AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[Guest]

I like the realism of wrestlers coming back and finding their shape and look again. Makes sense if dizzy etc you wouldn’t be lifting weights. Also see omegas stripping back from covered up to Greek god in the first trip run 

[TobyK]

AEW Does have a tanning problem. Toni Storm was a shocking contrast next to Saraya. MJF is continually splotchy. Adam Cole is a serial offender of the spray too. I think the most memorable was when Matt Jackson was sweating fake tan during a promo. Do they notice?? Do they not mind?? Do they actually think it’s a look?? Does nobody mention it backstage??

[Keith Houchen]

1 hour ago, TobyK said:

Adam Cole is a serial offender of the spray too

Makes a pleasant change from their usual type of serial offender. 

[Merzbow]

Speaking of offenders, Don is officially after Takeshita.

 

[TobyK]

4 hours ago, Merzbow said:

Speaking of offenders, Don is officially after Takeshita.

Hoping this is gonna lead to a Omega Takeshita banger 

[Merzbow]

Ibushi has said he wants to team with Hangman, I can see him coming in thinking Omega's replaced him with Takeshita and we get some killer tag matches from all 4.

[Supremo]

They were never going to keep delivering top tier, pay-per-view quality shows like they have done recently, so this was obviously a step or two below. But given the news about Jay Briscoe, it was exactly what I needed. Not on the level of the Brodie Lee tribute show, because nothing ever will be, but it was a really basic, good, fun, feel-good show to take your mind off some really sad circumstances.

Danhausen dressed as an usher, Danhausen playing the guitar, Top Flight getting the big underdog win, Starks and Hager wrestling whilst wearing a silly bucket hat, Hager’s entrance graphic listing “with his hat,” like it was his manager, Taz singing along to Starks’ music, Sammy trying to hug Daniel Garcia, Takeshita calling MJF an asshole, the announcers cracking each other up all night long. I had a blast. It was AEW at its feel-good best, at precisely the right time.

Other quick notes.

Jarrett and his gang of idiots vs. Best Friends is to comedy midcard feuds what MJF vs. CM Punk was to main event feuds. You think it has loads of potential, and then they somehow go above and beyond your wildest expectations. Such great, silly, fun. The heels respecting Danhausen’s request to see their tickets simply because he was dressed as an usher. Peak pro-wrestling. Danhausen is worth his weight in gold.

The FITE feed was an absolute shambles for the majority of the Young Bucks’ match. The sound screwing up so everyone sounded like a Dalek, the picture flickering and glitching like we were about to see a shitty Bray Wyatt angle. Rubbish! A real shame because if you could suffer through it they seemed to have a great match.

Thank fuck they got a clue with Saraya. You could sense they were teasing the heel turn of both Saraya and Toni last week, but I couldn’t say for sure whether they were doing angry, mean faces because they were playing heel or just because of what a shit position they’d all been put in with everyone expecting Sasha. Delighted to see them confirm it here. Saraya was never going to work as a babyface. This direction is much better. Jamie Hayter as the AEW homegrown saviour? Sign me up. I wonder if they’ll eventually do a Women’s Blood and Guts match, so everyone can lose their fucking minds again at some women doing some blood. Would seem a good place for Britt to turn on Jamie.

But yeah. For fuck’s sake, Tony! Stop throwing the women out there as the piss break before the main event every fucking Wednesday! Would it kill him to maybe have the women open the show now and then? Or go second? Even WWE haven’t done this for years. It instantly puts them at a disadvantage as everyone rushes for a quick piss or a final drink. It must be infuriating for them. I swear that segment 90 minutes in must be listed as the “women’s death spot,” on the format sheet.

Surprisingly, the weakest thing on the show was The Acclaimed. Crappy angle that didn’t really work. I worry Anthony Bowens has proven himself to be so phenomenal at making any old shit work that they’re going to keep pushing to find the limit. I don’t have high hopes for Family Therapy, but if anyone can pull it off it’s The Acclaimed. They wouldn’t turn Billy Gunn heel…would they?

Another thing that made me happy on this show was Bryan Danielson being the greatest pro-wrestler to ever live. Anyone slagging him off recently needs to hang their head in shame. Another fantastic match. Even the announcement of the Brian Cage match next week, it’s hardly a dream match, but I already know it’s going to be great. He’s the best. Treasure him whilst he’s here.

Good promo from MJF. I love that he can run away like a Scooby Doo villain one week and then instantly get his credibility back in one segment.

Main event was solid, if a little disappointing. I wondered if they were going to do some type of big angle at the end to save it from feeling flat - maybe Miro returning to challenge Darby - but perhaps it wasn’t the right night for it and a simple, clean babyface victory was the right call.

Biggest thing coming out of the whole show was that gorgeous Cowboy muttering something backstage about mending fences. Yes! Give me it now! I can’t explain how he’s done it but Hangman Adam Page is the greatest protagonist in the history of this medium. I live and breathe with him. The day these teases of him getting his friends back pays off, I’m going to sail away on a river of spunk and tears.

So yeah. I’ll take that as the big thing leading into the Spring. Omega and The Bucks can have their inevitably bonkers matches with Top Flight/AR Fox and House of Black, and Danielson can make MJF look a superstar in that Iron Man match, but save something in the tank boys because I think we’re heading to a reunited Elite vs. Blackpool Combat Club program! Delicious!

EDIT: I’ve seen people suggesting the fences Hangman wants to mend are with CM Punk! It would explain him awkwardly about to ask Renee something but then bottling it, since she’s supposedly close to Punk. Now look here, I want Punk back as much as anyone, but no. Not now. Not like this. Don’t take this away from me! Give me my reunion! Give me Hangman winning all his friends back!

Edited January 19, 2023 by Supremo

[LaGoosh]

I found this a perfectly fine show with good matches that I was completely uninvested in. The matches all had a strong exhibition vibe to them with obvious winners and no stakes, but they were all decent. 

Something that's struck me recently is that AEW is quite light on the credible heel side of things. Only one solution: once Danielson loses to MJF and Mox loses to Hangman again you have to turn Blackpool Combat Club heel. Spend the summer with BCC vs The Elite, dream singles and tags, Blood and Guts, the whole caboodle. Bring in your side players: Hangman, Adam Cole, Takeshita, Kingston even Ibushi if possible to make it a huge sprawling months long multi layered story. Fuck it, give the UKFF the book Tony - I'll book the whole thing for you for free.

Speaking of heels, Saraya turning heel so quickly made me laugh. She's so useless you have to turn her because no one is ever going to cheer for her.

Edited January 19, 2023 by LaGoosh

[RedRooster]

4 hours ago, Supremo said:

Surprisingly, the weakest thing on the show was The Acclaimed. Crappy angle that didn’t really work. I worry Anthony Bowens has proven himself to be so phenomenal at making any old shit work that they’re going to keep pushing to find the limit. I don’t have high hopes for Family Therapy, but if anyone can pull it off it’s The Acclaimed. They wouldn’t turn Billy Gunn heel…would they?

I mean, they already did this once and didn't stick to it, so surely not? I did start to worry during this segment that it will eventually be framed as an utterly illogical long-con, with Billy turning on The Acclaimed to make his sons champions - or perhaps he does it to make amends. The fact they're seemingly building up Top Flight has me feeling even more concerned, that they may be building up eventual babyface opponents for The Gunn Club. I don't have anything against The Gunns, I think they're excellent (and thankfully The Firm appears to have quietly died a death) - but I think it would be insane decision to take the titles away from Acclaimed any time soon. 

4 hours ago, Supremo said:

EDIT: I’ve seen people suggesting the fences Hangman wants to mend are with CM Punk! It would explain him awkwardly about to ask Renee something but then bottling it, since she’s supposedly close to Punk. Now look here, I want Punk back as much as anyone, but no. Not now. Not like this. Don’t take this away from me! Give me my reunion! Give me Hangman winning all his friends back!

I don't think there's anyone better at telling complex, satisfying, long-term narratives than Hangman Page. People credit AEW for building story-threads, and making it count to pay attention - but actually, how many complex stories have they tried to tell that worked that didn't involve Hangman? Very few, if any. I'm not trying to say everything else they do is shit - it's just that Hangman's a masterful story teller who doesn't get the credit he deserves for the way he builds his identity. 

That was a very long-winded way of saying, I totally trust him, and whatever direction he's planning to take. If this does involve Punk, I'm certain the storyline will be satisfying - perhaps he tried to make amends, and Punk is a mega-heel; refusing the olive branch - and beating the shit out of Page, leading to an eventual Elite reunion. Perhaps they do something else entirely, and this is an extension of the Moxley storyline. Whatever the case, Hangman is bloody compelling, and I'm excited to see what happens next. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by RedRooster

[theringmaster]

I feel for Toni being lumped with Saraya , she is rotten and her run as a heel is going to be cliché ridden. Toni is going to be held back by it

[LaGoosh]

20 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

f this does involve Punk, I'm certain the storyline will be satisfying - perhaps he tried to make amends, and Punk is a mega-heel; refusing the olive branch - and beating the shit out of Page, leading to an eventual Elite reunion. Perhaps they do something else entirely, and this is an extension of the Moxley storyline. Whatever the case, Hangman is bloody compelling, and I'm excited to see what happens next. 

It struck me as he wants to make amends with Mox, especially based off his look of concern at the end of last weeks match. Hangman wanting to make amends and Mox refusing will disgust with add major fuel to a third and final match. I think it meaning CM Punk is a bit of stretch.

Rumours around Punk coming back seem to be picking up. I hope he doesn't. While it could be amazing...well, it's CM Punk. He's a toxic, arrogant pathetic baby so it could all blow up again very quickly, and it'll no doubt mean endless "shoot" promos which I absolutely hate. Eventually everyone involved will probably end up miserable and want to leave AEW because of it. So yeah, stay home Punk.

Edited January 19, 2023 by LaGoosh

[Infinity Land]

A very just kind of there show. Understandable considering the previous 24 hrs or so. Although as the booking had been set for most of the week, doubt it made much difference.

It was like an elongated Rampage with OC and Darby opening and closing the show in obvious filler matches.

 

[The Gaffer]

Preaching to the choir, I know, but my god. Seeing Jarrett look the coolest he's ever looked, coming through a raucous crowd and hamming it up on a major promotion's flagship show in 2023, just gives me life. 

[BomberPat]

7 hours ago, Supremo said:

The heels respecting Danhausen’s request to see their tickets simply because he was dressed as an usher. Peak pro-wrestling. Danhausen is worth his weight in gold.

There was a backstage segment a while back where (I think) Trent was being checked over by doctors, and one of them turned out to be Danhausen in scrubs. The interviewer just said, "of course, Doctor Danhausen", as if he's just a regular member of the medical crew. It's pure Bugs Bunny logic, and I love it.

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

It struck me as he wants to make amends with Mox, especially based off his look of concern at the end of last weeks match. Hangman wanting to make amends and Mox refusing will disgust with add major fuel to a third and final match. 

Yeah, that's how I'm seeing it - dropping in references to The Elite because it's bound to get there eventually, but also because they're still at the heart of all of Hangman's insecurities, but really this is about Mox and Page. Hangman is angry about what Mox did to him, and part of him wanted to get revenge by doing it back, but he's too much of a nice guy, he doesn't have Mox's uncaring, killer instinct that allows him to injure someone and then not give a shit about them. He's trying to put up some front and bluster through it, but when the person interviewing him is Moxley's wife, he can't keep up the facade.

I don't think wrestling has ever done a "Man vs. Self" storyline as well as anything Adam Page does. Hell, WWE's attempt at "Man vs. Self" is Bray Wyatt literally feuding with himself in a daft mask. Whereas with Hangman, every story is as much about him overcoming his own insecurities as it is about him beating his opponent. 

The story for the third match will be whether Hangman has what it takes to be as vicious and uncaring as Moxley - and, maybe, in a bit of a "will Roddy Piper use the ringbell on Bret Hart" moment - whether he needs to be, or whether he's better sticking to being himself. His feud with Kenny Omega was as much about Hangman realising that being the best version of Adam Page was what would allow him to win, not comparing himself to Omega and the Bucks, and it feels like he's going through the same thing with Moxley; he's trying to beat him at his own game, and that won't work, he needs to be himself and win that way.

[Guest]

Build a few weeks of hangman building to make peace with Mox, mox turns and beats him down and we have the reason for match 3 . Doesn’t need to be convoluted