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All Elite Wrestling has been a dominant force in the pro wrestling landscape in the year 2020 and AEW Dynamite has become a weekly fixture for fans everywhere.
As the year draws to a close, one has to admit that despite the challenges that the entire pro wrestling fraternity faced over the last year or so, AEW Dynamite has not just been watchable but actually quite enjoyable indeed.
With that said, it's not a perfect show yet and a few details still need to be ironed out. So, let's look at the best and worst of AEW Dynamite over the last year, and separate the good from the bad.
As always, feel free to comment and share your thoughts in the section below, ladies, and gentlemen.
#1 Best: Alliances with other promotions so that they can potentially show up on AEW Dynamite, to advance storylines
When Kenny Omega won the AEW World Championship with the underhanded trickery of Don Callis, his manager, and long-time close friend, we thought we had seen it all.
However, the biggest surprise actually came after the match, where Don Callis announced that the fallout of the big angle would not happen on AEW Dynamite, but instead, on IMPACT Wrestling, where the World Champion would speak.
In an industry where WWE has never even acknowledged the presence of its competition, except for taking shots, such a working relationship is massive. Especially if you consider that Kenny Omega will actually be competing at 'Hard to Kill' as well.
IMPACT Wrestling is not the only promotion to benefit from working with the AEW brand, because we've seen how Thunder Rosa and other NWA stars have been a part of AEW Dynamite shows on several occasions. This is a certainly brave new world, as The Bard would have said!
#1 Worst: Is Miro booked better on AEW Dynamite as compared to WWE?
When Miro first showed up on AEW Dynamite and cut a promo on WWE, the world was stunned and expected him to be the breakout star that he couldn't be in his former place of employment. However, his current booking on AEW Dynamite, where he is the 'best man' for Kip Sabian, has not really been what fans expected at all and many feel underwhelmed.
If it counts for anything, Miro certainly seems to be happier and more content on AEW Dynamite than he was back when he was a part of the WWE roster. That said, maybe fans expected him to be a Bulgarian Brute once again and not the playful and goofy character we see on TV.
The same argument can be made for Shawn Spears as well. Is he booked any better on AEW Dynamite, as compared to his WWE spot?
While Matt Hardy is certainly getting to unleash his creativity upon the world, is he a bigger star now, as compared to his 'Broken' persona in IMPACT Wrestling?
#2 Best: The arrival of Sting to AEW Dynamite, potential programs with Mike Tyson and Shaq as well?
For Sting to come back to AEW Dynamite on TNT, with Tony Schiavone calling his return with his trademark WCW scream was truly a magical moment, wasn't it? His signing has really been a massive coup for AEW Dynamite, and the show just seems much bigger, ever since he showed up. It will be interesting to see if he does wrestle at his age.
Even though the match with Chris Jericho never happened, the fact that Mike Tyson showed up on AEW Dynamite and was involved in such a massive showdown certainly did major headlines.
One has to wonder if, following Shaq's appearance on AEW Dynamite, there will be a match between him and Cody Rhodes at some point down the line as well. AEW Dynamite is getting the big guns on their show to shake off the 'indie promotion' moniker that many had leveled upon them, and they're doing a great job indeed. Could Brock Lesnar show up next?
#2 Worst: The absolute lack of firepower in the AEW Dynamite women's division
The women's division on AEW Dynamite has been dubbed its biggest weakness, and for very good reason. Hikaru Shida is in a league of her own, but there is a vast gulf between her and second place. Does it even seem likely that this point that anyone from the AEW Dynamite roster will unseat her and take her title, anytime soon?
It's not all doom and gloom for the women in the AEW Dynamite roster, because there are certainly a lot of female athletes with a world of talent. Dr. Britt Baker has come into her own as a heel and the same could be said for Nyla Rose as well. But one just has to believe that there's a big star or two missing from the active roster.
Maybe the IMPACT Wrestling alliance could really bolster the AEW Dynamite Women's Division. Who wouldn't want to see a showdown between Abadon and Rosemary at some point? Or one between Hikaru Shida and Deonna Purrazzo.
#3 Best: Not treating the AEW Dynamite Tag Team Division as being 'less than' the singles division
Perhaps the best thing about the AEW Dynamite brand, from this writer's interactions with members of the roster is how much happier they seem. This is especially the case with the Tag Team Division, which is treated as a big deal.
You can check out our interaction with FTR in the link shared below, once you're done reading this article.
Maybe having The Young Bucks in an executive role is responsible for this, or maybe it is Tony Khan's genuine love for tag team wrestling. But the fact of the matter is that the tag team division on AEW Dynamite is given just as much importance as the singles division.
In conclusion, AEW Dynamite is gaining steam and it should be only a matter of time before they take the world by storm. 2021 should be an even bigger year for the company, and the brand.
Before we sign out, can we raise our glasses to the heavens and salute Brodie Lee?
