AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (5/1): Smilin’ Tony Khan, Omega and The Elite, Jack Perry’s promo, Jericho vs. Shibata, Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb, Callis-Trent-O.C.

We are going north of the border for this week’s Dynamite which will be the fallout from the Tony Khan beatdown angle. This has a chance to be a summer-long program that could invigorate the company. Or… it could fall flat due to performance choices by the Elite or Khan himself. If you treat it like a joke, it’ll be one. If you treat it like a serious story, it’ll be one. I’m fascinated to see how this will go.

HITS

KENNY OMEGA AND THE ELITE

Hands down, that was the best promo I’ve ever seen Kenny Omega deliver. There was no comedy. There was no awkwardness. Kenny was serious and clear in everything he wanted to and needed to say. This was a perfect set up for the perfect beatdown he took at the hands of the Elite. After a questionable start which you can read below, this was one of the best show-ending segments AEW has ever done. When Kenny is healthy enough to return, his match with Okada could bring the house down wherever they decide to do it.

SAMOA JOE VS. BROTHER ZAY

This was an old-fashioned house show fun match. They played nicely to the crowd. Zay’s shriek as he fell helplessly from the sky was great and the Joe ‘walk away’ was priceless. This was the first part of the show that got an audible response from me while watching it. It was also the first time the fans really got into the show as well. People love Joe and I’m hoping he can play more of a good guy now after his title reign ended. Sidenote — If his body can hold up, I’d LOVE to see Joe in this year’s Continental Classic.

O.C., CHUCK, AND CALLIS

I’m intrigued. This is yet another storyline that has been brewing and shows that at least someone in AEW has been listening to the fans that they need to tell more stories. Orange Cassidy rarely grabs a mic and speaks so that made this seem even more important. Trent does a good job as a heel and bringing Don Callis into the mix for whatever the reason is a great idea. I’ve written it and mentioned it on the All-Elite Conversation Club podcast often that not all the stories they come up with are going to be amazing, but the more they are giving you something to follow week after week and the less they are relying on just putting on random matches with no build, the better it’ll be for everyone watching.

JACK PERRY’S PROMO

Jack Perry’s backstage promo was short and sweet and exactly what it should have been. He was clear in explaining his actions from his warped perspective and all of it made sense in the head of a heel.

JERICHO VS. SHIBATA

I know Chris Jericho has been a polarizing character the past few months, but this FTW match vs. Shibata was a lot of fun. (Except for the stiff puck to the face that Shibata took). Both men’s chests were bright red. They fell on pucks. Taz said “What the puck?!” They sat cross-legged and wailed on each other with kendo sticks. Big Bill, as expected, was the difference after putting Shibata through a table. Good clean fun for all!

MARIAH MAY VS. SERENA DEEB

Now THIS was a women’s wrestling match. Great showcase for these two talented performers. Everything was crisp and they told a great story with both wrestlers showing off their toughness and talent. Toni Storm throwing in the towel protects May and even makes you think whether she did it on purpose because either she does not want to face May, or does not want her to look better than Toni herself.

The line of the night courtesy of Stokely Hathaway:
“Aside from my own actions, what did I do to deserve this?!”

MISSES

“SMILIN” TONY KHAN

It was a bad sign that it took 5 seconds for me to have a “Miss” in this episode. Tony Khan opening the show with a smile was ridiculous. If they wanted this angle to get people talking or tuning in, he should have been distraught that he wasn’t able to be in Winnipeg. He should have been pissed off about what happened last week. I was taken out of the narrative immediately. Someone should have told him that was bad and if they did and he didn’t listen, then they have a much bigger problem on their hands. Luckily for him, the way the show ended will be remembered much more than the start.

WHAT’S ON THE SHOW??

While the show started with major storylines being addressed, there was no rundown of what to expect on the show until 20 minutes in. So for those who may have been tuning in with some curiosity, they may very well have tuned out if they were not into the Adam Copeland/House of Black match. Unless I missed it, nobody said the name Kenny Omega until 21 minutes and 20 seconds into the show. That’s just unacceptable, especially considering what a great ending segment it was. They continue to do a poor job of promoting what is on the show week to week to keep viewers tuned in. It has to be a factor in the lower ratings as of late.

I know the Swerve/Christian opening segment is worth mentioning, but I would not call it a “Hit” or a “Miss”. It was okay. It was fine. It should be an entertaining program to watch for the next month and give Swerve a good win at the next PPV.

I was very worried after the first 20 minutes that this show would be criticized heavily, but it turned around nicely and ended up being a very entertaining and memorable episode. I just hope certain viewers did not bail on it early. Continued thanks to everyone listening to The All Elite Conversation Club on the PW Torch podcast lineup on Friday afternoons. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW! Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com