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It had been a little while since I was looking forward this much to watching an episode of Dynamite. AEW did a very good job building to this Halloween-themed event. There were great match-ups promised as well as some big matches with stakes. The build was good, but now it was time to find out if the execution matched it. Here we go.
HITS
WHEN ORANGE CASSIDY SPEAKS…
For those old folks, Orange Cassidy is like E.F. Hutton – “When he talks, people listen…” This was a very good segment because OC rarely does this. He showed intensity in setting up a match for Full Gear. He is a solid choice as the first opponent to represent AEW against the Mox group.
COLE VS. MATTHEWS
It was great to see Adam Cole back in the ring after all he’s been through and I thought they did a great job telling the story of his lack of confidence in the ankle. It just made sense that someone who was out for that long with that injury would be tentative. I would have done without the “nearly quitting” angle, especially with the crowd getting behind Buddy Matthews.
The crowd response showed Cole still has a lot of work to do to solidify his top babyface role. What it did show was that the company should start to get behind Buddy Matthews and the other members of House of Black. I know there are issues with Malakai Black, but there is meat on the bone with Buddy and Brody King.
Cole did a great job with his backstage promo later in the episode further explaining his actions and attempting to get the fans behind him.
PRIVATE PARTY VS. BUCKS
This was the match I was most looking forward to because they set up stakes where I had no idea who was going to win. As the match began, it became more and more apparent to me that they had to go with the title change. First, the show needed a big match result moment. Second, the Bucks are a cold act and the titles did them no good. Third, the crowd began to get more and more into Private Party as the match went on.
I thought the match was planned out very well with chapters and elicited a legitimate response from the crowd when Private Party won. It was a nice emotional moment and a chance now for the AEW Tag Team Titles to be regularly defended week to week with some new and exciting match-ups.
SWERVE VS. SHELTON
This was another strong match that was smartly set up for the past few weeks. Swerve and Shelton had some strong chemistry and told a good story. It’s a little strange seeing Shelton as the guy dominating a lot of the match with Swerve fighting from underneath, but if Swerve wiped the floor with him, it probably would not have been a good idea after spending nearly a month building Shelton up.
I’m sure Bobby Lashley’s debut came as a surprise to nobody, but it was executed well and was a strong end to the show with MVP and his guys standing tall and making viewers wonder what is next for this group.
QUICK HITS
– Not only was it important to promote the tag title match, but having Christopher Daniels call back SCU’s breakup match with the Young Bucks was a great idea. It further set up the stakes that made the match so good.
– Kyle Fletcher’s segment was good though I was disappointed we didn’t get to see Will Ospreay. I guess that was the point. Mark Davis’s return is intriguing as right now he’s on Ospreay’s side, but I could certainly see him joining back with Kyle and the Callis family eventually.
– “Hangman” Page continues to do a great job with his promos. Only Jon Moxley is up there with Hangman right now when it comes to intensity.
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MISSES
THE MOX BEATDOWNS
I did not think this was horrible, but there is something missing for me with the Mox group beatdowns. I think it may be that I’m waiting for clues and answers that I am just not getting. I understand the point of these is to show Moxley and his minions are being so violent, that it eliminates any cheering for them even though their message is very babyface for most fans.
The continued beatdowns of the lower card guys is now getting old. Mox is still being a bit too cryptic in his promos where we are not getting any more clues or answers from him. They may have planned to have someone else pulling the strings, but did they abandon that? I am looking for something that makes me want to tune in next week for another nugget or clue and I’m not getting that. It’s too much brawling and too few answers at this point.
It was nice to see Darby return, but I think they’ll need someone else of note to join him and OC as the top defenders of the company.
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! Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.
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OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: The Young Bucks vs. Private Party for the AEW Tag Titles, Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin, Kamille vs. Kris Statlander, Adam Cole vs. Buddy Matthews
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to that email. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)
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