JimmyAnderson

Another cracking episode, though I think the stage dive from Punk needs to be calmed down a bit. The joy of it in Chicago was because of the spontaneity but doing it on a regular basis loses it's impact.

Cole and his catchphrases are too over to make him heel. The commentary team did all they could to say how he's "not a good guy" but the fans still eat up his work. I still think the best way for him to get over as a heel is for him to lay out Schiavone out because he's looked at Britt the wrong way. Cole and Kaz was a good fun opening match, though why Kaz is the "Elite Hunter" when he gets no victories over them seems a bit daft. But the right result was a victory for Cole. And moving forward he and the Bucks against Christian and Jurassic Express should be a fun match. 

Lucha Brothers against Butcher & Blade seems an odd choice, given Butcher has been off-screen for so long. They may have a good record but they haven't wrestled a two-on-two tag team match on Dynamite since November last year - when ironically they beat Fenix and PAC. And neither of them of wrestled yet on Rampage in any capacity. Still, saying all that it should be another good match with Lucha Bros presumably keeping hold of the belts.

Fuego offering his car in exchange for Miro's TNT Title, while Sammy looks cool as fuck, all for that. Miro still remains one of the best acts they have and should hopefully remain TNT champ for a good while yet. The Fuego feud could possibly lead into one with Sammy, who finally dethrones him though.

MJF basically said this week what he said last week but I did like the talking to hell when "speaking" with Pillman Snr. The "Methanie" line isn't getting the sort of reactions live that they'd hoped for though in my opinion. Obviously on the internet, everyone is gonna be screaming about it because it's the internet but on Wednesday and on Rampage, it seemed to just go by everyone without any real acknowledgement of it. "Meet him up there" gave away that Pillman was coming through the crowd but at least it's another advancement of the eventual Wardlow/MJF split. And Pillman's subsequent interview with JR was much better than his promo on Rampage. 

FTR against Dante Martin and Matt Sydal was another fun match. Martin continues to impress, Sydal has improved since he botched his fucking debut. FTR remain as solid as ever and for my money would be a better opponent for Fenix and Penta. Hopefully once Darius Martin is back, Top Flight can start moving up with their careers again. 

Black and Cody was the standard brawl, though I did appreciate the fist pump Cody gave the fan after he launched his drink over Black's head. Speaking of fans, did somebody have the baby Fred picture from A League of Their Own just as Punk's music hits at the very start of the show? And a pet peeve of mine is when wrestling promotions get celebs involved and put them on the same level as their wrestling talent. If a wrestler had jumped on Black from behind, he'd of been to get rid of them instantly. That bird did it (no idea who she is by the way) and he's struggling with her for a good thirty seconds. 

Any time Anna Jay is on screen is a good time and if she's with Tay Conti, even better. Dark Order seems to be screaming out for Hangman to save their day before saving his own.

Dan Lambert continues to make me laugh. A match between Jericho/Hager v Men of the Year isn't one that I actively care about but Dan Lambert is doing his upmost to make everyone care.

Gunn Club need something good to do that isn't a match with Paul Wight. Still think they could easily have a brothers tournament with the Gunns, Bucks, Sydals, Top Flight, Lucha Bros, Cody & Dustin and a couple of others for a one night only kind of deal.

Jade could become their next breakout of the women's division if handled properly. She's got all the tools there.

Andrade going back to his interview with subtitles. While poor Chavo gets blamed for everything.

Team Taz outsmarting Punk was nice. Couldn't get more different styles than Darby and Hobbs for Punk's return to the ring. Hopefully Punk isn't in too much pain after the table spot either.

Spears and Darby promised to be good and it was. If a little overshadowed by what else has been happening. Cody got it spot on when he said Shawn Spears was a good hand. He is. He's a good enough worker to have good matches but not good enough to reach the pinnacle. 

Danielson and Omega is just certain to impress. And the fact that the title isn't coming into it yet is still the biggest talking point of any show, just goes to show how big a match this is. I don't know if there's a wrong outcome to the result of the match. Whichever route they take has a logical sense to it.

I always like seeing Mox and Kingston teaming together and 2.0 are a decent enough team who defeat doesn't seem to hurt. A match against Archer and Suzuki for Jedward should be loads of fun as well. I would like to see a few more promos from Eddie though. I miss him on the mic.

And despite everybody saying shit because TNT allow it, the show was anything but shit.

That list suggests more overrated by companies than by fans. And by overrated it probably does account to overpushed. So they need to reevaluate what they mean by "overrated" because there's a big difference between who's overrated by fans and who's overpushed by companies. 

4 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Andrade dumping Chavo...reckon this is an opening to bring in Ric Flair? Not sure how I would feel about that generally but the chance to have Andrade & Flair feuding with Darby & Sting is just too good to pass up.

They're already doing this with Spears and Tully aren't they? And both Sting and Tully made reference to Flair, so maybe he will pop in for a while. Fuck it, just go the whole log and have Tully/Spears v Darby/Sting v Andrade/Flair v Brock/Arn. Oh and add Darby to the list of people who said "shit" in a promo. 

Overall this was another easy enough watch.

Andrade and PAC was fun. And while Andrade hasn't yet caught fire, there's a few examples of others who didn't start their AEW careers all that well that over time have grown into some of the best acts on any show. Hopefully by the turn of the year, Andrade will be in that bracket to. PAC is just boss though I hope we're not going towards a PAC/Chavo match.

Cole and Danielson taped interviews were well done. Cole saying how the Elite trusts him and he trusts them suggests somebody is getting turned on sooner rather than later, which I think would be a shame. The talk of Punk and Danielson teaming up to take on the Bucks, could be worked more into Cole & Danielson against the Bucks if the turn does happen. 

Women's match was ok but as has been said, Hayter does nothing for Baker. This is another of those partnerships that AEW need to fix quickly.

Pillman and Caster pre-match interviews were nothing to really write home about but the match itself was a good showing for two primarily tag team wrestlers. Pillman/Moxley standing tall at the end was the good hometown feeling that AEW has become known for delivering. Not sure if there's a long-term association there but for that night, it more than worked. 

It felt watching it that the crowd reacted more to MJF talking about Jericho and belittling Wardlow than they did to any of the digs he took at the Cincinnati, it's residents or the Pillman family. And Pillman using the "jerk off" line felt like another case of using a naughty word that because TNT allows them to, like shit, piss and bitch. Equivalent of the Attitude Era's usage of "ass" at every possible opportunity. 

Jericho and Pillman now have both said "jerk off" in response to MJF.

Jericho called MJF a piece of shit, while Christian constantly refers to Don Callis as a corny piece of shit as well as MJF's "shitcinatti" line.

Almost every episode of Dynamite, somebody will be "pissed off"

And Britt Baker is "the baddest bitch on the block" while Jade Cargill is "that bitch"

AEW does most things right but the constant usage of these words does come across, to me anyway, as a case of using them because they can rather than because they add any actual value. And I'm not against swearing or asking for promos to be written down, rehearsed and performed like a robot but just because you can do something doesn't mean it has to be done all the time.

Black's win over Cody got him over big-time but it's been downhill since - despite him still getting victories. And now that the rematch with Cody has been announced, it seems as if he's already gearing up for his loss. And I don't see what comes next for him after that.

Punk against Team Taz is something I'd like to see, if not exactly my number one choice for Punk at this stage. Him and Taz on the mic will be good and him against Starks in the ring should be good. And I'm sure he'll deliver a good match with Hobbs. Might also be a good opportunity for Taz to debut a new member to his stable. Hopefully they keep Brian Cage away from the feud though. End goal Starks/Hobbs/Hook v Punk/Darby/Sting perhaps? (given the history between Team Taz and Darby/Sting).

Nice to see Santana & Ortiz wanting to go after the Tag Titles. Them against the Lucha Bros would be a belting match.

Soho and Baker will undoubtedly have a good match for the Women's Title but Jamie Hayter needs to fuck off from Britt. Might of just been me but when Soho started to take her coat off to look like she was ready for a fight, Britt had to remind Hayter that this is the moment you're meant to step in front of me. And then she loses the match against Soho later on and gets chased off, along with Rebel and Baker, by Rhio and Statlander. I just don't think this Baker/Hayter relationship is helping either.

Dan Lambert and Men of the Year badmouthing all the new signings was an interesting route. Not sure who's going to step up to take them on. 

Wardlow had the perfect opportunity to turn on MJF last night but I'm guessing they want a few more jibes from MJF towards Wardlow before the eventual split. The actual promo by MJF didn't seem to really get as much emotion from the crowd as was expected, nor did the hometown hero Brian Pillman Jr's responses. The talk on here the other day about MJF "trying too hard to be a heel" really shone through here. And is "mid" really offensive in America? Maybe we'll get a Varsity Blondes v MJF & Wardlow match, where Wardlow finally turns on MJF so this segment will be somewhat worth it but as of now it was pretty poor and not just in taste of what MJF said but the all round execution of it. Not sure where The Acclaimed fit into any of this but at least they're back on-screen

Anna Jay should be the leader of Dark Order. She's the one constantly bollocking them for their in-house fighting. She even called them "family" which means they're a real AEW group. And she'll probably get fed up of it that she'll ring Hangman and ask him to come back and get his mates all on one side again. Their match with, what's left of, The Pinnacle was good enough. It keeps both sides on telly and Tully calling out Sting was a little out of the blue. Though three on one beatdowns for Darby from The Pinnacle will put Darby in situations where he's at his best though.

The Elite where as good as ever as was the response from Danielson. The acknowledgement of Cole & Baker without having them as an on-screen couple (yet) was a nice touch. Be interesting to see if Schiavone nows cools off on Britt or if she starts teasing him over it leading to Paul Wight coming to Tony's aid once more to take on Adam Cole. Alternatively Cole can keep having a pop at Schiavone, only for Britt to defend Tony though she's still meant to be a heel isn't she? Kenny v Danielson will be a great match, even if not for the World Title. But I hope we don't get another Blood and Guts or Stadium Stampede match to settle it all between the Elite and Danielson/Christian/Jurassic Express. Gallows and Anderson can't even get a mention from their own members when they're talking about themselves - poor sods. 

Mox was never gonna lose to Suzuki so the match, while good, was never really in any doubt. Him celebrating with his people afterwards was more entertaining than the actual match

35 minutes ago, Factotum said:

The Young Bucks are part of The Elite. If AEW is adhering to the rankings, then Danielson can't just rock up and demand a title match. The Young Bucks are utterly loathsome heels. At some point if you were to have Hangman return and challenge Omega, it would be pretty cool to have The Bucks Vs Punk/Danielson as the semi Main Event. Not saying it should be right away, but it is definitely a huge match that could and should happen at some point.

Aye, I don't doubt it'd be a great match and a spectacle that will have the wrestling world talking. I just don't see any need to rush Punk & Danielson together. Danielson can go after the Bucks and the rest of the Elite alongside Christian and Jurassic Express for the time being. Punk, for now, serves a better purpose (in my eyes) as a singles wrestler.

At some point down the line, I think it's a belting idea. But I'm in no rush to see it within a couple of weeks/months of Punk and Danielson debuting. 

What is the obsession with people wanting Punk and Danielson to team up so quickly?

You've got two of the greatest singles wrestlers of the 21st Century, who could do wonders for some of the younger talent on the current roster. I don't see any need to pair them up as a team this early, even less now that the Bucks have lost the title. What genuine reason is there for them to fight Matt & Nick Jackson now? 

I think at this stage, both have more to offer on their own than as a team. Especially as Danielson seems to have quickly outlined his intentions of going after the Elite and probably Omega as the end goal. Punk has had no interactions, on screen at least, in that regard. He admitted on his return he wanted to come to AEW to work with the younger talent and settle a few old scores - he's worked with younger talent in Darby, maybe next is to settle one of his scores with somebody like Moxley or even Cabana.

2 hours ago, LCJ said:

Why do they care that much though? It’s just pro wrestling. Going by that logic, AEW probably shouldn’t have bothered with the retirement stipulation and still have MJF go over. Jericho has had his thirty years in the spotlight and should step aside by doing jobs for younger talent.

MJF has beaten Jericho three times already, the only reason he'd face Jericho again is because Jericho was prepared to put his retirement on the line - that's why they bothered with it.

As for Jericho doing jobs, as pointed out he's lost three times to MJF. Also the gloss of beating Jericho started to wane while he was in WWE because he was putting over almost every younger talent. Beating somebody only means something if they're worth beating, therefore Jericho still needs to have his arm raised from time to time to make beating him actually mean something.

Well I guess it was rather enjoyable. From top to bottom it was boss.

Miro and Kingston was a belter. I've seen a few people say Eddie should win the title in New York, but I'd rather see Miro hold onto it for a lot longer. And his undefeated record should be a massive deal when it finally happens. That could be Jungle Boy's breakout singles moment.

Moxley and Kojima was considered a let down when announced but it still delivered in the ring. And the aftermath with Suzuki was just as enjoyable. The crowd ate it up as well, which always helps.

Baker and Statlander was a decent enough match. Right result but it was never really going to go any other way. Statlander, I must admit I don't get. There's better opponents for Baker down the road but they've got their work cut out to build up anybody the crowd are gonna care for as much as they do Britt.

Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers was every bit as good as people have already said it was. And the Lucha's entrance was immense. I said the other day that I thought Penta and Fenix would win but once the bag with the shoe got thrown into the ring, I thought the Bucks would retain to prove that not even a cage could keep the outside shenanigans out leading to AEW's first ever hell in a cell type match. But thankfully they didn't go down that route. Be interesting to see where the Lucha Brothers go now. I'm not in any desperate urge to see Punk and Danielson team up to face the Young Bucks either yet. 

Casino Battle Royal was awkward in stages because these type of matches usually are, even more so when you have a lot of inexperienced or just not very good people in the match. Rhio seemed to get one of the louder reactions from the crowd, which was good considering she's not been on Dynamite or Rampage for a while. Thought they'd of showcased Cargill a bit more - her eliminating Nyla Rose would of been huge. Right person probably won as there was no other obvious choice.

Jericho and MJF was probably their best match, emotion wise. I don't like it when other refs get involved though, just because it's one of those things that they only do when it suits the storyline rather than every match when there's shit like that. Jericho's entrance was every bit as shit as Lucha Bros was good. But hopefully now he'll take some time off and MJF can move onto the next feud, which could be against almost anybody at this point. Even if it starts with him going after the officials for their interfering until somebody comes to their rescue. 

Punk and Allin was incredible. What either man does next is going to be fun. Though I do hope they don't overexpose Punk because they feel they have to. People have said the reaction to him on Dynamite didn't have as much bite as the Rampage one, well it won't when you've already seen the return less than a week before. They do a great job of rotating people in and out of their shows, hopefully they do with Punk as well - over the course of time. For the immediate future, it's probably best to keep him on screen. Allin, really needs a big win over a big name. His record is impressive but other than the TNT Title win over Cody and a no DQ victory over Matt Hardy, he's always come up short against the more established global names. In singles matches, his defeats have come thrice to Cody, once to Jericho, once to Moxley, once to Miro, once to PAC and now to Punk. The only non-WWE guy he's lost in singles competition to is Hangman. So he could do with a few more wins over the more household names rather than just the Daniel Garcia's/Wheeler Yuta's/Cezar Bononi's of this world.

Wight and Marshall was everything it should of been. Short and insignificant.

Omega and Christian delivered a match the way people thought they would. Two in-ring greats gave us a great main event. AEW gave us a great ending. Cole's surprise and joining the Elite was great and then Bryan arriving to save the day was the icing on the cake. It felt as if they knew they'd got every decision right on the night and still wanted to send the fans home happy, rather than the final image being the Elite standing tall again. 

It's fascinating that Punk's return match is the one match on the card that I'm least sure who'll win. I fully expect Punk to win but because it's against Darby, I'm not certain in my mind that he will.

In terms of liking an act more than I should because of their theme music - X Factor. And in terms of disliking an act more - Scott Steiner because I couldn't bare that siren.

I think it's hurt them both that they're neither clearly heel or face long enough. 

Penta started turning heel and it looked like he was going on a singles run with his manager and "Penta says". Within a couple of weeks he was back with Fenix and PAC. with no real direction.

They think highly of Garcia and 2.0 don't they? First few weeks in the company and they're mixing it with Moxley, Kingston, Darby, Sting and Punk.

Also the seeds were planted for the split of the Elite with Kenny telling the Bucks to focus their attention on Christian during the beatdown. JR made some reference to it during the show. I wonder if they lose the titles now but Omega and Callis keep telling them it's ok because he's still got the World Title. Leading to the Bucks patching things up with Hangman.

I still can't see Jericho retiring from AEW (they're very keen to point out it's AEW not wrestling he'll retire from) yet. I get the feeling that both he and AEW would want it to be in a more high-profile way, rather than it playing second fiddle to Punk's return night. I'm still plumping for Wardlow to cost MJF the match, either purposely or inadvertently to set up their inevitable feud. MJF can work the arm of Jericho over and write him off screens for a few months that way. Come back in the new year fresh and start building towards a genuine retirement angle later down the line rather than one that seems fairly rushed - even if the actual feud seems to have gone on for years between Jericho and MJF.

Jericho needs to be kept away from the commentary table for good. He's sodding useless as far as entertainment goes. 

Henry looks to be having the time of his life whenever he's on screen and I think he could work with Taz and Excalibur, letting them do the heavy lifting and he just chipping in occasionally. But the running backwards and forwards for interviews needs to go the same way as Jericho.

Jericho wins via a Wardlow interference of some description, opening the door for the inevitable MJF/Wardlow feud.

Does every stable/faction/team in AEW have to refer to themselves as family at some point in their run with the company?

Last night the Varsity Blondes are saying they're a "family" now. And it just feels extremely overused in AEW.