AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[gmoney]

2 minutes ago, Loki said:

Having made this complicated tourney system they've not really used it.  Where are the 1 points?  Where are the time limit draws?  Where are the underdogs getting unexpected wins leading to favourites having more pressure on them?  So far it's been top stars beating mid carders mainly with no shenanigans.

 

Agree completely with this. So far, this could have been booked with your eyes closed, and there's no fun yet. I felt very sorry to see Mark Briscoe do three jobs. AEW booking seems to think that having good matches can make you a star even if you lose, so they beat people like a drum all the time, but I have to say it really bums me out sometimes. I couldn't give a shit about Lethal, or even Garcia to be honest, but something out of the ordinary early would have been nice. 

[LaGoosh]

A short while back it looked like they were building to some kind of big multi-man story for the World title. MJF surrounded by enemies, all his evil past coming home to roost. An injured MJF having to protect his title from multiple threats and past enemies would have been incredible and basically books itself. 

Instead that completely fizzled out and MJF is feuding with Joe although they're kind of friends now despite being enemies about 6 weeks ago and they're aligned against some mystery man who hasn't actually really done anything what the fuck is any of this who cares.

Why must AEW be so constantly frustrating?

[DavidB6937]

It all feels very disjointed at the moment. I don't know how many people they've got booking but it feels like a bunch go away, figure their shit out and then it all gets shoved together at the end. It doesn't feel like a cohesive team effort at the moment. Either that or Tony is trying to do it all himself and ending up all over the place. Who knows.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I’d love to know how involved MJF is in his booking, and whether that plays a part in this being a bit messy; as good a performer as he is, he’s still so young and relatively green in the industry, maybe the booking of his own character is a bridge too far.

As brilliant as he is, his title reign has been in the dirt for at least four months now - and there’s an argument that even before that, the Cole/MJF stuff was great in spite of the title, and actually felt more like a mid-card feud at times.

The Devil stuff is a mess. They just need to kill it dead. Announce it was Hornswaggle all along, and just let MJF surround himself with big names and simple ‘I want your world title’ wrestling feuds.

[HarmonicGenerator]

Timeless Toni Storm being announced as being from “Stage Seven at Warner Studios” was my highlight of the night. Good match with Skye Blue too.

Not sure I agree with @Supremo about the big hot crowd, it felt really, really obvious this week that there was nobody on the hard cam side of the building. Though I did enjoy all the Jay/Jay chants. 

[Infinity Land]

3 hours ago, Loki said:

Having made this complicated tourney system they've not really used it.  Where are the 1 points?  Where are the time limit draws?  Where are the underdogs getting unexpected wins leading to favourites having more pressure on them?  So far it's been top stars beating mid carders mainly with no shenanigans.

 

Is it complicated?

Quite happy to have missed out on Double Count Outs and Double DQs

Still time.

If only there had been a prediction thread, but I doubt many would have had Eddie Kingston losing his first match to Brody King. Eddie goes on to lose his 2nd match. Now has to win out to stand a chance of retaining the titles he put in.

 

[NavigatorFan]

Good show, I enjoyed it. And I've been struggling to enjoy AEW for a couple of months but chose this show to jump back in.

Having not watched for a while the devil stuff just seemed a bit naff, but not knowing the back story properly I could deal with it being what it was.

Poor Nick Wayne's mum though... imagine being a non performer who is tasked with going to the ring cold and then having to hit a man with a surgically repaired neck with a steel chair. No wonder she did such a bad job!

They should have done a much easier spot to get to the heel turn, probably involving her son to make it make more sense. But again ?t I've not been watching for a while so maybe it all made perfect sense.  Poor woman was like a rabbit in a headlight though.

But overall I enjoyed the episode and will be watching next week, might even try to watch collision at the weekend.

And as the biggest Kevin Von Erich fan of all time I'm chuffed to bits that he gets it be in front of a crowd again in Dallas 

Edited December 8, 2023 by NavigatorFan
Tried to get rid of that emoji but computer says no!

[WyattSheepMask]

Remsburg letting the match continue despite knowing that someone has deliberately kicked him in the dick has annoyed me way more that it probably should’ve done

[air_raid]

9 hours ago, Infinity Land said:

Is it complicated?

If only there had been a prediction thread, but I doubt many would have had Eddie Kingston losing his first match to Brody King. Eddie goes on to lose his 2nd match. Now has to win out to stand a chance of reducing his magic number to 3, otherwise the two man sack race remains a distinct possibility.

Fixed.

[Supremo]

17 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

It all feels very disjointed at the moment. I don't know how many people they've got booking but it feels like a bunch go away, figure their shit out and then it all gets shoved together at the end. It doesn't feel like a cohesive team effort at the moment. Either that or Tony is trying to do it all himself and ending up all over the place. Who knows.

I think what we’re seeing on TV is the booking manifestation of what caused all the drama between The Elite and CM Punk. Tony’s too nice of a guy. He’s always trying to satisfy and appease everyone, to the point of insanity.

He’s got the, “bUt wHeRe’S tHe StOry,” lot, refusing to understand context, acting like an idiot in bad faith, complaining that all they ever do is put on random dream matches between top workers. Isn’t that the reason QT Marshall gave for leaving? Moaning AEW had turned into New Japan, just doing matches for the sake of it (LOL)? So to appease them, Tony’s got all this Devil bullshit going on, alongside similar WWE style tropes like House of Black spookiness and heel turns involving people’s mums.

Then you’ve got the people complaining about there being too much Sports Entertainment, so to appease them Tony’s putting out the Continental Classic, going to such lengths to satisfy the pure sport lovers that he’s only ever scripting clean wins. Heels haven’t really cheated. Nobody has been counted out or DQ’d. It’s been as clean as whistle even when it would make for a better story and exciting tournament to have a bit of variety.

It’s a bonkers hodgepodge of everything all at once, trying to appeal to everyone at the same time. Say what you want about Vince McMahon, but when it comes to running and scripting a pro-wrestling company? Maybe there’s something to said for  being a tyrannical nut job with zero empathy. Perhaps a spineless dweeb isn’t best suited for this stuff.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Supremo

[Nick James]

The problem AEW has, is the exact opposite of what WWE have, in that there doesn't seem to be much middle ground in terms of the fan base. You've got your die hards who pick apart everything to explain little hints and 'lore' in matches and storylines down the most minute detail that is more than likely just coincidence, to the other end of the scale where people pick apart everything to do the exact opposite and say how things are missing, nothing is explained etc.

Instead of, you know, just enjoying it for what it is...a 2 hour variety show that will have bits you like and bits you probably don't like.

WWE have the opposite in that people are just happy the product has improved from the dull as fuck shit storylines so nothing gets too heavily praised or criticised. 

Basically, there's no winning.

[69MeDon]

Enjoyed Dynamite. For me, pro-wrestling in the winter always tends to be a little bit listless, without much going on. So, at the moment, I'm enjoying the shows for what they are, knowing (hoping?) that they're going into the new year with some fresh stuff - I'm hoping MJF drops the belt to Joe, as I think that would lead to a great Joe reign and (presumably) a fun Cole/MJF feud. I've been over The Devil stuff since the end of Full Gear where they hardly progressed that story at all but, otherwise, I'm into most everything else on the shows. I could do with seeing less of Jay Lethal, but it is what it is.

Did Tony S accidently refer to AEW as WCW at one point?

For all the reports of "negativity" in the company, AEW is still the love of my life.

Question for people who know about arenas: is that Canadian tour they announced on Dynamite taking place in smaller buildings? I'm interested to see as we go into 2024 if they've realised that booking big NBA/NHL arenas needs to stop and they need to get into smaller, but well attended, buildings.

Edited December 8, 2023 by 69MeDon

[Lorne Malvo]

10 minutes ago, 69MeDon said:

 

For all the reports of "negativity" in the company, AEW is still the love of my life.

I think not reading reports/backstage scuttlebutt etc is an absolute blessing. I don't have Twitter and I don't follow any wrestling-related stuff online at all, the only wrestling newz/information I see is on here. So it blows my mind when I read things about AEW being so terrible backstage and how that effects peoples enjoyment of the shows.

I am completely ignorant to all of that stuff and for the most part I love the shows. People should give it a try. Keeping off 411Mania for a month isn't that hard.

I thought this was a pretty good Dyno. Mark Briscoe being eliminated breaks my heart but Jay Lethal is also out, so swings and roundabouts I guess. Also enjoyed the other CC bouts, Mox vs Rush may be my fave match of the tourney so far.

Really enjoyed the main event. The finish was executed horribly but the actual match was a belter. It reminded me of a WWE match from the mid-00s, nothing mind-blowing in the ring but it told a great story and the action was believable. I often used to find Copeland a bit too corny to buy into him but I didn't feel that at all here, I was completely invested in the early stages of the match with him just kicking the shit out of Christian then that little weasle bastard targeting the neck to turn it around.

I don't mind the Devil stuff but hopefully it is either wrapped up by Worlds End or we get some progression. That MJF/Hangman interaction was ten times more interesting than the Devil storyline.

Can't wait for Danielson/Garcia!

[JLM]

Moxley and RUSH was good stuff but I was a tiny bit disappointed. Might be because they're a bit banged up or because of the stop/start crowd brawling, but it just felt a bit disjointed and didn't quite build to the heat I was hoping for from these two. I'm inclined to agree with the idea that RUSH popping up was meant to be like a confused MMA fighter having to be told he lost after a sudden knock out/choke out, and RUSH maybe did it a bit too fast. Excalibur had that explanation ready to go immediately on commentary, so if it wasn't the plan he's played that very well indeed.  

The Hangman/MJF backstage bit was excellent. Great spontaneous energy about it. Always intriguing to have a spicy interaction between top guys; it doesn't only have to be when they're currently feuding. Loved Hangman acknowledging the loss but remaining adamant he is going to ruin Swerve's life. There's no reason why it'd be over from his point of view. 

Swerve vs Mark Briscoe was fantastic. Easily the best tournament match of the three. Brian Cage having a little chuckle at Prince Nana's antics made me smile, as did the articulated dancing Prince Nana sign in the crowd. Nana is so great; such an effective juxtaposition to Swerve coming out like the most cold, calculated and dangerous of men. Mark Briscoe is the most loveable underdog. Everything about what he does, throwing himself into the high risk moves, the screaming, the redneck kung fu, getting mid-match high fives from the people to give him a little power up when he needs it the most. The guy is magic. 

That said, while I do agree with the sentiment that beating guys over and over again and making them look strong in defeat often doesn't work, so far for this tournament I think they've been the right results. 

Jay Lethal is very very low in the AEW pecking order. He's in the lower card comedy faction and he's not even the leader. No problem whatsoever with him losing all of his matches. He's in the block to take the L's. 

I don't believe that's true for Briscoe and Garcia though. Both of those guys have given a great account of themselves, they're hanging with guys a tier above them and the crowd is desperate for them to win. Their losses aren't being treated as a formality by the people like Lethal's are, and when either of them *do* get a win or two, even if they're consolation wins, they will still benefit them. Getting one or two notable scalps in this thing is how they win here. 

I've been sad watching Mark Briscoe lose all three of his matches too, but that's because I want the plucky little bastard to win and he's so bloody good at making me feel that way, not because it's bad booking for him to lose. RUSH has just come back following lots of hype vignettes and signing his full time AEW deal *and* has lost his other two matches, Mox is a main eventer and destined to place highly in the group, Swerve is finally on the ascendant run most of us have been clamouring for.  I would not have given up that electric little backstage encounter between Mox and Swerve, both feeling like gods after their perfect starts, for a surprise Mark Briscoe win. 

Garcia is much the same. His whole story is that he knows he's expected to get washed in this thing and he has nothinhg to lose. He only needs one or two scalps and he'll have proved people wrong, and I genuinely believe he *has* looked strong in defeat, as tropey as that might be. The fact that he's entered the thing, is hanging with these guys and is being a serious pro wrestler in a tournament full of the serious pro wrestlers is hugely significant for his character development and sending him in the direction the people want him to go. I dearly hope Mark Briscoe does get his moment (and Tony would be insane not to reaise what they have with him and his connection to the people) but I don't think giving him wins at the expense of any of those three right now is the time or place to do it. I have faith Garcia will get his too. 

Devil stuff was pants. Last week peope were saying it was a bit hokey but at least we got some progression. This week was more hokey and offered no progression at all. Definitely a miss there. 

I quite like what they're doing with Mariah May. With any other champion you'd be wondering how they didn't raise an eyebrow at this new fangirl who has turned up, inserted herself into her entourage, literally had her hands all over the belt and is acting as suspiciously as all hell, but for the Timeles Toni character it makes perfect sense. This week's presentation of Toni Storm might have been the best one yet. The entrance video, the ring announcement, the match, thought they got the balance of everything spot on. Really fun match, somehow managed to be quite competitive and have an interesting little twist finish while still accommodating all of the Timeless Toni schtick. That wind up punch she does feels like it's getting a bit longer every time, I hope this trend continues. Showing Claudio how a real worker does it; all the pop for none of the effort. I was happy to see RIho back, she feels fresh at this point and it was a genuine surprise. 

Lethal/White was the weakest of the three tournament matches. In typical Jay White fashion though, I bloody loved the finishing sequence. I will never stop jabbering on about how much I love Jay White's counter-play stuff. White tried to counter Lethal injection into Bladerunner, Lethal counters that with an O'conor Roll. White tries a different angle countering lethal injection with a chop block, Lethal counters the Bladerunner into a schoolboy but Jay White has a counter for the counter this time and gets him. Just delightful stuff. Jay White is the true Cerebral Assassin I tell thee. 

God I loved that main event. Crowd hanging on every move, everything they did counted, high drama throughout, huge near falls. Felt like a big time WWF style main event in the best possible ways. Christian leapfrogging the spear ito the Killswitch was magnificent, the double spear spot was also wonderful. The execution of the finish was ropey and the whole thing was a bit schlocky but I didn't hate it to be honest. It's pretty justifiable with Copeland smashing Nick's head in with Mrs. Wayne tearfully begging him not to the other week, and more ammo for Christian is a win in my book. Can't wait for the rematch. 
 

[The King Of Swing]

22 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said:

I think not reading reports/backstage scuttlebutt etc is an absolute blessing.

Unsubbing from almost every wrestling account I followed on YouTube, was the best thing I ever did.