By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite Hits
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix for the AEW World Championship: The match lived up to expectations and was considered one of Dynamite’s best matches to date. The only thing that worked against that was that there was no reason to believe that Fenix had a real chance of winning the AEW Championship. The wide angle afterwards with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson helping Omega to attack Jon Moxley was excellent. Gallows and Anderson showing up was expected at some point, but the big moment with the Bullet Club meeting including Young Bucks was a surprise. The Bucks did not seem satisfied with the actions of Omega and The Good Brothers to begin with, so only time will tell if they are really united or if they will end up fighting with Gallows and Anderson.
Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian against Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Angelico and Jack Evans: A hot eight-man opening brand combination. Acclaimed was made to look good, especially when one of them was kicked out after one of Young Bucks’ big ads. It was nice to see AEW tell the story that Daniels and Kazarian will split up if they lose another match instead of assuming that everyone saw them on AEW Dark. It is an attractive plot with some potentially intriguing directions.
Cody vs. Matt Sydal: A good game. The splash of Snoop Dogg’s rope in Serpentico afterwards was terrible and I know it’s not for everyone, but it was still fun to watch him try the move. I hope we eventually get a Sydal heel curve. As much as he got really caught up in the conversation of rolling his “third eye” eyes when he played a heel on Impact, he really showed how far he got in the promotion department.
Wardlow vs. Jake Hager: A good start for the big man. Wardlow is far from polite, but seems to get better with each exit. AEW is wisely showing discipline, making him look strong, but not forcing him too aggressively before he is ready. It will take time, but Wardlow has the potential for a main event. Meanwhile, I love the way MJF continues to win over Inner Circle members. As much as we, as spectators, suspect that he will stab one or more of them in the back eventually, it is being done in a credible way, where the members of the Inner Circle do not seem foolish to believe.
Jon Moxley Promotion: Moxley’s excellent microphone work. In that case, he established why he wouldn’t go after Omega before or during the title fight, saying he didn’t want to spoil Rey Fenix’s opportunity. In doing so, he provided good logic as to why he did not attack Omega immediately, while emphasizing the importance of the AEW Championship.
Darby Allin and Brian Cage weigh in: I like the weighing approach because it is a nice change of pace for the pro wrestling contract signing segments that are overused. It was effective in promoting the game of the TNT Championship, while making it look like a big showdown. The only negative aspect of the segment is that Sting’s appearance looked peaceful.
AEW Dynamite Misses
Hikaru Shida vs. Abadon for the AEW Women’s Championship: A gentle Miss. Shida conquered her fears and defeated the zombie-style horror villain. I just don’t like bites, and I wish there was more to the Abadon persona. How about some indication that she is very smart and is playing with her opponents?