SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Nothing like a three hour extravaganza to get the holiday season started! Bring on The Bash!
HITS
THE MILLION DOLLAR TAG MATCH
First of all, it was cool to hear the Elite entrance music for the first time in years. There isn’t a lot of nostalgia with a company just six years old, but this worked to give a little taste of the past. The only thing missing was Brandon Cutler dancing down the ramp like an idiot!
Don Callis is a heat magnet and his exaggerated introductions of his team makes Hechicero seem more of a big deal every time he does it.
As expected, this match was a blast to watch. They played all the hits and the crowd was eating it up the entire time. They furthered the issues between Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada that’ll pay off in a couple of weeks and the Bucks will now have plenty of dough to play the slots!
THE WORLD TITLE CONTRACT SIGNING
Yes, it was a little long. Outside of that, what made this so enjoyable was how it put over the World Title as a really big deal. These four guys made it clear this is the pinnacle of the business. We had the expected return of MJF cashing in his title contract to make it a 4-way and I loved how the first thing he brought up was the question of why he’d put himself in a 4-way instead of a singles match. This was the attention to detail that is sometimes lacking, but not in this case.
I also loved how the crowd “sings” along with MJF’s theme. All four participants have great stories and solid motivation. This should be a fantastic main event for World’s End, which is shaping up to be one hell of a PPV.
PAC VS. KYLE FLETCHER
Exceptional. I could not think of a better word to describe that match. This was a time of the show where the crowd could have started to tire, but these two made sure that didn’t happen. Every move was crisp and nothing was wasted. Pac’s moonsault to the outside was a thing of beauty as was his finisher. Both wrestlers looked like stars, and if Pac can just avoid the injury bug and any visa issues, he would be a great leader of a new-look Death Rider group.
THE MANCHESTER CROWD
Have I ever mentioned how much I love international crowds?!
The fans in the UK never disappoint. The constant cheers, the chants, the fact they are into almost everything on the card makes the show so much fun to watch. Way to go, Manchester!
QUICK HITS
– The Jon Moxley vs. Roderick Strong match was enjoyable, but it left me wondering where the Moxley/Death Riders story is going. I figured Mox would lose or draw to further the dissension of the group, but they may be delaying things for some reason.
– I was impressed with the 8-woman tag match, partially because it featured Athena, who should be on AEW television full-time. Have I mentioned that before? Anyway, all eight performed well and it further shows the growth of Harley Cameron and Marina Shafir that I didn’t think they looked out of place with the more seasoned wrestlers. The heels winning was the right call.
– Solid win by Orange Cassidy over Mascara Dorada. They told a good story and I continue to be impressed by OC considering his workload over the years and the fact that he’s over 40. Go old(er) guys!
– Kris Statlander is still not over with the crowds.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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MISSES
COMMENTARY WOES
This show needed Bryan Danielson or Nigel McGuinness or someone else other than Excalibur and Tony Schiavone during the first two hours of the show. Tony is mostly cringe (as the kids say) these days with his over the top delivery and it’s bearable when it’s a 3-man team, but there was something missing from the desk when it was just those two calling the action. It makes little sense to me why they just didn’t have Nigel there all night.
KYLE O’REILLY FORGOTTEN?
One of my issues with AEW is the complete disappearance of many wrestlers when they are injured. Kyle O’Reilly was on the run of his AEW career with his win over Jon Moxley at Full Gear and he was slated to be in the Continental Classic, but suffered an injury. Why stifle the progress you made with his character by completely not mentioning him on TV other than a throwaway line by Moxley on this show?
I do not know how long he is supposed to be out of action, but this was a missed opportunity to keep O’Reilly’s momentum strong after Moxley put him over.
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.
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