SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
After a strong episode a week ago and a ratings increase, albeit small, I felt AEW needed to have a show that continued to build the storylines they set in motion. If they were able to accomplish that, it would help ratings and perhaps ticket sales for their Grand Slam show and set themselves up for a strong fall. Let’s see how they did.
HITS
THE MAIN EVENT SIX-MAN TAG
I make this a “hit” for entertainment value only. It was a predictable outcome, but getting there was a lot of fun. These six wrestlers showed off their talent incredibly in this match. The spot where Will Ospreay was bounced off the ropes into a power slam by the Bucks was dynamic. It was nice to see Kyle Fletcher get the pin and while that likely gives away the finish to next week’s title match, this was a great showcase for all of them and set up a lot of interesting singles matchups for the future. As for the promotion of this match, see below.
RICOCHET
I was curious as news came out that Ricochet was likely to sign with AEW whether he would be able to differentiate himself in a company that already has a lot of high-flyers. After a slow start that I believe was not his fault, I think this episode showed there is something there with him. First, he had a great match with Beast Mortos. The Beast is a very talented and athletic performer and Ricochet was able to adjust his style against a bigger opponent. The match had some amazing spots. Afterwards, Ricochet delivered his best promo I’d seen in a long time. Setting up a match with Will Ospreay for the 5 year anniversary show is a smart move in order to hopefully get more eyes on that show on TV and also in the arena. If those two still have the chemistry they had previously, they can run it back at a PPV if necessary.
QUICK HITS
– They made good use of Collision clips to help explain the lower card storylines since many people do not watch that show. What would help is having more things of consequence happen on Collision and make it a show fans don’t want to skip.
– I enjoyed the intensity of Darby Allin and Jon Moxley. I wanted more, but for what they were asked to do on this episode, I thought they brought the passion, especially Darby, and it should be a great match next week at Grand Slam.
Check out the latest episode of the “All Elite Conversation Club” with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
MISSES
THE FIRST HOUR
Man, what a miss. As I said above in the intro, after increased ratings last week, I don’t understand the booking decision to have so much NOT happen in the first hour of the show. If you were a viewer who watched last week and were intrigued at what you saw, here is what you got in the first 30 minutes or so:
A very short “arrival” video of Moxley and Darby followed by a 20 minute Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho match. What are you thinking? Outside of quick mentions during the match, you did not see or hear from Bryan Danielson, Hangman, Ospreay, the Elite. Plus, Swerve and MJF are taking some time off. Where was the star power??
It also took them 80 minutes to even mention Hangman was going to speak. Who is producing this show? I have been a TV Sports Producer for 30 years. I understand what you need to do to grab viewers. This is not it. And no, I’m not looking for a new job!
While the main event was fun as mentioned above, they did not promote it throughout the show other than with graphics and quick mentions. Where are the backstage promos of the guys getting ready? Where was the Elite talking trash? Where was the foreshadowing of Takeshita and Ospreay not getting along? Please, promote the main event!!!
This was a major failure by the company and I’d be shocked if ratings were up for this show. And if they were, I’d be concerned that they were given “Collision on a Wednesday”. This was basically a go-home show for one of their biggest TV shows of the year and they did very little to get people more excited for it.
DANIELSON AND NIGEL
I’m sure you could tell from the above paragraphs that I was frustrated with the show, but nothing was more disappointing to me than the build for Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness. First, let me say the video package was very well done. That said, what is going on here? Are we getting no promos from the wrestlers before this match? No face to face? They have spent the better part of a year having Nigel criticize Danielson on commentary to set this up down the line and now it’s a rushed match with no face to face build. We are supposed to go into next week not sure it’s even going to happen?
This could have been very special. Even for those who don’t know the history as well as others, Danielson and Nigel could have sold it with one epic face to face in-ring confrontation.
It is clear this match had to be wedged into the schedule due to some combination of Danielson’s health, his plans for full-time retirement, ratings, or ticket sales for Grand Slam. Still it should have been set up so much better.
It’s been a while since I’ve been this disappointed with an episode of Dynamite. I’m hoping it’s just a blip on the schedule and things improve with back to back big shows over the next two weeks. However, damage has already been done and they’ll have to be pretty creative over the next two weeks to make these special shows live up to what they could have been.
Don’t forget to check out the weekly free podcast I’m part of, “The All Elite Conversation Club” that typically drops on Fridays the PWTorch Dailycast lineup. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW! Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.
Stay right here and keep the flow going. We think you’ll like to read this next…
RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW’s next TV deal with WBD could bring big changes to fans, new reporting indicates some parameters but much still unknown
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Dynamite results (9/18): Powell’s live review of Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho, The Elite vs. Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and Konosuke Takeshita, Ricochet vs. The Beast Mortos
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.