-It’s good to have MJF back in the fold on AEW Dynamite. Yes, they should have had him on television last week coming out of Double or Nothing, but you know the saying — better late than never. MJF was really good out there. As a top star, big personality, and babyface that the audience is firmly behind, he checked all the boxes. That said, somebody has to tell MJF not to run down the other top babyface stars on the show. I realize that Tony Khan is going to want to build an MJF vs. Swerve match or an MJF vs. Ospreay match at some point, but the MJF digs this week cut pretty deep and rallied fans against the other top babyface stars in the company. That’s not good business and MJF needs to get to a place where he understands, accepts that, and points his zingers in a different direction.
Can’t miss match
-Rey Fenix earned an International Championship match by defeating Jay Lethal, Kyle O’Reilly, and Orange Cassidy. Look, I’ve got issues with Cassidy being utilized in this way, but Fenix vs. Ospreay? That’s hard not to get behind and will be an excellent match.
-Is it three weeks ago? We’re still doing Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta? Still??? Look, if Orange Cassidy is going to feud with the Don Callis Family, his lead opponent needs to be Konosuke Takeshita. He’s the shining jewel of the Callis Family. Working with Trent not only is a step down for Cassidy, but it hurts the Callis Family too. In this role, Trent presents as the leader of the group and he isn’t anywhere near that level right now.
-Ok. Rant incoming. The Chris Jericho material this week was jarring in the worst way possible. Jericho doing The Learning Tree gimmick had nuance up until last night. What we got this week on Dynamite was a one-note, overly annoying, and low card stuff from an all-time legend. I can see what Jericho is trying to do. Obviously. It isn’t working, though. As he walked around the locker room correcting talent during Dynamite, he took the new gimmick to a terrible level of silliness that chipped away at his credibility with every step he took. The proof is in the pudding. Jericho now is working with Bryan Keith, Big Bill, Private Party, and other acts that only make television once in a blue moon. Last night was embarrassing. If Jericho is going to continue with this character, he has to find the original tone and tenor.
Serious Willow
-An excellent promo from Willow Nightingale. Just great stuff. Willow balanced out her smile with a seriousness that we don’t usually see from her. She needs to be a able to find that balance more often as she continues to rise up the card. This was a good moment that showed she can turn dangerous and intense when the time calls for it.
-Good to see Mark Briscoe get some time on AEW television. Kind of pointless, though, right? Briscoe will be in the TNT Championship Ladder Match at Forbidden Door, but surely won’t become the TNT Champion. I question the strategy to have your ROH World Champion lose this way when he’s trying to carry another brand entirely.
Who’s in charge?
-So, is The Elite in charge of the show? Tony Khan? This is such a bizarre relationship. Tony Khan still is the boss. Now that he is back and based on storyline that has taken place on AEW television, Tony should be able to overrule The Young Bucks. It’s weird that he isn’t.
-A strong backstage promo from AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland. Glad to see Strickland address the MJF comments head on. More on Swerve later.
-AEW brought it in a major way for their rollout of Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer at Forbidden Door. The promo vignette did an superb job of introducing Vaquer and making her feel like a major deal — and an important opponent for Mone. AEW hasn’t typically done this for new international acts coming into the company. This is a positive step in the right direction.
-Alright, Blackpool Combat Club is back in full force. Cool to see that and their match against the CMLL guys was fine. The major news coming out of the show regarding BCC was Bryan Danielson’s promo about the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament. A focused Danielson with a prize on his mind as he nears the end of his run as a full-time wrestler is exactly how you get the most out of him down this stretch. Thumbs way up and the possibilities and avenues to travel down are endless.
Friendship triangle
-Nah, Mariah May shouldn’t be doing that job to Saraya. Yes, AEW was trying to juggle a lot with the finish, but May has been one star in the AEW women’s division that is getting over organically. She needs the help of the book, so that momentum can keep growing. Will May see that Storm could have saved her but didn’t? That seems to be the bigger story in the background with the friendship triangle of Storm, May, and Mina Shirakawa as the present focus.
-Swerve Strickland vs. Roderick Strong was a solid main event and a good match. They got the showcase for Swerve like they wanted. Thumbs up, but nothing significant either.
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