By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)
From spending most of yesterday at the Happiest Place on Earth to thinking Dynamite thoughts for all of you…
– Mercedes Moné and Hazuki had one of my favorite matches of this year and one of the highlight matches of AEW Dynamite’s existence (high praise, obviously). This was a crowd wholly unfamiliar with Hazuki and almost silent when she entered, being stirred into an emotional climax by the dynamic and hard-hitting professional wrestling in front of them. In their past matches, it has been apparent that Moné and Hazuki create magic together. This match adds to Mercedes’ résumé as the best big match performer in wrestling over the last decade – praise she not only deserves but continues to earn.
– This venue looked really interesting onscreen for professional wrestling. It seemed to be another proscenium theater/national tour/concert venue uniquely set up for wrestling. The shallow orchestra section of fixed-position seats made it look like there was a deep sea of people, even with the ring taking up significant real estate in the seating area. The blue lights on the walls of the venue were unique and fun. It also looked like AEW production might have been shooting with two hard camera locations – one in the entryway for matches and one in the normal house left position for verbal segments. This all made for a unique-looking wrestling show that was more interesting than a cavernous basketball arena. As a production professional, I’d rather watch this.
– The intense verbal confrontation between Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland was enjoyable. These two had a heavy lift – essentially recapping their entire history together while simultaneously writing the next chapter of that history. They needed not only to explain themselves and friends or teammates, but also to create a rivalry based on who they are now. This segment was mostly successful at accomplishing those goals and making their Forbidden Door match feel personal.
– The continued questions about Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley’s alliance, first asked by Kenny Omega and now Swerve Strickland, have me wondering when we will see Moxley turn on Ospreay. I feel like it has to happen, but it could be a very slow burn – perhaps after All In or even months into Ospreay’s (likely) title reign? The levels to the story of Ospreay becoming pals with the Death Riders continue to surprise and delight me.
– Speaking of Jon Moxley, his teaming with Daniel Garcia and losing to the reunited Bandido and Brody King (Brodido) brought a big smile to my face. I love Brodido as a tag team, and the chemistry King and Bandido have. This was a great tag match that went far longer than I expected and had me on the edge of my seat for most of the match. Moxley vs. Bandido at Forbidden Door will be a nice treat of a match. While I don’t doubt that Moxley will win that match, I could see myself believing in Bandido quite a bit at the end of that one.
– When it comes to intra-faction intrigue, no one in wrestling has the roster that the Don Callis Family has to produce more of it. MJF hiring the Callis Family, then wrestlers being assigned to fight for MJF, a man they seem to vehemently dislike, is a really great bit. I personally find it very compelling when heels are motivated by money and babyfaces are motivated by the power of friendship. Friendship is a big part of what AEW is about.
– Adam Copeland and Christian Cage returned to get some vengeance on The Dogs. While I did not love how this segment played out, it was really nice to see Copeland and Cage again. They are characters I just want to see onscreen a little more and get some extra time with, not just wrestling but as partners. While they reunited for All Out last year, they have not spent a ton of minutes on TV just being pals. Give me the buddy comedy I need with Copeland and Cage, please, AEW.
– I wonder what the cage itself for the 12 Man Steel Cage Team MJF vs. Team Briscoe situation at Forbidden Door will look like. Will they use AEW’s standard domestic cage (which is super tall) that just hugs the ring apron, or will AEW use the shorter, wider, ringside-inclusive cage they used at Forbidden Door in the UK last year? I worry that 12 wrestlers will be too many for AEW’s standard cage, but they have yet to use that UK cage domestically. I sort of hope we get the best of both worlds with a taller ringside-inclusive cage. Think of Hell in a Cell without a roof!
– The Thekla and Starlight Kid promos on this show worked for me. I don’t put a ton of stock in outlaw pro wrestlers defending the honor of their employers (ew, capitalism), but Kid vs. Thekla is a match with history, and learning about this history while Thekla continues to do the heavy verbal lifting (and spitting) to build this feud helped me.
– Kenny Omega opening this show with a surprise squash match was a great way to put Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr. In everyone’s heads and to continue to tell the story of Omega targeting the AEW Men’s World Championship. I continue to wonder if we will see Kenny Omega in the mode only Kenny Omega could get to in the late 2010s ever again. If it happens, I assume it has to happen at AEW Redemption in Montreal and at All In. I’ve been looking over some of my own late 2010s wrestling photography featuring that version of Kenny, and I truly hope he can be that guy one more time.
Don’t put that Ciampa and Jericho evil on me this Saturday at Collision. I do not deserve 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.
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