SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
After what I felt was a missed opportunity last week, AEW Dynamite comes to you from Loveland, Colorado with MJF in the house to hopefully jumpstart the build to Forbidden Door. I feel it is imperative that they provide excitement and a major talking point right out of the gate to draw attention and attempt to not only entertain this week, but give viewers a reason to tune back in next Wednesday. Let’s see how everything went down.
HITS
MJF AND RUSH
I asked for it, and I got it. They wasted no time getting to MJF and he delivered. He clearly stated his goal to take out the main event wrestlers in the company. He was entertaining, but serious. It was refreshing. It was exactly what was needed. When Rush came out to interrupt, the old MJF may have insulted his wrestling or his record or even his reputation backstage. Sure, Max threw out some personal insults, but he built Rush up as a competitor so when he beats him, it will mean more.
4-WAY FOR INTERNATIONAL TITLE SHOT
You could argue the choice of participants for this, but there is no denying the fact that it was a great match that had the crowd on fire. There were some great spots and it was fun from start to finish. All four wrestlers are superb sellers and that made it even more enjoyable. While there will be little drama in the outcome next week, it was nice to see Rey Fenix win and set up what should be a very entertaining match with Will Ospreay next week.
THE B.C.C. IS BACK
It was so refreshing to see the B.C.C. back at full strength and they put on a great match with the CMLL guys. Once again, the crowd was hot for this battle and it did not disappoint. It was really nice to see Wheeler Yuta’s return and the crowd’s reaction to him. This is the way the B.C.C. should be showcased and I’m hopeful that they will be, from this point on, clear fan favorites.
JERICHO IS RIDICULOUS
It’s so dumb… it’s so annoying… it’s so over the top…. it’s my guilty pleasure. I’m sorry again to those who hate this, but I giggle through the whole thing. Yes, an old-timer like me giggles from time to time. I probably would have limited it to 2-3 mini-segments, but I did like the fact that they had something that was weaved throughout the show. They do not do enough of that.
SWERVE VS. STRONG
First, while the half-week build to this main event could have been better, I liked that they immediately started promoting the match before the first commercial break. I’ve been critical of the lack of promotion a lot, but this time they came through.
The promotion continued throughout the two hours and the match was great, as you would expect between these two talented performers. It was a worthy main event and gave Swerve a solid win over a guy who had been built up pretty well over the last few months and who had a very good record.
The highlight for me was after the match when Swerve and Nana went straight to the older fan “Granny” in the front row to celebrate and dance with her. That’s pro wrestling right there. People of all ages having a blast.
QUICK HITS
– Loved when Stokley jumped on the back of Statlander. This guy is gold for a midcard heel manager.
– Taz: “I hate everybody, but Mark Briscoe I like!”
– Briscoe vs. Cage: It was NOT a predictable outcome! (I LOVE Mark Briscoe… I want more Mark Briscoe!)
– Swerve laying the groundwork for being a part of team AEW next time they battle the Elite
– Great video package hyping Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer (Just please no more “Money changes everything” tagline…. be a real person and not a catchphrase)
– Great video package on Daniel Garcia. These do so much for character development. Do more!
– Fantastic promo from Bryan Danielson announcing his entry into the Owen tournament
MISSES
MAY-SARAYA RESULT
This “miss” is all about the result of the match. The match itself was very good, but Saraya, who wrestles once every 3-4 months, should not be beating an up and comer like Mariah May. They could have told the same story afterwards if May won the match. If it’s setting up to be the summer of Mariah May, she needs to start building a resume of big wins so when she eventually takes on Toni Storm for the title, she will have that momentum.
NO MJF FOLLOW UP?
It would have been nice to check it at some point during the final hour and 50 minutes with MJF after a solid start to the show. It didn’t have to be much, but I don’t like it when they open with something big and then it’s not mentioned the rest of the show. At the very least, give a recap in the second hour for those who may not have seen it. At best, give us one more short segment where one of them is still being calmed down by security or them asking Rush to leave the building to keep things in order.
I enjoyed this episode of Dynamite much more than last week. I thought they did a better job of providing talking points, giving us memorable moments, and setting up the card for Forbidden Door.
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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