-A pretty good opening contest this week between Kyle Fletcher and Shelton Benjamin. It’s so damn easy to forget that Benjamin is 50 years old. He doesn’t look like it and he doesn’t move like it either. AEW shouldn’t rely on shenanigan finishes in this tournament too much, but it made sense here. Benjamin is a part of a new faction that is trying to get over in AEW, so having Fletcher beat him with a low blow works to protect that faction. It gives Fletcher some added heat too.
Recaps Galore!
-Prior to this match and throughout the show, AEW ran some strong video packages recapping Continental Classic matches that took place on Collision and Rampage. Not sure this will move the needle much for those shows, but it gives good background for fans that only watch Dynamite.
-So, Hook said like 11 words during his promo this week, but the guy has found the character’s voice. 11 words is all he needs. If he can take more steps and perfect his delivery, he’ll have elevated his game significantly in the talking department and that will help him greatly as he continues to be a star for AEW.
-As for the Christian Cage vs. Hook feud, it’s quietly one of the better things going on the show. The injury angle this week was simple, but effective in painting Cage as a dastardly heel. It also gives Hook the mountain to climb when it comes to match time. Thumbs up.
Shocking
-Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly were the winners of the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal … Shocking I tell ya!! This was an obvious outcome, but in the doldrums that has been the Cole vs. MJF feud, this had to be the outcome. Next week, O’Reilly and Cole will square off with a shot at MJF on the line and I hope they don’t get cute with that finish. Cole needs to win straight up and get to that match with MJF. Simple. Anything else just keeps the feud on the road of overbooked and confusing.
-The finish to Max Caster vs. Swerve Strickland was one of the better finishes in recent AEW memory. Strickland defeating Caster in just a few minutes and doing so straight up, was a clear sign that Strickland is heads above Caster in the AEW pecking order. It was imperative that AEW show that to fans and they did. Now, Strickland can move onto better things and Caster can begin working as a singles heel at the bottom of the card.
-Match of the night honors go to Jay White and Pac. This was fantastic and was a friendly reminder of just how good Jay White is. He sold like million bucks out there and the crowd poured over to his side as the match went on. White vs. Moxley is a match that AEW should book given the momentum that White has at the moment.
A real babyface team
-Orange Cassidy, Jay White, and Adam Page are a viable team of babyfaces to go up against Moxley and The Death Riders. Finally. That said, putting them all in a mach together for the AEW World Championship isn’t the way to move forward. Moxley rolling through this group gives him a strong point to talk about as he “takes over” AEW. It also helps put over whoever eventually dethrones Mox in the end. Giving away the four-way match when you have clear cut singles matches is unnecessary and makes the title match more predictable than it already is.
-A Chris Jericho New York minute? Seriously?
-I can’t get behind the vignette that aired for Bandido, but I can get behind Bandido returning to AEW with a push. Why not?
-Anna Jay has improved a lot since she last took on Penelope Ford. This doesn’t get match of the night honors or anything, but it showcased Jay as a reasonable challenger to Mercedes Mone. Jay is a character that realistically beat Mone out of nowhere to win the TBS Championship, so that Mone can move up the card. Don’t bet on it, but don’t rule it out either.
Go Claudio Go
-With the shenanigan finish in the opening Continental Classic match on the show, I’d have been more careful with doing one in the main event. They did and Claudio Castagnoli was the benefactor of it. Good to see Castagnoli get a push in the tournament. He needs it and it helps with The Death Riders credibility as a faction too.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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