SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
It was pretty clear if you read last week’s column that I was disappointed with the episode of Dynamite. Mostly because I wrote: “I’m disappointed with this week’s episode of Dynamite.”
This week, because I’m an optimistic fellow, I’m looking forward to the lineup they have put out there and I’m hopeful for it to be a bounce-back show. Swerve and Ricochet should be good. I’m curious to see who the new member of the Callis Family is and there should be some fun in-ring promo segments. So here we go!
HITS
OPENING SEGMENT – BRAWL
I love when wrestling shows start with wild brawls. It sets a tone. There’s no question the Death Riders storyline has hit a lull in recent weeks, but instead of another week where they go around beating everyone up, this time the numbers were even. I loved the intensity from all the wrestlers and they set the stage for a brutal tag match at Grand Slam Australia. This was a solid start to the show.
OSPREAY & OMEGA = STARS
What AEW has needed for years are stars that are serious; wrestlers who come out and want to prove they are the best. AEW has two legitimate stars right now in Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega. I loved their in-ring promo. Omega was calm, confident, and serious about what he wanted to do. I know this program with the Callis family is going to be enjoyable and of course the match will be as well, but I can’t wait for them to rise to the top of the company, take out the Death Riders, and lead the way into the future. If Tony Khan plays his cards right and gets out of his own way, these two can be the Pied Pipers to lead fans back into buildings and viewers back to the shows.
THEY HURT PEOPLE!
You want more stars? Here are two more of them. The Hurt Syndicate, with the crowd behind them, putting everyone on notice. MVP was on his game building up his guys and offering beatings to anyone who was interested. I LOVED how Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin just kept looking toward the hard camera when the Gunns came out. No respect given. Great stuff.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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)
HARLEY CAMERON
I have yet to get a feel for how Harley Cameron is being viewed by the fans. Is her shtick seen as wildly entertaining or that silly stuff that some fans don’t want to see from AEW? All I know is that whenever she’s been on screen the past month or so, I’m engaged and usually smiling by the end of it. She is really finding her character, and while this program with Mercedes Moné is short-lived, it’s setting the tone for a future where she’ll be a big part of the Women’s Division. At the very least, she is making backstage segments with Mercedes much more tolerable!
MARIAH AND MARIAH (TONI)
You know, maybe Toni Storm IS a great actress. She absolutely crushed it as Mariah May. She had the look down and the mannerisms as well. She exaggerated them just enough to anger the real Mariah and after weeks of the champ not being bothered by Toni’s antics, this got to her and it was perfect headed into Grand Slam Australia.
SWERVE AND RICOCHET
This main event grudge match was fantastic. The two wrestlers have great chemistry and showed solid intensity throughout. Ricochet winning was the right call as you need to continue to build him up as a threat to anyone he faces. This feud could go on for a bit and I’m down for that.
THE CROWD
I will now stand up from my computer and applaud YOU Atlanta! What a great crowd. They were into everything and made the show so much fun to watch. It really makes a difference when the crowd is like they were for this show. Great job ATL!
QUICK HITS
– Marina Shafir scooping up Renee to get her out of the way in the brawl to start the show was subtly awesome.
– I love that they gave us a rundown of the show right at the start so you knew what was to come.
– Kudos to the producers for constantly promoting the main event during the show!
– Great tag match between the Hounds of Hell and Fletcher & Takeshita — GREAT work by all four wrestlers. Push the Hounds!!
MISSES
MARK DAVIS AS SURPRISE OPPONENT
While I appreciated the explanation given by Don Callis and it made enough sense for me to buy the storyline, the reveal of Mark Davis as Will Ospreay’s opponent was a letdown. That’s not Mark’s fault. He returned a couple months ago and was not booked in a strong way. Then, in AEW fashion, he disappeared for weeks and now he’s back doing Callis’s bidding.
If you are going to make a big deal out of a mystery opponent and put it all over social media, you know the speculation is going to be that it’s someone of substance. Davis’s character has not been that. Plus, if he was forced to follow Callis’s orders, as was intimated by the announce crew and Callis himself, Davis should have looked more conflicted during his entrance and during the match.
This was the bounce-back show I was hoping for. I thought the first 80 minutes were stellar. There was a little dip during the MJF-Dustin segment (I’d like to fast-forward to the Hangman feud, please!), but it picked right up again with Mariah-Toni and the main event. Now the key is consistency. Keep it up and build week to week!
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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