By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood: An excellent match and my favorite of the night. The main event also warrants consideration for match of the night, but they were different styles, so it really comes down to your style preference. I love that the stipulation of Luchasaurus being handcuffed to Tully Blanchard and Cash Wheeler actually achieved the stated goal of preventing outside interference. There are too many times creative forces seem to view stipulations as a challenge for them to come up with ways to have the heels work around the stipulation in order to cheat. This came off as a huge win for Jungle Boy, and the heels got their heat right back with the post match attack.
The Young Bucks and Good Brothers vs. Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver: Nonstop action from bell to bell. The Dark Order looked good in defeat, as Grayson and Silver both had impressive offensive flurries. It did seem a bit strange that the Bucks and Good Brothers were back on the same page even after Don Callis pulled a fast one on the Bucks by introducing the Good Brothers as Kenny Omega’s best friends and replacement tag partners for the Bucks on a recent edition of Dynamite. The post match brawl was a nice set up for next week’s Omega and Good Brothers vs. Jon Moxley, Pac, and Rey Fenix match, which looks like a blast on paper.
Chris Jericho and MJF vs. Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison: I really enjoyed the basic approach of the heels making the young babyfaces look like they were so close to winning the match before finally putting them away. Pillman and Garrison gained something in defeat while Jericho and MJF lost nothing by making the young team shine. Good for Jericho for essentially telling everyone to shut their stupid idiot mouths by sticking a perfect Lionsault following last week’s clunky version.
Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston: A fun opening brawl with a surprising finish. Archer seems to be working toward a showdown match with Pac, so I assumed that he would go over. Rather, Kingston got help from The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny, which put heat on the heels, while giving Archer an out for losing.
Hagman Page vs. Ryan Nemeth: It was good to see Dolph Ziggler’s younger brother back in the ring. His ring rust showed at times, but he did a serviceable job of putting over Page. I mistakenly assumed that Matt Hardy was scouting Nemeth when he first came to ringside. Hardy’s promo was well delivered, but given his storyline of fleecing Private Party, it did feel odd that Tony Schiavone seemed to buy what Hardy was selling. Nevertheless, I like the twist, as Page now has another suitor for his services in addition to The Dark Order.
Shanna vs. Britt Baker: It’s good to see Shanna back on Dynamite. I’m surprised they booked her to lose in her return match, though it felt inevitable if there was going to be a clean finish to this match since Baker is facing Thunder Rosa next week. This loss isn’t going to make or break Shanna, so no harm done, but hopefully they get behind her creatively. Meanwhile, it’s been really fun to see Baker’s confidence grow since she started in AEW. She has emerged as the star of the division.
AEW Dynamite Misses
None: A strong, consistent show from start to finish. It was well booked, well worked, and newsworthy. This was one of AEW’s best shows to date. The matches all delivered, the promo work was strong, and they did a really nice job of building toward next week’s show as well as the AEW Revolution pay-per-view.
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