By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship: Let’s get the negative out of the way. The stipulation was that no one was allowed at ringside, yet Marina Shafir hopped the barricade and slipped the AEW World Championship belt to Moxley, who then used it as a weapon. Shafir doesn’t feel cold like Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli do, but I hope this leads to her character being suspended for breaking the stipulation. Otherwise, AEW is guilty of just blowing off a key match stipulation with no repercussions for the character involved. Putting that aside, this was a strong match. I can’t label it suspenseful because I just couldn’t see them putting the title back on Moxley. Nevertheless, it was a good title defense for Page, who is off to a nice start in his second world championship reign. He is now free to move away from the tired Death Riders and into the feud with MJF. If Page is going to be a long-term champion, then there’s no time like the present to start building up the challenger who will follow MJF.
Toni Storm and Alex Windsor vs. Athena and Billie Starkz: Athena pinning Storm clean was a really good move. It begs the question of why she didn’t cash in her Casino Gauntlet contract, but hopefully that can be explained away next week. The important thing is that this win should make the masses who don’t watch Ring of Honor see her as a threat to win the AEW Women’s Championship. Windsor and Starkz also had a good outing, though Windsor reminds me of Lyra Valkyria in that I could see her struggling to fully connect with fans.
Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet: The show closing match was not the true main event, but it was still entertaining. In fact, it was impressive that it didn’t feel like there was a big drop off in energy after the world championship match ended. The world championship match was the peak of the show, and only time will tell whether viewers checked out once it ended, but the women’s tag team and this match kept the energy level high and the live crowd engaged. With the push that Briscoe is getting, he had to win this match. That said, it’s time to start giving Ricochet some wins. Sure, he is a fun heel character, and he maintains his heat after taking losses, but this company needs main event heels. Ricochet belongs in the upper mix and can get there with the right push.
“The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. “The Outrunners” Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd in an AEW Tag Team Title eliminator tournament match: A soft Hit. My favorite part of the segment actually occurred prior to the match when the Bucks weren’t given a televised entrance, and Justin Roberts gave them an intentionally flat introduction. The actual match was decent, and it felt like there was some mystery regarding the outcome, given that the Bucks’ characters are down on their luck. The post-match angle with Swerve Strickland and Kazuchika Okada felt like it was wedged in, though I suppose it could lead to a trios match.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Christian Cage promo: A minor Miss compared to the high standard that Christian has set for his mic work. There was a lot to like, but he stammered a few times, and the promo felt needlessly long. On the bright side, it was good to hear Christian refer to himself as an asshole. The character has gone way too far to apologize for his actions and revert to playing a nice guy babyface. And let’s face it, the meaner his insults became, the more fans loved him for it, even if they played along and booed him as a heel. I got a huge kick out of Christian bringing up the awful things he said about Adam Copeland and his family, only to question if what he said was really that bad. The Nick Wayne attack was solid, and it will be interesting to see if the modified Conchairto will lead to Christian taking some time away before his eventual reunion with Copeland.
Mark Briscoe’s promo: I didn’t find it offensive when Briscoe said he needed help because he wanted to kill MJF and feared he wouldn’t see his late brother again wouldn’t have any remorse. But it felt like it was a step too far to feel believable coming from the lovable Briscoe character.
Willow Nightingale promo: Apparently, it wasn’t a good night for mic work in a few cases. Willow’s promo was just plain weird. It felt like she was trying too hard by coming up with strange voices. Willow is at her best when she is upbeat and relatable. In this case, she came off like she consumed too many energy drinks and then tried too hard.
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