By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)
Just like I said last week, the limit is the point here. So you will get ten thoughts on the show! No more, no less (I will inevitably break this rule someday).
– “Hangman” Adam Page and MJF failed to excite me in the final build up to their Texas Death Match. While the video package about them was superb and the brawl to close out Dynamite was intense, the press conference was a swing and a miss. Not only did it weirdly mix up actual wrestling critics in the on-air wrestling product (something I tend to frown upon), but both the questions and answers were bad. It was a bad promo segment wrapped in all the appeal of a bad press conference.
– Nothing about Adam Page feels inevitable this time around and that is strange when Page is challenging one-on-one for the AEW Men’s World Championship. This story with MJF is not connecting the way Page’s feuds with Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley did. Is this Hangman fatigue or a sign that this is Page’s last run at the Men’s World Championship?
– Kyle Fletcher and “Speedball” Mike Bailey are pure wrestling magic together. These two have a perfect blend of in-ring chemistry and character consistency that makes anytime they touch truly special. Their match in the 2025 Continental Classic was one of the best of the tournament. Up until the end of this week’s encounter, I was convinced they had topped themselves. I understand why AEW went with the cop out distraction/interference finish for this one, but it did negatively impact a match that was just seconds away from perfection. Now that these two are tied (1-1) in singles competition in AEW, I hope the rubber match comes soon and is as electric as the first two.
– AEW is really doing something with the Don Callis Family and the absurd number of wrestlers contained within it. Between Konoske Takeshita turning down nefarious offers of help when it comes to beating up Jon Moxley and Kyle Fletcher making sure Don Callis is not taking orders from MJF, I am intrigued. Takeshita has been slowly turning into a noble and upstanding citizen since Summer, but Fletcher questioning MJF? That is new and that will lead to some very fun conflict.
– Brody King and Swerve Strickland have built a nice little feud out of this “most dangerous man in AEW” tagline. King is improving when it comes to promos and AEW is doing a better job of protecting him in that department. This is a bigger sustained push than King has seen in his time in AEW. Swerve is still fighting an uphill battle when it comes to being booed, but hopefully Sunday’s match against King helps cement that aspect of his character.
– “F— ICE” chants have become commonplace in AEW. You love to see it.
– Roderick Strong randomly decides to be a nice person this week, facing absolutely no consequences for being a mean person for months prior. I know this is how wrestling works, but it did not trick me into enjoying AEW’s weakest story at this moment – Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin’s forever war with The Dogs.
– The finish of Willow Nightingale vs. Persephone was not my favorite, but I truly enjoyed Willow’s facial expression after the backslide pinfall win. A cheeky smile will always lead to me enjoying a match.
– Tommaso Ciampa needed a big win more than anyone else in the FTR and Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe and The Young Bucks match. This six-man did not match the intensity or joy of Mile High Madness two weeks ago, but it did not need to.
– The look of this week’s AEW Dynamite was delightful. The San Jose Civic was just a cool looking building to see a TV wrestling show in. AEW’s turnaround in the last year and a half is not entirely tied to these smaller, cooler, better buildings for TV wrestling, but they certainly help. Not every smaller building looks this good (2300 Arena looks terrible today and was truly cooler looking in 1993), but historic theaters are far more fun to watch wrestling in and from than generic basketball arenas.
Will Pruett writes about wrestling and popular culture at prowrestling.net. To see his video content subscribe to his YouTube channel. To contact, check him out on Bluesky @itswilltime, leave a comment, or email him at itswilltime@gmail.com.
“ “F— ICE” chants have become commonplace in AEW. You love to see it.”
Nope I don’t. I do not want politics to seep into my entertainment and my enjoyment of wrestling. I don’t care which side you’re on. I just don’t wanna talk about politics. This is supposed to be an escape not one more moment of reality.
Also from a business perspective I don’t know why you wanna piss off potentially half of your customer base – like it or not parts of the country supports ice and if AEW keep this up, their already small base will continue to dwindle
I hated it back in the day when Vince tried to do political stuff. I didn’t like it when McCain and Obama came out and spoke to the fans. I didn’t like it when TNA did that stupid Sarah Palin bit.
Maybe you love it but it’s just not for me
Hi friend. Thanks for the comment. I would ask you to consider that all art is political and any art that claims to be a-political is inherently political. AEW isn’t making fans chant about ICE – fans are responding to ICE raids in their communities and chanting it. AEW is simply not censoring people.
More than 2/3rds of Americans disapprove of ICE’s actions – so pretending “half of your audience” will be mad about chant is also false.
TNA’s Sarah McCain bit was very bad. You’re right about that. And Vince McMahon’s company is inherently a political actor as well.
Anyways thank you for commenting. There is no escapism – there is art that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but that’s just bad art.
Thanks for the thoughtful response
I know I am stating opinion as fact here but I am generalizing that more pro wrestling fans MAY be on the lower end of the economic spectrum and MAY lean a bit right. That’s why I generally said “half”. Even if it’s 1/3 tho. Why alienate them? It’s just bad business. They aren’t going to gain more fans from this
How would you feel if AEW (or WWE or TNA) presented a “pro trump” character who was celebrated as a hero? Pushed to the moon? For me that would be gross too
I’m old enough to remember Mohammed Hassan and I hated that as well
I DO think wrestling has gotten too safe. Steering clear of controversy makes the product dull. But for me, there is so much division in the country right now, I’d like my wrestling to be a safe haven from politics
Will
Not sure you are a NASCAR fan but was it also great theatre when the fans chanted F Joe Biden?
I tend to agree with Ken. I’d like some relief from the politics. That said, prob isn’t much AEW can do aside from censor the chants and that’s then an entirely new issue. As a business owner I try to stay away from politics and do my best to make everyone welcome.
I don’t like the chants and the politics but it will fade away in a few weeks
There are still cars in my neighborhood with “Let’s Go Brandon” stickers on them, so this is maybe not your best point.
>> F— ICE” chants have become commonplace in AEW. You love to see it.<<
No, the people that love to see that or the people who are too ignorant to understand it’s the equivalent of you coming home and somebody having broken into your house because your house is nicer than his and deciding to live there. It really is that simple.
I want to write a snarky reply to you, but I legitimately have no idea what you’re trying to say. I hope you have a more successful time commenting on wrestling websites in the future.