SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.
-C.M. Punk as a guest commentator? Fine. The move is always entertaining, but AEW should pay attention to how they feature Punk. Merging into traffic in AEW and not definitively standing out will limit what he can do for the company long term.
-As expected, Jungle Boy vs. Adam Cole delivered nicely. Cole was Cole, but Jungle Boy’s work stood out in that he kept up with Cole every step of the way. Cole taking the victory was the only way to go, but the way it went down shows protecting Jungle Boy is a priority for Tony Khan.
-It sounds like Danielson vs. Omega 2 is on tap for Full Gear and I’m on board. That’s the hot match, so why not strike while the iron is hot. Adam Page looms, but an Omega win over Danielson gives him added credibility and heat for Page to extinguish.
-Speaking of Omega – what is it about the Elite being together that brings out the worst quirky crutches of Omega? When Omega and Danielson are face to face in the ring, the Omega on display is that of a main event level, dangerous, champion. With The Elite, he comes across as a goof without a serious bone in his body. They’re going for obnoxious and they succeed to that end, but a balance for Omega is important given that he’s holding the world title.
-Arn Anderson is a gem on the microphone — just a damn gem. His promo on Cody not only finessed their story together, but it simultaneously put over Malaki Black in a major way. Arn, leave the shooting people in the head stuff at the door, though. It doesn’t add the intensity you think it does.
-For as hot as AEW is right now, Jon Moxley has cooled significantly. Don’t get me wrong, he still comes across as a top tier star, but just doesn’t have an impactful story going like a top tier star should. The New Japan stuff he’s been doing has been fun, but the lack of a major name paying the story off hurt its trajectory. With a new crop of talent in the company, there are countless names Moxley can work. Miro is at the top of my list.
-AEW did a nice job of weaving in Brodie Lee references throughout the show. The Dark Order match was a perfect example. A to B in nature and Amanda Huber being the one to put the Dark Order pieces back together was a really fun, feel good touch. Where Dark Order goes from here remains to be seen, but this stood as a heartfelt tribute to Brodie.
-The Dan Lambert stuff is entertaining. It’s also very one note and has an expiration date. I mean, how many times can the guy cut a promo that runs down the AEW fan base? It doesn’t have a lot of depth. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page on the other hand? Give me more of them. Both guys were able to articulate their act well and in a more authentic way than Lambert does, with a higher ceiling. The question is, do they really need Lambert? Probably not.
-Hikaru Shida has been criminally underutilized since dropping the women’s championship in the spring. Good to see her back with the 50th win as a story. My guess is it evolves into something even bigger and more significant.
-Again, I can do without MJF suggesting that Darby Allin should have died in a car crash. It’s just too much. That said, this feud has money written all over it. MJF working to get into Darby’s head week in and week out will be interesting to watch as they build their match. Could be a little dark, too.
-Sammy Guevara and Miro had one heck of a match. It was smartly paced, crisp, and leaned on what both do well in the ring.
-Guevara has work to do with his babyface character. Being a fighting TNT Champion, while seemingly disconnected from his personality, could serve as a good base for him to find it. In the ring, he has it down, but needs to mirror that with the character.
You have a problem with MJF saying Darby should have died, that bothers you more than him saying Darby looks like a school shooter? With the fact that we have multiple mass shootings every single say thanks to Republicans wanting everyone to have guns?
Being there live last night, the crowd popped big when Sammy won the title.
Well, Republicans don’t want *everyone* to have guns…