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I have to admit, I came into Dynamite this week with not a lot of confidence. Sure, I’d likely enjoy the show as usual but the lineup put out on social media was not one I believe would attract new or lapsed viewers. I am hoping that there are some intriguing moments to make up for it and perhaps a big step forward in the Jon Moxley angle. Let’s see if they pulled that off.
HITS
MOXLEY OPENING VIDEO
For the second straight week, they opened the show with a video package from the Moxley group. This was another home run when it comes to Moxley’s delivery and message. It also served as a recap of what he’s all about if new viewers tried out the show or left the TV on after Big Bang Theory. It set up for something to happen later in the show with the babyfaces waiting to greet them when they arrived.
I do have some issues with this storyline which is noted below, but Moxley is so captivating that I’m still on board with this angle. I was also disappointed in the editing of the video package because there were times where the music was too loud and I had to focus hard to hear what Moxley was saying.
VIDEO PACKAGES ALL NIGHT LONG
This proves to me that AEW is listening to criticism. There were so many video packages explaining feuds and setting up matches and promos. I was very happy to see this so everyone knows the stakes going into each of the segments. They even re-aired the Sammy Guevara promo from Collision and added some good Shelton Benjamin/MVP to it. The key now is to continue to do this so viewers are prepared and understand the stories before big segments.
KYLE FLETCHER’S PROMO
Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. AEW needs to build big stars. Kyle Fletcher is a BIG star. This promo was a test for him at this point in his career and I give him an A+. He was a convincing young man who bought into whatever Don Callis was whispering into his ear for the past few months. Everything he said made sense, giving him legitimate reasons to feel the way he feels. The best part of the promo was when the crowd began chanting at him to wrap it up, and he calmly ad-libbed a perfect response showing he can think on his feet and not miss a beat. Cutting his hair to prove how much he did not want to be like Will Ospreay was a perfect way to end it. I can’t wait for these series of matches and hope they continue to build him up and give him the experience he needs to take the next step into stardom.
QUICK HITS
– One unique thing that MVP does that you don’t see much anymore is a manager coaching up his wrestler during a match. Usually, the manager is just there to hype up the crowd or cheat, but listening to MVP help lead Shelton Benjamin to victory is a nice change. “Don’t play with your food” was a great line.
– Speaking of Benjamin, establishing him with solid victories and weeks of airtime before Bobby Lashley arrives is a smart move. That way, Shelton does not end up being seen as a sidekick or lackey from the start, even though we know he’ll be the gate-keeper to Lashley moving forward.
– Love or hate Chris Jericho, the story they told in his ladder war match with Mark Briscoe was a good one. Briscoe had plenty of chances to win, but he was so focused on beating up Jericho for talking about his brother that he lost that focus and it ended up costing him in the end.
– I thought they did a great job in the main event with a couple of things. First, I love Jack Perry’s heel work and I’m hopeful he can start to distance himself from the Elite as their silliness brings Perry down to their level. Also, I thought setting up a tag title match for next week with major stakes was fantastic. They don’t do this often enough, but now fans can look forward to a match next week where you’ll either see a title change or Private Party breaking up.
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
SAVE ADAM COLE
As I wrote last week, bringing back Adam Cole as a good guy and having him finish out the MJF story is a tough task. There were so many frustrating elements to that story last year that they may have been better off just moving on. If they are going to go with it, then I would have kept Roddy Strong and the stupid “Adam!” stuff out of it. This was barely funny last year and it’s the Michael Myers of gimmicks right now. Just keeps coming back. Cole has been through a lot and said as much in the media this week. Well, if they want to get some sympathy on him and get the fans more invested, then do a sit-down interview with him on TV and have him tell the story of the last year.
Also, come on writers/MJF. Max comes out and his main message to Cole the past two weeks was that he’ll never get the “revenge” he’s out for because MJF will never get into the ring with him again. No way. Oh wait, but if you win 3 matches in a row, then I’ll fight you. Huh? Come on. There had to have been a better way to set that up without making MJF look like an idiot.
A STRONGER KAMILLE
At first I was torn watching the competitive match between Kamille and Queen Aminata. After all, most AEW fans are looking for them to build up other wrestlers and make them important and they have spent the last month doing that for the Queen. However, Kamille should not be taking that long to win a match against someone who is just starting to get a couple of mid/lower-card wins. Kamille should have been booked like a monster who was built up by dominating someone who has been improving.
Considering Kris Statlander is likely going to beat her next week, the win would mean a lot more if Kamille had flattened her opponent this week.
LACK OF TOP GUYS ON THE SHOW
I understand the Moxley group’s agenda. I understand that it’s a message fans can get behind, but Mox is going about it in the wrong way. I like having a group of babyface stars ready to fight against his methods, but they need to get to that immediately. One week of the lower card wrestlers being the “saviors” was enough. Seeing it again is setting this angle up to fail. I understand the story they told regarding Orange Cassidy and I like it, but you need to see the bigger names stepping up. Darby Allin, Swerve, and even guys like FTR (BUT NOT THE OUTRUNNERS) should be getting involved again, and soon, so they can call out the group for having good intentions but going about it the wrong way.
It was another mixed bag of a show, but I thought they are doing a good job looking ahead and booking matches for upcoming weeks. That’s a good step forward if they keep it up.
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.
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho in a Ladder War for the ROH Title, Jack Perry and Young Bucks vs. Daniel Garcia and Private Party
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com.)
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