By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Ted Turner tribute: It was a cool move to have Sting to open the show with Tony Schiavone. It was also nice of Tony Khan to put aside any differences he has with Eric Bischoff to include his social media post regarding Turner, along with a tweet from Dustin Rhodes, who also worked for the late television pioneer. It seemed like an awkward time for Sting to put over Tony Khan, but I believe his comments came from a good place. Schiavone carried the segment, and it turned out to be a nice tribute.
Darby Allin vs. TNT Champion Kevin Knight for the AEW World Championship: Another strong world championship match for Allin. Sting coming out and raising the arms of both wrestlers, followed by their handshake, was a nice way to cap off the babyface vs. babyface match. Allin’s reign probably ends at Double or Nothing because it’s hard to imagine MJF agreeing to cut his hair. Granted, a quick online search says it’s possible for men who have had hair transplants to shave their heads after a few months, but I’d still be very surprised. Either way, Darby’s run as champion has already been a lot of fun, and it will continue with title defenses against Pac on Saturday and Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite.
Dax Harwood vs. Orange Cassidy in a double jeopardy match: Was this a new AEW record for most wrestlers at ringside during a singles match? I was actually more interested in FTR and Tommaso Ciampa challenging for the AEW Trios Titles. No, I haven’t changed my tune. I still couldn’t care less about the trios titles, but it’s hard to get excited about The Conglomeration getting a tag team title shot when FTR is in the midst of a feud with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage.
AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson in an eliminator match: A soft Hit. This was an AEW Special – a match that goes long despite there being no mystery regarding the outcome. Even so, it was a quality match that benefited from opening the show.
Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander vs. Mina Shirakawa and Harley Cameron: A soft Hit. Has a live crowd ever been more subdued when a female wrestler was shown wearing her bra? This was a quiet crowd in general, but we’ve come a long way since the days of bra and panties matches. The match was fine and continued the saga of Shida doing heelish things that Statlander seems annoyed by. I hope they can explain why Statlander hasn’t just walked away despite some of Shida’s actions.
Chris Jericho and The Demand: A soft Hit for a segment that set up Jericho agreeing to put together a team to face Ricochet, Toa Liona, Bishop Kaun, and two other heels in a Stadium Stampede match. The live crowd didn’t do them any favors by sitting on their hands for the Stadium Stampede announcement. Granted, I feel apathetic about these stadium and arena brawls, but AEW live crowds typically pop big for them.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Keith for the AEW International Championship: Two AEW Specials in one show was one too many. The ring work was solid, but I’d put money on the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters before I’d wager on Keith beating Okada. On the bright side, Okada saying he wants to challenge for the AEW World Championship was an interesting development.
Samoa Joe wants to help Will Ospreay: Why don’t any babyfaces want to help Ospreay?
(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.)
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