AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[FUM]

It’s definitely not a bad card and will undoubtedly be a good show with the crowd but I think the feeling from some of this is sort of WrestleMania for AEW so there needs to be something (or a couple of things) that stands out different from anything they’d normally do. I actually think if Grado v Jarrett was to be booked then that would be one of those things, whether people want to admit it’s a big deal in an AEW setting or not it’s a huge deal in a UK stadium setting. If you could then look to get some sort of decent level celebrity for a highlight reel type thing for Jericho or something like that then again that makes it stand out. 

[69MeDon]

Good episode. Wembley card shaping up nicely.

Doesn't it seem as if they might have HoB drop the Trios belts to CMFTR, followed by setting up an Elite vs CMFTR Trios title match at All Out?

[d-d-d-dAz]

8 minutes ago, FUM said:

It’s definitely not a bad card and will undoubtedly be a good show with the crowd but I think the feeling from some of this is sort of WrestleMania for AEW so there needs to be something (or a couple of things) that stands out different from anything they’d normally do. I actually think if Grado v Jarrett was to be booked then that would be one of those things, whether people want to admit it’s a big deal in an AEW setting or not it’s a huge deal in a UK stadium setting. If you could then look to get some sort of decent level celebrity for a highlight reel type thing for Jericho or something like that then again that makes it stand out. 

But, ‘Wrestlemania for AEW’ is an expectation fans have put on it for a start.

Secondly, Wrestlemania platforms what’s on TV. It’s where they put their biggest feuds on. That’s what AEW has done, or is in the process of doing.

If they tossed off a match between big names with no feud on TV, that wouldn’t be WrestleMania either.

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’m struggling to understand any expectation beyond wanting them to do the big stuff that’s on TV currently.

It’s why I’m so interested to hear what these huge matches are of consequence that they’ve missed off the card. Otherwise it just sounds like people are annoyed that The Rock vs Roman Reigns isn’t on the show.

I have no opinion on celebrities but would definitely take Jarrett v Grado.

The one criticism I maybe understand is that this feels like a show that’s part of the journey, rather than bringing a conclusion to any major stories. But again, I think that’s an expectation thing. They’re putting their hottest gear on display in front of a big crowd. I think they’re ticking the right boxes.… bay bay.

Edited August 10, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[Infinity Land]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

 

And, I don’t buy that adding Jay White makes it ‘Wembley’ worthy, as much as I like him.

 

White was mentioned more for expectations than being Wembley worthy.

It's bad enough they've still got posters in prominent places with Danielson, Hayter & PAC*. Without looking at some of the rest and wondering if they're even going to be there due to booking. It's not something you'd accept from a local promotion. Why would you do it with AEW.

 

*They keep bringing up PAC being injured on TV. I feel like it's a storyline injury and not real. Did his two weeks in the states and needed his month holiday.

[Hannibal Scorch]

41 minutes ago, Infinity Land said:

White was mentioned more for expectations than being Wembley worthy.

It's bad enough they've still got posters in prominent places with Danielson, Hayter & PAC*. Without looking at some of the rest and wondering if they're even going to be there due to booking. It's not something you'd accept from a local promotion. Why would you do it with AEW.

 

*They keep bringing up PAC being injured on TV. I feel like it's a storyline injury and not real. Did his two weeks in the states and needed his month holiday.

Card subject to change. You can't expect any wrestling company to replace posters because people that they thought would be on the bill have since got injured. Has happened in wrestling with every promotion since event advertising exsisted. 

[RedRooster]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Okay, but what? What matches? You can’t just dine and dash, what matches could they realistically put on that you’d say ‘yep, that’s it, they’ve nailed it. That’s Wembley worthy!’

FWIW, if the only answer to that question is Omega/Punk… I’d personally much rather see MJF/Cole with build than a quickly tossed off match between Kenny and Phil. But, as far as I can see, that’s the only one that stands out??

 

There are plenty of options, they have a cracking roster. Sting in a singles match is an obvious one for me - the match itself wouldn’t have to be lengthy of course, but Sting against any of the main eventers would be interesting - Sting/Moxley, Sting/Omega, Sting/Punk, Sting/Jericho; heck, Sting/Luchasaurus or Sting/Christian could have been fun, with Sting capturing his first title in years. 

A big match for Orange Cassidy would be fun - something to either cement or end his international title reign. When Moxley attacked him a few weeks back, I thought that might be on the cards, and I’d have been all for that.

In fact, Moxley in a singles match really should be on the card. 

Punk against a fresh opponent would have been fun - but Punk/Joe could have felt sufficient had they not already run the match. 

I’m not saying the card is bad by any means, and it will be a good show. I just think there’s more they could have done to make the card match the magnitude of the event. Perhaps they will be the time the show takes place, we’ll see.

[Infinity Land]

9 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Card subject to change. You can't expect any wrestling company to replace posters because people that they thought would be on the bill have since got injured. Has happened in wrestling with every promotion since event advertising exsisted. 

Except they have on numerous occasions for multiple events and even All In. 

Yet they still keep using the original one in prominent places they have control over. 

[BomberPat]

Yeah, those posters were bought and paid for months ago, they're not going to get advertising on the side of buses changed so that it no longer has Bryan Danielson's face on it! The same thing happened with countless WWE PPVs - the poster for Unforgiven '99 and Armageddon '99 both featured just a picture of The Undertaker, who's not on either show. The poster for Fully Loaded 2000 has Austin's face on it, when he wasn't on the show, wasn't in any of the build to the show, and didn't wrestle again until about four months later. These sorts of ads are produced months in advance.

I do wonder if PAC's injury is kayfabe, purely because I don't think they've specified what it is, just vaguely talked about him being "injured". Though without an actual angle to write him off, I'd doubt it, because it's not smart promotion to tell people not to expect to see a major star on a massive show in their home country if the plan is for them to be there.

 

There's two main posters going around for All In, the original, and one with more of the Collision lads on it.

One features:
Darby Allin (match announced)
Britt Baker (almost certainly going to be in the women's fatal four way)
Sting (match announced)
The Young Bucks (match announced)
Kenny Omega (almost certainly announcing his match next week)
Chris Jericho (match heavily rumoured)
MJF (match announced)
Adam Cole (match announced)
Saraya (almost certainly going to be in the women's fatal four way)

And then Bryan Danielson, Jamie Hayter and PAC, all of whom are injured, and then Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara, Claudio, Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy and Jade Cargill. Aside from Cargill having disappeared since losing the belt, and Hangman not having done anything since Blood & Guts, they're all people with some pretty clear direction, and regularly featured on TV, and all people you'd reasonably expect to make the card because of it. There's nobody on there where the booking makes me think they're not going to be on the card.

The other poster has CM Punk, FTR, Samoa Joe, PAC and Kris Statlander. FTR have a match announced, Joe and Punk have a match probably getting announced on Saturday, but either way they've both said they'll be there, PAC is hurt, and Statlander is the only one to not be confirmed, but being on the poster makes me assume she'll be around.

 

Basically, the posters seem to be an extremely strong indication of who's likely to be on the card. There's nobody on there who I wouldn't expect to make the cut, and injuries can't be helped, it's the nature of the game. 

[FUM]

I don’t think injuries necessarily prevent a token appearance on the show either. I imagine Jamie may accompany Britt to the ring but be given a small moment of her own entrance and can easily do something with Danielson too. Possible the posters are an indication these people will still appear even if not in a wrestling capacity.

[Michael_3165]

I think the lack of "wow" matches is a good indication of the weakness in AEW. I love the product at the moment, having recently gotten back into it. That said, there is a serious lack of "name" talent that would feel like a big time program or match. 

I'm up for cole v MJF, though I'd not say that is some dream match. You'd probably see it on RAW if both worked for WWE. You have Jericho, Omega, Punk and one or two other stars, yet I can't think of an AEW roster match I'd die to watch. 

It's a shame they haven't got some of the bigger talents from NJPW. I know it's not feasible though their guys would guarantee a classic. I can only imagine Omega v Okada (?4) at Wembley. THAT has a big match feel for me, though I admit I'm not their audience really (NJPW fan here). Ospreay vs Omega would have been THE match for me, if NJPW wasn't taking the rubber match. That's the kind of match this show ideally needs.

Again, that's where AEW has a weakness. Their top of card is often rather bleurgh for me. Never been a Moxley fan, Jericho is past his best, i dont buy Cole as a main eventer at all, MJF is fine but that's all...fine. 

AEW need to make big stars, quickly. There is no reason they couldn't create a Lesnar, Goldberg, Reigns type star  someone who draws just based on their name. I just don't think they have the talent to do it. Which is astounding given the money and resources they have. 

I'm going and I am sure it'll be a great evening. I like what they have put together so far, just need that big match feel...one match. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

Honestly, I think if you’ve never been a Moxley fan, a Jericho fan, a Cole fan and think MJF is just fine… it was probably never going to be the show for you.

It sort of just sounds like people who don’t really like AEW bought tickets on the off chance they’d book Bret Hart vs The Rock in an iron man in a cell with a ladder on a pole match, and are disappointed they’ve booked AEW matches?

Okada doesn’t even work for them, and if they didn’t have their own Lesnar, Goldberg or Reigns when the tickets were announced, I’m not sure they were going to have them by August.

This is all very strange. The goalpost moving is mad. They’ve booked an AEW show, promoting their biggest names, in the biggest stories, in meaningful matches?

Still, fingers crossed Bulldog makes a recovery for this one. Won’t be the same without him.

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[RedRooster]

2 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

But, ‘Wrestlemania for AEW’ is an expectation fans have put on it for a start.

I would argue AEW has created that expectation, at least to a degree. Firstly, they have it the ‘All In’ name - they could have come up with something completely new, but chose not to.

Secondly, if you book a venue the size of Wembley, and continually hype the show as ‘history-making’, and you’re ‘biggest ever’, you are going to raise expectations somewhat. 

Perhaps expecting a Wrestlemania-level show is unreasonable; but I do think it’s reasonable to expect a card that feels fitting of the setting. Something that’s a level above a typical AEW PPV. 

6 minutes ago, Michael_3165 said:

AEW need to make big stars, quickly. There is no reason they couldn't create a Lesnar, Goldberg, Reigns type star  someone who draws just based on their name.

If it were that straightforward, stars of that calibre would be a dime-a-dozen. I’m not saying that AEW couldn’t do a better job at creating its own stars, but the next Lesnar, Goldberg or Reigns isn’t simply a finger-click away.

[d-d-d-dAz]

4 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

I would argue AEW has created that expectation, at least to a degree. Firstly, they have it the ‘All In’ name - they could have come up with something completely new, but chose not to.

Secondly, if you book a venue the size of Wembley, and continually hype the show as ‘history-making’, and you’re ‘biggest ever’, you are going to raise expectations somewhat. 

Perhaps expecting a Wrestlemania-level show is unreasonable; but I do think it’s reasonable to expect a card that feels fitting of the setting. Something that’s a level above a typical AEW PPV. 

If it were that straightforward, stars of that calibre would be a dime-a-dozen. I’m not saying that AEW couldn’t do a better job at creating its own stars, but the next Lesnar, Goldberg or Reigns isn’t simply a finger-click away.

With the greatest of respect, you pitched Sting v Luchasaurus when asked what they could book. So, I think the issue is more you don’t like what they have, not that they’ve booked an underwhelming show with what they have.

The *only* match the argument stands up for is Omega/Punk. I sort of see that, albeit I’d rather they didn’t rush it.

[Version1.0]

1 hour ago, Infinity Land said:

Except they have on numerous occasions for multiple events and even All In. 

Yet they still keep using the original one in prominent places they have control over. 

People still remember Triple H being all over the Vengeance 2001 posters but decided to return on Raw at MSG instead.

[Infinity Land]

14 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

This is all very strange. The goalpost moving is mad. They’ve booked an AEW show, promoting their biggest names, in the biggest stories, in meaningful matches?

Have they though?

17 days until the show. Just former World Champions with nothing for the show booked.

• Hangman Page - what's he upto?
• Jon Moxley - it was really nice for a minute thinking OC v. Mox was possible. Except its a BCC/Death Triangle/Best Friends mess to unpick the direction they go in.
• Chris Jericho - Don Callis family/JAS break up. Going by TV finally facing off against Sammy 1on1 would make most sense. Yet Ospreay's expected to be parachuted in. Which you would only know about if you follow online rumours.
• Kenny Omega - might be back on track for him v. Takeshita. Struggle to say it has been built on TV. The once a month appearances and handful of multi-man matches they've been involved in since Takeshita turned will make a helluva 3 minute video package with some talking heads.