AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (7/12): MJF and Adam Cole as BFFs, Calis and Jericho retro video, Kota Ibushi and Pac, Nick Wayne vignette

Last week was a very polarizing episode of Dynamite. I enjoyed it and felt it moved storylines ahead and also laid the groundwork for some new ones. My hope for this episode of Dynamite was to continue that groundwork while getting viewers excited for what is to come. So here we go!

HITS

Callis & Jericho retro video

I’m a sucker for using old footage in storytelling. That was a cool video from the 90’s and it made sense in furthering the narrative of whether Jericho will join Callis.

MJF & Cole – BFF’s

Look, I know. Seems like half of the fans love this and half hate it. I get it. I understand why many don’t think the world champ should be in comedy bits. For me though, it’s entertaining. The skit this week was much better than last week’s. (Although the phone call with Britt Baker was a bit much). As long as Cole doesn’t end up looking like an idiot and really buying into the BS, this is nothing but a short-term excursion from the title chase and gives them a number of weeks to have some silly fun.

Again, for me, I don’t think MJF loses credibility because we all know he’s gonna end up looking like a scumbag at the end of it. The announcers did a solid job playing off it with Tazz and Schiavone furthering that point.

And you gotta give MJF credit for getting a bodyslam the crowd pop of the night to that point in the show plus a “double clothesline” chant. It’s so ridiculous but I’m smiling the entire time.

Nick Wayne vignette part 2

Another solid video where we get to know Nick and his story. It’s a no-brainer to do this, but it hasn’t been done enough in previous years to introduce new talent. Better late than never, I suppose. Well done piece.

As for the match, it wasn’t crisp but the kid has a future. I’m sure he was nervous and will improve with more reps on TV. The near falls were impressive. It was the right call for Swerve to win.

The 5th Men

Welcome back Pac! Great choice as he fits right in with the BCC.

Kota Ibushi was the worst kept secret but still pretty cool to see he’ll be there next week. If they are smart, they’ll show a short video or promo to introduce him to the audience.

Great segment to set up Blood & Guts and they let it breathe so it did not seem rushed at the end.

MISSES

MJF the babyface wrestler

I can handle the ridiculous antics and I understand MJF playing babyface in these matches, but he shouldn’t be the one getting beat down for an entire match two weeks in a row. He is still the world champ after all!

QTV

Please cancel QTV or at least put it on Rampage. This should never be a Dynamite segment. Harley Cameron is a decent rapper I guess, but keep this stuff away from the flagship show.

Big Picture Miss

One thing AEW should be doing is producing week-specific promos to run in the days and hours leading up to Dynamite. What I mean is, if you are watching Friends or Big Bang or other programs on TBS or TNT Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to 8 p.m. eastern, instead of their generic “AEW is great” promos, make it specific to that week’s episode to get viewers to want to watch. Announce the matches and tease ahead to something like finding out the fifth members of the teams for Blood & Guts. You’ll get more viewers that way.

They did one of these for Collision 26 minutes into Dynamite. That is what I’m talking about.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Once again this was a solid Dynamite that had a nice flow. They accomplished a lot to further stories and did a great job setting up next week. Hopefully Boston has a hot crowd. I was at the last Blood & Guts and the crowd gave a great match a bigger boost. Have a great week!

CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S HITS & MISSES: AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (7/5): MJF-Cole comedy, Nick Wayne vignette, Promos, Taz’s commentary, Britt Baker, Jericho and Callis

OR CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S JASON POWELL DYNAMITE HITLIST: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: MJF & Cole vs. Cage & Bill, and Orange Cassidy & Darby Allin vs. Guevara & Garcia, Nick Wayne vs. Swerve Strickland