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It’s Double or Nothing week! For the past few months, AEW has really taken a step up and the hope is that they can take this weekend’s PPV and have it launch them into a big summer for the company. That starts with this week’s Dynamite which has the goal of getting fans excited for Sunday’s show and keeping this momentum moving forward. I’m very curious to find out the participants in Anarchy in the Arena and what the fallout will be with MJF and the Hurt Syndicate’s contract signing. Let’s see how they did!
HITS
OSPREAY-HANGMAN
Ospreay is so smooth and chill. He’s very likable and proved once again he’s a perfect guy to get behind as the face of the company. Ospreay emphasized the stakes in a way that you rarely see. This wasn’t wasted emotion. You can see the look on his face and know that this match means something to him not only for the “show”, but it’s a chance for him to be a hero to his home country. It was a masterful promo.
Hangman followed and did not miss a beat. The way his voice broke when he said he needed it was perfect. The passion was off the charts. This was one of the best in-ring segments to set up a match that I can remember.
Both wrestlers emptied the tank emotionally and it was brilliant.
I can’t wait to see this match on Sunday and I can’t think of a better way to sell this PPV than what we saw to kick off Dynamite.
SIX-MAN TAG WITH ANARCHY MEMBERS
This was a fun preview of the carnage we are going to see on Sunday. Most of the match at Double or Nothing will be violent and outside of the ring, so to see these six men go at it in a regular match doesn’t ruin anything. It was also a match that had the crowd engaged from the start. Once again, Samoa Joe was the fan favorite with Swerve a close second. While they still wrestle a babyface style, the Bucks getting beat up had the crowd cheering wildly.
Swerve getting the pin makes you think perhaps the heels will win on Sunday, but the post-match beatdown could have it going the other way. That was a smart way to keep us guessing. Claudio saving Matthew Jackson from the One-Winged Angel on the table makes us have to wait until the PPV for the brutality.
OR….
Maybe not! Predictably the final segment ended up being a brawl with all of the participants. It was good and a taste of what is to come, but is Gabe Kidd part of the match or not?. The graphic did not have him in it, so we’ll see I suppose, but it would have been nice for it to have been a bit clearer. I’m also hopeful for a big return to even the score. Fingers crossed on that one.
QUICK HITS
– I have to say, I like the new Dynamite theme song.
– MJF disrespecting his real-life girlfriend has not gotten old for me.
– I’m still annoyed by the Okada presentation, but I got a laugh out of his “bitch” fake out. Trust me.
– Wrestling Ricochet is a tough task, but I thought Anthony Bowens held his own and Ricochet winning by cheating furthered his heel persona.
– They should have mentioned it on the show, but I offer congrats to Darby Allin for successfully climbing Mt. Everest. What a beast!
– What a shot Mercedes gave Jamie Hayter! I thought both women did a very good job with their in-ring segment and it ended with some quality violence as a tease for Sunday.
– Toni Storm was fantastic once again on commentary and I loved that she was using an old school four-color pen!
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
SONS OF TEXAS
Honestly, I went back and forth on whether to make this a “miss,” but in the end I thought Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara kind of threw a bucket of water on the long-term MJF/Hurt Syndicate storyline. Dustin did not have his best night on the mic as his promo was disjointed, but the problem is not solely theirs. The issue to me was throwing them into this story and into a PPV match with a two week build. They came out of nowhere right to the top of the division. Yes, they have been showcased at times on Collision, but showing up and beating Top Flight (who loses often) and earning a title shot immediately doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
I’ve said for weeks I’m ready for the MJF/Hurt Syndicate decision to come to a conclusion. Apparently it has, but it’s lost me a little bit and I’m hopeful they have a plan to keep this compelling.
MAIN EVENT MENTION?
Was the main event of Julia Hart vs. Mina Shirakawa even mentioned on the show? I may have missed it, but if I did, it must have been brought up very quickly. If AEW is concerned that announcing that as the main event would cause viewers to bail on the show early, then DON’T make that the main event. They should have had more confidence in it because the match was very very good!
I thought this was a solid go-home show for Double or Nothing. They did a great job previewing all the big matches for Sunday and I’m very much looking forward to the show!
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 and join us this week for a preview of Double or Nothing! Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.
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