The AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite Thread

[UK Kat Von D]

41 minutes ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

 

Jon Moxley did the Bam Bam/Taz spot through the stage and then did a submission, with the leg grapevine like the Tazmission. Cage and Moxley will be the next feud as well. Nice little wink there.

 

That’s a really nice little connection, hadnt thought of that. Taz can still do quite an intense promo, so him and Moxely should be able to do something fun together. I want Taz to teach Cage all sorts of mad suplex stuff too. Every week have him crush a jobber and demonstrate a new one 

[The King of Old School]

Wonder if Cage has just come in for a short run?

Not sure where he goes next if he comes in and loses to Mox straight away.

[LaGoosh]

Cage is better as a face so I'm hoping he has a short heel run at Moxley then moves down to a good mid card babyface position which would be the best use of him.

[Joe Blog]

Someone (possibly Ian) was talking about Cage just looking huge due to his opponents. Never noticed until he was in the ring with Sky who made him look very short. 

[DavidB6937]

WHO CAN STOP THE PATH OF CAGE?

Nope. Rewatched it a few times and I still hate it.

[CavemanLynn]

Loved this show. 

Ladder match was exactly the kind of storyline-free stunt fest I expected from this opener, and, much like the rest of the show, it contained plenty of character moments that put this a cut above the typical indy spot fest. SCU were great together. Jimmy in a bloodied suit is much better than his pleather swimsuit and gives him plenty of places to stash props on himself and keep him from having to actually work - the shot of that threesome looked very good. Cassidy doing absolutely no prep and just doing literally what people told him to do was genuinely hilarious. Luchasaurus sadly isn't improving.

Cage makes sense for AEW's midcard style. I like the idea of having Tazz as a reason for Cage to bust out some gnarly new suplex every match. As for Tazz himself, I think he's useless and offers nothing. His ECW prime was 30 years ago, and every time he opens his mouth, he wrecks any idea of legitimacy - for a guy touted as a technical wrestling mastermind, he constantly loses track, fumbles his lines, and provides zero insight beyond what we can see with our own eyes. He does a good scowly face, but that's it. And they need to bin off voice overs in entrance music, especially with shitty puns.

Cody vs Archer was decent but a bit too long. That turnbuckle Gopro shot of Archer was fucking amazing. Archer's ring work has been solid for years, but his camera awareness in this match was incredible - no wasted movement, every opportunity used to look psychopathic and sadistic. I liked the charges using the other's manager's signature moves. Agreed that both Roberts and Arn looked past it. As much as I love the old bastards, they need to stay on the mic and away from the ring. Jake's expressions were great, but both of their timing seemed off.

It's also pretty clear JR is an ego signing for Cody. It's no coincidence JR perks up during the classic-style match of Dusty's kid. But christ, JR is absolutely torpedoing a lot of the rest of the show. He clearly doesn't care for the bulk of AEW's style, and comes across as surly, grumpy, or amateurish. There are times he genuinely seems to forget basic words, and that he's meant to be adding to the presentation and not watching as a spectator. There's a time, a place, and a character to emphasise when they haven't hooked a leg on a pin, but he gets up in arms about it with EVERYONE. His comment after the Stampede match about it not being wrestling like we know it was, at best, a sign of confusion, at worst sabotage. He seems to suck the professionalism out of Big Tone too. Get rid.

Also, a Stinger Splash? Hmmm? 

MJF continues to have holiday camp matches and be great at them. Love the partnership with Wardlow - I hadn't seen the case for the ring before (Sidenote - I loved Wardlow's one handed supercasual choke on Marko last Dynamite). Also a great showing by Jungle Boy, whose probably the best white heat babyface they have. Consistent selling and great fire,with the right finish for what was essentially a filler.

Speaking of great filler, hats off to Spears. I've said it before, but this guy has taken the current situation by the horns in a big way. A quality midcard gobshites, arrogant, cheesy, and perfect for taking a feelgood ass kicking. SSN on Dynamite is a fun unique way of giving him relevance and a distinct presence on shows, and this was a great start for him. His comment about his suit, his slow turn to the camera after the fake out, change in tone when demanding the count, and then his expressions and selling moving from one self-deprecating gag to the next. An excellent surprise entrance for Dustin too, and good fun rattling off his signatures before the win.

Skipped the superfluous women's match, but enjoyed what I saw of Shida vs Rose. No doubt a last minute change of booking, well-meaning but accidentally tainted by Jr's ham-fisted commentary. Like an earlier poster, the first women's match I didn't feel the need to skip parts of. Shida's celebration was heartwarming and heartbreaking - she seemed genuinely made up but mournful; you would be forgiving for thinking she was friends with Hana.

A nice tribute to Hana Kimura. I don't know if WWE have or will do anything similar, but this acknowledgement of wrestling outside AEW actually makes the company look bigger and better. They acknowledge that others exist, which makes it a big deal when wrestlers from there choose to work for them. It also connects AEW to the wider wrestling audience, which I like.

Mox vs Brodie was a solid WWE Brawl, which was always sits well as something distinct on AEW's shows. Brodie still looked awkward at times. But, and this is really weird But, how much better did he look once he pulled his straps down? He's a massive bloke but unfortunately a bit pear shaped, which his trousers and singlet attire only emphasises. Once the straps came down though, his slight middle aged spread was hidden and his upper chest and arms looked much bigger. The DDP look is definitely the way to go. A borderline babyface finish for him, but keeps him strong in the eyes of the Dark Order.

I love Mox's sweaty postmatch promos to camera. Short, sweet, and another cool way to fill the dead air of empty arena shows.

I want to watch the Stampede again. And again and again. A genuine MOTY candidate, and it was barely even a match. It was a 45 minute series of skits, spots, and payoffs, and it was glorious.

I know they're the heels, but the Inner Circle looked SO MUCH COOLER than the Elite in their matching football gear. Ortiz trying to fit his helmet on. It also made the Elite look even more like geeks than normal. Fuck me I hate the Bucks. They're on a team with a middle aged guy in a goth coat, and another in leather chaps, and still manage to look like twerps in their tassels and headbands.

On the flip side, Kenny actually looked pretty cool knowing about Page when the rest of the Elite didn't, and their toast at the bar was the first time they've really clicked as a tag team for me.

And Page though. What a man. The entrance. The chase. That bar room brawl. Hilarious, but totally in character. Not a wink or nudge in sight. Just great little moments played for maximum effect. Be still, my heart.

I didn't find the pool spot distasteful; knowing the previous Hardy Compound shenanigans, i knew where things were going to go without making the instant connection to recent events. I was also strangely heartened to know that Matt Hardy can hold his breath for 346 seconds, so I knew he was never in any danger. Popped hard for V1.

Jericho vs the mascot. Jericho vs the ref. Jericho vs paint. All magic.

Nothing to say about Sammy that hasn't already been said. He's a megastar.

Everyone came out of this match looking great. I'm hoping for a breakup of this feud for now into either separate feuds or something else entirely for a bit, then wait for lockdown to ease up ready for a reunion for Blood and Guts.

[tiger_rick]

2 hours ago, Chris B said:

Cody/Archer fell flat for me. Wrong guy won too.

Nah, Cody is the right guy to hold that belt. Especially when he can't challenge for the main one. He lost to Jericho and to MJF. This would be one too many for a guy as important as he is. If he's in the tournament, he wins it.

Archer has been very good but you want to build him for Moxley IMO and do it without damaging your new title.

Forget who said it earlier but the point on Cosy being good but the matches leaving you cold (paraphrasing) is the problem I always had with him. I think he's mostly delivered in AEW. The MJF match has been the biggest disappointment but all his other matches have ranged from good to incredible. This was good too I thought.

I've no idea where they'll go next which is generally true of them coming off big shows and is one reason why they've been the better watch for almost a year. 

I'd go towards Archer challenging Moxley to let Brian Cage breathe underneath for a bit. 

Cody needs a good win over a name guy to establish that belt further. Someone like Pac would have been ideal. Maybe Jericho could take the hit.

Agree very much with Ian, Brodie Lee needs to get away from this Dark Order shit. It's just failing him. His gear does nothing for him either. He was better in jeans and a scruffy vest and that wasn't great.

[WyattSheepMask]

How have they not made those Inner Circle jerseys available yet? Leaving money on the table

[LaGoosh]

Definitely agree that Brodie looks better with the best down. Made him look much bigger and more threatening. His ring gear makes him look like a bit of a plum. Get those tits out, Brodie!

I enjoyed Big Swole picking fights with everyone at ringside all night.

[I Bent My Wookie]

I enjoyed the way JR explained that all the numbers the Inner Circle were wearing had significance and then just stopped taking about it after the first 2 before Tony tried to coach him back to finishing his sentence and he still just did nothing. 

[Guest]

Cage was signed in January and paid during his time getting surgery etc, Khan seems Really keen on him going by the post show media scrum. 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Cage is a walking injury, which is a worry. He's visually impressive, but I hope he stays clear on injuries. He always seems to have his thigh or shoulder taped up.

[iPumaPants]

4 minutes ago, Louch said:

Cage was signed in January and paid during his time getting surgery etc, Khan seems Really keen on him going by the post show media scrum. 

He also announced Cage vs Moxley for the title at Fyter Fest. I'd love for Cage to win that one. He's a beast of a man, agile as hell, and far more entertaining in the ring than Moxley. He'd make a great champion.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Didn't he get injured when he won the Impact championship as well? 

[LaGoosh]

Fyter Fest was supposed to be in London but that was scrapped due to the obvious reason. Massive shame but exciting as hell that they're planning to give us a proper PPV when they do eventually make it over here.