AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (4/17): The new Bucks characters, Swerve-Joe closiing angle, Ospreay vs. Claudio, Better Use of Mercedes, Toni Storm in Black & White, more

It’s the go-home show for Dynasty and AEW has a lot of work to do. While many of the matches have had a decent build, last week’s Dynamite was C.M. Punk footage-focused and now that that’s (hopefully) behind us, we can get back to setting up what could be another classic PPV event. For the core AEW fans, this card is great. For the fans that the company has lost or wants to gain, they need to do a good job this week in making them care about the stories behind these matchups. Let’s see how they did.

HITS

JON MOXLEY

With no disrespect to Adam Copeland and FTR, that was a freakin pep talk. Nobody in wrestling can match the passion of Jon Moxley. Having him open the show was a smart move. Mox does not mess around. He gets right to the point, elevates AEW as a promotion, and gets you to look forward to next week and his match with Powerhouse Hobbs. Mox is appointment viewing and hopefully he remains a major part of the show every week as he is missed when he’s not around. It was also a good move to follow him up with Mercedes Mone and Copeland’s ring entrance to showcase some of the top stars of the company right away.

BETTER USE OF MERCEDES

It’s still not perfect, but this week was a far better use of Mercedes Mone. I’m still not sure whether she is going to be a face or heel, but she was direct in her backstage promo and made it clear that it was her health that is the reason she is waiting until Double or Nothing to make her in-ring debut. The storyline with Willow and Julia Hart was delivered well as they were clearly protecting Julia after her shoulder injury from last week’s Rampage. This was a solid set up in the women’s division for Sunday’s PPV and moving forward.

THE ELITE

A lot has been said about The Bucks, but I think they are hitting on all cylinders with their roles right now. They are just so punchable. Sure, it’s still a little too over-the-top for me at times, but this is what they are and they do not apologize for it.

It was silly, but I enjoyed Matthew’s commentary on mic during their match. They were, however, able to quickly turn things more serious. All of this got the crowd very much into the match and into their storyline. Okada played the heel role perfectly, only getting involved when it was to his advantage. His match with Pac on Sunday should be amazing.

I loved the move by Daniel Garcia grabbling Nick’s leg and firing it into Matt’s face. Quick and impressive. What was also impressive? The beating Garcia took at the end of the match and afterwards.

OSPREAY VS. CLAUDIO

Week after week, I am wowed at the matches Will Ospreay pulls off. Claudio is amazing as well, but Ospreay brings something that is unmatched. His counter to the big swing had me out of my seat and that wasn’t the first time. I could watch this guy every day and not get bored, which is why it’s criminal they don’t promote his matches more. (See below)

SWERVE-JOE CLOSING ANGLE

Great closing angle to promote the World Title program. Intense emotions from both wrestlers got the crowd very much into it. A month ago, I thought it was likely Joe would retain. Now I’m thinking Swerve may win. I love going into a title match like this on the fence as I’ll be on the edge of my seat on Sunday night.

THE CROWD

Kudos to the crowd in Indianapolis. Despite having around 3,000 in attendance, they were loud and engaged throughout and it really makes the show and the company seem like a big deal and a lot of fun to watch. Good job Indy!!

MISSES

KEEP IT COLOR

Enough with the black & white cutaways when Toni Storm is around. I get it when she has an entrance for a match she is participating in, but it was very distracting to me during the May-Purrazzo match and took me out of what was happening in the ring between two very good wrestlers. We get the gimmick. Ease up on the B&W cutaways please!

GET SHANE TAYLOR A WIN

I don’t know how we as viewers are supposed to take Shane Taylor Promotions seriously if they NEVER win a match. Sure they can beat up people, but if they are going to be a factor or a group that’s worth fearing, why not have them beat Orange Cassidy. He can afford a loss to help put over Taylor. They even set it up that way, pointing out that OC had no friends, so pay it off with a loss and a big push for Taylor and his pals.

PROMOTE THE MAIN EVENT!!!!!!!!

There is just no excuse for barely mentioning a showcase match between the future top star of your company and a well-respected powerhouse. Will Ospreay is the best thing AEW has going right now and they should be previewing the match every 15-20 minutes and add in some backstage promos or shots of them warming up. Keep people interested by promising one hell of a main event. I don’t understand how they continue to fall short week after week with this very simple goal.

And you go to break during Ospreay’s entrance?? The coolest part in showcasing this guy before he shows off his skills in the ring is the “Ospreay, Ospreay!” chants on every side of the ring. Show it!!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a solid bounce back from last week and a good go-home show.

Continued thanks to everyone listening to The All Elite Conversation Club on the PWTorch Dailycast lineup. We will be recording on Thursday this week with a recap of Dynamite and a look ahead to Dynasty this Sunday. We appreciate those who have given us a try!
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