SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
It’s Maximum Carnage from Cincinnati! It was a packed Dynamite with a World Title match as well as the in-ring return of Kenny Omega and an all-important Women’s gauntlet match with a title shot on the line. The stars were all there so let’s see how things went!
HITS
OMEGA VS. CAGE
There is no doubt AEW has an impressive group at the top of their cards and the return of Kenny Omega has strengthened that in a big way in the past two weeks. It was difficult to predict how his return would be handled, but so far he’s been the serious Omega that many have been hoping for. Plus he does not seem to have lost a step in the ring. The company is strengthened by his return and sets up a lot of intriguing matchups in 2025.
I love that they are pairing him with Will Ospreay for now as you have the company’s top two babyfaces coming together to battle the Callis Family. Speaking of Callis, I feel they are finally utilizing him in the proper way. Callis should be on the show every week and his group of heels should be legitimate threats. Takeshita and Fletcher are those threats.
HURT SYNDICATE
This group continues to impress and they have become a welcome addition to the company. I love how they are booked to be tough and rarely lose. It may have been tempting to allow Private Party to get a fluke win by pinning MVP to further their story, but they went over strong and should win the tag titles sooner rather than later.
WOMEN’S GAUNTLET
It seemed pretty obvious who was going to win this match, but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and the main reason why was due to the talent that is now in the women’s division. Outside of Harley Cameron, any of those women would be a legitimate title contender. A multi-person match can sometimes be sloppy and rough, but I thought they all did a great job. Megan Bayne didn’t get a huge reaction from the crowd, but she has an impressive look and she has the potential to be a major contributor. I also enjoyed Mariah May’s commentary. I would have advised her to not be quite as “bothered” by Bayne’s appearance, but outside of that, she continues to play her character impressively.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
MOXLEY RING ENTRANCE AND MATCH WITH HOBBS
I always enjoy Jon Moxley entering the ring through the crowd, but there was something special about this one where Mox is the hometown guy and his intensity really got me out of my seat and ready to go for this one. I’ve pointed out the star power in this show already, and Moxley really presents himself well as the top guy in the company.
As for the match, I thought the commentary did a good job building up Hobbs and telling his story so you could really understand what all this meant to him. They were successful in selling the fact that he was a legitimate threat to the title. The bloody ear on Moxley was quite a visual. It was also impressive that Hobbs got the crowd behind him with Moxley being in his hometown. They certainly protected Hobbs by having all of the outside interference and him kicking out of a finisher before losing, so I felt it was a very good showing for Hobbs.
As for the post-match, Rated FTR sure took their time getting to the ring to help.
QUICK HITS
– I like AEW finding some unique venues to put on their shows. While I thought the Hammerstein Ballroom looked cooler, the theater in Cincy had a nice layout and the show always is more enjoyable when it looks like the fans are on top of the wrestlers and surrounding them on all sides.
– This episode of Dynamite really leaned into explanatory video packages not only for matches on the show, but for storylines that they did not have time for. Very very well done. Please keep this up.
– Ricochet is continuing to do a great job in his heel persona. The fans turned on him quickly and he has a chance to be someone who wreaks havoc on babyfaces for years to come. He has reached that “punchable face” level which makes him valuable as a singles competitor and as someone who could be an asset to a heel stable.
– It was awesome to see Samoa Joe return. I think Hook has really missed him. They had something building before he left, and Hook has seemed a bit lost with Joe gone. Now that he’s back, I think he can pick up where he left off helping Hook take that next step.
MISSES
FOLLOW UP WITH OMEGA & OSPREAY
Starting the show with your top two babyfaces and then never seeing or hearing from them again will always be a miss for me. These two will be the cornerstone of much of what you do in 2025, especially in the big events, so why not check in with them in a backstage segment or at least give us a recap later in the show.
JARRETT & MJF GO ON AND ON… AND ON… AND ON
I know there are some fans who don’t like Jeff Jarrett and think this storyline is a waste of time and I get that. I’m fine with Jarrett since I’m old and remember when he started wrestling in the 1980’s. As long as he does not win the World Title, I’m fine with it. That said, I think this in-ring chat with MJF went on way too long and was a bit all over the place. There is a story somewhere in there in regards to MJF looking for easy ways to get his title back and Jarrett wanting to finish his career on a strong note, but they ended up going back and forth trying to outdo each other with insults and below-the-belt shots. Did I mention it was really really long?? The length of the segment affected the rest of the show as the celebration of Toni Storm after the women’s gauntlet match was rushed as they quickly went to commercial to save time for the main event. The post-match of the main event also suffered a bit as they seemed rushed to get off the air.
I don’t mind this angle on paper, but it needs to be short lived and does not need anymore long in-ring talking segments.
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.
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