AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (8/14): Unhinged Hangman, Darby-Perry hype, Mariah May video, Swerve heels it up, Lack of Main Event hype

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With less than two weeks to go until All In, this was a very important episode of Dynamite to further hype their biggest show of the year. I’ve been enjoying the build for the top of the card, but now it’s important to raise the stakes to make the mid-card stories something that fans will look forward to watching and thus fork over $50 for the PPV. Here’s how they did.

HITS

UNHINGED HANGMAN

I have to say I am loving the unhinged “Hangman” Page. He is the most compelling character in AEW right now and I’m very much looking forward to what is ahead for him. What a brutal match he had with Jay Lethal. This was a match that proved you don’t necessarily need blood and weapons to make it look like one wrestler got hit by a truck.

MJF-OSPREAY PREVIEW

That was great use of the video of MJF from Rev Pro from last weekend to further the build for All In. Even better was following it up with an exceptional video package that featured everything you needed to know about these two and the story they are telling going into this match. It will be one for the ages, no doubt.

DARBY-PERRY PREVIEW

The “hits” just keep on coming with great video packages and angles to promote All In. Darby Allin’s video was another good look at a guy who is the heart and soul of AEW and the beatdown he got from Perry was vicious and gave us a look at the violence we can expect in a coffin match at Wembley.

MARIAH MAY VIDEO

You want more video packages? You got more video packages! This was short, sweet, and effective. It was well-produced and a great addition to the best built long-term story AEW has told in its history.

3-WAY FOR #1 ENTRY IN GAUNTLET

Once again, there have been criticisms of AEW throwing good wrestling matches on the show with no stakes. Well, this had stakes. It was also a hell of a lot of fun watching three of the world’s best wrestlers do what they do best. The choreography and creativity was off the charts in this and showed the skill of all three guys. I had a blast watching this and, while Orange Cassidy was the favorite going in, I could see any of the three winning it. Kyle O’Reilly’s frustrated reaction afterwards showed how important this match was to him and could be foreshadowing something for the future.

SWERVE HEELS IT UP

While I thought the match went a little longer than it should have, Swerve continues to do the best work of his career. After dispatching Yuta with excessive violence, he promised to cripple Danielson and took a cheap shot at him, cementing his role as a heel in this storyline. The smile on his face while doing the “Yes!” chant was priceless. Danielson will need to do something next week in Wales to get a matter of revenge headed into All In.

QUICK HITS

– Mercedes Mone and Shida put on a well-wrestled match that was perhaps Mercedes’ best since her arrival. However, the distraction/interference finish was disappointing. There are other ways to establish Kamille and what she can do than doing that since Shida can take a loss. The Britt Baker post-match was a little awkward, but I always enjoy when wrestlers use the camera to acknowledge the people watching at home. That was well done by Britt.

– Five dives in a row by Jay Lethal?? I’d be in the hospital after two of em! Okay, one of them. Kudos to Lethal and his conditioning!

MISSES

THE BUCKS AND THE TAG TITLES

I’ve been confused with this storyline from the start. The Acclaimed had cooled off and were not really in position for a title feud. FTR has been on and off TV and inconsistently booked. The Bucks kind of took over backstage, but then were gone for weeks and we still don’t know exactly what kind of power they have.

Meanwhile, this tag title match was set up months ago and then booked on a whim for this show with no previous announcement on TV. This was a WWE special where they wrestle a very good match over multiple commercial breaks and then it’s wasted with a bad finish that sets up something that could have been set up rather easily without wasting our time.

This angle with the Elite and the power struggle backstage started with promise but has lost its way and needs to be fixed as soon as possible with a final match with major stakes.

LACK OF PROMOTION… AGAIN

The most inconsistent aspect to Dynamite week after week is promoting the big matches and main event earlier in the show. I know there is a lot to cover with a huge roster and many stories going on, but they need to find the time to make a big deal out of the Swerve vs. Yuta and AEW Tag Title match with backstage promos or updates in the first hour. Swerve is your world champion. The first time you see him should not be when he is coming out at 9:50 p.m. eastern time.

While there are still things AEW can be doing better on a week to week basis, the card for All In is shaping up to be huge with many matches that have been built up extremely well. I’m fired up for what should be a memorable show.

ALL ELITE CONVERSATION CLUB

Continued thanks to everyone listening to The All Elite Conversation Club on the PWTorch Dailycast lineup. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW! Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.

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OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta in a non-title match, Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida for the TBS Title