SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Explanations. That’s what I’m hoping we get on Dynamite this week taking place in my home state of Maryland. The end of the Dynasty PPV left a lot to be desired for me as I was hoping for a Swerve Strickland win and a new direction. I’m cool with being disappointed if the story is good. So, the pressure is on AEW! Make this a good story and I’ll buy in! Let’s see how it all went down!
HITS
THE OPENING SEGMENT
Wow, a lot happened here.
I didn’t hate it, so it’s certainly not a miss. Was it all great? I’m not going to say that either.
Let’s run it down.
Jon Moxley’s opening promo and rather quick win over Shibata was impressive. I thought it was going to be clear that the Bucks were pulling the strings the whole time, but they did not go down that road and I’m pleased about that. That said, this doesn’t change a lot of the Death Riders story which hasn’t been something fans have gotten behind.
The Bucks then basically ask to team up with the Death Riders and their interference in the main event was an offer to work together. I’m not sure Mox’s character would be up for that, so we’ll see how that goes.
Then Kenny Omega came out and that got me out of my seat ready to hear what he had to say. It was certainly a “Kenny Omega promo” where there was good stuff and weird stuff. The point was clear and he reminded everyone of the backstory between him and the Elite.
Then Okada arrived to further the groundwork for a likely All-In matchup between the two, but before long, Swerve Strickland came out to a huge reaction and it’s clear the screwjob at the end of Dynasty increased the already impressive support he was getting. At least in Baltimore! Swerve crushed it before getting attacked by Pac. Oh, and Prince Nana, how about you warn him that Pac was coming from behind instead of scurrying out of the ring??
All in all, it was a lot, but it set up storylines for the next few weeks at least so that’s why it ends up being a “Hit” here.
THE EIGHT-MAN TAG
$400,000?? That’s a lot of “cash” on the line!
This was a fun match that the crowd was red hot for. Sure, you can’t go wrong with eight fantastic athletes showing off their skills, but the storytelling within the match was just as fun as the spots. I loved the camera work from what I believe was the crane camera to get all four leaps out of the ring and then a hilarious spot where they all moved out of the way when Ricochet tried it and then slapped him on the head. The first 45 minutes of the show was a lot of set up for stories to come and this was a nice diversion of some great wrestling that only AEW can provide.
MJF & THE HURT SYNDICATE
I have to say, MJF crushed it by coming out, standing with, and assuming he was a part of the Hurt Syndicate. No low-brow humor, no shots at the Orioles or Ravens, just a delusional guy whose ego is way out of control! I loved that Bobby Lashley and MJF talked over each other rather than taking turns like we see multiple times every week. It made it seem much more real. Max didn’t get the votes, but this is far from over and it’s something I can’t wait to see play out over the next few weeks.
QUICK HITS
– “I plan to diversify my portfolio” says Mark Briscoe. I can’t get enough of that guy. Gold.
– I still think the most compelling character in AEW right now is “Hangman” Adam Page.
– Toni Storm cracking up the entire commentary team with line after line shows how much she is on top of her game right now. Amazing performance.
– The Don Callis family has an opening? Hmmmm… who could be joining?
– MJF insulting his own girlfriend in the locker room got me good. Hilarious.
– Wheeler Yuta is really getting some solid heat from the crowds in recent weeks. He is playing his heel role well.
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)
MISSES
MOX-BUCKS-SWERVE FOLLOW UP
I know the first segment was a lot, but I was hoping we’d see some sort of follow-up later in the show with the Bucks, Swerve, and Moxley. This is supposed to be the main storyline in the company right now and too frequently AEW gives you a compelling first segment and then that’s it for that story for the rest of the show. I bring it up constantly and praise them when they actually do follow up, but it’s a missed opportunity with so much going on in the show to have people hold onto something that happened nearly two hours earlier. At the very least, give us a tease of something that gets fans to look forward to tuning in next week.
It was a bummer to see Pac injure his right ankle on the buckle bomb in the match with Swerve. They did a good job working that into the story of the match, but I feel awful for Pac. He’s been snakebit with injuries in the past and hopefully this isn’t something that keeps him out long-term.
I’m sorry to say we will not have “The All Elite Conversation Club” podcast this week due to Joel Dehnel and I being out of town all weekend. We will have a show next week, so please look out for that. It typically drops on Fridays. Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.
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