By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Darby Allin and “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry vs. MJF and Sammy Guevara: As much as I despised the silliness of the three-man tournament and MJF offering to pay Guevara to lie down for him while on camera, the company got things back on track. MJF returned to form by manipulating Guevara into believing that he didn’t want him in the SUV last week because he needed to lie down to rest his aching back. And MJF making a pitch to Perry only to have a suspicious Allin enter the room set up a really clever finish with Allin performing his Coffin Drop while showing no regard for whether he landed on his own partner. The path to the Four Pillars four-way was bizarre, but it feels like the Double Or Nothing main event is in a good place coming out of last night’s episode.
Ricky Starks vs. Juice Robinson: A soft Hit for Starks getting a needed win while en route to what I assume will be a match with Jay White at the pay-per-view. Robinson already feels like just another guy in AEW, which is a shame because I enjoyed a lot of his work in New Japan. But the real crime is that Jay White hasn’t been positioned as a major star since he officially joined AEW. This was a key signing for AEW and yet you’d never know it based on what the company has done with White thus far. White character should have entered AEW on a mission for championship gold. Rather, he’s the leader of the two-man faction and is feuding with Starks for no good reason. Perhaps an Owen Hart Cup tournament win would give White a boost this summer.
Orange Cassidy, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Bandido vs. Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker: An entertaining opener. The match was bigger than it needed to be. They should be spotlighting Cole this early in his return and sharing the stage with his buddy Strong in a tag match would have been more effective rather than have them lumped into this busy eight-man tag match. By the way, why does Jericho Appreciation Society still exist? While it gives Hager, Menard, and Parker a purpose, it’s clearly working against Garcia and Sammy Guevara. Yes, Sammy is in the pay-per-view main event, but the fact that he’s in a faction named after another man makes it tough to view him as a serious threat to win the championship. I’m truly surprised that master of reinvention Jericho hasn’t come up with something fresh.
Saraya vs. Willow Nightingale: Willow was the latest babyface who was made to look silly for not bringing any backup for a match against one of the Outcasts. Fortunately, the post match angle finally established a meaningful trio in Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, and Britt Baker to oppose the heels.
The build to Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega in a cage match: AEW put the work in by announcing the match last week and by following up by giving both men promo time on this episode. I hope they take a similar approach to build up bigger television matches going forward. It beats the hell out of the usual approach of having television main event be one of what feels like 85 matches that Excalibur announces while in speed reader mode.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Trios Battle Royale: A random trios battle royale held just because Dynamite took place on May 3? Meh. The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass winning seemed to set them up as the likely challengers for House of Black. It feels like a strange match on paper given the serious and violent approach of the HOB, which conflicts with the most silly and comical style of The Acclaimed. And why in the world has Powerhouse Hobbs gone from being TNT Champion to joining a trios team with QT Marshall and Aaron Solo? On the bright side, I’m a fan of Malakai Black’s new rules for trios matches. I don’t know what gave him the power to have these rules enforced and I think I understood about half of what he said about these new rules (graphics help), but the basic idea of having unique rules for trios matches could help them stand out. Better yet, the referees won’t be required to look like fools for failing to enforce the rules during trios matches.
TNT Champion Wardlow vs. Logan Laroux: A soft miss. Wardlow squash matches always get a good reaction from the powerbomb loving live crowds. As a weekly Dynamite viewer, these matches have a “This is still happening?” feel to them.
Jason, suppose AEW/TNT moved Rampage to 7/6 CT on Monday nights, just before RAW. Do you feel that would be a good move?
Nope. The C show opposite Raw? Bad idea. Plus, Tony Khan already said he won’t run against the NFL.
<A soft miss. Wardlow squash matches always get a good reaction from the powerbomb loving live crowds. As a weekly Dynamite viewer, these matches have a “This is still happening?” feel to them.<<
Odd….I seem to remember you pointing out some angle or act that you didn't care for but gave it a hit because the fans liked it when doing the "hits and misses" for a WWE show, yet here the EXACT opposite.
Crazy that there are things that can be pointed out about the different way WWE and AEW shows are judged here yet it's denied….as CNN proves, facts don't matter, its all about what you can deny and what you're willing to admit.
Hey, the delusional fanboy is back! Great to hear from you, Angry Mike.
Another week of hits outnumbering misses while the audience figure drops to a shocking low.
It’s nice to know that AEW is still satisfying its target audience of about 50 people.