By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
The Golden Elite vs. Blackpool Combat Club in a Blood & Guts match: The bloody brawl lived up to its name. Personally, I would love to see a WarGames style match without any weapons or wrestlers escaping and then brawling on top of the cage. But there’s no denying that those added elements always get a rise out of the live crowds. While the sugar glass spots also get a reaction out of the fans in the moment, I feel they ultimately work against the match. Of course fans are going to react when they see a wrestler take a bump on glass, but the lack of visual injuries from the glass exposes the lack of danger.
The team built on friendship stuck together, while the makeshift heel team lost because two members walked out. I get the story that was told, but the babyfaces winning due to having a two-man advantage felt less satisfying than a straight up win over a full team would have. I’m also not crazy about Jon Moxley submitting to save Wheeler Yuta, though perhaps there’s a storyline purpose for it. I had some issues with this match, but there was more good than bad in this hardcore spectacle. More than anything, I’m happy that the faction war is over. Ideally, the singles wrestlers can get back to having meaningful singles feuds and the Young Bucks will finally do business with FTR again. Seeing is believing on that tag team feud, but I’d love to see it.
Hook vs. Jack Perry for the FTW Title: Hook finally worked a longer match and he came through with a strong performance. The Perry video that preceded the match was solid in that it symbolically put his Jungle Boy character to rest. Perry looks the part as a heel and it was the right move to put him over. AEW has too many title belts on its shows, but the FTW Title should mean something now that Hook is trying to regain his father’s belt.
MJF and Adam Cole vs. Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara in the Blind Eliminator tournament finals: I get that it’s not for everyone. Hell, I’m horrified by the image of Cole’s pelvic thrusts, and I felt the restaurant footage was a step back from last week’s fun bromance videos. But I continue to appreciate the episodic nature of the MJF and Cole storyline and I’m genuinely curious to see how this all plays out. The double clothesline finish was fun and the live crowd ate it up. The post match scene had some interesting developments with Garcia and Guevara blowing off Chris Jericho, and MJF clearly being annoyed when he caught Cole staring at the AEW World Championship belt.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Darby Allin gets AR Fox a shot at the AEW International Championship: I didn’t think it could get any lazier than pro wrestling’s overuse of the open challenge to justify giving title matches to challengers who feel undeserving. Somehow, it actually felt lazier when Allin asked Cassidy to give his undeserving buddy a title match. Worse yet, it’s the only match they bothered to advertise for next week’s Dynamite. Speaking of which, the idea of pushing an AEW Trios Title match for Collision and then telling viewers to watch Rampage to find out the rest of the lineup was laughable. The same Rampage that was watched by 310,000 viewers last Friday? The same Rampage that will be opposed this week by the company’s own Ring of Honor pay-per-view this Friday? Are these signs that the addition of Collision to the weekly lineup is already making it difficult for Tony Khan to book weekly television well in advance?
Britt Baker vs. Kayla Sparks: Quota filled, nothing more.
Can we please put in an additional hit for Alex Marvez attempting to run?
Nothing involving Alex Marvez is a Hit. Ever.
This show was really bad, and people need to make a bigger fuss about how disrespectful Tony Khan is in booking his female talent.
I really want this MJF-Adam Cole bromance to end as it is mostly terrible and not believable in the slightest. The dancing was top-tier cringe and should be left for mid-card or low-card gimmicks, not your damn world champion and future opponent. AEW has also gone full sports entertainment, all while making fun of the other company for being sports entertainment. Curious.
After some initial interest I stopped watching AEW regularly because I dont really like the product.
But when they have a big card on TV I’ll check in (as a causal fan) and there is nothing they offered last night that would encourage me to tune in again soon
I won’t go into massive detail but along with Jason’s dislike of the cage being disrespected, I don’t like a very small detail. WHY ARE THE WRESTLERS FIGHTING A WAR GAMES STYLE MATCH IN THEIR NORMAL GEAR? If I’m going to be in that match. And I know there is gonna be glass and tacks and a bed of nails (WT ACTUAL F) I’m not going shirtless. Someone else noted last night and I 100% agree the war games format has been ruined (along with HIAC and KOTR and probably MITB too). Where are this generation’s creative minds?
PG, you make it your business to negatively comment on AEW no matter what. JUst don’t watch, unless you really get off spouting off negative comments, in which case I feel sorry for you.
>While the sugar glass spots also get a reaction out of the fans in the moment, I feel they ultimately work against the match. Of course fans are going to react when they see a wrestler take a bump on glass, but the lack of visual injuries from the glass exposes the lack of danger.<<
Ok, fair enough…then make sure you point out every single time one wrestler "slams" another wrestlers head into the STEEL RINGPOST and not only isn't there blood but not even a welt.
That being said (and I'm sure it will be somehow explained away despite being totally accurate), the "let my friend have a completely undeserved title shot" is as idiotic as the matches made by wrestlers backstage on the spot. All of it is ridiculous.
And promoting Rampage is done to BUILD a less-than-lackluster audience. Sorry you don't understand they aren't just going to say, "Well, we don't have a big audience, so lets just give up and not try to bring people in."….
As I said above. I am a casual viewer. Maybe last night they put on a banger and I get lured back in?
I like several of the wrestlers (I have mentioned before I am a huge Cole fan, and I am STILL pissed at how WWE misused Claudio) so it can’t hurt to check out a big show to see if the product has improved
Also, as I have said before – some people like the AEW style, and that’s cool. I’m not shitting on anyone who does enjoy the show. I am simply saying that I gave the show a look see last night and it really didn’t alter my current perceptions
I was once a huge AEW mark. I can’t stomach the product any longer.
Last night was literally nothing but misses. If it had been a Vince booked WWE show, the IWC/journalists would be destroying it.
TGO. The thing is WWE isn’t going to produce a hard core show in 2023. That time has passed for them. They might do “safe spectacles” (like Brock and the tractor last year) but they aren’t going to risk (1) people getting really hurt or (2) pissing off their sponsors or shareholder. In the words (sorta) of Rick Pitono “Mick Foley ain’t walking thru that door and jumping off a cage”
Which returns to my point above. I’m sure there is a (probably small) market for hardcore wrestling in 2023 and AEW fills that bucket. You can tell by the comments here (and elsewhere) the people who like that style loved last nights show and the people who don’t weren’t won over
Is anyone winning fans over at the moment? That’s the real question. For as great as the Bloodline story has been, it hasn’t led to a dramatic lift in viewership — maybe it staved off the loss of viewers. Similarly, for as great as AEW has been at wrestling (they have delivered at least four historically great matches this year), that’s also not winning viewers. That suggests to me that neither AEW nor WWE are necessarily on the right path and that there is an innovation or performer out there that is waiting to be developed that will make a difference.
Look at the year over year stats. WWE is way up from last year while AEW is way down and you say the Bloodline doesn’t bring in the ratings. Come on