-The opening MJF promo was one of his best in a long time. There wasn’t an effort to be cute, funny, or witty. MJF was just an asshole and it got a very strong negative reaction from the crowd. Because of that, as the babyface, Brody King had a near-perfect foundation to stand on opposite him. King vs. MJF wasn’t a particularly interesting match, but because MJF made the audience feel during his promo, now people want to see King kick his butt. That’s the mark of an effective heel.
Different eras collide
-Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey was fun, especially if you’ve followed the entirety of both their careers. They are indy legends from different eras and seeing them collide was a treat. Joe needed the victory and he got it.
-What are AEW fans supposed to take away from The Don Callis Family and Death Riders shredding each other up with weapons and barbed wire? In the AEW narrative, fans should want to see both these teams get it in the worst possible way. That’s why there wasn’t much of a crowd reaction to this outside of “holy crap, I can’t believe they did that.” A fun brawl that felt like a stunt show because nobody was invested and the story was muddy.
From The Takedown on SI
-Ok, Jon Moxley played a good babyface opposite Don Callis, but his faction is feuding with other babyfaces as heels right now. The entire Death Rider gimmick is contradicting itself. They need to either all fall on the babyface side, or break away from Moxley and let him do his own thing.
Thekla impressive on the mic
-Thekla continues to impress on promos. Her style is unique and she sells her character very well. Kris Statlander vs. Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship is something I’m looking forward to.
-The newly signed Alec Price and Jordan Oliver tag team was a smart opponent for FTR to beat up. They bumped well, but also sold well to drum up sympathy. FTR looked like real jerks. At this point, the ceiling isn’t high for Price and Oliver, but there is always an important spot for guys that can have effective matches like this one.
-A lot has been said and pined after over the years in terms of a Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega match. By me! I was looking forward to this and it ended up being just a match. So, disappointing in that regard, but smart from the perspective of positioning Omega as a dominant babyface star. In their roles, Omega should beat Alexander easily, even though both are certainly capable of having a 40-minute classic. This was the match AEW needed them to have. Business.
-Well, Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford defeating The Timeless Love Bombs sets up a tag title match for Bayne and Ford. I like this formula a lot. Build up heel challengers for Babes of Wrath and let the champs take them down.
Not the time
-I’d have saved Swerve Strickland vs. Kevin Knight for a bigger show down the road when Knight is elevated more. Don’t get me wrong, the match was excellent, but it just didn’t need to happen at this moment. Knight is babyface and so is Strickland. Knight got to show his in-ring chops during the match, but that’s it. The reality is he’s a Trios Champion and he lost to a stronger star. If Knight is truly in the plans as a potential future star, he should be protected better from losses like these. Do the match when everything is ready for it.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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