AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (8/7): MJF vs. Kyle Fletcher, Swerve and Danielson exchange, Mariah May’s persona, Don Callis, missing Elite, Steamboat, more

HITS

MJF AND KYLE FLETCHER

MJF and Kyle Fletcher had a great match as you’d expect. Every week that Fletcher is featured gives me more and more confidence that he is AEW’s future star. MJF was going all-in on heel tactics, though knocking out an AEW referee could be seen by some as a babyface move! I understand it is all being done to try and turn as many fans against MJF as possible so he gets little to no cheers, which is smart. I did love that you could hear wrestlers and Don Callis clearly during the post-match conversations. Oftentimes that can be much more effective than talking with a mic in their hands.

MARIAH MAY

I know it was basically a squash match, but the repackaging of Mariah May has been so impressive. She looks and acts like a star. It’s been one of the best told stories ever in AEW and the fans are invested. The “We want Toni” chants in the middle of the match and “Toni” chants in the post-match brawl proved that. Many times, I would not be a fan of letting them touch so much leading up to a big event match, but this has been effective in showing how badly they want to fight. Toni was far less cartoonish which was very very welcome.

SWERVE AND DANIELSON

We’ll see how the build goes in the final weeks leading to All-In, but this may be one of the best AEW has done in its existence.

Swerve Strickland’s backstage interview with JR was masterful in storytelling. Swerve dropped nothing but the truth. He stated his goals and the match has stakes on BOTH sides now. Poor JR struggled a bit, but it’s always great to see a legend like him and we know he’s been through a lot recently in regards to his health. I do wish they had done a better job promoting this interview in previous days and shows.

Bryan Danielson’s video package later in the show was also very well done. It was a great recap for those who may not have seen it and it set up his stakes very clearly.

Those segments perfectly set up what was to come at the end of the show after Bryan was victorious in a “Jarrett special” match full of ridiculous spots. Swerve is hitting on all cylinders right now. He is coming across not only as a major star, but as the number one Alpha in the company. He is talking with confidence and swagger. This match has a real chance to be epic not only with the two competitors’ skill in the ring, but the story told outside it.

QUICK HITS

– It was unfortunate that TBS accidentally ran a commercial during Jack Perry’s video package, but I got the gist of it and when you combine it with Darby Allin’s follow up backstage promo you have a well-built match that I’m getting more and more excited to see. Both men are compelling and it should be a wild and pretty violent match coming up at Wembley.

– It’s always cool to see Ricky Steamboat involved in wrestling. He was one of my favorites as a kid and while he won’t “wow” you doing commentary, it’s always refreshing to see legends treated with so much respect after that not being the case for decades.

CHECK OUT LAST NIGHT’S WADE KELLER POST-SNOW ON LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE: CLICK HERE TO STREAM

MISSES

PICK A LANE, TONY S.

Oh, Tony Schiavone. He is the babyface announcer who loses his mind and throws out expletives at the heels, so why was he rooting for Kyle Fletcher to hit MJF with a screwdriver? Is it just because he hates MJF? It’s sending mixed messages. I’m not going to lose sleep on it, but stay in your lane please and let Taz or Nigel be the ones who support heel tactics!

PROTECT DON CALLIS

Don Callis is a major talent for this company, but he comes up embarrassingly short week after week. I’m hopeful this is a setup for him to start a new faction that is actually feared by others, but regardless, these constant losses are weakening a character that has a chance to be one of the most valuable in the company.

WHERE ARE THE BUCKS (AND OKADA)?

The authority storyline they are doing right now is all over the place and there’s no hope of it correcting itself if the Bucks are not on TV. I can understand giving them a week to “recover” from Blood & Guts, but this is supposed to be a major storyline in the company and they are nowhere to be seen. They also haven’t defended their tag titles in months, which not only makes no sense, but hurts the tag division.

I’m not sure if anything is going on behind the scenes, but they need to all get on the same page and get the Bucks into something meaningful and with stakes real quick.

There was a lot to like in this week’s show, but some issues remain in the undercard for All-In. Obviously, it’ll be a great show and perhaps they are pacing themselves with 3 weeks to go, but they must also keep an eye on what is to come after Wembley in order to gain momentum headed into the fall.

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! Subscribe free by searching “pwtorch” and subscribing to the PWTorch Dailycast. Send questions and comments for the show to allelitecc@gmail.com.