By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix for the AEW World Championship: The match lived up to high expectations and ranks as one of the best Dynamite matches to date. The only thing working against it was that there was no reason to believe that Fenix had a real chance to win the AEW Championship. The big angle afterward with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson helping Omega attack Jon Moxley was excellent. Gallows and Anderson showing up was expected at some point, but the big moment with the Bullet Club reunion including the Young Bucks was a surprise. The Bucks didn’t seem pleased by the actions of Omega and The Good Brothers to start with, so only time will tell whether they are truly united or if they will end up feuding with Gallows and Anderson.
Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Christopher Daniels, and Frankie Kazarian vs. Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Angelico, and Jack Evans: A hot eight-man opening tag match. The Acclaimed were made to look good, particularly when one of them kicked out following one of the big Young Bucks spots. It was good to see AEW tell the story that Daniels and Kazarian will break up if they lose another match rather than assume everyone saw it play out on AEW Dark. It’s a compelling storyline with some intriguing potential directions.
Cody vs. Matt Sydal: A good match. Snoop Dogg’s top rope splash on Serpentico afterward was terrible and I know it isn’t for everyone, but it was still fun to see him try the move. I hope we eventually get a Sydal heel turn. As much as he got too caught up in the eye-rolling “third eye” talk when he played a heel in Impact, he actually showed just how far he’s come in the promo department.
Wardlow vs. Jake Hager: A good big man match. Wardlow is far from polished, but he seems to be getting better with each outing. AEW is wisely showing discipline by making him look strong, yet not pushing him too aggressively before he’s ready. It will take time, but Wardlow has main event potential. Meanwhile, I love the way MJF continues to win over the Inner Circle members. As much was we as viewers suspect that he’ll stab one or more of them in the back eventually, it’s being done in a believable way where the Inner Circle members don’t look foolish for buying in.
Jon Moxley promo: The usual excellent mic work from Moxley. In this case, he established why he wouldn’t be going after Omega before or during the title match by saying that he didn’t want to ruin Rey Fenix’s opportunity. In doing so, he provided good logic for why he didn’t attack Omega immediately, while also putting over the importance of the AEW Championship.
Darby Allin and Brian Cage weigh-in: I like the weigh-in approach because it’s a nice change of pace from the overused pro wrestling contract signing segments. It was effective in terms of promoting the TNT Championship match while also making it feel like a big showdown match. The only negative of the segment is that Sting’s appearance felt uneventful.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Hikaru Shida vs. Abadon for the AEW Women’s Championship: A soft Miss. Shida conquered her fears and defeated the zombie style horror villain. I’m just not into all of the biting, and I wish there was more to the Abadon persona. How about some indication that she’s highly intelligent and is playing mind games with her opponents?
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