SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HITS
DARBY ALLIN VS. KEVIN KNIGHT
Every week, I marvel at the craziness of Darby Allin and the risks he takes for our entertainment. It’s truly amazing that he continues to wow the audience with new and creative ways to leave us shaking our heads. The wild spots he and Knight pulled off in this match before the bell even rang was unbelievable.
I also loved the full circle explanation by Renee Paquette, explaining the injury suffered by Darby Allin at the hands of Kevin Knight last year in the same building. It’s a perfect use of the “sideline reporter” at ringside.
Once the match “officially” started, they certainly did not slow down. The slingshot into the ring steps was responsible for audible gasp number 12 and that was followed by a ridiculous top rope Code Red from the ropes.
Knight has been a work-in-progress as a heel main eventer, but I do love his facial expressions when he decides to cheat or take advantage of a situation. He is coming along in that role which is a great sign.
As for the finish, I’m glad they did not do a blatant visual pin for Darby after the ref bump as that’s way too cliche. Now, it’s also a bit cliche to have the babyface refuse to cheat and have that cost him, they did follow through on that. Still, Darby can take a loss and Knight needs to look as good as possible headed into Sunday.
This was a great, action-packed opener that got the crowd invested.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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OMEGA & OSPREAY & MOXLEY VS. CALLIS FAMILY
I really enjoyed the dynamic of the three top stars in the company teaming up despite having a lot of tension between them. They worked well together at the start and the crowd enjoyed chanting for all three of them whenever they entered the ring.
Poor Excalibur had to shake off getting hit in the shoulder by the top of the announce desk when Jake Doyle went flying into it. I give him a lot of credit for bouncing back when it was clear he was hurting.
It should not have taken so long for Omega, Ospreay and Mox to beat the B-team of Callis members, but I understand it was important to showcase the top stars and whether they could get along.
All of the stuff that happened after the match was too cliche for me. It was a fine build to the PPV on Sunday, but it’s clear the card for this event was not what was envisioned months ago. It has ended up being a bunch of matches that I’m sure will entertain, but truthfully it has not been built up well enough to make it a compelling show outside of quality wrestling.
QUICK HITS
– I love the issues cropping up amongst the members of the Callis Family. It’s a lot of fun seeing them all try to one-up each other. It’s competition at its finest and increases the realism of those segments.
– The interaction between Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada after Okada cost him the tag match was very entertaining.
– The Thekla-Willow interview segment with Mick Foley was up and down, but I thought it was clear to me that, while Willow got some love from the crowd, it wasn’t enough support for me to feel the right move would be to give her the title on Sunday. I am a big fan of Thekla, who is so unique that she stands out and that’s what the Women’s Division needs at this point. I have no desire to see Mercedes Mone vs. Willow at All-In.
– I’m not sure I have ever seen a wrestler light a match and put it out on his opponent like Clark Connors did to Jay White. I’m old, so I may have seen it at some point, but if I had, it’s certainly been a while!
– The Divine Dominion entrance was pretty cool with each woman speaking and then looking at the other while they spoke next. It was very creative. Well done.
– The No DQ tag title match between Divine Dominion and the Sisters of Sin was entertaining and both teams went through a lot of punishment. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, however with both teams being heels, it made it difficult for the fans to really pick one side over the other. I feel awful for Julia Hart who seemed to be legitimately hurt after the match was over when Megan Bayne tossed Hart’s belt at her and it hit her in the face. I hope it’s not anything serious.
QUICK MISSES
– It’s a little bit of a nit pick, but I don’t like when Kevin Knight says winning the World Title would make him “Kevin 2-Belts.” The World Title is more prestigious than the TNT Championship and thus he should not refer to them as equal.
– Okada was way late trying to break up the pin when Bandido had Kyle Fletcher down in their tag match. Fletcher clearly did not kick out and it should have been a 3-count. Bandido ended up pinning him later, so no harm no foul, I guess, but those guys need to be better.
– The Painmaker gimmick does very little for me. It’s one of my least favorite Chris Jericho characters. I pray that Tomasso Ciampa defeats him at Redemption and can move into a more important storyline, but I don’t think I’m going to get my wish.
PODCAST NOTE
Please check out the weekly free podcast I’m part of, “The All Elite Conversation Club” that 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 and let us know what you think of this Sunday’s PPV.
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