AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (6/18): Hangman’s show-opening promo, Briscoe’s ineffective bite, MJF vs. Mistico’s hero vs. villain theme, MJF-Mistico finish, Ospreay’s ring entrance

Another week, and another special episode of Dynamite. This week brings us Grand Slam Mexico from Arena Mexico where I assume we take a little break from the build to All-In to showcase AEW and CMLL stars in Mexico City. I’m excited to see what they have in store and while there will be a lot of multi-man matches, there is still plenty of room in this two and a half hours to bring fans some storyline progression and exciting moments. Let’s see how it turned out.

HITS

HANGMAN OPENING PROMO

You know, the one thing I have always admired about AEW is the fact that they almost always show respect to the business whether it’s the wrestlers that paved the way in decades past or the countries that they visit. Other companies may have had a heel come out at the top of the show to get cheap heat by insulting the crowd, but Hangman Page made the start of the show special by speaking in Spanish and letting the fans know right off the top that they appreciate them and that he and the rest of the AEW stars are happy to be there. That goes a long way in my book.

MJF VS. MISTICO

Wow. Mistico is LOVED by the Mexican crowd. I honestly got chills as they sang along with his entrance music. That was some great stuff. I had never heard that song before in my life, but those three minutes is why I love pro wrestling. The ability to provide thousands of people that kind of emotional experience is what it’s all about. MJF was the perfect opponent for the crowd to rally against. Max plays this role to perfection. I also loved MVP coaching from outside the ring trying to keep Max focused.

While you could tell Mistico does not have the stamina and agility he once had, he can still pull out some amazing moves and this match didn’t need off the charts athleticism to make it good. This match had a hero vs. villain element to it that carried the emotional reaction from the crowd.

I know that they wanted to protect MJF from a clean loss, but if I was booking the show, I would have had Mistico pin him for the win after feeling that crowd. It would have been a huge moment and MJF could have bounced back quickly.

MAIN EVENT 10-MAN TAG

This match really showcased the star power in the company right now. Will Ospreay, Samoa Joe, and Swerve Strickland all got huge reactions from the crowd as they walked to the ring. After a little lull in the middle of the show, the energy from the crowd was back in a big way for this one. Every member of the babyface side got huge cheers when they entered the ring. This was a great battle and every member of both teams stood out to me in a positive way.

I was shocked that Swerve took another pin, but I suppose I can understand it once he was outnumbered and Hangman was the one who made the save. I think you could have gotten there if someone else took the pin and they just ganged up on Swerve anyway, but I will give AEW the benefit of the doubt that there was a reason he was the one taking the loss.

QUICK HITS

– Nicely done Excalibur starting off the show with “It’s Wednesday…..” in Spanish. Set the tone immediately.

– What a great spot when Mark Briscoe biting Okada’s finger was ineffective due to not having front teeth before he went with the molars to get it done.

– The four-way lucha match was a ton of fun and had a lot of great spots, but I would have gone with Dorada as the winner so you could give a hometown guy a victory.

– The Mercedes Mone vs. Zeuxis match was good, but not quite as good as I was hoping. It was a moment for Mercedes to add yet another title, though. The crowd also wasn’t as into this match as they had been earlier in the night. They were, however, excited to see Toni Storm get physical with Mercedes afterwards.

– Will Ospreay continues to have the best entrance in AEW.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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MISSES

FANS HATED ATLANTIS SR. & JR.

This is not a “Miss” for the match itself, which was what you would have expected from a 14-man tag. It’s having the story revolve around the Atlantis’s and FTR without realizing that the crowd flat out hated the “babyface” Atlantis Sr. and Jr. It made for a flat ending and it was clear from the start of the match that they were getting booed, so there should have been a change made to have a different finish. The crowd was fantastic from the start and this ending kind of deflated them which I feel was avoidable.

FANS DESERVED A MOMENT

Yes, this was a great show and the fans were a major reason why. That’s why I think they deserved an eruption and I was disappointed they were not given one. Mistico pinning MJF should have been that moment, but having the babyfaces win the main event would have been acceptable too.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, the show was what I expected. There were not any backstage interviews and very few promos. This was a showcase of AEW’s stars in a different country and you could tell the fans were having a blast the entire night. I feel many fans watching at home wished they were in that building.

Don’t forget to check out the weekly free podcast I’m part of, “The All Elite Conversation Club” that typically drops on Fridays the PWTorch Dailycast lineup. Joel Dehnel and I have a great time breaking down all things AEW. Search “pwtorch” on your podcast app to subscribe. Send questions and comments to allelitecc@gmail.com.