SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NEWS & NOTES
-Samantha Irvin left WWE on Monday. There was initially some speculation that the now former Raw ring announcer might make her way to AEW but it since been reported that she stepped away to focus on her music career and her family.
-Hook said he had seen the security footage of the attack on his dad and vowed to confront the assailants tonight.
INTRO
One week into the Jon Moxley and his cohorts’ reign of terror and AEW already feels like a different place. The show felt more serious overall last week. The Outrunners really stuck out in their appearance on Dynamite which felt completely superfluous. At the same time, it was very brief. Limiting the amount acts like them and especially MxM get on TV is important to the integrity of this new, more serious and less frivolous direction.
Another important thing AEW went back to doing last week was announcing some Collision matches on Dynamite to give people a reason to watch. There was legit storyline development in the Mox story on that show as well. In addition they set up matches for upcoming shows and even ran a brief video package of upcoming events with dates and such. It small, seemingly innocuous things like this that could help right the ship in AEW so I’m thrilled to see them taking those steps.
Jon Moxley vs. AEW Locker Room
Latest Developments
Jon Moxley and his crew ran roughshod across both Dynamite and Collision laying waste to several members of the AEW locker room.
Analysis
Mox opened Dynamite with another menacing promo saying that he hates everything AEW has become with the unnecessary celebrations and partying. He said he would burn the forest down and start over and that everyone works for him now.
I really enjoyed this opening promo. Mox laid his motivation. While his frustrations might mirror a lot AEW fans, his methods are beyond the pale. That “you work for me now” line was reminiscent of the Somali pirate telling Tom Hanks “I’m the captain now” in the movie “Captain Phillips.” The best part of the promo was the fact that Mox laid to rest the notion that he’s taking orders from someone else. If people are working “me” not “us” that pretty clearly means he’s the one calling the shots. No more wondering if Shane McMahon is coming in.
During a six-man tag match between members of the Conglomeration and The Elite, Mox his crew attacked, their crosshairs clearly trained on Orange Cassidy. While the Elite looked on from the safety of the ramp, Top Flight, Action Andretti, and Dark Order all ran down to help and were all overwhelmed. At one point, Marina was literally strangling Alex Reynolds against the ringpost with a belt. Daniel Garcia and Private Party made their way down just Mox as and his crew exited. Immediately after a break, Garica and Private Party confronted the Elite for their cowardice but got nowhere.
This story bled into Collision where Mox opened the show promising that the Trios Title shot for Top Flight & Action Andretti would be a public execution. Following a win over the Premier Athletes, Garcia and Private Party were approached by Orange Cassidy who told them he was no leader.
Top Flight & Andretti proved to be no match for the Trios Champions despite putting up a valiant fight. After they had won, Claudio, Yuta, and Pac continued assaulting Top Flight which brought out the Dark Order again. That lead to Mox setting up an impromptu second Trios Title match with the Dark Order who were dispatched in short order. A second post-match beating finally brought out Garcia and Private Party followed by OC who turned and walked back up the ramp.
Between Dynamite and Collision, Mox’s crew were presented as absolute killers. The Dynamite attack gave me flashbacks of 1996 WCW with the NWO attacking that locker room at will. I didn’t have an issue with Top Flight or Dark Order coming out as Mox essentially threatened the entire locker room, not just top talent. That said, more important talent than those six guys have to be involved and they are. My only real critique is that it took Daniel Garcia and Private Party so long to come out on Collision.
Orange Cassidy is clearly being set up as the Full Gear opponent. The moment that he finally steps up and becomes that leader he claims not to be is going to get a big pop.
The one thing that has repeatedly come up in discussions about this story in the last week is the role of Tony Khan in this feud. Jon Moxley did not utter Tony’s name in either of his show opening diatribes. In fact, he’s never mentioned Tony at all and that’s a good thing. The role of TK should be matchmaker; same for Christopher Daniels. They should only intervene in instances where the heels are blatantly repeatedly cheating or ducking matches.
Mox has declared war on the locker room (hence my title for this feud), not Tony or his authority, so the locker room should be left to fight it out. That’s why I think framing the Bucks as loudmouth egomaniacs who throw their weight around when convenient but when it matters are weak impotent cowards is important. It undercuts any authority they have and clearly establishes they aren’t going to do anything to help the situation. It’s going to be up to the AEW locker room to save itself from Mox’s takeover and hopefully in the process some new babyface stars are made.
Grade: A-
Jay White vs. “Hangman” Page
Latest Developments
Hangman interfered and cost Jay White a match against Christian Cage.
Analysis
Jay White fought Christian Cage in the main event of Dynamite. Though he hasn’t confirmed it, it’s been heavily hinted that Christian was the second person on his hit list. The match was good but the finish was comically botched. Kip Sabian hit the ring to distract Christian, but he but it was too early. That forced Hangman, who’d snuck out to interfere, to lay down and hide awkwardly. After more minutes of the match, they essentially ran the exact same spot back again, this time with Hangman hitting the Buckshot on Jay. Christian got the easy pin.
I’m the first to admit that WWE terribly abused this kind of finish for a long time and lost its effectiveness. That said, AEW doesn’t do it nearly as often nor in big matches so I can let that go. What I can’t let go is that finish. It’s inexcusable. How does Kip Sabian screw that up? Hangman looked ridiculous because of him. Anyway, the Hangman-Switchblade feud continues, and that I won’t complain about.
Grade: B
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)
Anna Jay vs. Mariah May
Latest Developments
Anna pulled off the shocking upset over Mariah in an eliminator match on Battle of the Belts to earn a title shot.
Analysis
Mariah cut an angry promo demanding competition and Anna Jay stepped up. The two faced off in the main event of BOTB on Saturday night. The match was pretty good. Mariah went for Mayday but Anna reversed it into a unique pinning combination for the win.
As someone who’s watched wrestling for nearly 30 years, it’s almost impossible to surprise me. I can usually predict how most matches are likely to end. Anna Jay beating Mariah May shocked the hell out of me. I saw this as a quick one-and-done for BOTB before Mariah moved into whatever is going to happen with Mina. Instead, what we got was good match that showed off some of Anna’s improvement since her excursion in Japan and win nobody saw coming to set a two week mini-feud. This title shot’s a nice gesture to reward Anna’s hard work and dedication to improving her skills. Mariah will retain but hopefully Anna has a really good showing in the match and levels up in way.
Grade: A-
Mercedes Moné vs. Kris Statlander
Latest Developments
Mercedes defeated Queen Aminata in a TBS title match; Kris Statlander beat Harley Cameron and then called out Kamille.
Analysis
Mercedes and Aminata interacted backstage at WrestleDream and that lead to a the match on Dynamite. The two had a good match. Aminata held her own, but eventually Kamille interfered and that allowed Mercedes to lock on the Statement Maker and force the tap out.
Again, the match was good. It was sort of random, but the TNT and TBS titles are basically TV titles. Going back to WCW, TV titles are designed to be defended frequently against a variety of opponents. If the TNT and TBS titles were more consistently treated that way, this match wouldn’t have stuck out.
Kris Statlander beat Harley Cameron pretty easily on Collision. Afterwards she got on the mic and called out Kamille for a match to see who the biggest and strongest woman in AEW is. The match was later announced for next week’s Dynamite.
Last week on Rampage, a Stat vignette aired in which she explained that her problems with Willow started when Mercedes arrived and then Stokely got in her ear. Credit to them for at least trying to explain Stat’s whiplashing turns. The match between her and Kamille should be a super physical hoss fight. My only qualm is that it seems a little early for Kamille to lose, but I’m confident she’s going to in order to establish Statlander as a major threat to Mercedes. Tonight on Dynamite Kamille fights Queen Aminata. I expect Kamille to win. I also think it’s a distinct possibility that we get a tag match on Collision out of this or Serena Deeb gets involved.
Grade: B
Jamie Hayter vs. Penelope Ford
Latest Developments
Jamie squashed someone and then Penelope cut a promo on her from the big screen.
Analysis
Jamie Hayter had a straight up squash match on Collision which she won inside two minutes. Penelope Ford then popped on the big screen and proceeded to remind Jamie (and everyone else) that in her (Penelope’s) last match two years ago Jamie was her partner. Penelope claimed Jamie never called to check on her and complained that Jamie got a hero’s welcome back while Penelope got nothing.
I thought the content of the promo was good though Penelope’s delivery was just okay. I think as a rule, framing a babyface aa a bad friend isn’t the best course of action but in this case I don’t think anyone remembers that Jamie and Penelope were partners two years ago nor do I think the partnership was serious. As a result, I don’t think Jamie will look bad. I’m also relieved that Penelope isn’t associated with the Outcasts. This will be a good feud to keep Jamie occupied while women’s title is in a bit of limbo.
Grade: B
Adam Cole vs MJF
Latest Developments
Adam Cole cut a promo explaining his actions last year and MJF responded via video by telling Cole they’ll never have a match.
Analysis
Adam Cole opened Dynamite with an in-ring promo explaining that MJF is despicable and sometimes you have to fight evil with evil. MJF popped up on the screen and said that Cole had destroyed his ability to trust and that he would never give him a match thus leaving him craving vengeance.
It was a high degree of difficulty trying to safely navigate through the minefield that is the history of this feud. I think Cole’s promo did about as good a job as could be expected. He touched on the devil stuff without getting into specifics. Saying that he had to “fight evil with evil” is probably as good an explanation for his behavior as possible. I don’t know how else they’d explain it away. MJF was reliably good in his promo, smugly sipping his wine and justifying his behavior in his mind. Denying Cole an immediate match gives Cole something to chase. I just hope Cole stays healthy enough to see this feud through this time.
Grade: B+
Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher
Latest Developments
Kyle Fletcher refused to explain why he betrayed Will Ospreay. On Collision, he got his win back over Atlantis Jr. and then changed his tune and vowed to provide an explanation on tonight’s show.
Analysis
There wasn’t much to the Dynamite segment specific to Kyle Fletcher; it was more about a general re-establishing of the Don Callis Family which was a good thing. Fletcher and Atlantis Jr. had really good match on Collision. The two had a previous encounter in Mexico so this match being as competitive as it was made sense. Fletcher won in the end with a brainbuster onto the top rope. After the match he vowed to reveal the motivation behind his betrayal tonight.
This was pretty straightforward stuff. The promo tonight should be very interesting. I can’t wait to hear how Fletcher justifies his actions.
Grade: N/A
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet
Latest Developments
Takeshita successfully defended his International Title against “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Josh Alexander on consecutive nights of Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling show this past weekend. Ricochet officially called out Takeshita following a win over old rival A.R. Fox and then made an appearance at the MLPW show.
Analysis
Takeshita had back to great matches first with “Speedball” Mike Bailey and then with Josh Alexander. He’s so good and it’s nice that he’s finally getting a real push. Ricochet renewed an old rivalry with A.R. Fox. The two have history dating back to their time in Lucha Underground. Ricochet won of course, but the match was good. He then got on the mic and officially called Takeshita out for a title match citing the fact that Takeshita’s never actually beaten him.
I think this was the natural program to move into with both of these guys. Ricochet is technically in the same position in AEW as he was in WWE, but he’s treated with more respect and it helps tremendously. The match means more if he’s treated as legit than if he’s treated as fodder.
Grade: B+
Chris Jericho vs. Mark Briscoe
Latest Developments
Chris Jericho asked for another shot from Mark Briscoe and brought up Jay Briscoe again. Mark accepted and upped the ante to a ladder war.
Analysis
In an interview filmed after the match at WrestleDream, Jericho spun yarns about Mark Briscoe cheating (he didn’t) and then invoked Jay Briscoe’s name again to bait Mark. Unfortunately, Mark took the bait and gave Jericho his undeserved second shot with the added stipulation of a ladder war.
Mark beat Jericho clean. There’s no reason for another match. It would’ve been much better if Mark had recognized Jericho’s attempt to bait him for what it is and denied his request. At least make Jericho work harder to get another shot. Instead, he just gifted it to him. Given the fact that Briscoe already won clean and this match is a ladder war where Briscoe doesn’t have to be pinned, I’m fearful of the outcome. A couple weeks ago on the WrestleDream media call, Tony Khan said ROH was a promotional priority for him. I don’t want to say it, much less for it to actually happen, but God help us all, I think Chris Jericho is going to become ROH Champion again.
Grade: C
Young Bucks vs. Private Party
Latest Developments
The Young Bucks denied Private Party another shot but Private Party vowed to get one somehow.
Analysis
Private Party asked the Bucks politely for another shot at the tag titles to which the Bucks laughed in their face and denied them. In fact, they said they’re never getting another shot and walked off. Stokely Hathaway then approached Isiah Kassidy and Marc Quen and suggested that they offer up their partnership to sweeten the pot for the Bucks. The Bucks cowardice during the BCC attack later in the show simply added fuel to the fire.
I thought Private Party would be one-and-done against the Bucks, but it definitely seems like a real reinvestment in the talented twosome. The Stokely piece of this is weird though because it seems like Private Party almost have to win if they get their rematch and actually put their partnership on the line. That would still leave Stokely out in the cold. I do like that the central angle with Mox and his crew is feeding this story. That’s smart booking.
Tonight Private Party & Garcia fight the Bucks & Jack Perry in what should be a very fun six-man tag team match.
Grade: B+
Swerve Strickland vs. The Hurt Syndicate
Latest Developments
Shelton Benjamin won his AEW in-ring debut and then MVP challenged Swerve to face Shelton.
Analysis
Shelton fought Lio Rush in his first AEW match. The match was unsurprisingly quite good. At one point Shelton hit a step-up knee jumping from the floor to the apron. It was a thing of beauty. Shelton won with his old exploder suplex into a pin that he used back in the day. MVP got on the mic and told Swerve to reconsider his position about joining the Hurt Syndicate and then challenged him to fight Shelton. In a backstage promo, Swerve accepted and the match was made for next week’s Dynamite.
Shelton Benjamin is 49 years old but still looks to be in phenomenal shape and he’s still insanely athletic. He may have lost his footing at the end of that step-up knee, but it was still a sweet move. Lio was the perfect first opponent to help make Shelton look really good.
Going to a Swerve-Shelton match right away sure seems like a setup to debut Bobby Lashley. MVP was also handing out his card again backstage this time to the Acclaimed. Anthony Bowens turned him down flat but Max Caster secretly slid the card into his jacket pocket. Perhaps we’re headed towards an Acclaimed split as part of MVP’s burgeoning new Hurt Syndicate stable. I would not be upset about that. The question is who will Swerve find to back him up against the Hurt Syndicate. So far, so good with this story.
Grade: B+
RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW COLLISION REPORT (10/19): Ricochet and AR Fox rekindle their rivalry, Statlander and Hayter in action, AEW World Trios Title Match, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Deonna Purrazzo on why she left TNA, making her AEW debut in her home state, working with Jordynne Grace and Mickie James
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com.)
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