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HITS
Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander (TBS Title)
This match started off a bit slow but really got going and seemed to be the first match that the crowd sunk its teeth into, especially during the back half. This was also Mercedes’ best AEW outing to date. I did believe that Kamille would either get involved regardless of being told not to and potentially/accidentally cost Mercedes the match. It was nice to see that not happen. However, damage has been done to the Kamille character lately and it needs to be rehabilitated. Hopefully that’s part of the plan in the immediate future. I’m curious to see where Statlander goes from here also. A clean loss can be tough to bounce back from as a babyface if not booked properly.
“Hangman” Page vs. Jay White
It’s so refreshing to see Jay White get some relevant TV and PPV time since his return from injury. Both of these guys worked really well together and I expect this feud to continue in some form (even after their strange involvement after the main event). White getting the win was probably the right call also as his image on AEW TV is also one that has needed some rehab after the first 18 months of his booking was largely wasted. I also commend both guys for selling their leg injuries throughout the match and even in their involvements after the main event. It’s little things that like that go a long way. I did think that Hangman punching Christoper Daniels was going to lead to another suspension. I suppose it still could but he wasn’t kicked out of the building afterwards considering his involvement later in the show.
Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
Not much you can say here except that the in-ring work was exceptional, as expected. I do fear that AEW is starting to book Ospreay to lose just a bit too often though. I can certainly respect Ospreay wanting to put some guys over but you could argue he’s AEW’s top baby face and shouldn’t be booked to lose as much as he does. A loss to Fletcher doesn’t kill Ospreay, obviously. But, I really hope that they start to limit his losses to make them matter more. If you need proof that losing too many times hurts see Bryan Danielson’s run in AEW and even Ric Flair’s at time when they both just lost too much. Sure, it’s great to help give some guys the rub but if you lose too much it will also lose value when trying to give the right guys that said rub. On the other hand, Fletcher is really starting to shine as a solo act. He’s my favorite to win the Continental Classic (and title) next month.
Mariah May/Mina Shirakawa Champagne Celebration
It was odd seeing a bit like this in the midst of an AEW PPV but it was a breath of fresh air and definitely put in the right spot after what was the match of the night. I was about 75% sure that Toni Storm was going to make her return during this but that didn’t happen. Storm’s absence has been longer than I think it should be at this point but I’m willing to wait it out to see where the Mina and Mariah feud will go. Both women did a great job in this segment and I was glad to see no one was hurt in the table spot that looked like it went somewhat wrong. The segment also didn’t overstay its welcome or drag. 2024 has been a much better year for the women of AEW so I’m intrigued to see what comes next.
Jack Perry vs. Daniel Garcia (TBS Title)
This was a mild hit. I do feel like this feud was a tad rushed and would’ve liked to have seen Garcia chase a bit more. Having said that, the match came off well and the crowd did get involved after awhile. I’ll be curious to see where Perry goes from here. I suppose he could come back after Garcia and we still see a series of matches. I also wouldn’t be upset to see the TBS Title be a bit of a hot potato here with these two until the feud comes to a head in a big time blowoff match.
Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley
A good solid effort from both guys here. There was just enough interference at the end of this for Swerve to keep coming back at Lashley. I am also curious to see if Swerve does try to recruit some help. When it comes to the Hurt Syndicate, it feels like Lio Rush and Max Caster are candidates to be recruited into the group. Perhaps Lio Rush won’t go that direction and sides with Swerve to help even things a bit. I feel like this is a good first chapter to the feud and I am definitely in on seeing it continue.
Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy (AEW Title)
A strong in-ring outing from both guys. However, there was 0% of me that believed Cassidy was winning the AEW Title and that took away any suspense from me. Considering how many clean finishes we saw tonight I was also fine with seeing one not go that way for the main event. Moxley is doing great work right now to be hated and that’s tough for him considering his relationship with many AEW fans. When it comes to the post-match angle, it definitely left us with a lot more questions than answers. Was it overbooked? Yeah, for sure. However, right now this is the 1A story in AEW. I’m still hopeful that there is an outline that’s being followed. The involvement of Jay White, Hangman Page, Christian Cage, and Darby Allin could be argued as overkill. However, if we are treating this like a real invasion type storyline, some of the bigger names should be getting involved so I’m still very interested to see where it goes. My main hope is that it’s a huge talking point for Dynamite this week. So often in the past there’s been a big happening at a PPV and the followup on Wednesday nights has been lacking.
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MISSES
Private Party vs. Kings of the Black Throne vs. The Outrunners vs. The Acclaimed (AEW Tag Titles)
Call me crazy but I’m giving this a mild miss only because it didn’t provide the hot start that usually comes with most AEW PPVs and it was a predictable outcome (if only because there aren’t typically short AEW title runs). The in-ring work was certainly there and all four teams worked hard to put on a good match. It is a bit odd that the main focus in this match was on the foreshadowed breaking up of The Acclaimed rather than the, still, newly crowned tag champs. I was enjoying the slow burn of the breakup between Anthony Bowens and Max Caster but was glad to see it hit second gear. Private Party also doesn’t seem like a hot team right now. This feels like one of those scenarios where the titles are making the team rather than the team making the titles. Both guys are truly talented though and there’s still time to change that narrative.
MJF vs. Roderick Strong
Another soft miss here. Both guys had a strong outing but I can’t imagine anyone ever thought that the finish of this was in doubt. Personally, I still have a lot of interest in the Undisputed Era/Kingdom personalities and how this will shake out. However, I’m only one person and didn’t get to enjoy a lot of their pre-NXT stuff in ROH so I’m not quite burnt out on it yet like it appears the masses are. If we rewind 12 months I think most of us were excited to see Adam Cole finally get into a serious feud with MJF after the months of silliness. Now, I think most just want to see both guys move on and would have rather had them come back to this after some time feuding with other wrestlers.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet (International Title)
The third mild/soft miss of the night. It wasn’t a bad match by any means but I was a bit let down and expected more. Ricochet is wrestling a WWE style that I thought he was trying to get away from when he signed with AEW. I’m not sure where Ricochet goes from here. Much like Statlander, a babyface taking a clean loss needs to be handled with care afterwards. He’s also still pretty fresh off of his debut. On the other hand, I can also get excited about the treatment that Takeshita is getting. It feels like AEW is truly behind him for the first time in his career and I am optimistic about him for the first time in what feels like forever.
OVERALL SHOW
Definitely more good than bad! However, this New Jersey crowd was a rough one to please and that didn’t help the show feel as good as it should’ve. Take it from me, a Pittsburgh guy, there are WWE type crowds in the northeast U.S. that will only pop for entrances, big moves, and surprises. Tonight, that’s what AEW got from this particular crowd. I thought the excitement level coming into this show was also lower than a lot of the other AEW PPVs we’ve seen this year so that also could’ve been a factor. Having said that, as I said before, more bad than good for sure. There’s some good hooks coming out of this show, along with the Continental Classic starting this week. The followup is going to be very important. Last year, there seemed to be a strong interest in the Continental Classic. Hopefully, these hooks are followed up well and coupled with another good tournament as we head towards the end of 2024. Overall Grade: B-minus.
Tony Donofrio is a Contributor for PWTorch.com. You can follow Tony on Bluesky @TonyDonofrio.
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OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Pruett’s Blog: AEW’s Continental Classic is my favorite thing in wrestling, and the Continental Championship sucks
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to pwtorch@gmail.com. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)
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