-Overall, this was a weak go-home show for Wrestledream. They touched on the big matches, but really only one angle furthered storylines in a significant and more interesting way. Speaks to not only the quality of th three-hour special this week, but also the quality of the Wrestledream PPV itself.
Authentic Stat
-It’s good to see the AEW Women’s World Championship program between Kris Statlander and Toni Storm get some time ahead of their showdown at Wrestledream this weekend, but their show-opening segment was a miss. Statlander was awkward and not in a likable way. There is a quirkiness to Statlander that is charming, but it has to be used authentically. This week, it was if she was trying to sound like Storm and it didn’t land.
-Same thing with their in-ring encounter. So, neither hit one another with the belt when they had the chance? Is that the takeaway? Strange.
-Wow. Who convinced The Hurt Syndicate to do a job? Pretty good match between them and GOA. It was smart to get GOA that win. The Hurt Syndicate — when they win on Saturday at Wrestledream — should want to beat a threatening team. GOA getting the win establishes them as a force prior to the big PPV showdown.
AEW is the ultimate babyface in AEW
-Ok, the Darby Allin and Jon Moxley segment in the jail was cool. Nearly too cute, but cool nonetheless. Here’s the thing — why does every storyline have to involve babyfaces like Allin fighting on behalf of AEW? That’s Allin’s mission here? That’s why he wants to destroy Moxley so bad? Their story is deeper than that and the constant pivot back to “defending AEW” makes things too one-note.
-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong happened. Not much to this one, but good to see a Death Rider get a win.
-Kazuchika Okada turning the television off as Konosuke Takeshita was talking was laugh out loud funny. I still don’t believe that should be the Okada tone in AEW, but this was well done to serve that mistake.
-It was nice to see the full Don Callis Family together. More of that, AEW. It helps present the group as dominant.
A smart showcase
-Very smart to showcase Takeshita’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship win. That’s a big deal if AEW wants it to be, but it won’t become one unless they give it the proper attention and focus.
-Jack Perry proved himself to Kenny Omega in their match this week … blah, blah, blah. Thumbs down on the Jurassic Express reunion. Yes, it was the only thing left that was interesting for Jack Perry to do, but it was done prematurely. Ideally, you’d want fans frothing at the mouth for Perry and Luchasaurus to reunite. Without that hype and build, the reaction to them has been flatter than it should be.
-Sidebar. It’s crazy that Kenny Omega wrestles matches like this one. Omega is a marquee player in AEW and one that only has so much time left. Why not save him for huge matches and moments only?
-Thekla needs more mic time in AEW. She’s a unique character and has a unique presence that is different from most of the women’s division in the company. She stands out.
Ultimo Mone
-Ultimo Mone? That’s good stuff. Mone cut a fine promo this week. Making a big deal about being the longest reigning TBS Champion in company history is right in line with the character. The bragging about that is going to be obnoxious and that’s exactly the point.
-There just doesn’t seem like a big enough issue between Samoa Joe and Adam Page. Both guys are loved by the AEW audience, so the focus is rightfully on the championship, but the program lacks drama. AEW leaned into the babyface vs. babyface nature of this with Page helping Joe this week. They aren’t muddying the waters and that’s important, but that reality makes it nearly impossible to elevate this match into something more than mid-card filler.
-The AEW Collision portion of the show this week was slow. Real slow. The Death Riders getting another win was again … smart. It’s bizarre seeing Daniel Garcia out there next to Wheeler Yuta. He’s a natural fit for the Death Rider faction in a lot of ways, but still feels out of place because of the poor follow-up on the storyline of him joining the group.
Darby should have probably just … quit
-Darby Allin and Jon Moxley had to have wanted more from the audience during their final segment before the “I Quit” Match at Wrestledream on Saturday night. Allin was beat to a pulp and not quitting as he crawled to the ring. That was the story, it just didn’t seem like the audience bought into it very deeply. That entire angle would have played better had the audience been roaring for Allin and they weren’t. After this week, it’s clear Darby Allin has to beat Moxley, which means Moxley is quitting. That’s tough to swallow and will be weird to see, but is the absolute right move to make.
-Stokely Hathaway is a great manager for AEW to have on the roster, but he’s not being utilized properly. It’s one thing for an established act like FTR to talk alongside Hathaway, but why is Megan Bayne talking instead of him? The Bayne and Hathaway pairing is smart, but Hathaway has to do more for her on a regular basis. I’m talking like Heyman speaking for Brock Lesnar kinda stuff.
-A weak main event that was reacted to by the audience as such. Brodido and Mark Briscoe got a win over The Don Callis Family, but the match wasn’t great and the ultimate focus was on Fletcher vs. Briscoe anyway.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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