By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Darby Allin vs. Ricky Starks: A hot opening match that would not have been out of place on a pay-per-view. It was also nice to see an Allin match without worrying about his wellbeing afterward. I was surprised to see a clean finish. Is that the end of the feud? I hope not.
Jon Moxley vs. The Butcher for the AEW Championship: AEW used the same mystery opponent gimmick that Raw did on Monday with the wrinkle that Eddie Kingston was able to select Moxley’s opponent. It’s a logical approach to set up a match that probably wouldn’t have been a strong hook for viewers had they just announced it in advance. The Butcher made the most of the spotlight he was given and gained something in defeat. As as much as I would love to see Moxley face Pentagon Jr. or Rey Fenix, the company was wise not to give one of those matches away without the proper build and advertising.
Cody and Brodie Lee: Cody got me. I honestly thought he was going to pass on accepting the dog collar match when he left the ring. It’s not that I thought they wouldn’t get to the match eventually, it’s that I thought they would save it for the pay-per-view. Cody showed great fire when he returned to the ring and accepted the match. The brawl was solid. I’m surprised they are going with such a big match opposite the U.S. Vice Presidential Debate, but I am really looking forward to it.
Chris Jericho vs. Isiah Kassidy: Another good established legend vs. young upstart match from Jericho. Really nice work from both men. The angle to set up next week’s Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Luther and Serpentico match was fine. Jericho obviously wants to work with his longtime friend Luther on his 30th Anniversary show. Will Lance Storm, another longtime friend of Jericho, make a surprise appearance under the Serpentico mask next week?
Orange Cassidy vs. Dark Order 10: The Dark Order mocking the Best Friends’ hug at ringside was more fun than the actual Best Friends’ hug spot. The match mostly served as a spotlight for Cassidy, who continues to be one of the company’s breakout stars.
Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet: A good showcase match for Baker coming off her knee injury.
Billy Mitchell: The ultimate heel from the King of Kong movie appearing on Dynamite was one of my personal highlights of the loaded Wednesday night. I’m sure there are plenty of viewers who had no clue who he was. If you fall into that category, tell your boss that you are sick and go out of your way to watch the documentary immediately.
AEW Dynamite Misses
FTR vs. Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian for the AEW Tag Titles: A big Hit as far as the ring work is concerned. My issues with the match started with the presentation. Sky and Kazarian were the first AEW Tag Champions. Surely the company could have built this up as a big match and gotten more out of it if they hadn’t been so busy setting up FTR vs. Best Friends. I’m not really sure why AEW couldn’t have waited to build up the Best match until after they got everything they could out of FTR vs. Sky and Kazarian. I also wasn’t a fan of the way the match made the referee look like a dope for calling something he didn’t see and then missing the Tully Blanchard interference at the end. The idea is for the heat to go on FTR and Blanchard for manipulating the referee, but the referee was made to look so bad that he felt like the biggest heel in this match.
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