By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Bandido and Brody King vs. Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada: A hot tag team match that gave Bandido a win over Fletcher heading into their AEW International Championship match at Redemption. I like the way King ducked Okada’s Rainmaker, only for Fletcher to take the big clothesline instead. I also got a kick out of Okada apologizing while seated on the floor, only to flash a look of disdain when Fletcher wasn’t looking. While I’m not really sure why Okada’s character would be obsessed with the AEW International Championship rather than pursuing the AEW World Championship, I’ll settle for whatever gets them to Fletcher vs. Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita.
Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Championship: A good opening match with the only logical outcome given that Knight is challenging for the AEW World Championship on Sunday. I still don’t understand why they didn’t have these two meet last week to determine Kenny Omega’s challenger at Redemption. Beating Darby in a far less predictable No. 1 contender’s match would have given Knight a bigger boost than beating Darby in a match everyone knew Knight had to win.
Kenny Omega, Will Osperay, and Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage, Hechicero, and Jake Doyle: This was all about whether Omega, Ospreay, and Moxley could coexist rather than whether they could beat the Don Callis Family’s junior varsity team. Omega accidentally hitting Moxley with a V-Trigger led to friction between them, and some pushing and shoving between Omega and Ospreay. They also worked in Knight busting open Omega with a belt shot. I don’t think it’s going to make anyone believe Knight will beat Omega on Sunday, but it was still a logical approach.
AEW Women’s Champion Thekla and Willow Nightingale meet face-to-face with Mick Foley as the moderator: Foley lent his star power while letting the women shine. I get a big kick out of Thekla’s bravado, and this was one of Willow’s better outings on the mic. She has been a bit too precious at times, but this was a nice reminder that she can flip the switch and be more aggressive when the situation calls for it.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Jay White vs. Clark Connors: An AEW Special in that it was overly competitive and went needlessly long despite having a predictable outcome. The sooner White turns heel, the better. He’s a solid babyface, but he’s a great heel. It feels premature to go with White and Juice Robinson to face David Finlay and Clark Connors in a double chain match on Sunday.
Megan Bayne and Lena Kross vs. Julia Hart and Sky Blue in a No DQ match for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles: A minor Miss for a garbage match involving two heel teams. All four wrestlers worked hard, but I’m not sure why the match happened or who they wanted the fans to cheer. Working such a competitive match with a significantly smaller team ran counter to Bayne and Kross being dominant badasses. It’s not like Hart and Blue used speed or took a more acrobatic approach. They worked the same brawling style as Bayne and Kross, and I didn’t buy them as threats to the champions.
(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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