-Was this week’s AEW Dynamite opener between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy the best Jericho match in years? Yeah, it was. Good on Jericho and good on Cassidy. The match was a culmination of a short reigniting of this feud from a few years ago and it delivered on that level. Cassidy remains a talent on the AEW roster with untapped potential. He can and should be doing more on television.
Wheeler Yuta can’t pull this off
-Ok, don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of Wheeler Yuta being a guy that is caught in the middle of this faction that did a dastardly thing and the need to be champion. There is nuance there and in theory, AEW could get a lot out of that story. Does Yuta have the pro wrestling acting chops to pull it off? Based on what we’ve seen from him so far, he doesn’t. Yuta has been a one dimensional character that was elevated because he had talent like Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson around him. On his own, he doesn’t have the presence or personality at this point to stand as a key cog of this angle. This week Yuta tried to play the part of a confused and betrayed friend, but it came across forced and inauthentic.
-Squash matches can be great television and I liked giving Hook one this week. The feud with Roderick Strong is a weird one, but Hook should gain a lot from working with strong.
-Damn, Christian Cage really gave Kip Sabian the business in a backstage promo this week … LOL. They are playing up Cage getting a title shot whenever he wants, so I guess that opportunity is working like Money in the Bank would in WWE? If so, Cage is a good guy to carry that around. He won’t be winning the world championship anytime soon, but it’s a good way for him to continue getting heat.
-The women’s tag team match was fine for what it was. The real news was that Mina Shirakawa will be returning to Dynamite to help Mariah May celebrate her championship win. Something tells me this isn’t going to go the way May wants it to. Shirakawa is a star in the making if booked correctly. We’ll see what Tony Khan does with her.
Swing and a miss
-Ok, so the hype video for Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness was well done once they actually got it to play. Good on AEW for showing that. It’s not anywhere close to enough hype for the match. This is Grand Slam. One of the biggest Dynamite episodes of the year. A match like this should be built within the 2024 AEW ecosystem. It can live on the shoulders and foundation of what happened between Nigel and Bryan nearly 20 years ago, but it has to have some roots in today. AEW gave nothing to that end. Not a face to face promo or interaction … nothing. This is not booking or promoting and it leaves fans who don’t know the history on the outside looking in. Plus, who books a match and a stipulation that is “it might not happen.” That does the opposite of driving interest. This match is going to be good and for the crowd inside Arthur Ashe stadium next week, it’ll be memorable. If you decide to go with it, though, you have to give it way more than Tony Khan did. Money left on the table.
-Jon Moxley is the most compelling thing about AEW television right now. His new demeanor, body language, and facial expressions are uncomfortable to watch and it’s wonderful. He’s going for that feeling in the audience and he’s getting it. Darby as the protagonist opposite Moxley is perfect because Darby is Darby. When other people are uncomfortable, he isn’t. That’s the hook and it plays nicely off of what Moxley is bringing.
-Another week and another really good match for Ricochet — this time against The Beast Mortos. Ricochet is still missing a character and personality gear that would elevate his position on TV. Until he finds it, he’s destined for the exact spot he’s in now.
Too soon?
-Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay for the AEW International Championship is set for two weeks on the anniversary episode of Dynamite. Too soon? Yeah, kinda. This is a potential money match for AEW, but only if it’s built right. That takes time. Ricochet has been in the company for just over a month. This story has only just begun.
-The second most compelling character in AEW right now is Adam Page. It’s a bummer he doesn’t have something better to do than work with Jeff Jarrett. Nothing against Jarrett — props to him for still collecting game checks in 2024 — it’s just that Page is a valuable commodity right now. Being paired with Jarrett is a tell that Page’s future hasn’t been properly thought out.
Main event thriller
-A thrilling main event between The Elite and Don Callis Family. This trios match was action packed start to finish and the audience was into everything. The short interaction between Okada and Ospreay didn’t get the reaction you’d think it would and that should be a sign to Tony Khan that he needs to be developing his own storylines with the guys on his roster that have history together.
What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!
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