AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[Loki]

I'm actually enjoying Saraya's reign as champ, unlike the rest of you.  I thought the Wembley moment was great, and although she's not the wrestler she once was, the actual matches are a lot more competitive than I thought she would be capable of given her injuries.

If you have spent considerable money on getting one of the most recognisable women wrestlers around (don't forget she had a film made about her life!) onto your programme, imo her holding the title helps add to that title's prestige.   Looking to the future, Saraya v Mone is obviously a match that they could build a PPV around, so one of them being champ at that point makes sense.  And Saraya v Hayter is another big matchup.

What they could do with is deciding whether Saraya is face or heel.  She's been getting face reactions as champ but is still allied with heel Ruby, she's fighting Toni Storm who is still a heel but now a different character.  Not 100% sure if Saraya is all the way face.

 

[organizedkaos]

Yeah Toni Storm's character is in a good enough place (both in terms of being fairly well defined + over) you could absolutely sideline her from the title picture with some sort of feud (although the problem is the most logical feuds keep here around the title)

Ideally they want to spread out Hayter's return/recapturing the belt, Hayter/Baker feud and then Storm regaining the title (from heel Baker?). She's definitely in a place you could get a great reaction from her beating a heel champion.

Then again, AEW and sustained momentum haven't exactly been a thing so yeah.. maybe strike while the iron is hot

[Chili]

I've become such a simp for Prince Nana. What a delight he is.

 

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

John Silver on Instagram has properly ripped him for this

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxeH5dpPdiq/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Supremo]

Had this week’s episode on as background noise when it aired on ITV 4 last night. Ended up sitting down and watching most of it again. Fantastic episode. One of the best of the year.

Some quick thoughts….

Great opener. It speaks to how fucking great Eddie Kingston is and what a connection he has with the crowd that winning something as worthless as the ROH World Title felt like such a buzz. When you stop and actually think about it, winning that belt could end up being a demotion, which sees him vanish behind a paywall on Thursday nights, but in the moment? I punched the air. Get fucking in!

Eddie’s such a fascinating, self-destructive character, who has so few moments of genuine happiness, that I nearly teared up when this image popped up on my timeline! Look at his big smile! Yes! I love it!

Enjoy it whilst it lasts. I’m sure Eddie will manage to fuck everything up for himself or find something to get angry about by this time next week. Wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up fighting with the photographer.

Their match itself was a bit of a mess, and I hate the idea of Jericho as a top babyface, but I loved Sammy’s heel turn. I don’t know if you’d describe it as good directing or framing, but the way Don Callis came into shot was incredible. Literally a snake crawling into Sammy’s life. The devil on his shoulder, appearing out of nowhere. Amazing stuff. It terms of effectively adding to a turn with how you shoot it, this reminded of Johnathan Coachman turning heel on Shane McMahon. Beautiful cinematography.

Best Saraya match in forever, mostly thanks to Toni Storm. One of the best things in pro-wrestling is when it clicks for a performer and they land on some fried gold. That’s Toni now. I’ve always rated her in the ring, but now, with this amazing character? Sky’s the limit.

Fantastic main event. MJF is the best. The absolute best. Much like Eddie, he’s one of the most fascinating characters I can ever remember in this medium. Everything he does is about three levels deep, filled with all these clever, cool touches, encouraging you to think and second-guess

From the hilarious Bret Hart, “Go Get Him Champ!” vignette, to his gear being a bit too on the nose and desperate, with every sports badge he could find sewn on, to the hammy way he plays to the crowd. Everything he does is fascinating in how it’s exactly the same insincere style as all the times he pretended to be a babyface in the past. It leaves you unable to decide whether he’s playing the long game and it’s still going to be him who turns on Cole - or even better - he’s such a flawed, vulnerable character, that he goes above and beyond in his babyface act because he thinks that’s what a babyface should do. I honestly can’t decide which I prefer. Both are genius. If he does reveal himself to be the heel all along though? Now that he’e even got Schiavone convinced? It’s gonna be seismic!

As an aside, I don’t think there’s a better photograph to sum up Samoa Joe’s return to greatness after being written off time and time again. What a man.

So yeah, third time in about two weeks they’ve had a big show that built momentum and reminded you how great they can be. Looking forward to a dud on Wednesday.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Supremo

[SuperBacon]

That is the greatest wrestling photo of all time.

[WyattSheepMask]

Penta v Orange Cassidy v Matt Jackson v Austin Gunn announced for this week, winner’s team gets a future Tag Title shot. Presumably that’s to set up Bucks v FTR IV at Full Gear

[d-d-d-dAz]

11 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

Penta v Orange Cassidy v Matt Jackson v Austin Gunn announced for this week, winner’s team gets a future Tag Title shot. Presumably that’s to set up Bucks v FTR IV at Full Gear

Not quite. The four man is a pre-cursor to WrestleDream between those four tag teams with the winner getting a title shot. Slightly lazy booking, but should be fun.

[The King Of Swing]

I reckon The Gunns will get the shot. 

[The King Of Swing]

On 9/21/2023 at 12:47 PM, Supremo said:

Jericho has Jericho’d it yet again! Incredible!

As the pay per views become monthly, so too does Jericho’s routine. He watched Omega vs. Takeshita at that last pay per view, he clocked how good it was, and so he set in motion whatever could possibly crowbar him into their angle.

Jackpot; throw Sammy into the Don Callis family, back door your way into some tag matches with Takeshita and Sammy vs. Omega and Jericho. Maybe even spin off into another one-on-one with Omega to close out the year. Honestly, it’s to be admired. Nobody plays the game like he does. I swear he sniffs around that company like The Terminator, trying to acquire his next target.

Hot angle? Hot character? Super worker?

I’ll be back!

Anyway; other than Moxley scaring the shit out of me this was an excellent show and anyone who doesn’t enjoy Roddy Strong can get in the bin. He’s brilliant. Got two huge laughs just making a bed go up and down. If there’s a point wherein this all becomes too silly he hasn’t even gotten close yet. Put some respect on his name. Support neck health.

And now he's bagged himself a match against Takeshita at Ultimate Party, in November. 

 

[WyattSheepMask]

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

Not quite. The four man is a pre-cursor to WrestleDream between those four tag teams with the winner getting a title shot. Slightly lazy booking, but should be fun.

Ah my bad. Still reckon it to build to another match between the Bucks and FTR though. FTR v Lucha Bros would be my preferred option though in all honesty

[Infinity Land]

Since they can be considered the shiny new toy, i'd say OC & HOOK end up winning. FTR have faced the 3 other teams before. Seems weird to me to have a no.1 contender's match for a team that recently declared their titles are open to challenges. Unless this was put together with the idea so many put their names forward they needed some way to filter out whose got next.

[AndyUK]

Good show overall and I thought MJF/Joe was terrific and had me with the false finishes a couple of times. 

Storm/Saraya told a good story and I don’t have a particular problem with Storm not winning as it’s part of the reason for her new gimmick. Great to see Kingston get a moment after a really good match with Castagnoli and Jericho/Guevara was good also if a bit sloppy in places.

That finish to Mox/Fenix was extremely awkward though and one of the worst ways I’ve seen that done. 

[TobyK]

I don’t think we need another FTR Bucks match, just yet 

[WeeAl]

There's a particular spot that really needs to fuck off in AEW. Dives? Not what I'm getting at. Canadian Destroyer's? Gave up on complaining about that a long time ago. The spot I'm fucked off with? Post match handshakes. Jesus Christ. THREE of them on the one night? Another ROH trope that can do one. 

This ROH stuff needs to go too. Keep the world title if you want, but merge it with the pure belt. Unification of the TV/TNT, Tag, Women's and six man belts is a must. With the amount of gold rattling around in AEW, If you aren't a champion then you must be a jobber. 

It was clear as day that Mox was hurt right from the off. Match should have been ended on one of those rolling pin exchanges right away. Hopefully Moxley makes a recovery before long and it doesn't end up a Danielson/Cole type of lingering injury. I hope they keep the belt on Fenix for a bit now though, and try to run with the unfortunate situation and see what mileage they can get out of Fenix in this spot. Good time to separate him and Pentagon on TV as singles acts. 

Eddie beating Claudio was great. Really enjoyed that match, as well as the main event. The crowd were hot as hell for both matches. Not sure what's next for the four of them, but Claudio and Wheeler making themselves a weekly tag team, and Joe chasing the TNT belt would be fine by me. I've got to think it's Max and Cole at Full Gear?