Mr Butternut Squash

First hour was the most fun I've had with Dynamite in some time. Simple, breezy fun with intriguing plot developments, character moments and not a hint of either Adam Cole or Reddragon's theme music sucking the air out of the room. Christian's been excellent and has effortlessly filled the big heel hole left behind by MJF and Tazz is a welcome addition to the commentary booth. 

Feel like a party pooper though because while the Blood and Guts match had some incredible moments, it just isn't for me. Partly because I'm an old head that was hoping to watch proper Wargames instead of another stunts and furniture match. But also because I'm finding AEW's excess to be really exhausting at this point. Maybe it's their ridiculous injury list that is playing on my mind, but I wish they'd just calm the fuck down a bit, you know? With Eddie it could always be selling, but he looked legit fucked after that suplex onto the exposed wood. A dangerous spot that was barely referenced or picked up on. And poor Santana just laying there for 45 mins as everyone gets their shit in. It just feels (to me) like there's a general lack of culpability in AEW and it takes me out of it. I'm getting old.

Cool finish though. Again, there was some incredible moments and performances in there. Just too many points where I was forced to think instead of feel. (Why did everyone freeze in time when Kingston and Jericho climbed the cage?)

I was hoping Eddie would move on to something else now. Heel Jericho was good for a couple of weeks but I'm sick of him all over again. Him turning a fireball angle into a comedy bit is the dumbest shit I've ever seen from a "smart wrestler". Go leech off of Danhausen, mate.

Thunder Rosa seems to get by with her awesome look and intensity. I think her promos are better than most people give her credit for too. She's always been indiewank in ring though. I wish AEW would solely focus on Serena, Riho, Nyla, Statlander and Jade. They're just better or more interesting than everyone else. 

Also, it appears Jeff Hardy has been done for yet another DUI. Fuck me, just get rid already. Putting that wreck over Darby Allin and The Young Bucks in quick succession is the most TNA thing AEW have done.

If Page, Jericho etc have to lose to Moxley, so be it. The world title is up for the taking, so if not now, then when? Top guys should want the top title otherwise the promotion feels flat and rudderless. 

Even that was undercut by Wardlow saying he'd rather challenge for the TNT title, which even he acknowledged was in the gutter.

Ain't seen the Punk promo. Not addressing it on the main show is indefensible, and along with putting randoms in the Battle Royal instead of real stars, they've really undercut the importance of the title. Your main Champion has gone down and the top pushed contenders for the interim include...Kyle O Reilly and Hirooki Goto? Get fucked.

I get TK wanting to protect his top stars but he's taking the piss. I'm sure Page, Wardlow, Jericho etc can survive being tossed over the top rope.

The big names should be gunning for the big belt. Otherwise what's the point?

Glad I wasn't alone in hating this show. Found it headache inducing. More fucking title belts, debuts and Jeff Hardy killing himself.

Shows how vital MJF and Punk are for being big prowrestling characters that can slow the pace down and tell stories. 

On a positive note, Moxley is in the form of his career. WOTY so far. Glad to see him back in the world title mix. Him vs Punk should be money.

Cut 25% of the roster.

Choose a core group of guys to focus on instead of trying to give everyone screen time.

Ditch all the pointless belts and rebuild the ones that matter. Put the titles on acts you're actually invested in.

Stop doing WWE shite (promo trains, backstage beatdowns etc) and try for a more unique presentation style. 

The women's division. WWE is going backwards and actively driving away top stars and instead of capitalising on it TK is somehow doing an even worse job than they are. I really don't know what can be done at this point. Maybe get Maria Kanellis in to help book it?

Get Bryan Danielson back to wrestling banger singles matches again every week.

World Champion CM Punk needs to be the centrepiece of the promotion.

 

I don't get why the Hook character would want to shake hands with a guy immediately after they got embarrassed and their arse handed to them. 

You have to try pretty hard to make someone like Hook uncool. And my God they're trying!

It's a shame he might be a bit of a headcase because Lio Rush with Dante was great and Dante's floundered without him.

Danhousen is dogshit.  Worse than the worst WWE comedy. Stay in the bin.

Seems like I'll always make time for Rampage when Moxley's on the card. He's a definite draw for me. I think it's safe to say he is on the run of his US in-ring career since the comeback. BCC vs Gunn Club was good fun and I've grown to love the Ass Boys. Nothing I like more than dorky stooging mid/undercard heels. They are hilarious. Billy was on good form too here, using his incredible size and physique but selling at the right moments. Not just gobbling everyone up like he did with Darby. The rise of Wheeler Yuta has been a great bit of business. I've even grown to love the cruddy pyjama bottoms. It's a weird dynamic, Bryan the heel, Yuta and Regal the faces and Moxley as the Wild Thing. And it just works.

God I love The Butcher. Legit one of the coolest, most badass looking dudes in wrestling history. Him vs Wardlow should be a sight. The Butcher squash and the uninterrupted (!) Dustin promo felt like TK booking specifically for me. Such a fantastic babyface promo is Dustin.

I was predisposed to dislike the main event. But nah, it was a blast. Cole gets a lot of stick, and deservedly so. But just like The Bucks, he does a fantastic job of showing arse and extinguishing any potential 'cool heel' heat and keeping the crowd alongside the babyface. The Hangman's been fantastic the last couple of weeks and he was back to his best here. Getting right in Coles face before the bell, taking a swig among the people and generally being an explosive asskicker. And Christ, that superkick that hardway cut up his jaw looked fucking brutal. Mad man. Page was getting so much of the offence here I was beginning to get legit worried there could be a title change, so good job with that. It's a minor thing, but I loved how he sat down on the chair in the middle of the ring and played to the crowd, before doing the usual and played to the hard cam.

Also, it warms my heart to hear how over Adam Page still is. I just wish they'd do a better job in making him feel important to the show. (And all the other current AEW champions too, frankly.) Hopefully the potential Punk feud remedies that.

I don't care for Adam Cole but I'd find it a bit harsh to place him here. Probably because I get the impression he's not winning the Big One anytime soon, if at all. He's a solid hand, a cracking entrance and massively over, for whatever reason. He's like wrestling's U2. Very popular, yet I've never met a cunt that admits to liking them.

Vickie Guerrero is up there. She's lying, cheating and stealing a living. God bless her. The act is beyond stale. I really like Nyla too, and Vickie is a complete detriment to her career. 

I'm sick of the sight of Jay Lethal. An actual cosplay wrestler and all round creep. Transparent case of jobs for the boys.

Danhausen. Get Fuckedhausen.

Finally, The Hardy Boyz. They're popular too of course, but they're literally broken. It's painful to watch them hobble and wince about and they feel like a disaster waiting to happen. Cut ties before it's too late.

@RedRooster I'm usually with you on most things, but this 2.0 slander is disgusting. Why do you hate them so much? 

 

Regal carry job.

Lights on, lights off. Wax on, wax off.

Other than the dumb finish and TK's Jay Lethal obsession, this was pretty good shit.

I don't know if that was a botch, or if he did it on purpose to add drama. I DO KNOW Punk is becoming one of the best sellers in the history of the game. Tremendous. Time to strap him up.

They've captured lightning with the Wardlow. Big hulks wrecking shit just works. Whenever MJF's contract is up Lil' Tone needs to be backing up trucks. In many ways, he's the heart of the promotion.

The Keith Lee/Swerve team works for me. It's a good way to cover their shortcomings and they're cool as fuck. PPPPPPPPOWERHOUSE. I saw a graph (Brandon Thurston?) that showed how Dynamite rates relatively poorly within the black demographic. It's simple. We need these four and Jade Cargill more regularly on Dynamite, and less Jay bloody Lethal.

FTR getting massive babyface pops is just lovely. Give them the proper belts already. Unification. There's far too many fucking belts knocking about at the minute.

It's not all his fault, but Danhousen (or whatever) is everything I hate about AEW. Bush league, bad comedy and assuming audience knowledge. No thank you.

Main event was a good little war. Suzuki still has that dangerous presence about him and Joe has a bit of gas left in the tank. No way he should be pissing about with Sonya Butt and Jared fucking Leto though. Give him a damn mic already.

Geezer just lost twice on the same Smackdown.

I swear push just means "regular TV time" these days.

Had a laugh reading that he made John Cena into a star. Cena became a star despite HHH. Cunt did everything he could to undercut him.

He's mostly boring shite but has had some great runs. 2000, vs Batista, vs Bryan and with Steph vs Ronda/Angle. The blue blood stuff was good fun and probably his best fit.

The Succssesion style political maneuvering thats led to his downfall is fascinating and absolutely hilarious,  although I do feel sorry for him. Seems like a decent bloke truth be told and you know there's a lot of broken hearts in that locker room now that Ace and Brother Love are in charge of their destiny.

That first hour had the vibe of Dynamite from last summer. White hot crowd, electric action and pop after pop after pop. Show had the usual pattern of falling off in the second hour but it was still decent until the end. Cole vs Lethal was a good heated match, Lambert wearing the TNT title cracks me up and I mostly skip the women's stuff anyway. Still don't know what to make of the Jericho faction though, and whether them being such an odd fit works or not. I love 2.0 but they have always been weirdly overpushed. Still, I can't fault them for trying to mould Garcia into a future top level star.

Something Sammy G will never be. Gosh, his instincts are just TERRIBLE.

Minor thing but I really like the videos setting the stage for Rampage matches. Better and easier on the eye than the dreaded backstage beatdown.

Also, William Regal rules. He can do it all. I was disappointed he didn't speak or slap the shit out of anyone this week. Already non-wrestler of the year.

Holy shit. Was looking like a bit of a weak card but they pull Punk vs Dax out of their arse last minute. Should be a cracker.

Bit of a mixed bag go home show!

Punk and MJF are in a different stratosphere right now. What an incredible feud. It's funny how I was desperate for heel CM Punk to make a comeback, but here he is doing the best babyface work in decades. Sold the PPV on this match alone.

After shitting on him for a year, credit to Jericho. Read the room and turned the nauseating babyface shtick on its head.  Just missing a Kingston promo to really put this over the line.

Battle Royals are fun and AEW have got a lot better at them. Overkill though. I was completely checked out by the time Brock Anderson and his mate came in. I'm still baffled by the booking of the tag division. 

Britt vs Rosa is a massive let down. They've done such a shit job of building Rosa I don't care if she wins or loses. 

Malakai Black SUCKS. Sorry. Some people just shouldn't get to handle their own creative. Hell, WWE did a better job of maintaining his badass aura than this. The stuff with Penta and Pac is just terrible (don't get me started on Alex) and has massively reduced their stock. 

I know everyone rolls their eyes at the "AEW doesn't cater to 'casuals'" stuff, but there's merit to it. I watch Dynamite. I never use twitter. I still have no fucking clue who Danhousen is. Why is this bush league looking clown popping up from under the ring and pointing at people? Until AEW gives me a reason to care I'm gonna resent him as much as JR blatantly does.

Bianca beating Sasha Banks in an historical, warmly received WM Main event means far more than beating this Becky Lynch in the middle of the card. At least it would've done. Now they've spaffed it all and it means little either way.

Becky popping herself with lame heel schtick has negated all her star power. Worst of all, they are Roman Reignsing Bianca Belair. She'll have all the boo boys by spring.

Cracking show this week. Electric promos, some incredible wrestling and stars getting to be stars. It was immediately noticeable how much better the acoustics/crowd micing was this week, best sounding crowd in forever. Hardcores will probably hate the show opening promos but I like the mix up in formula.

Fuck me, that Eddie pop! Give that guy more airtime.

Jon Moxley is coolest, most consistent character in wrestling. They shouldn't even be thinking about turning heel anymore.

Every week it seems like there's a moment where I'm completely taken out of it because some idiot is about to kill themselves. Rosa vs Mercades had at least three of them. Jesus fucking Christ. Worked out in the end though as a violent ugly mess.

 

Cody, Brandi and potentially Jericho out the door. Am I dreaming?

Things settling quite nicely. 

Man, MJF/ Punk was tremendous. Easily up there with the best TV matches they've put out.  I loved Punk's sense of pace and his selling was incredible. The way he builds matches is so refreshing in contrast to the usual fireworks. Love how he's got the simple bodyslam over. MJF looked every bit main event level in-ring too. It's gonna be fascinating to see how they approach the rematch.

Is TK ever going to grow the balls to sit down Cody and Brandi?  I don't care what anyone says, they're absolutely toxic to this product.

There's no good mid card that exists anymore is what's wrong with it. Unless you're having a "run with the belt" you're just another chump that aimlessly wins and loses, wrestling the same two minute nothing matches over and over. You either have a belt or you're a nobody.

Watched Rampage for first time in ages last week because a proper live crowd, Moxley and HOOK are all needle movers. Great show! Every match popped in it's own way, especially Moxley vs Page. Everything they did looked good and like it hurt. Putting Jade in the main event was bold as hell and it paid off in spades, elevating her perception as a star. 

Will give this weeks show a go too. It sounds silly but I struggle with taped shows. The dead and/or sweetened crowd is really off-putting for me.