AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (9/17): Hangman-Fletch contract signing and Fletcher’s last laugh, the muddled Women’s Title contendership ranks, Copeland & Christian gear up for FTR

It’s go-home time for All Out and the card is shaping up nicely. Yes, they are missing some big stars, but with the short turnaround the company has had to deal with, I think they’ve done a good job building a card for a show that should be well-received. Let’s see how they did to bring it home!

HITS

HANGMAN-FLETCHER CONTRACT SIGNING

Both of these guys continue to do a great job interacting with each other and setting up the main event for this Saturday. As noted last week, the story may be debating whether Fletcher is ready to be at the top of the card, but I’d say he is continuing to prove he is ready.

Hangman continues to be a smart babyface champion using his experience to get Fletcher to agree to no interference, especially noting he would be stripped of the TNT title in the event of a disqualification. Fletcher also teased ahead to a possible attack later in the show, which keeps viewers from bailing, especially with it being a three hour broadcast. And as you would have expected, Fletcher got the last laugh on this show, but Hangman will be ready on Saturday.

I know this match was not the original plan this soon, but I’m excited to see it play out.

COPELAND/CHRISTIAN-FTR FINAL HYPE

I could have done without last week’s FTR segment, but this was exactly what was needed to bring home the anticipation for the big tag match at All Out. Copeland did a great job reminding fans of the backstory while Christian continued to play to his character. Christian was short and sweet and when he threw the first punch, many of the fans jumped out of their seats.

I’m sure Copeland did not intend to hit Dash so hard with the mic, but the bloodied nose added to the build to what will be a showcase match on the card. It would not surprise me to see this match either start off the show or perhaps be timed to start just as another company’s PPV is beginning.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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DARBY-DANIELSON SITDOWN

I thought this was really well done. Darby told some great stories from his climb of Mount Everest and was able to tie it into his coffin match with Jon Moxley on Saturday. The use of pictures and video from the climb was a great touch and it’s about time they mention that he planted an AEW flag up there. I’ve heard some other interviews with Darby and it’s fascinating and scary what he went through.

It was also a nice touch to have Danielson whisper something to Darby at the end leaving us all wondering what he said. Things like that make a good narrative and we’ll likely see it paid off on the PPV.

QUICK HITS

– Jon Moxley and Roderick Strong was a great match as you would expect and it was lifted even higher with some great commentary by Bryan Danielson who used his past experience to bring some really cool insight to the story.

– I loved the interaction between Strong and Marina Shafir, who are married in real life. It’s the first time I can remember seeing Shafir smile, even if it was more of a smirk. “Maybe he’s infatuated with her” line from Taz was well-placed!

– Well done Tony Khan! He had a very solid backstage segment with MJF! Perhaps being off camera was the way to go all along! It was enjoyable hearing MJF get reprimanded by a superior and Tony sounded like a tough boss for the first time I can remember.

– It seemed like a big deal seeing Bobby Lashley wrestle and the crowd added to that feeling. The match was solid and the crowd was really behind the Hurt Syndicate. It would be wise to avoid any more conflicting actions by the group and just embrace the babyface side.

– The Young Bucks always put on a great match no matter who they face, but their current storyline is also very interesting and that adds so much more to the act. I am looking forward to their segments. They are usually quick, don’t overstay their welcome, and followed by some great wrestling.

– Thekla looked good in what was a very entertaining hardcore match. She could be built into a title contender in a division that desperately needs viable contenders.

– Toni Storm continues to be a shining star at the top of the women’s division. She’s at her best when she has an opponent she can really click with. I wrote this so readers are aware of my praise for her when I constructively criticize the rest of the women’s division below.

– Beast Mortos and Mascara Dorada had an amazing lucha match. Outside of one small botch, they crushed it and the crowd was loving every minute of it. I’ve noted before that I don’t mind a couple of spots looking off as that adds some realism to the match. I disagree with putting Okada and Takeshita in a match together this soon, but it appears Tony Khan really wants this show to stand out for both its quality and length!

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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MISSES

WOMEN’S TITLE CONTENDERS

As mentioned above, Toni Storm is continuing to do a great job, but there were no real reactions to the other women competing in the four-way match at All Out. This is a major problem in the division as there has been too many 50-50 matches in the mid-card that they really did not have anyone else ready to step up to the main event for Toni or Mercedes Mone. This has made Mercedes nearly an afterthought as her in-ring talents are top notch, but she needs a strong opponent to tell a great story. There are no strong opponents for her right now and that is not her fault.

Riho is a fun wrestler, but we hadn’t seen her in years and it’s not fair to her to have her thrust into the main event and have it be compelling. Willow Nightingale would be a perfect opponent for Mercedes to revisit as they have history and Willow can work well both inside and outside the ring. Unfortunately, she’s caught up in the Kris Statlander drama that never seems to end.

They seem to be saving Megan Bayne for something down the line, but I’ve been saying for six months that we do not know anything about this woman other than she is tall and powerful and has a friend named Penelope.

This was a solid go-home show that set up quite a card for Saturday afternoon.

NEXT CHECK OUT JASON POWELL’S DYNAMITE HITLIST: Powell’s AEW September to Remember Hit List: Strong talking segments and several qualifying matches, what worked and didn’t work on the All Out go-home show

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.