By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
MJF vs. Mike Bailey vs. Nick Wayne in a three-way for the second entry in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In London: As much as the outcome felt predictable, it was fun to watch them get there. Bailey and Wayne provided the flashy spots, and I enjoyed the brief MJF and Wayne alliance and the exchanges that followed. Wayne has put on more muscle and continues to be an impressive young talent with major upside potential.
AEW International Champion Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, and Don Callis: They finally announced the potential show-stealing three-way match for the pay-per-view. Callis’s attempt to put a positive spin on Fletcher defending the title against Okada and Konosuke Takeshita at All In London was great.
Swerve Strickland, Hangman Page, Bandido, and Brody King segment with Ricochet’s crew: It was great to see Swerve back for the first time since Forbidden Door. The verbal exchange between Hangman Page and both men pointing out the other’s recent struggles was interesting. I’m actually disappointed that we didn’t get Swerve and Hangman running wild as a heel tag team, but I also can’t argue with keeping the popular Page slotted as a babyface. Ricochet’s crew interrupting the segment was okay. Ricochet’s mic skills have improved, but it’s a shame he’s taken so many big losses as a singles wrestler. Was this setting up Swerve joining forces with Kofi (Kingston) and Austin Creed (f/k/a Xavier Woods)? Speaking of tag teams, why haven’t the Motor City Machine Guns cracked the Dynamite lineup?
AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley vs. Jack Perry in a Continental Cup tournament match: A solid main event. I still have a hard time buying Perry as a tough guy, but he stepped up and worked Moxley’s hard-hitting style. It would have been fun had Perry actually won this match, so that Moxley would be free to do other things, and fans would know that a new champion would be crowned at the end of the tournament. That said, Moxley winning was not surprising, as I assume he will at least go to the finals, if not win the entire tournament.
Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega: A soft Hit. Omega was less heelish than he came off during their first segment after the Redemption pay-per-view. He saved Ospreay from an attack by the Callis Family, which left me wondering if we are going to see the overdone bit with the champion teaming with his challenger before their title match. How about they just book Ospreay to plow through some mid-card talent in brief matches to make him look as strong as possible heading into All In London?
Kevin Knight vs. Chris Jericho for the TNT Title: A soft Hit. There were a couple of rough moments, particularly when Jericho had Knight in the Walls of Jericho and had to pull him to the ropes so that Don Callis could hit him with the awful screwdriver. But there was more good than bad, and they had the live crowd with them from start to finish. A clean finish would have been preferred, but Knight low-blowing Jericho before pinning him did set up Darby Allin’s line about Knight winning, yet not winning the right way.
Maya World and Thunder Rosa vs. Persephone and Hikaru Shida: A soft Hit for a good outing for World, who looked impressive while getting the win for her team. I’m lukewarm on next week’s four-way match for the TBS Championship. Perhaps we’ll find out that there’s a reason they are going with a four-way, but I’d prefer to see her racking up successful title defenses in singles matches.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Mick Foley: Foley’s interview segments already feel ordinary. While his star power should keep viewers engaged for now, the novelty of Foley conducting AEW interviews will wear off quickly at this rate. Most of the interviews have featured some light comedy that hasn’t really clicked. I don’t expect home runs every time, but his segments need to pack more of a punch than they have so far.
Kris Statlander vs. Viva Van: A minor miss. It was meant to be a spotlight match for Statlander, but the most memorable parts were Van performing a big move and then spending so much time playing to the crowd. It didn’t seem like that was meant to be the story of the match despite the broadcast team calling her on it.
Jay White vs. David Finlay in a Continental Cup tournament first-round match: A minor Miss. The match was fine, but the feud between the Bang Bang Gang and The Dogs is ice cold. Hopefully, White beating Finlay clean means that both sides can move on.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time since 1997. He hosts the 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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