By Will Pruett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@itswilltime)
Back again this week! On the normal day for 10 Thoughts on a wrestling show. AEW was early. I was not late. Anyways, here are some thoughts!
– AEW was already staring down a three-week pay-per-view build with the proximity of WrestleDream to All Out. Those builds are already tricky to pull off, especially for a promotion that does not roll out rematches like crazy on pay-per-view. Add in AEW spending last week’s show entirely on a tribute to Pac (as they should have) and not promoting the pay-per-view at all. This leaves AEW with two weeks to build up WrestleDream. This is a challenge for the promotion.
– The Clockwork Carnage match at AEW WrestleDream does not spark joy within my heart. The rules are convoluted. The match will be hard to follow, especially with falls happening at a (likely) rapid pace in the final 15 minutes. It’s not a strong position for a still-new Men’s World Champion to be in. I criticize AEW when they opt for a triple threat or four-way World Championship match. I have the same sort of criticism for an eight-way mess. I am sure the match will be entertaining, but AEW Men’s World Championship matches should strive for more than empty spectacle.
– Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada had the kind of match that would have been unfathomable to see on weekly U.S. television before 2019. I wouldn’t put it up there with their best efforts in New Japan Pro Wrestling or with their World’s End 2024 Continental Classic final, but it was great. Okada can still turn on the jets in the ring, and in a main event match, he showed that he has the timing and athleticism that made him one of the best in the world in the 2010s.
– The Will Ospreay AEW Men’s World Championship reign is off to a good start with defenses against Moxley and Okada. Ospreay running back through his AEW run and defeating the (very few) men who have beaten him is a nice hook for his singles matches.
– “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland will apparently never be done with each other. They flew halfway across the world to almost fight during Kofi vs. Bandido. I am delighted by the call to run back this trios match (New Level and Swerve vs. Bandido, Brody King, and Hangman) in a two out of three falls format. That is usually the major stipulation built into AEW tag matches, and it is fitting for this trios feud. This was the match of the night at AEW All Out, and with this stipulation and more time to tell more story, it can be again at WrestleDream.
– Kofi showed up in AEW to work and to be a solid part of the roster. How many acts have come over from WWE in the seven years of AEW existing and (seemingly) refused to lose? Kofi is not that guy and showed it by losing to Bandido in an excellent opening match in France this week. It is awesome to see wrestlers like Kofi and Austin Creed come into AEW for the right reasons.
– The production of this show was really great. The smaller stage and different aisle for wrestlers to walk down made this one feel really unique. The hung lighting grid over the entryway allowed AEW to do a lot of their regular production without a big gaudy stage setup. This is the kind of production I’d like to see AEW lean into more, especially if it means getting a few more seats into the smaller venues they occasionally run. Overall, this show looked great. On top of the look production brought to the show, the fans in Paris were red hot for this entire episode of Dynamite. AEW felt like a major worldwide promotion here.
– Jack Perry is not tough enough to flip off Samoa Joe before Joe kills him, but it is cute that he believes he is. Perry is like a child who learned a new curse word and wants to try it out at every possible occasion. Samoa Joe qualifying for Clockwork Carnage actually worries me a little bit. AEW has a habit in the autumn months of randomly moving the Men’s World Championship to Samoa Joe when we do not expect it. Don’t do it, Tony! We need a long Will Ospreay title reign.
– Darby Allin and Kyle Fletcher are two wrestlers who I often say have freaky great chemistry with any number of others. They bring out the best in those around them. It’s unsurprising then that they had a great match on this show with each other for the TNT Championship. Fletcher does not lose often, but losing to Allin (a former AEW Men’s World Champion) does not hurt him. Allin solidifying this TNT Championship run is a solid move.
– Mercedes Moné vs. Queen Aminata was a fine first defense for Moné, who seems more than capable at this moment even while healing from a broken nose. Aminata impressed in her biggest match in AEW to date. I am not sure why exactly she was given a shot here before Thekla, but it worked as a match, and the post-match, with Thekla getting the better of Moné, worked as well.
Those are the thoughts! Yes, I know I did not talk about Jon Moxley finding two new big beefy boys to rumble with, but that will have to wait! By law, I can only have ten thoughts at one time.
Will Pruett writes about wrestling and popular culture at prowrestling.net. To see his video content, subscribe to his YouTube channel. To contact Will, check him out on Bluesky @itswilltime, leave a comment, or email him at itswilltime@gmail.com.
