By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Revolution follow-up: One of my common complaints is that AEW doesn’t do enough to make their pay-per-views feel important coming out of the shows. They are often too quick to turn the page and it makes pay-per-views feel less important. They did a much better job this time around by showing highlights, promos taped after Revolution, and having several live follow-up promos. Hopefully this becomes the norm going forward.
MJF and MVP, MJF and Hangman Page: It was an interesting night for MJF. It was unexpected fun when MVP offered him a business card, and his backstage exchange with Hangman Page was intense.
Christian Cage and Nick Wayne: Wayne calling Christian out for making excuses for failing to successfully cash in the wannabe Money in the Bank contract was a cool development. Cage’s intense response set the table for Nick and Mother Wayne to become sympathetic figures. The eventual Christian vs. Nick feud should be a blast. By the way, are they ever going to give us an update on Killswitch?
Mike Bailey vs. The Beast Mortos in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Tournament first-round match: A good debut for Bailey. Ideally, Bailey would have beaten someone who doesn’t lose as often as Mortos does. It was still a solid showcase of what Bailey brings to the table even though he didn’t hit his great Ultima Weapon finisher.
Toni Storm promo: The usual great character work from Storm. Megan Bayne blindsiding Storm at the end was surprising. It feels like Bayne is being rushed into the title picture. Is she ready? If not, can Storm carry her?
Kenny Omega promo: A quick celebration promo after his AEW International Championship win. Grateful for good health Kenny Omega continues to be the best version of Kenny Omega to appear on AEW television. He is down to earth, relatable, and seems so much more at ease than he did with his past AEW promo work.
Jon Moxley promo: An effective promo with Moxley putting over the drive that Adam Copeland showed at Revolution to set up the rematch for next week. I was really down on Moxley vs. Copeland headlining the Revolution pay-per-view, but I don’t mind that they are holding a rematch on television. I also liked the backstage exchange between Copeland and Swerve Strickland that established the possibility of them meeting for the championship at AEW Dynasty.
Willow Nightingale vs. Penelope Ford: More of an in the middle than a Hit or a Miss. There was a lot of mic work on this episode and this match could have used some to help set the table. The actual match was solid, but Ford threw one of the lightest chair shots in the history of the business during the post match angle.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Orange Cassidy vs. Hechicero in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Tournament first-round match: A well worked match that simply felt out of place in the main event slot. Cassidy is over enough to be in television main events when he’s working with the right opponent. Hechicero is talented, but he’s just not over enough in the United States to feature in a main event singles match on Dynamite. Heck, this would have been a ho-hum main event on Collision.
Powerhouse Hobbs and Hologram vs. Brian Cage and Dralistico: A minor Miss. The match felt a little random, but it was going well when Hologram’s suicide dive was turned into a suplex by Brian Cage on the floor. The match fell apart during a rough sequence involving Hobbs and Dralistico. Hobbs going over was fine. Harley Cameron’s “HarleyGram” persona is cute, but it doesn’t take advantage of her charisma.
Will Ospreay promo: A minor Miss. Ospreay’s story about his wife being upset with him for jumping off the top of the cage at AEW Revolution clearly didn’t connect with the live crowd. It was encouraging to hear him talk about going after the AEW World Championship. Jay White followed this up with a good promo that seemed to foreshadow future issues between the two. I’m all for Ospreay vs. White, but I hope they didn’t just give away the Owen Hart Cup tournament final along with long term booking plans of having Ospreay challenge for the title at All In Texas. I’m all for that happening, but I don’t need to know it’s happening four months out.
“The Opps” Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Vinny Pacifico, Eli Theseus, and Gabriel Aeros: A minor Miss. I don’t mind squash matches that serve a purpose. In this case, I’m not really sure what Joe, Hook, and Shibata gained. More than anything, making this throwaway bout the opening match was questionable, although it is possible that this match won’t be a ratings flop due to the popularity of the babyfaces and the brevity of the match.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Max Caster: A minor Miss in the moment. It was fun to watch Takeshita destroy Caster and that’s the problem. Unless Takeshita is turning, he is a heel character and destroying pest heel Caster encouraged the fans to cheer for bigger heel.
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