AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[Fatty Facesitter]

👍 Tony Schiavone - “Listen up, you prick!”

👍 Pillars business - Good, we’re back on track! The best mates stuff with MJF/Sammy is good tele and hopefully they keep that running before, during and possibly even after the PPV because it’s great fun. The squabbling between Jungle Boy and Allin was unwelcome, but the handshake at the end hopefully puts that crap little set of poorly-executed verbal exchanges to bed. The match between Sammy and Allin was a cracker, full marks for effort and the 630 to the outside through the table was ballsy. As for the tag announcement next week, fine, you can telegraph it from a mile away but the match will be great, we’ll finally get to the official announcement and we can put the last few weeks of dodgy build behind us and start again. Overall, the stench of last week did still linger a little bit, but this week certainly helped clear up some of the mess and got the train back on the rails. 

👍 Elite/Takeshita/BCC business - All good stuff, this. Match itself was a tag team ripper that didn't outstay it's welcome and the ending was a grim yet welcome way to close proceedings. Lots of different possibilities that can come from this and I'm on board for all of it. 

👍 Orange Cassidy/Bandido - Another OC belter and a rip-roaring opener with some top spots, transitions, crowd participation, the lot. Cassidy is the man of the moment for me - he’s busting out fucking hurricanranas with his hands in his fucking pockets for goodness sake. Bandido is very impressive too - he’s got a magical combination of speed and strength to go along with some real charisma. They had some excellent chemistry together here and it was a fantastic watch. Bootiful. 

👍 Double J/Dax Harwood - Another enjoyable pairing tonight. Jarrett looks in fine fettle and was in splendid form here - so many little touches with his selling and riling up the crowd that many young’uns in the lockeroom could learn from. This ran slightly longer than I anticipated but certainly not in a negative way. Keep this rolling so we get a tag titles matches and more competing for the affections of Mark Briscoe, please. 

👍 Owen Hart Cup - All for it. Also, Tony K should always use this autocue from now on to save him losing his train of thought and repeating himself (even if it does make him a bit wooden!)

👍 Wardlow squash - Delicious. Arn’s voice might have a bit less bark now but he’s definitely still got a great promo in him. More evidence that both Wardlow and the TNT title are back on an upward trajectory. 

👍 Cole/JAS/Roddy Strong business - Nothing wrong with any of this. Good to see Mr. Strong in this neck of the woods. Hell of an eight-man tag in the making following this skirmish. 

👍 Cargill/Valkrye - Slightly anti-climatic ending but they had a tough spot on the card and still got the crowd invested. They seemed to be hinting at a Taya heel turn at the end - either way I'd be down for a longer rematch headlining a Rampage or a PPV with more time allotted. 

👎 What's with this grim close up on a bloody, drooling Darby Allin. Yuck. 

👎 Also, he's still behaving like a moaning prick and that's not very babyfacey, now, is it? 

Overall - Not only is their main storyline heading back in the right direction, but so is the show as a whole. A massive improvement across the board on last weeks' episode that started off hot and maintained the momentum throughout the broadcast. Even a bad Dynamite has its moments, but a good to great Dynamite leaves you craving for more and it reminds you of how good wrestling in general can be when the actions good, the storylines are interesting and the presentation is on point. Terrific. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

Top review again @Fatty Facesitter and agree with pretty much all your assessment (including TK being 100% better in a pre-record). I also agree with you highlighting drooling Derby which gave me strong Sami Calihan vibes (my least favourite wrestler who isn't a member of the MeToo movement). Overall I thought it was a decent show, though I don't know where Hobbs and QTV go from here (no idea what Plan B can be) and I want more RJ City but without him being wiped out by the roster. Love that man.

So is Bandido the Danhauser filler in the Best Friends now? 

[Keith Houchen]

1 hour ago, Fatty Facesitter said:

What's with this grim close up on a bloody, drooling Darby Allin. Yuck. 

That’s the face his sexual assault victims saw. 

[Tsurutagun]

I like the Owen Hart Cup idea for this year. 

Going through Forbidden Door acknowledges his time in New Japan and Canada hosting it with Calgary getting the finals is really cool. 

But is it really going to be an opening ceremony if Mr Bean isn't playing Chariots of Fire on the keyboard. 

[2Xtreme_lives]

7 minutes ago, Tsurutagun said:

I like the Owen Hart Cup idea for this year. 

Going through Forbidden Door acknowledges his time in New Japan and Canada hosting it with Calgary getting the finals is really cool. 

But is it really going to be an opening ceremony if Mr Bean isn't playing Chariots of Fire on the keyboard. 

That'll be at All In opening

[RedRooster]

I’m not particularly bothered about the Owen being back this year. There needs to be some sort of consequence for it to matter. Granted, Adam Cole’s injury may have derailed a plan that they had, but Britt Baker was around, and her victory didn’t lead to anything. Give the winner a title shot or something, make a victory matter in some way. 

[LaGoosh]

5 stars. Best Dynamite ever. Taz eating pickles is better than any of this Bloodline/Sami Zayn shit. AEW back on top.

Edited April 27, 2023 by LaGoosh

[TheScarlettChad]

4 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

That’s the face his sexual assault victims saw. 

And the homeless people he harrassed.

[Supremo]

40 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

5 stars. Best Dynamite ever. Taz eating pickles is better than any of this Bloodline/Sami Zayn shit. AEW back on top.

Hell yeah. Even on a bad show, the most consistently great thing in AEW right now is Taz’s unwavering love and support for MJF’s heel antics. He’s like a bad influence uncle, laughing his arse off at everything, living vicariously through a dickhead nephew, constantly egging him on. It’s an amazing dynamic next to Schiavone’s endless loathing of Max.

Replacing JR with Taz is one of the greatest decisions they ever made.

[Lorne Malvo]

Cracking Dynamite.

All is forgiven for the shite the Four Pillars came out with last week. I took the Darby/Jungle Boy 'we took things too far last time' line to be an acknowledgement that they were whiny little pricks and this week was much better. Plus Sammy Guevara back to his 2019/2020 smug best makes a fantastic pairing with MJF. That tag match is gonna be a belter.

Orange Cassidy's title reign is one of my favourite things in wrestling right now. 20 defences deep and I have no idea who is going to dethrone him. 

I love how there are certain guys in this company that Excalibur and Big Tone just have complete disdain for. The pure hated they feel for MJF, Sonjay Dutt, QT Marshall and Christian Cage always makes me laugh.

Roderick Strong is someone I used to really dislike on the indies, but during his NXT run I really came around to him. Happy to see him in AEW, him and Cole together are a fine pairing.

Harley Cameron, jesus christ.

I've enjoyed this BCC vs Elite feud every step of the way. I'm not sure if Takeshita is going to turn, or if anybody else is going to get drafted in, but I'm loving all of it. Wheeler Yuta is one of my favourite characters in all of AEW at the moment and I don't think he gets enough credit. Through the past few months of AEW and ROH they've told a great story with him. He's an insecure little shit who constantly has to live up to the expectations of the other three, which leads to him getting increasingly violent and desperate until somebody like Shibata has to bring him down a few notches by kicking his head in. I really hope there's a part in the inevitable gang warfare match which is just the Elite kicking the shit out of him 4 on 1. 

The only negative this week was bald-headed sunglasses guy in the crowd desperately trying to get himself over. I never thought I'd find a wrestling fan more annoying than Marilyn Manson lad who used to sit next to Green Shirt at WWE shows, but this bloke topped it. Did my fucking head in. 

[Daddymagic]

15 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said:

The only negative this week was bald-headed sunglasses guy in the crowd desperately trying to get himself over. I

Fat Andrew Tate was doing my head in too. Can't imagine having to sit next to someone that annoying. 

[Loki]

12 hours ago, Daddymagic said:

Fat Andrew Tate was doing my head in too. Can't imagine having to sit next to someone that annoying. 

It was nice to see tie-die Discount Hogan in the front row, who I recognise from multiple TNA and NXT tapings.  I'd imagine he's been at the fights since the 70s.  But yeah, the prick in the sunglasses needs to get booted next time.

 

[Infinity Land]

Quite enjoyed this week's Dynamite compared to previous weeks. Helped starting off with OC & Bandido.

The Pillars tournament was always a convoluted way to fill time and get back to a 4 way. Considering the promos everyone had been subjected to, it's certainly been better playing to people's strengths.

Actually surprised the TK speaks was the Owen Hart being announced. That feels like something that would get the Huge Announcement type sales pitch. Has he maybe learned to downplay these, so that they may have a chance at over delivering. With the launch of the Saturday show it should help give both shows the spine of some decent matches. One time that a tournament might not overstay its welcome. Still have Mercedes Mone as my early doors pick for the Women's edition.

BCC v. The Elite is heating up. The Young Bucks still in recovery might be a real blessing as it looks like we're going to get Mox v. Omega in a cage match on Dynamite.

 

 

[JimmyAnderson]

Danielson calling Excalibur “man in the mask” was my highlight of the show 

[The King Of Swing]

Jade Vs. Taya was easily the low point this week imo.

Rubbish.