By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Mike Bailey vs. Kyle Fletcher in a Continental Classic tournament Gold League match: An outstanding match. It was the best of the night and will surely be in contention for the best of the tournament. This was the first time that it felt like Bailey was unleashed in AEW. He’s had good matches, but this was the Bailey that I enjoyed watching in TNA. Fletcher has become one of the most consistent wrestlers in the company. He’s having great matches with a variety of opponents. If 26-year-old Fletcher isn’t the future of AEW, then I don’t know who is.
Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron vs. Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa in the tournament finals to become the first AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions: A great way to kick off the show. I love the call to go with Willow and Cameron as the first champions. The likable Willow has felt underutilized throughout most of her AEW run, and this was the perfect way for Cameron to be more than a comedy figure without exposing her limitations as a wrestler. It was nice to see the first champions crowned in a venue that looked great on television, as opposed to one of the smaller venues that AEW runs. I like the shades of blue used for the Winter Is Coming theme more than the regular Dynamite and Collision colors.
Samoa Joe vs. Eddie Kingston for the AEW World Championship: I felt bad that these two had to follow the Bailey vs. Fletcher match, but they pulled it off nicely. I wish the company had built up Kingston enough in advance to create the feeling that he had at least a chance to win. Even so, Kingston had the live crowd invested, thanks in part to a good promo earlier in the night. I was surprised to see Kingston tap out. It’s just not what I’ve come to expect from his “all heart” character. That said, there could be a storyline reason for him doing so, and it will be interesting to see how he bounces back from this loss.
Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland vs. Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata in a tornado tag match: The big brawl in the concourse before the match was fun. It’s cool to see Hangman and Swerve join forces after everything their characters have been through. I just wish the thing that brought them together was something bigger than Samoa Joe’s sidekicks. And as much as I like Hobbs, that’s how he and the others are coming off.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jack Perry in a Continental Classic tournament Gold League match: Nothing against Perry, but I had a hard time shaking the disappointment that this should have been Okada facing Darby Allin. I never doubted that Okada would beat Perry, regardless of how competitive the match was. Given the nature of the tournament, I suspect that the results of Perry’s matches will be the same as what was planned for Allin. So, while Allin probably would have lost this match, the difference is that he is among the company’s top stars, so it would have been easier to buy into the possibility of him beating Okada. All of that said, Okada and Perry produced a quality match. Perry was given a lot of offense, which was the right move to build him up as a threat in the tournament. On the flip side, the post-match angle did nothing for me. There’s just no reason to think that a wrestler threatened by Don Callis would agree to join his family, and the brawl with the family members against Perry, Luchasaurus, and the Young Bucks was clunky. I couldn’t care less about another trios match for the absurd $1 million prize.
AEW Dynamite Misses
None: Sure, I had some minor quibbles, but all of the matches either lived up to or exceeded my expectations, which were high in some cases. There was a lot to like about this episode. The Continental Classic is a big help because fans are guaranteed competitive matches with meaningful stakes and no outside interference or distraction finishes. The tournament is AEW at its best. It’s the one period each year when fans can count on AEW to make good on its early claim of being a sports-like product. I just hope that Tony Khan sees how well the tournament is received and recognizes that he could challenge himself to book the company to be sports-like year-round.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
Kingston is so easy to root for and such an incredible promo, it’s a shame nearly all of his big matches turn into “you hit me, then I’ll hit you”. Completely agree on Willow Nightingale, she’s the best pure babyface in the company and they should do a lot more with her.
Perry bit Okada in the crotch and that’s a hit? Fucking hell, do the dirt sheets even try to hide their pro AEW bias anymore?
No, we’re all biased. You should stop reading us and move on with your life.
If Fletcher is the future of Aew, then you dont want him doing anything resembling losing to Speedball. Bailey’s stock wont change much, if at all.
Imagine one of the Bashams beating Cena in 2004.
Speedball’s win will mean as little as Andretti’s a year from now. This is a prime example of aew not having a clue how to build stars.
Geez Aew cant do anything right can they. Incredible match and i was genuinely taken aback, in a good way when Speedball won. And yet the likes of you still bitch. Get back to the ripoff borefest that is 2025 wwe.