By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)
You know the drill by now. 10 thoughts!
– The return of Chris Jericho opened this show and proceeded to give us our first “Judas” singalong in a few years, followed by Jericho walking around waiting for the crowd to get louder, then finally saying nothing of import. It was a true “Hulk Hogan in mid 2002” reaction, except not as passionate or loud. Jericho coming back does not do much for me, but I am curious to see how he is booked for this run. Will he be a presence in the AEW Men’s World Championship picture? Will he be a gatekeeper or a real challenger? There’s a role here for him, but I don’t think it is where he sees himself.
– Tony Schiavone saying Chris Jericho’s return made him emotional was the fakest thing Schiavone has said since 1998.
– I found the entire opening of Dynamite super awkwardly paced. From Jericho’s return to the contract signing to the trios match, this should have been a show with a real flow to it, but the first 30 minutes felt really clunky.
– MJF revealing the deep dark medical secret that Kenny Omega’s insides could explode at ANY MOMENT was to be expected, but it also rings hallow. These two do not have amazing chemistry on the mic and the more Omega talks in segments like this, the less mystique he seems to have. This contract signing did its job, but its one of my least favorite segment types in all of wrestling.
– “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. MJF was a really solid main event, but I wish that whole angle had started last week. A week of hype for MJF breaking out his pro-American heel schtick and Bailey standing up for their friend Kenny and their country would have worked better for me and alleviated some of the talking in the first 20 minutes of this show. I could have used a few more hope spots for Bailey getting the win before MJF finally pinned them,
– AEW has made Eliminator Matches must watch recently by actually having challengers win some of them! I know champions should not lose frequently, but a few losses have helped make these matches must-see. I was convinced for a long portion of MJF vs. Speedball that Bailey could actually get the win and be more involved in the MJF vs. Omega feud.
– Pac vs. Will Ospreay was a more grounded match than their prior encounter at All Out 2024, which fits the evolution of both men’s styles. Ospreay seems to have diverticulitis of the neck with how much he will be selling neck injuries in every match he has.
– Jon Moxley deciding against injuring Ospreay and instead warning him was a really nice moment. Moxley may be wrestling’s greatest tweener. He walks the line between heel and babyface well and comes across as a man with a true moral compass, not just a random chaos generator. Moxley’s character since losing the AEW Men’s World Championship in July has been laser focused and well defined. This was another great character moment.
– You love to hear a “F— the tariffs” chant on wrestling TV.
– The Triangle of Madness vs. Mina Shirakawa and The Brawling Birds match was fine. Jamie Hayter getting the win has me wondering if she moves into a AEW Women’s World Championship program with Thekla. This would be a logical move, despite Hayter and Windsor being built as a tag team. AEW has to shuffle some pieces around to make up for losing Toni Storm and having Jamie Hayter and all of her ability and charisma in a tag team might have become a luxury they cannot afford right now. Jamie is great in big singles matches.
There it is! One full month of 10 thoughts on both Dynamite and an AEW pay-per-view! They said it couldn’t be done, but here I am doing it.
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.
WWE Championship Contender Matches: Introduced in the modern era (extensively used in the 2010s/2020s), this is a non-title match where the champion loses, allowing the opponent to get a title shot later. Fans and critics often call this “lazy booking” because it lowers the champion’s status and makes titles feel less prestigious.
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