-Fun to see Swerve Strickland get the big pop to start the show this week and he had a solid, but not otherwise memorable match with Rush. Swerve is a top tier guy in the tournament and on the show, so no surprise he got the W.
-Rush is just hilarious out there. He was one of the better performers throughout the Continental Classic tournament, but man, it feels like he’s out there only for himself. He did the job and took the pin, but he doesn’t even know (or care) what character he’s supposed to be playing out there.
Jericho addresses Kenny Omega
-Really glad to see Chris Jericho address Kenny Omega’s injury and indefinite hiatus the way he did. Jericho was serious, which gave the sickness the framing it needed inside a storyline context. It’s a genuinely rough time for Omega and like Jericho said, here’s hoping he gets better soon. Omega out leaves a lot of top stars without something to do. Jericho, Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Don Callis and his family, potentially Will Ospreay and others were all tied to Omega in some form or fashion that now need a different direction to head in. You’re up Tony Khan. What ya got?
-Mark Briscoe had the best loser storyline in the Continental Classic. Finding his rhythm as a singles star after years of dominating the tag scene in AEW is a viable reason he’d lose and AEW leaned right into it, but getting him that win over Jay Lethal before the tournament ended. They can take this story all the way if they want. It’s believable and Briscoe can play it well. Thumbs up.
-Samoa Joe and MJF were fine in their little promo opposite one another in the ring this week. The two of them dismantling The Devil’s henchmen in seconds was an interesting call that wipes away any semblance of danger the group may have had. Not sure I get that one, but just like everything else with this story, we need to see it play out. Now, will MJF and Joe actually wrestle the masked henchmen next week for the ROH World Tag Team Championship? I kinda doubt it. That’s a replay angle, which tells me it’s time to wrap the mystery and get to The Devil finally revealing him or herself.
-Riho is the number one contender to Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship and is a good choice for that spot. Per usual, Tony Khan has to find a way to frame up the meaning of this match for Riho. It’s rare that Riho doesn’t have the audience on her side. She’s the perfect babyface in that regard, but she has to have context around her quest for this title — even if she’s ultimately going to lose.
Timeless Toni Storm continues to walk the line, but not cross it
-As for Storm, she continues to walk, but not cross the line of being too over the top with the Timeless gimmick. As long as she allows for everything she does to work in the ring, it can be a personality and character that sticks.
-Can Christian Cage write more notes for Tony Schiavone to read? That was hysterical.
-Roderick Strong is more obnoxious than ever. Yelling “Adam” while injured and while in that story alone is one thing, but now trying to yell other people’s names that way? That’s something entirely different. Both were bad. This now has downgraded to absolutely awful.
Good match, bad booking
-As a match, Jay White vs. Jon Moxley worked and lived up to the potential a television match between the two. The three-way tie at the top of the gold block in the Continental Classic between Moxley, White, and Strickland is such a cop out way to finish up block action in the tournament. Half the block advances to the semis? C’mon. Worse than that, Jay White got the win over Moxley and I can’t see him getting the W again over next week. That means either Swerve is winning and therefore saddled with a new, but meaningless championship, or, Moxley is winning and facing Eddie Kingston in a match that nobody needs to see again right now. Not a great set of potential outcomes either way you slice it.