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.
-Adam Cole and Dax Harwood brought it in the opener of the men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. A great match and smart tone setter for what the tournament could be. Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy set a different tone, but more on that later on.
-Oh, also. Adam Cole, stop singing your entrance music!
-A video package?? On Dynamite??? It’s a miracle. I’m half kidding, but the Hardy/Allin hype was effective. Maybe a little more about winning and less about killing each other next time, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. “A” for effort and it made their match feel more important than it otherwise would have.
-Alright, the C.M. Punk acting heel in Long Island is a funny joke and fun, but it’s also ineffective. Punk has been on a pretty epic run since his return and challenging for the AEW World Championship is a potential crowning moment. AEW should want to see a groundswell of support for him week to week. What took place Wednesday night voluntarily slowed it down. Is it the end of the world? No. But. AEW should consider doing something else when big business like Punk vs. Page is involved.
-Punk and Page confronting one another felt intense, but both came off less likable than usual. Is that the goal?
-Ok, I maintain that the Danhausen stuff is below Hook’s potential and doesn’t serve that potential in the most efficient way possible. That said, the angle this week got a really big pop, so I guess Zack – 1,000,000, fans of Hookhausen – 1.
-Much like the C.M. Punk Long Island stuff, the MJF pivot is just as counterproductive. Fun? Yes, but to what end. Look, the goal of the story is to keep MJF a strong, drawing heel, while elevating Wardlow as a babyface. How does openly encouraging fans to boo that babyface help anything? It’s fun, but again, just do something else. Or, do the important contract signing somewhere else and let MJF have fun at someone else’s expense. It’s not the end of the world, but it just needlessly inconsistent with many other options on the table.
-Is that a Christian Cage heel turn I’m smelling? Thinking so and that would be a positive for both him and Jungle Boy.
-I’ve said for a while that I expected the Blackpool Combat Club to join up with Eddie Kingston in the fight against Jericho Appreciation Society. Well, ha! Told ya. There is a lot of ways Tony Khan could take this. Blood and Guts? A Dynamite TV match? A big tag at Double or Nothing? The later seems most likely at this point.
-A decent little match between Jaime Hayter and Toni Storm. No surprise in Toni Storm advancing in the tournament, but the smart match is Britt Baker vs. Storm at this point and it looks like that is where we are heading.
-My goodness, Jeff Hardy and Darby Allin. They had an insane match Dynamite. Period, end of story. The Darby Allin spot off the ladder and through chairs was supremely dangerous and he was inches away from catastrophe. On one hand, this type of match was necessary given the two men and how they both hyped the match. On the other hand, where do you go with a future match between these guys now? The rollup pin suggests that another match is in the works, but like, what do you do in that? It’s just too much too soon. Tony Khan has to force these guys to play their cards better and save some material and bumps on the card for the future when bigger business is at play.
CATCH-UP: HEYDORN’S NXT 2.0 RECEIPT 5/10: Solo Sikoa shines as top star with signature in-ring promo
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