This week’s AEW Dynamite column looks a little different than usual.
Dynamite this week was dedicated to PAC, who tragically passed away over the weekend. The tribute was heart-wrenching, but beautiful. Tony Khan hit the perfect tone with this show.
-Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were wonderful. The opening monologue that Excalibur delivered about PAC, his career, family, and life was so touching. You felt his pain and sadness, but at the same time he was able to deliver a proper nod to his friend. Schiavone held the broadcast together. He brilliantly was able to connect the different pieces of the show that mostly were overcome with emotion. Nobody had an easy job this week given the circumstances, but the announcers were total pros the entire way.
Jon Moxley is a leader
-How about that Jon Moxley promo from All Out with PAC standing behind him? Erie as hell, but a masterpiece of a promo — both knowing what happened to PAC after and in a vacuum on that night alone. Moxley captured the meaning of his loss to Will Ospreay at All Out, but also wove in stuff about the meaning of pro wrestling — and life. PAC’s death made every word of that promo land harder. Moxley was a face of this tribute and looked like the locker room leader out there.
-Starting the show with Moxley was the only way to go. His entrance in front of PAC’s signature entrance chair was tough to watch, but fitting and special for the night. The Orange Cassidy vs. Moxley match was a strong tribute too. Both guys attempting the Brutalizer submission, but not securing it was a cool moment and even cooler because later in the night Marina Shafir won her match with that exact move.
-The various video tributes by AEW stars to Pac with just themselves on camera talking about their buddy was heartbreaking. Each of them was very well done and they all painted a picture of an incredible man. Just heart-wrenching stuff and a reminder that these are real people.
-I don’t know how Renee Paquette made it through reading a statement from PAC’s family live on the air in front of the entire crowd. Geez. A beautiful statement delivered by the best in the business.
Black Arrow
-Will Ospreay won his match against Ricochet with PAC’s Black Arrow. Poetic. Ospreay nailed that move and to find out after the fact that he was in the ring for hours prior to the show practicing made it even more special. It looked as if Ospreay let out three days worth of emotion after he hit it.
-Marina Shafir had herself a night. All throughout the show, she seemed hell bent on delivering a performance of a lifetime and it stood out. Because of the emotion the night brought, Shafir’s personality very much shined bright.
-Probably like a lot of people, I squirmed a bit when Bryan Danielson started to take bumps and headbutt people in his surprise return. We know so much about Danielson’s health that it’s tough to watch him do that. On the other hand, what a special moment. In times like these, you want people to do what they need to do in order to grieve. Tony Khan didn’t promote a Danielson appearance. It very much felt like he returned for PAC and for himself. That’s it. Because that was the reality, I had a lot of fun watching him out there.
-Just a tremendous tribute video for PAC to end the show. It reminded you just how long he’s been in the game and the impact that he had on the current style of wrestling today — in WWE, AEW, and everywhere else. The Death Riders standing over PAC’s chair in a silhouette after the video was a haunting shot. Emotional, sad, but touching.
What is your favorite match in the history of PAC’s career? Let us know in the comments!
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