AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (6/3): Rush’s questionable judgment, Knight joining Don Callis Family, what’s the deal with Lio Rush, can The Bucks stop winking to camera

HITS

MJF VS. RUSH

A strong start to the show made the viewers look at Rush as a legitimate threat to MJF, who attempted to get into his head in the “earlier” interview. Rush getting a pep talk from Andrade was a nice touch as well. I loved MJF coming out as a matador to battle the bull. I wonder if Tito Santana was watching.

The match delivered as a hard-hitting physical affair. Rush has been built up the past few months, although he hasn’t really beaten anybody of note. Still, the way he won made him a threat and a perfect opponent for a TV World Title match.

I have no idea while writing this if Rush really dislocated his shoulder and popped it back in, but the angle they did with the ringside doctor made me think it was a work. Still, Rush was selling the shoulder the rest of the match so if it wasn’t a real injury, he deserves an Oscar! The finish made Rush look strong in defeat and MJF moved on. After the match, it looked like Max hurt his leg when Mark Briscoe came into the ring. It’s something to keep an eye on as we move forward.

My one criticism of the match was that it made no sense that Rush would want to slam MJF’s head into the exposed turnbuckle. He would get disqualified. That’s a dumb babyface that deserved to get the tables turned on him.

KEVIN KNIGHT JOINS CALLIS FAMILY, THEN FACES SPEEDBALL MIKE BAILEY

This seemed like a no-brainer to have Kevin Knight join Don Callis. He did a decent job a week ago with his heel turn, but partnering up with Callis solidifies Knight as a hated man. They followed that announcement with a great match between Knight and “Speedball” Mike Bayley. Those who watched their first encounter back in the Continental Classic saw something different in this one as Knight wrestled a heelish style that was more physical and hard-hitting rather than a battle of superior athleticism. They were able to wow the crowd with some amazing spots though.

Speedball did a great job being a sympathetic fan favorite. He’s just so easy to root for and one day when he wins a big one, it’ll be a special moment. It’s that persona that makes a bit of interference by Callis garner heat for both Knight and his new manager.

WILL OSPREAY VS. MARK DAVIS

This wasn’t just a wrestling match; this was the culmination of a story that began when Davis beat Ospreay via doctor stoppage over a month ago. The match was everything you’d expect between these two but you could also see how far both of them have come since their first meeting.

The neck issues were mentioned and there were a couple of moves that were meant to attack the neck, but it wasn’t the focus of the match which was a good thing. Ospreay hit a few amazing moves that brought the fans to their feet.

Was the end of this match over-produced? Yes. Were the near falls and visual pins a bit much? Yes. Did it get the fans into it and was it a fun way to end the show? YES.

AEW rarely does the ref bumps and the crazy multi-person interference matches so I was more than fine with this. The crowd loved seeing the Death Riders come to Ospreay’s defense. They loved Marina Shafir jumping on Jake Doyle and Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita going at it. They went nuts when Ospreay finally won, so I’d call it a successful main event.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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QUICK HITS

– It was a little too long, but Mark Briscoe’s in-ring promo calling out MJF was well done. MJF, in the tub, denying his request was also well done.

– Thekla did a good job setting the stage for whatever is ahead of her at Forbidden Door by crapping all over Stardom, her former company. Perhaps we will see another multi-woman match where all of her opponents are Stardom wrestlers.

– Daniel Garcia = Bad pep talk.

– Jon Moxley = EXCEPTIONAL pep talk.

– Andrade calling out MJF continues the theme of sharks circling Max and his title, which is a positive. Andrade’s days as a member of the Callis family are certainly numbered.

– Mercedes Mone, as the Wild Card, only got a fair reaction in her return. The reason it wasn’t bigger seemed to be because the fans don’t know what kind of character she is now. They like her and respect her wrestling, but they are mostly tired of the old gimmick and are looking for something new and different. I was hoping she would return humbled by losing all of her belts and play the role of a babyface that the fans can get behind. There were a few “CEO!” chants, so some of the fans are with her, but if she comes back as the same character, I don’t see this making much of a difference in a woman’s division that really needs a boost.

QUICK MISSES

– I don’t dislike the Lio Rush gimmick, but he never wins and his transformation was never explained in any way. Tony Schiavone kept saying we have no idea what his deal is. Well, do a video package or backstage interview so we know his deal. Make him compelling by giving him some wins and giving us a reason to either like him or dislike him. As it is right now, it’s too “sports entertainy” to me.

– The Bucks confronting The Dogs was way too cute. If the Bucks want to really become serious contenders and get the fans truly behind them, don’t wink to the camera and sing songs from 26 years ago.

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