AEW Dynamite Thread 2022

[DavidB6937]

I guess it depends if Tony does his coke before or after booking. If he's fucked off his face then we'll definitely get one of these horrible over-booked interference endings.

[BomberPat]

I'm really curious how this goes.

I don't see them "cementing the heel turn", if only because I'm not actually convinced that Punk has turned heel, so much as just dialling up that aspect of his character against Moxley. Him and Danielson are both in a position where they can easily work heel in one match and face the next without ever having to "turn", it's just about how they carry themselves against each opponent. Punk cheating to beat Moxley for the belt runs the risk of making Mox look like an idiot, having already lost the championship to Kenny Omega the same way.

It's not AEW's style to book a big match to a non-finish. They very rarely do disqualifications, pretty much never do a bait-and-switch situation, so the match will happen, and will go to a finish, it just depends on what. Involving Hangman Page and/or MJF feels like an obvious choice, but whatever combinations they end up going into the PPV with - MJF/Punk and Hangman/Moxley, or a Four Way, or a Triple Threat - don't feel as strong a match as Punk/Moxley did, so it's an odd call no matter what. The golden rule is that you don't take something away from the fans if you're not giving them something better in return, and I really don't know what that could be. I don't want to start speculating too much on behind-the-scenes drama - maybe a PPV title match was what it took to bring MJF back into the fold, or something like that, or angling for a better TV rating in the middle of a fairly shambolic period for the network's parent company - because we just don't know, and I hope there's a solid storytelling reason behind all this rather than it being because of petty squabbling backstage or corporate negotiations. 

If it's something like the match going to a time limit or a weird finish to set up a gimmick match for the PPV, it feels like a weird and overly long route to get there. 

[Pinc]

Last time they had a situation like this was the battle royal to select Moxley’s interim title opponent. And that ended with fucking Kyle O’Reilly.

They can’t afford two stinkers in a row. This one has to deliver. I can’t see anything other than Punk wins and MJF appears.

[Duke]

The difficult thing is that it is absolutely not the right time for Mox to lose. I'm sure going in Punk winning and setting up the new challenger was the plan, but Mox has been on such a tear that I really think he should win, because I think Punk loses less in defeat than he does.

That being said, who would Mox go on to feud with next? *Checks rankings* Hanger is the current number one contender and then I guess... Hobbs? Wait that'd be awesome. Book it!

[Supremo]

On a smarky level, I'm fascinated by what they must have up their sleeve. It has to be something big.

On the deeper, more visceral level, getting caught up in the show as it's presented to us, I just want Moxley to cave his skull in. Whether he's officially turned or not, Punk was an absolute prick last Wednesday and I want nothing more than for him to get smashed up by my favourite man on the planet.

I worried I'm going to disappointed on both levels, but hopefully not. If any promotion can do something clever that clicks at the last minute it’s AEW. Or the show could go off the air with MJF screaming about kayfabe, so fuck knows.

EDIT: Just to add to the intrigue;

Let’s hope they don’t end up airing it like TNA, Dixie trying to do a rousing Paul Heyman speech whilst everyone looks either bored in deep in thought about how long their notice period needs to be.

Edited August 24, 2022 by Supremo

[The King Of Swing]

I'm not thinking too hard about anything right now, just looking forward to the match. 

[WeeAl]

It's entirely possible that they're hotshotting like fuck in a misguided attempt to blur the lines between reality and fiction, thinking they are drumming up extra interest in the lead up to the PPV. When in reality, they may get that extra interest in the short term, but it'll eventually erode good will with the talent and the fanbase. This carry on from last week smells a lot like the MJF stuff leading up to All Out. 

I'm sure there are some genuine tensions behind the scenes in both cases, but there's definitely an attempt to mould those tensions into the story as much as possible. The problem is it becomes reactive to the backstage shenanigans rather than proactive with the product that you actually want to present - not conducive to telling straight forward stories. 

If CM Punk did go into business for himself last week, and gets away with it, what kind of message does that send to others? I think it's more likely Punk spoke to Khan and said 'I want to get something off my chest about Page' but that the content wasn't dissected beforehand. Then he drops that God awful promo out of the sky, making himself and several top stars look like bellends and Tony look like he has no control over the inmate's. Either way, it's not a good sign.

If they are shifting this match forward a week from the PPV due to panic over the parent company and the need for the TV deal, then that type of thinking is pretty short sighted too. I'll give them more credit than to think that's a good idea. The best way to get a good, renewed TV deal is to present a product that people are invested in, that is growing/stable, and that delivers more for less dollars than the alternatives the network has available. Then be in the right place at the right time. Fucking about with your storylines and making them all higildy pigildy, having unhappy talent - that's a good way to remove the investment and growth of the fanbase. 

Wrestling companies are at their best when they book towards a destination. Booking week to week attempts to snatch a ratings uptick is not destination booking. It doesn't matter if TV is the bulk of the money or not. You get a better TV deal by having the viewers that the network wants, which you get by booking towards the monthly/quarterly/yearly show with good week to week TV to get you there. 

In a way I hope their hand has been forced in some form and that it's due to a scenario that will come out later. Because I really hope it's not just that Khan has lost the plot altogether - as it feels at the moment. 

Right now, I think the idea is a mistake, so they'll have to really hit it out of the park to turn me around on that. Whereas that wouldn't have had to be the case if AEW were headed with this one towards All Out like should be the case. 

[BrodyGraham]

Well, hands up who saw that coming!?

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

15 minutes ago, BrodyGraham said:

Well, hands up who saw that coming!?

 

I know right? I thought we’d never see a match again where Jon Moxley wouldn’t get busted open?

[Nick James]

So Eddie Kingston is suspended for flattening Sammy Guevara and Thunder Rosa is sent away due to Hayter wanting to flatten her? Allegedly of course.

What the hell is going on backstage? 

[Version1.0]

3 minutes...

[quote the raven]

WTF was that?

Big tony watching finger poke of doom? 

Also i legit lol at the line from the acclaimed"you about to get a savage beating so bad they will have to call another talent meeting" Rosa hiding from the britt gang off tv, eddie off tv, fuck knows what punks problem is.

Russo era WCW shit going on

Edited August 25, 2022 by quote the raven

[Infinity Land]

Some things make a little more sense now I suppose.

One takeaway I would have had with how the men's World title went, let's just scrap 'Interim' titles. If someone's out for over a month. Bye.

Of course they'd triple downed on the concept earlier on in the show with the women's World title.

[RedRooster]

Watching AEW increasingly feels like you're watching the fallout from a toxic work environment. It doesn't really feel like escapism in the way that it once did, which is a shame. After feeling really excited about the company last week, once again I feel very down on the company. 

The Moxley/Punk match...my guess is that this is the catalyst for Punk to turn heel, and a rematch will be set up for the PPV next week. But I think they seriously messed up the fallout. It was a shocking finish, and while the Moxley promo was typically excellent, I think they should have done more to make the match feel like a big deal after the fact. 

They don't necessarily have to have a promo from Punk, but have Marvez or Dasha try to get an update either from or on him, have other wrestlers talk about the match, have a recap where the announcers really hit home how shocking a result it was. It didn't feel like the blockbuster moment that it should have, and that really wasn't because of the outcome or match length. 

Elsewhere, having Thunder Rosa announce her injury in a short, backstage promo once again showed how little value Khan places on AEW's women's division. There's no way they would treat the men's title in that way. I can't imagine that we won't see a high number of the biggest female stars jump ship to WWE upon contract expiry. If you're Jade Cargill, Shida or Nyla Rose, why would you want to stick around? 

They should just drop the JAS "sports entertainment" gimmick. WWE doesn't appear to use that term anymore, and Raw and Smackdown are actually pretty decent right now, so the gimmick's very reason for being is gone. It feels a bit dated, trying to get heat from defunct WWE-speak. 

[Marshmallo]

1 hour ago, Version1.0 said:

3 minutes...

WAIT A MINUTE