SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.
-Now that’s a wrestling match, eh? C.M. Punk and Dax Harwood kept to the basics, told a story, set hooks with certain spots, paid them by the end of the bout, and the crowd absolutely loved it. It’s not all about big stunt spots. Great match.
-First of all, it’s great to see The Hardy’s get that kind of pop. Wow. If you didn’t think their impact on the wrestling business is significant, think again. Now, that doesn’t mean they should double down on stunt bumps and stunt matches as the root of their AEW run. The eight-man tag this week on Dynamite was undoubtedly exciting and cool, but it would be smart of Matt and Jeff to pump the breaks. What will they go to in a match with a lot of meaning when Jeff is diving off an arena window on random eight-man during the second match of AEW Dynamite?
-I’m in on the FTR babyface turn and tying it into MJF will help get it over in a big way. The audience wants to cheer these guys. Why not let them?
-Shoot as much Danielson/Regal/Moxley material into my veins as possible. They aren’t truly defined as heels or babyfaces yet, but a babyface slot is unavoidable at this point. Their act is crisp with a strong chemistry between the three. Recruiting another member will be a fun story to follow on Dynamite and will create a new star as soon as it happens.
–MJF unabashedly ruthless and it makes for great TV and strong, strong business. He gets it. He really gets it. His promo this week painted a picture of an obnoxious, yet out of touch maniac hell bent on serving himself with revenge. He’s making Wardlow in the process. Just wonderful, yet terrible stuff wrapped together. Good for him.
-Wheeler Yuta never fit properly with Best Friends. Good to see him break away. Attention Regal, Moxley, and Danielson.
-Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal was solid as expected, but nothing more than that. The concerning element of this part of the show was how cold the Cole/Page feud feels. If you rewound the clock and tried to envision a feud between these two when Cole was in NXT, what’s happening out there right now isn’t anywhere close to the expectation. Heat is missing and it falls on both of their shoulders. Page hasn’t adapted to his position as “the guy” in the company in a definitive enough way. If he isn’t confident in himself in that role, why would the audience. Cole still loves playing the middle ground between heel and babyface. In doing so, he creates an environment where his audience can’t invest fully in him either way.
-Take a seat, Sammy Guevara. Look folks, that promo was horrendous before the supposed to be cute “I have sex with Tay Conti” line at the end. Take that line away and this is a big miss. Such a miss, that it makes you wonder if Guevara truly understands what he’s supposed to be doing out there. Moments, huge moves, and holy shit chants are the residual result of good work in the ring in the form of trying to win matches. Guevara will be taken less and less seriously as a babyface or heel if this idea of being a performer continues to be the main focus for him. This type of promo will get even Dan Lambert cheered.
-A fine match between Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet. I guess? I mean, it was there, but there just isn’t any reasonable way to look at either woman as a key player or even potential key player at this point.
-The man has done it again. Another reinvention for Chris Jericho. Now, Jericho needs to change his entrance music to fully make this gimmick work, but it can certainly work. The fact that his new Jericho Appreciation Society is made up three goons and Daniel Garcia is the perfect mix of talent to be yes-men for him. Stylistically, they all bring something different in the ring. If I’m Tony Khan, I’m driving toward Danielson & Moxley vs. Jericho & Garcia at Double or Nothing.
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