-Man, the opening vignette from Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir, PAC, and Claudio Castagnoli was tremendous. Memorable production, but perfect twisted acting from a star in Mox. He is, by far, the most compelling character in AEW right now.
Bad finish
-Well, Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay was everything you wanted it to be until the finish — both of them. In a vacuum the double pin finish is bad, but compounding that bad with a run-in DQ less than a minute after the double pin is even worse. On principal, you could see why Tony Khan wanted things to go the way they did because they wanted a triple threat between Ospreay, Ricochet, and Takeshita at WrestleDream. Nothing wrong with that, but get there after a finish to one of your biggest matches on the show. Conditioning fans to not believe big TV matches matter is an issue WWE had for years. AEW already has that problem with the limited storytelling that they do around key matches and don’t need something else in the mix making it worse.
-Mercedes Mone firing up a highlight package for all of her top moments on Dynamite as a “best of” is so on point. Maybe too on point? I kid. Obnoxious heel work on display. Thumbs up and it made me chuckle.
-I wouldn’t have gone there with the Jay Briscoe references, Chris Jericho, and Mark Briscoe. It’s just way too raw and way too sad of a story. Not to mention, it’s mid-card and will be forgotten about quickly. Not worth it.
-So, who do we think Darby Allin’s mystery opponent will be at Wrestle Dream? I’ll put my money on Adam Cole. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Jay White is back
-Adam Page and Juice Robinson had a good little match together, but the story coming out of it was the return of Jay White. White vs. Page is a strong feud for both guys. If cast and pushed correctly, White adds immense depth to the top of the card for Tony Khan. He’s a valuable resource of talent that hasn’t come close to fulfilling his potential yet.
-Ok, Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb got more time than it needed. By quite a bit. The show was in Pittsburgh, so I get playing the Baker card, but the match dragged. Baker is in a tough position at the moment — a big enough star that merits consideration, but not on the same level as many other newcomers to the AEW women’s division.
-I can get behind a “Hook on the hunt for the person who hurt his father” storyline. He was good in his promo too. Short, sweet, and then out. To date, that has always been the successful Hook formula.
-Good to see Private Party get a squash match, but they very much need to find a lane and stay in it. It seems like every time they are on television, they are changing gimmicks. Nothing wrong with trying things out, but eventually you have to land somewhere. Does any of it matter, though? Seems like we’re destined to see Private Party challenge The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships and lose.
Good not great
-Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada delivered a strong main event, but one nowhere near the heights of their first two matches together. I’d have preferred to see something more definitive than a rollup end their trilogy, but protecting Okada still has value. In the end, the match served as a backdrop to the Danielson vs. Moxley storyline.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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