Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Darby Allin vs. John Silver for the TNT Championship, AEW Champion Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal in an eliminator match, The Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler vs. Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Laredo Kid, Nyla Rose vs. Tay Conti

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Dynamite Hits

AEW Champion Kenny Omega vs. Matt Sydal in an eliminator match: My favorite match of the night. Omega and Sydal had a terrific match with some excellent near falls. There was no reason to think that Sydal would go over given how strong Omega has been booked, but they made me second guess that belief more than once. I like the idea of calling non-title matches “eliminator matches.” Granted, “eliminator” is suddenly an overused word in pro wrestling with eliminator matches, eliminator tournaments, and eliminator gauntlet matches. But in this case, the eliminator match label doesn’t sound as uneventful as the usual “non-title match” description.

Darby Allin vs. John Silver for the TNT Championship: Silver made the most of his opportunity by looking strong in defeat. I’m still not sold on his over the top character, but it’s possible it’s something that will really click once live crowds return. The post match brawl was fine, but I would have been fine with the show simply going off the air following the post match fist bump. By the way, Silver confirmed reports that he suffered a shoulder injury. Here’s hoping it’s nothing serious.

The Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler vs. Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Laredo Kid: This match could have used more distance from the Omega and Sydal opener. I felt a little numb to some of the acrobatics after seeing some of the big spots from Omega and Sydal. Still, it was entertaining and it was great to see Laredo Kid back in AEW. The post match angle with Omega was a good followup from last week and effectively set up next week’s six-man tag match.

Shawn Spears, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler vs. Griff Garrison, Brian Pillman Jr. and Dante Martin: The Pinnacle was showcased nicely in this match and they did the right thing by giving Spears the win. He definitely feels like the weak link in the faction due to the way he’s been booked in WWE and throughout his AEW run following his loss to Cody Rhodes, so it’s important to make him look strong right out of the gate. The post match promo by the Pinnacle members was fine, but it was very tame by MJF standards.

Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall: The jury is out on whether Marshall can hold up his end in Cody’s Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko inspired saga. His promo was decent, but it still left me wondering if he can make this work. I enjoyed Marshall’s heel work in Ring of Honor and was disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to do more in the company. But it’s going to take more than him putting on a robe and changing the pronunciation of his last name to truly make the most of this opportunity. I hope he’s up for the challenge.

Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian: A simple backstage segment that created some tension between the two while setting up their match for next week. Kazarian came off heelish. Is he playing that role for this match or will he and Christopher Daniels turn heel along with their SCU partner Scorpio Sky?

Hangman Page vs. Cezar Bononi: A simple showcase win for Page. Nothing more, nothing less.

AEW Dynamite Misses

Nyla Rose vs. Tay Conti: I enjoyed the actual match and was legitimately surprised to see Conti get the upset win. But the broadcast team didn’t go all out to frame it as a big upset, and the post match angle that followed didn’t leave any room for Conti’s win to really sink in. AEW is doing a lot of good things, but perhaps their consistent flaws is not giving certain matches and angles a chance to breathe. That issue was on full display here, as viewers didn’t get to enjoy Conti’s surprise win before the company rushed into setting up a tag team match for next week.