-I enjoyed the match part of Will Ospreay vs. Buddy Matthews as much as everyone did, but outside of that, there was major issues with what AEW did in the opening match segment this week. Look, Matthews is a talented guy from an in-ring perspective, but is a jobber within the narrative presentation of AEW. That’s a fact. The fact that Ospreay went hold to hold and spot to spot with him isn’t a smart way to showcase the star that he is. Good match-making in this one, but terrible booking because you sacrificed a top act in exchange for simply having a good, albeit meaningless match on television.
Crown them
-I’m all for The Hurt Syndicate getting their hands on the AEW World Tag Team Championships and it seems like that’s the direction things are heading after this week. Tony Khan crowned Private Party as champs, but has pretty much done nothing with them since then. The belts are wasted around their waist and will be elevated if MVP is talking about them on a weekly basis. Good stuff.
-Powerhouse Hobbs winning the Casino Gauntlet Match and earning a shot at Jon Moxley and the AEW World Championship is a pretty big moment for him. He freshens up the title picture for sure and though he’s likely not winning the championship, he’s got a chance to redefine himself on the roster with a strong performance.
-I hate saying this, but Jeff Jarrett held his own with MJF this week. Who woulda thought? AEW can get something out of a Jarrett vs. MJF feud. MJF offering to help Jarrett win the world title is so condescending and perfect for the MJF character. MJF set Jarrett up so effectively that Jarrett simply telling MJF “No” was good enough to pop the crowd. This isn’t a PPV match, but could be built into a compelling television main event. That’s the best you can hope for as a talent these days if you’re Jeff Jarrett. Thumbs up segment for sure.
-Adam Copeland is the best challenger to Jon Moxley at this point in Moxley’s run. No, Copeland isn’t going to beat him and win the championship, but he has a level of credibility that is leaps and bounds ahead of guys like Orange Cassidy. Copeland has history to draw on and he has experience to play off of. In just hearing him speak, you get the sense that he’s on the level of Moxley and will be able to take Moxley to the brink. He was strong this week on the microphone and I’m booking this for the next PPV if I’m Tony Khan.
-Oh, also … Cope = BAD.
It’s gonna be Toni in the end
-Kris Statlander won the number one seed in next week’s Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match, but Toni Storm will still get the last laugh and win the big match next week. With the winner earning a shot at the world title at AEW Grand Slam: Australia, Storm makes too much sense.
-It was pivotal for AEW to present Kenny Omega as a major star upon his return — especially after the momentum he generated for himself coming out of Wrestle Dynasty. They did a great job with it. Putting Omega on in the main event tells the audience he’s the most important star on the show. Big stars need the big spots on the show and he got it.
Don Callis?
-As for Omega’s direction now, eh. I like a potential match with Kyle Fletcher, but to still be feuding with Don Callis is yawn-inducing. We’ll have to see how this plays out. If it’s a move that continues to highlight Omega as a must-see talent and he’ll soon be competing in main events as the top guy again, fine — all good. If he’s working this level of an opponent and only having good matches, that’s a problem.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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Geez. Been a while. Too many hospitals. Hell, I'm in one now!
So, let's talk about it, because I was really impressed with Fight For the Fallen last week, and was told by the fan base that it wasn't really that big a deal to them. I guess different strokes, right?
As far as HoB is concerned, I'm in lock step with you on Buddy. This was Seth's "disciple" before they tried to hook him up with Aliyah Mysterio. Bad idea, because he already had a thing with Rhea, but the concept made some sense; let's humanize this guy.
If AEW struggles with one thing, it's that the decisions made by the wrestlers don't always make human sense. Forget the whole wins or loses when it comes to booking, does the wrestler do something that makes actual human sense afterwards? Too often, the decisions seem haphazard or well, different.
Buddy doesn't mean much for the Osprey types, but they did that to Swerve as champ, too. Wasted his time, took the "special" shine off him with too many close victories more akin to a heel, minus the grabbing of the tights or something Regal would have done. You could have kicked his ass, and been impressed by his resilience. Tony needs to do that half-squash a little bit more often. Hobbs is going to be a perfect guy for this. (Remember, Wardlow could have been that guy, too. )
MJF does everything that makes sense for his character, so he's easy to pick up on and follow. The Hurt Syndicate? Human answers. Short and simple.