AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (10/9): Samoa Joe shines as usual when called upon to step up, time for a Lashley singles push, it’s time to hear from Jack Perry, in defense of Darby

HITS

HANGMAN-SAMOA JOE CHAT

I thought this was a solid way to open the show. The World Title match came together strangely last week, but this face-to-face gave both wrestlers some time to really sell this and I thought they delivered. In what was likely a pivot from what was originally planned for this PPV, they came up with a good narrative to set up a compelling match.

The reason they were able to accomplish this is the talent of Samoa Joe. Nobody in the company is more intense than Joe and him telling Hangman he is a “pretender” and is “no champion” allows that intensity to build and in the end, it builds Hangman up even more if he wins and earns Joe’s respect in the process.

SIX-MAN STREET FIGHT

The Hurt Syndicate has been all over the place in recent months, but none of that mattered in this violent battle with The Demand. This match delivered some great spots in a tight area around the ring at Daily’s Place. Both teams stood out and looked strong.

Bobby Lashley continues to get great reactions from the fans and should be in line for a singles push at some point to set up a challenge for Hangman Page.

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PAC VS. OC (AND DARBY)

The main event was a great showcase between two guys who have a lot of history and chemistry together. It was nice to see Pac in the ring again doing what he does best. Hopefully he can avoid any more injuries, as he’s an asset to the company and to the Death Riders.

As for Darby, I continue to hear a lot of criticism over his tactics. I understand if his choice of weapons may not be some fans’ “cup of tea,” but the story seems really simple to me. Darby is an undersized guy who has a vendetta against a menacing group of wrestlers. He does not have a lot of backup/friends because most of them have moved on from battling that group.

He’s fighting them one-on-six. In order to get an advantage or to keep them away, he is utilizing weapons. He has yet to set anyone on fire. He has yet to use a stun gun on them. He may have sprayed a couple of them with pepper spray or something like that to keep them at bay, but his goal is to torture them and then finally get a win over Jon Moxley to end it.

I think they could have ended this program at the last PPV, but I’m quite confident this “I quit” match will be the blowoff. If you enjoy that type of wrestling, it’ll be fantastic. If you don’t, then, for your sake, I think it’ll be the last one they fight.

QUICK HITS

– The matches on this show were fantastic. Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle O’Reilly, Mercedes Mone vs. Lacey Lane, plus the others listed above. If you wanted good wrestling, this was a show for you. Now, there was an issue with many of these matches that I mention below.

– Brodido vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita was not only a great match as well, but it was not a predictable one and that made it even more fun. There was a nice storyline around Bandido’s injury and it’s something that will make them vulnerable in their title match at WrestleDream. However, the relationship between Okada and Takeshita will also be a factor and I can see this being the tipping point that sets up a match between the two very soon.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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MISSES

TOO MANY PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES

While the matches were great, all of them except for the final two seemed very obvious who the winner would be. I know this is an “AEW thing” and I understand the frustration at times. I was entertained for two-and-a-half hours, but I was not on the edge of my seat for the first two because while I enjoyed the action, the winners were clear. AEW needs to do a better job of mixing up some matches where we don’t know who is going to win so viewers can get more into the outcomes rather than just the action.

LET JACK PERRY TALK

A supposedly new Jurassic Express has been on the scene for weeks now, but we still have not really heard Jack Perry tell us why he returned, why he is back with Luchasaurus, and what their goals are. Do they have more of an edge, like it seems, or are they just going to lean on that song and the crowd reaction? That reaction will go away pretty quickly if they do not have a reason to invest in them. Get a plan together and let the guy lay it out for everyone in the middle of the ring on Dynamite.

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.