By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Jay White vs. Pac: This was a good win for White in that he fought off Wheeler Yuta’s interference and beat Pac clean. As much as I liked the match, the post match angle was the true highlight. The Death Riders have been running roughshod over the babyfaces, so it was time for the babyfaces to finally get the better of the heel faction. Okay, so I’m not really sure when White became a babyface, and Hangman Page has been the most violent heel in the company, but apparently we’re supposed to like them now. Anyway, Orange Cassidy’s first appearance since Full Gear came off well and showed that his battle with Jon Moxley isn’t finished despite his loss at Full Gear.
Kyle Fletcher vs. Shelton Benjamin in a Continental Classic blue league match: It was great to see Fletcher generate so much heat. He’s been positioned as a breakout heel star and this crowd’s reaction to him shows that it’s working. Fletcher cheating to win works for his character, though it did lead to an issue with the main event that we’ll get to momentarily. The improved atmosphere in the smaller venue that hosted Dynamite was a refreshing change. There’s just no reason for this company to hold Dynamite or Collision in major arenas until there’s an actual demand for it.
Swerve Strickland vs. Max Caster: A dominant two-minute win for Swerve in his first match after taking a clean loss to Bobby Lashley at Full Gear. This was exactly what it needed to be for Swerve, who was arguably the most over wrestler on the show. I don’t know what to make of Caster’s annoying persona. Annoying can lead to good heat or go away heat. It’s simply too soon to say which one Caster will generate.
Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford: A soft Hit. The attempt to frame this as the continuation of an epic feud was a bit much. The match was solid, though it did feel overly competitive given that Jay will be challenging for the TBS Championship. If they didn’t want Jay to run through Ford, then perhaps they should have had her run through someone else and saved this match for somewhere down the road.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King in a Continental Classic gold league match: A soft Hit for what was an enjoyable match until the finish. A low blow kick while the referee was shielded isn’t always a negative. The problem is that there were two Continental Classic matches and they both ended with the heels cheating to win. It’s not that I don’t expect any heel antics in the Continental Classic, but why not go with a different tournament match on Dynamite to avoid having both tournament matches end in similar fashion?
AEW Dynamite Misses
Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale: I’m typically a defender of battle royals. As an adult, I recognize that they typically consist of a bunch of wrestlers punching and kicking each other. Yet when I was a young fan, the idea of 20 wrestlers taking part in the pro wrestling equivalent of the king of the mountain game that we sometimes played on the hill at recess was awesome. But there’s no defending this battle royal. It was slow, boring, and predictable. Having two winners is always awkward and inevitably confusing for newer fans (or even regulars who forget how this mess of an annual concept works). Oh, and have I mentioned that The Kingdom drama has been going on for a decade in three different companies and stopped being interesting during their run in NXT? As annoyed as you may be with my repeated mentions of this, it pales in comparison to how tired I am of their seemingly endless drama. I like the Kingdom wrestlers. I just want to see them go separate ways and do something new.
Not sure why (actually,of course I am) people insist Swerve is the “most over” guy on the roster. Other than his catchphrase that the audience dutifully goes along with, he’s just as “over’ as the majority of the upper card guys and gals.
I loved Cassidy when he came in as something unique, but the “suspension of disbelief” can’t happen with Mox, IMHO.