SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
It’s the go-home show for Double or Nothing. What could AEW do on Dynamite to earn more buys and get the fan base more excited for this weekend in Vegas? Let’s go!
HITS
FUN OPENER
It was an electric way to start the show with Orange Cassidy and Will Ospreay coming out as two of the top fan-favorites in the company. They put on a very entertaining match with Trent and Roddy Strong that showed off the skills of all 4 wrestlers but left plenty on the table for this Sunday’s singles matches. While there was a tad too much interference for my taste, I understand they are setting up some things that’ll become clearer at the PPV in regard to Don Callis and the Undisputed Kingdom. Ospreay getting beaten down in the post-match made sense to show what he is up against at Double or Nothing.
MORE JAY WHITE PLEASE!
It was baffling why they needed to rebuild Jay White in the first place, but after months of devaluing him, it’s great to see him being able to show off his mic skills and be in a serious program. Plus, us fans aren’t the only ones wondering whether it’s “Pack” or “Pahc.” This match has been in the works the past three weeks and we now have a trios title match set for Double or Nothing that should be a fun one.
JERICHO LOVES HIS CAMERA TIME
Sorry to those who want Jericho gone, but the ridiculous over-the-top delivery on commentary and to the crowd makes me smile. He is embracing every criticism and, at least for me, has become a guy you want to see get beat up. His mission has been accomplished… Right Guys?!?!?! And Taz was great with his reactions.
SWERVE VS. WAYNE
Wow. What a great match that was. The chemistry between those two is so impressive. Swerve whipping Wayne with his belt was good stuff and it was a good call to listen to the fans chanting for “one more time”. That’ll get you some extra love from the crowd. In fact, the “Swerve’s House” chant certainly got louder as the match went on as more and more fans got behind the champ. Great spot when Swerve caught Wayne on the outside only to be countered into a DDT. It’s hard to believe the kid is still only 18 years old.
Impressive win by Swerve and I LOVED the post-match. Swerve quickly recovered from the attack by Killswitch and turned his attention to Christian. Then there was a great callback to Christian running from Adam Copeland and stealing a car. Just when some fans may have been ready to criticize them doing it again, a twist! Christian’s car is blocked by the returning Prince Nana and Swerve gets to beat on him for a bit before he gets away. Great set up to the match on Sunday.
ELITE VS. TEAM AEW FINAL SEGMENT
Bryan Daneilson got as much as you could in his match with Satnam Singh, but I thought the closing angle with Darby Allin coming to Danielson’s aid with a flamethrower gave us a memorable finish to the show and some anticipation on what to expect come Sunday in the Anarchy in the Arena. It was unique and it sounded like the fans in attendance ate it up. And it was finally a realistic example on why the heels did not try and go after the babyfaces despite having the numbers advantage.
QUICK HITS
MOX ON MY TV — Will Ospreay may be the future of the company, but the man who should be the present is Moxley. He is a STAR. I know he’s involved with the IWGP title right now, but they should find a way for him to be in a meaningful segment every week.
“MALAKAI!” — The blood bath certainly got my attention, but a shout out to Adam Copeland for his “Children of the Corn” reference.
Sincerely, an old guy who loved horror movies in the 80’s.
MISSES
TAKESHITA EMBARRASSED
I thought they did everything right with Takeshita by playing a solid video package and then having him dominate his match, but he looked pretty weak taking one microphone shot from Moxley and being prone on the mat. It should have taken much more to take him out or the mic shot should have knocked him out of the ring and Callis was there to hold him back. Takeshita should not be a chicken-sh#t heel. He should be a mean, dominant tough guy who, perhaps, is upset that he was overlooked by the BCC and wants a piece of Mox.
STORM-DEEB – DOOMED TO REPEAT
Those who don’t learn from mistakes are, indeed, doomed to repeat them. Since Toni Storm has adopted this persona it’s been difficult for her opponents to find steady ground in their program. The fans like Storm and her schtick, but the company keeps putting Storm in a tweener role or outright heel role and everything suffers. You have Serena Deeb playing the sympathy card two weeks ago and now she’s attacking Toni with the heel of a shoe (which I’ve seen actually kill people in movies in the past).
Storm will find a way to win at Double or Nothing, but they need to accelerate the ‘breakup’ between her and Mariah May and get on to a good storyline between them for the summer and finally realize that what they’ve done the past six months has not worked. So stop doing it.
I say mission accomplished on this go-home show to set up the matches for this Sunday’s PPV. I’m not sure what to expect on Collision as they barely gave us any preview on what is going to be on the show, but I’m excited for Double or Nothing.
Continued thanks to everyone listening to The All Elite Conversation Club on the PWTorch Dailycast podcast lineup. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW! Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com .
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