX VS. MOX

I needed to take a few Tylenol after just watching that match. What a slugfest. We see a lot of physical matches in AEW, but there aren’t many that were more physical than that one. It was a joy to watch. Afterwards, the BCC was really playing the heel role, but as Joel Dehnel and I said in our conversation on the All Elite Conversation Club podcast last week, they are receiving cheers so it’s tough to determine the placement of groups like the BCC when they want to get booed, but fans still love them.

CALLIS MAKES A MATCH

Now that’s what I’m talking about. A showcase for Takeshita and Will Ospreay which should be a great match. So, will Ospreay still be a member of the Callis family after Revolution? We’ll see, but it’s an opportunity to put on an outstanding match with a good storyline which is exactly what AEW needs more of.

“CHRISTIAN IS MY FATHER”

I loved everything about the Adam Copeland-Daniel Garcia match and the aftermath. First, the match was very entertaining and Garcia continues to rise up the ladder into the high mid-card with his wrestling skills, ability to sell, and facial expressions in the ring. I can’t remember the last time AEW had a “no contest” match, so I did not mind it at all and it served a purpose not handing Garcia a loss that would hurt his ascension. The beatdown afterwards was well done and, in this storyline it’s clear who the heel is and the fans were letting The Patriarchy have it. As you may have guessed by the title of this “Hit,” I loved Nick Wayne’s shirt saying “Christian is my father.” It was also a great decision to go straight to commercial after the beatdown rather than toss it to a backstage segment that would have lessened the impact of the angle.

JOE-SWERVE-HANGMAN

So apparently, I have been instructed by “Hangman” Page that when I write my Dynamite report I am not to say that he was mad last week. Okay. He wasn’t mad last week. Samoa Joe was sure mad this week, though! And as usual, he was the standout in a segment that was strong from start to finish. Swerve and Hangman played their roles well, but Joe is just so good and gets his point across in a clear and concise way. I’m so torn on where they are going to go at Revolution and the best thing about this program is I have no idea who is going to win.

O.C. VS. TAVEN

I’m sure there will be arguments about how this match kind of popped up out of nowhere, but this was a wild and fun 15 minutes! I give both guys a lot of credit as they gave it all they had. Matches like this are why I love AEW and this one had a solid story to go along with it. The interference made sense and they seem to be setting up something with Trent that’ll pay off by Revolution. The Taven leap over the ropes into the chair/announce table was flat out nuts.

MINOR HITS

– The Young Bucks continuing to play their new roles smartly and avoiding going over-the-top too much while wrestling a match with far less flips was a wise decision

– I was about to make the women’s match a legit “Hit” until the dumb distraction finish. Still, Skye Blue and Willow put on a great match that was clean and exciting and had the crowd invested. Kudos to the women for a solid performance, but it did not need a bad finish, especially since we already had one earlier in the night.

MISSES

TOO MUCH TONI

For my taste, the Toni Storm character works best in quick interviews and on commentary, but I don’t like when they get theatrical with it. The message was clear, but there were way too many exaggerated facial expressions in her “film.” Deonna Purrazzo’s response would have worked better if she calmly called Storm out and promised to take her title rather than using the cheap “b-word.” I’m still looking forward to this match, but this week’s segment could have been better.

FREE JAY WHITE

I don’t care how many shirts people are buying, please get Jay White away from this ridiculous “Bang Bang Scissor Gang” routine. The longer it goes on, the longer it’s going to take for him to climb back up the ladder and be taken seriously.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of Dynamite. Great matches and stories were advanced as we get closer to Revolution.
Continued thanks to everyone listening to The All Elite Conversation Club on the PWTorch podcast lineup on Friday afternoons. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW and appreciate those who have given us a try!
Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Dynamite results (2/14): Powell’s live review of Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Taven in a Texas Death Match, Adam Copeland vs. Daniel Garcia for a shot at the TNT Title, Young Bucks vs. Top Flight