SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
•Cody vs. Darby Allin – HIT: This was a great match and one of the best in the empty arena era. It was hard hitting and had an effective finish that continues the story between Cody and Darby Allin. Cody was able to get enough of Darby Allin for the pin without Allin being definitively beaten. This is a good story with Allin inching closer to victory over Cody building to Allin finally getting the big win over at some point. I’m sure AEW would like for that moment to be in front of a larger crowd if that is at all possible.
•Scorpio Sky Bio Package – HIT: Time will tell where this series goes for Scorpio Sky, but I’m enjoying it so far. Sky appears to be breaking off as a singles competitor which will be a breath of fresh air for his character. His alliance with SCU and “This is the worst town” gimmick will always be there in his back pocket, but now feels like a good time to take him to the next level. I’ve always wanted to see a more serious version of Sky which was what we got in this video.
•MJF Promo – HIT: I’m really enjoying MJF riffing on the injury comeback story. These promos have been a good way to keep him on the show. He tows the line of believing these “injuries” are real and trying to elicit sympathy for his return.
•Wardlow vs. Musa – HIT: Commentary did a good job building up Wardlow. We still haven’t seen much from him outside the one cage match with Cody and a few squash matches. With a limited crew, there’s no need to do anything different with him until MJF makes his return.
•The Bubbly Bunch – HIT: While I thought the previous Bubbly Bunch videos were not funny and made The Inner Circle look like less than stars, this segment was pretty entertaining. They were playing off of a popular social media trend of passing things off. They had several cameos including Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Jay and Silent Bob, Lou Ferigno and more.
•Jimmy Havoc & Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends – HIT: Both teams went all out and did a variety of creative spots. Having a no holds barred match actually helped to break up some of the monotony in the empty arena era. The commentary really put over Best Friends as being on a hot streak framing them as a future contender for the championship. Fans are willing to embrace their offbeat characters in an elevated role when they are framed as such.
•Britt Baker Role Model Segment – HIT: I love the Britt Baker character. This reality TV like segment showed Baker as this self absorbed person who belittles those who she deems as less-than. She kept referring to her make-up artist as Reba instead of Rebel even after being corrected several times. Off-camera, Baker threatened Rebel to stick by some stipulations including referring to her as doctor if she wants to get her big break. Baker’s journey to this point is logical. She came into AEW as the face of the woman’s division, but was rejected because of her lack of in-ring ability and AEW’s obsession with reminding the audience of her dentistry credentials. In storyline, it’s now become clear that she’s always been this toxic person off-camera.
•Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black – HIT: I’m enjoying Shawn Spears building up wins by beating jobbers. By acting too cocky he’s setting himself up to be beaten by an unexpected opponent. I still don’t see him as a top-tier player, but he’s playing this role really well. Without Tully Blanchard by his side, Spears feels like he might be better off without him allowing Blanchard to pair with a wrestler he has more chemistry with.
•Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt – HIT: Brodie Lee looked vicious in his squash beating of Marko Stunt. This week, there were no segments with nods to Vince McMahon. I’m interested to see what’s next for Lee now that this set of tapings are over. If the rest of Jurassic Express are available, they feel like a logical feud where the rest of Dark Order could be included.
•Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes – HIT: These two had a very good match. I was very surprised they were going to this match as early as they did, but they delivered. Lance Archer showed more range to the AEW audience including the moonsault off the ropes. Dustin Rhodes still has quite a bit left in the tank at his advanced age. He garnered sympathy in the beat down making Archer look like a monster. Archer’s win sets up the predictable final for the TNT Championship against Cody at Double or Nothing.
I think I would’ve given a miss to the tag match with all the gimmick things, simply because of the length; other than that, I thought thumbs-up show. I do wish they would keep the old-school personality profile things (like the Scorpio Sky video) going, a different wrestler each week, because it helps develop those characters, allowing the fans to get to know them. That’s why WWE is sadly lacking is because all of the wrestlers are the same; it’s generic, something old-school WWF/E would’ve never been.