The AEW Wednesday Night Dynamite Thread

[Supremo]

I fully expected to hate the Lights Out match, but fuck that. What a spectacle. Absolutely bonkers. That’s twice in less than two weeks AEW have done this type of CZW hardcore match that’s completely against my tastes, and yet I’ve sat there glued to the screen with a massive grin on my face. Fair play. 

Easily my favourite women’s match in years. The last one I enjoyed this much was probably Ronda vs. Charlotte at Survivor Series, which had the exact same energy. Two women deciding to just beat the living shit out of each other. Amazing. Even when they were transitioning between spots they were constantly trying to kick fuck out of each other and stamp on each other’s head. It genuinely felt like a wild, out of control fight.

What more can be said about Britt Baker?! Unbelievable. In a company that’s seen Moxley justify everything he ever said about WWE’s misuse of him, Omega completely turn his career around from laughable chump to world’s greatest dickhead and Eddie Kingston appear out of nowhere and instantly become one of my favourites of all time? Britt Baker might still be the biggest success story of AEW. It’s unfathomable that this is the same woman who froze on commentary that first night. I can’t think of anyone who’s ever improved this much this quickly. She needs to win that belt pronto.

Funny hats aside I thought this was the best Penta has looked in ages. Gone was the spotty Indy wrestler and back was the gritty, horrible, scary skeleton. And then Cody beat him. Crazy. I’ll usually be the first to defend Cody but that was terrible.

I want to enjoy Christian. There was a time when I loved him and thought he was massively underrated. Coming in and designating yourself the Cesaro of the company is bonkers though. “I’m here to be a good hand,” is the maddest character to debut with. Shit T-shirt, too.

Let’s talk about the biggest story though. Wardlow getting off that jet in that suit, charisma and star power pouring out of the handsome bastard. My gosh. I felt like I got pregnant just watching him. He’s got serious Batista-in-Evolution vibes these days. I’m going to explode with the delight the day he gives MJF the thumbs down.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Supremo

[d-d-d-dAz]

Fantastic. Just look at Wardlow.

As Jericho mentioned a new member last week, do we think Inner Circle are going to add someone for this faction war or was that just Sammy?

I wouldn’t be against them adding someone to even the numbers 6 v 6, if you factor in Tully.

Tully’s promo was great, too. Proper old school.

[Merzbow]

Darby looked like a little bitch out there with everyone coming out like "fuck off kid, we're here for Sting". I've enjoyed parts of their association but I don't think it's leveled him up at all, sooner or later they're going to fight eachother, right? A match out of respect with Darby going over.

MJF went on a little long but I can 100% buy him as the Flair of his group and Tully was excellent.

Cody can fuck off.

So can Christian.

The women's match was outstanding, one of the best brawls they've had and looked better for being a little rough around the edges. The Baker scale was topped to a new high.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Merzbow

[AVM]

This version of Christian is rubbish. Get Tyson Tomko back, Waterproof Blonde and a PVC hoody.

[RedRooster]

46 minutes ago, Mr Butternut Squash said:

Cody fucking sucks though. I swear he'd be getting booed out of the arenas by now. Him and his crew of losers (Dustin aside) are the worst thing on the show and his shitty spots and matches make no sense and stink of desperation. Take a break dude.

I really enjoyed the match, although I was really disappointed to see Cody win. Given that Cody's arm was injured, I really wish they'd used that as a creative way to give him an out - perhaps Penta tried to break his arm and (ugh) QT Marshall throws in the towel or something. 

Speaking of QT Marshall, I really resent the fact the focus shifted to him at the end. Firstly, it's a little illogical. "Where was QT?" - well, where was Lee Johnson and the other members of the Nightmare Family? Three people came out to save Cody, I don't think the entire Rhodes army was necessary 

Secondly, it's QT fucking Marshall. He might be a sensational coach for all I know, but as an on-screen character he offers nothing. I'd take 2 hours of Dolph Ziggler over 5 minutes of this joker. 

6 hours ago, BrodyGraham said:

As impressive looking as she is, Jade Cargill shouldn't be anywhere near a ring yet, never mind chucking lasses half the length of the ring onto their heads.

She's rough around the edges, but she's definitely worth utilising in some way, I think. They could have done worse than to use her in MJF's new faction. That way they could have utilised the star quality she has without any real need for her to wrestle. Plus working with MJF and Tully might benefit her as far as mic skills go. 

7 hours ago, FelatioLips said:

That main event has me stunned. On one hand it was two very clearly green and at times sloppy wrestlers doing janky looking spots, but on the other you couldn't really ask for a more shocking and brutal lights out match.

I thought it looked real. They looked as if they were beating the ever-living shit out of one another. The match was compelling, although I could have done without the thumbtack spot. They're way past my gore tolerance level. 

1 hour ago, DavidB6937 said:

Difficult to say if it'll be a 'turning point' for the division because it's not like the division has been ALL bad matches/wrestlers from the start. They've always managed to have something decent here and there. It just needs to be a bit more stable across the board, otherwise the gulf between their decent wrestlers and middling ones will just get bigger. Not that every match should be like this but if they can turn Britt Baker around like they have then they should be able to work on others.

They need to give the wrestlers more time, and give them more to do each week other than wrestle. Britt Baker is an excellent character, but it's been quite some time since she's actually had anything more (outside of matches) than a short promo on Dynamite. It's astonishing, really. The division has really improved since shifting away (because of the pandemic) from the likes of Emi Sakura and Yuka Sakazaki and their very niche brands of comedy. While I'm sure some people (*cough*Kenny Omega*cough*) enjoy their acts, they just weren't working in front of the AEW audience. From here on, I'd like to see them focus on the acts that are actually working and actually give them the chance to establish an identity.

[Guest]

Wardlow is the output of a threeway with Nash, Batista and the luckiest woman who ever lived. I won’t hear otherwise. Aew are lucky he sounds totally dismissive of wwe given how they messed him about. 

[chokeout]

Jesus, Shawn Spears stands out like a sore thumb in that group. He adds literally nothing to it. 

[LaGoosh]

That main event was fucking amazing. I know some people get all weird about the hardcore and blood stuff but personally I love blood in my wrestling (though don't hold it against any wrestler who doesn't want to do it). This match was brutal and felt like a war. It was nasty, ugly stuff and absolutely perfect. One of the best womens matches I've ever seen and one of the best matches in AEW's short history. Britt Baker is just a complete star. 

As for the rest of the show:

- Penta/Cody was disappointing. Penta did good and was a hilarious dick at times, especially with the hat but Cody is just a bit shit isn't he? The match should have been built entirely around Cody selling the arm but instead he's doing top rope hurricanrana's for some unknown fucking reason the stupid prick. Also, underwhelming ending too. Couldn't they of just had Penta proper snap his arm and call it a day? Boring surprise roll up and QT Marshall at the end can fuck off. Though I would like to see Penta vs Dustin.

- Bucks are back to doing their weird unlikeable babyfaces story with Don Callis and the Good Brothers. 

- Jade Cargill has all the potential in the world and could be a breakout star some day. I pity any poor jobber who see's her name on the call sheet though.

- The Pinnacle! Not a bad name. Looked boss coming off the private jet in suits. Well except for Shawn Spears who has very strong Mark Jindrak in Evolution vibes. Scorpio Sky might have been a better fit. Good promos from Tully and MJF. After the entertainment, fun and ridiculous characters of Inner Circle them feuding with a bunch of grim, humorless, serious guys in suits is absolutely spot on.

- 10 man was a fun TV match. Luchasaurus was on fire with the hot tag and big moves which is the only way to use him really. Wouldn't mind seeing him in a singles match with Butcher. Private Party were bumping huge and made everything look devastating.

- Christian Cage just feels completely off. Like an ancient relic from TNA. Ugh.

- Mox/Kingston are so great. I liked their match with the Good Brothers. Felt like an old school tag brawl. Kingston was selling his arse off and Mox was coming with the fiery comebacks which is both their strengths and they fit together perfectly. I really feel like they need to give Omega and Callis something a bit meatier and more substantial to do. Personally, I would start the build to Omega vs Paul Wight.

- Really not feeling this Lance Archer stuff. Felt like he was building some strong momentum as a babyface before Evolution. Now he's a heel again and is pissed off with Sting for no reason at all. And they surely can't keep doing the same stuff with Sting literally every week for the rest of his contract can they? Cage giving Sting props was cool though and Team Taz's reaction was hilarious.

- Fenix/Angelico was fine. I would have preferred Pac vs Jack Evans though. They would have done some mad shite and Pac would have murdered him. Also is Pac from the Randy Orton school of never wearing anything but his ring gear?

- Miro is on the verge of murdering Kip Sabian to finish this terrible feud and I'm looking forward to it. After that Miro should be in a good place.

- Not sure why Darby Allin gave the Dark Order an open challenge but all in on the meat man getting some singles action. Love the Dark Order so much.

- Finally, JR was fairly decent tonight. He always seems on better form on the pre-taped shows. Live he's always completely knackered. Line of the night goes to Tony Schiavone though after Britt Baker kicked out of the thumbtack power bomb "me and Britt are good friends but now I know never to piss her off".

[Supremo]

I still think half of it is them retconning after the fact, but the way they call back to stuff like this is really fun and clever.

I’d forgotten about that shit period where MJF was floundering in the Moxley feud. He’s done a Britt Baker there, turning it around and getting back on track as a top star.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Supremo

[LaGoosh]

Yeah Excalibur mentioned MJF and Shawn Spears hanging out at ringside placing bets on matches over a year ago and asked "is that when this started?" which was a really nice callback.

[RedRooster]

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

- Miro is on the verge of murdering Kip Sabian to finish this terrible feud and I'm looking forward to it. After that Miro should be in a good place.

In spite of the shitty storyline he's involved with, Miro is starting to look really promising as a character. He feels genuinely dangerous, as if he might explode at any point. He's almost certainly going to destroy Kip Sabian and once he does, I hope this leads to Miro destroying him one more time in a 30-second squash match rather than a protracted feud. 

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

- Really not feeling this Lance Archer stuff. Felt like he was building some strong momentum as a babyface before Evolution. Now he's a heel again and is pissed off with Sting for no reason at all.

I agree, Lance Archer was doing really well as a face, and he's certainly far more interesting to me in that role than Cage. Having said that, his mic work last night was surprisingly strong. Paul Wight keeps talking about how much he wants to wrestle Darby in interviews, and I'm wondering if they're simply wanting to have Darby defeat a larger wrestler before facing Wight at the next PPV.

[The King Of Swing]

Been meaning to say this for a while but keep forgetting. 

Cody's music is shit. 

[Dzeko10]

6 minutes ago, The King Of Swing said:

Been meaning to say this for a while but keep forgetting. 

Cody's music is shit. 

Was it Revolution last year the band that sing it 'performed' live?

It was tragic.

[LaGoosh]

 

[TheBurningRed]

5 minutes ago, Dzeko10 said:

Was it Revolution last year the band that sing it 'performed' live?

It was tragic.

It was. Yet it didn’t overshadow the debut of his shite tattoo the same night. That was a bad night for Cody as the match with MJF wasn’t very good at all.