'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
While this review is technically supposed to weed out the good from the bad, let me begin by saying that almost everything on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite was pure gold.
This comes from someone who has been supremely critical of AEW Dynamite in the past, perhaps unjustly so, when it was still a green company and things were falling into place for the promotion.
As great as Sting's arrival to AEW Dynamite was, it was the end of AEW Dynamite with Kenny Omega and the IMPACT Wrestling announcement that seems like the ushering in of a brand new era in professional wrestling.
The editorial policy on SK Wrestling states that terms like 'I' and 'me' should be avoided when it comes to writing reviews, so if you want this reviewer's thoughts in a nutshell before we get started with the AEW Dynamite review, check out the Tweet above.
#1 Best: Sting makes his AEW Dynamite debut, as snow falls all around him
The 'Winter is Coming' Game of Thrones-inspired themed cheesy until one realized that it was the setup for a lonesome crow to herald the arrival of one of the greatest-ever to lace up a pair of boots to AEW Dynamite, absolutely shocking the audience in attendance.
Sting may be a grizzled veteran at his age, but the fact of the matter is that he carries himself like a star even now, and as the ice fell around him, he appeared not unlike a White Walker, as he strode with purpose towards the AEW Dynamite ring.
Of course, the question of whether he can wrestle at his age is bound to come up, but as any 'Little Stinger' knows, 'the only thing for sure about the Stinger, is that nothing's for sure'.
#1 Best/Worst: The timing of Sting's arrival on AEW Dynamite. Did it suck the wind out of the rest of the show?
There will always be the question of whether Sting has arrived in AEW far too late at this point, especially if you consider the way in which his career ended back when he was a part of WWE, with the match against Seth Rollins.
And while nobody in their right minds can call Sting's arrival a worst, one has to wonder if this was the segment that should have indeed closed the show.
As was evidenced in the SK Wrestling writer's chat, after Sting arrived, all everyone could do was just talk about the man, the myth, the legend, and what potential role he would play in the roster. In a sense, the fact that he arrived, even distracted us from a fantastic main event match.
And what transpired in the main event match, or rather after it, could have even bigger implications in the pro wrestling business than Sting's arrival to the company.
#2 Best: Kenny Omega is crowned as the AEW World Champion on AEW Dynamite, and announced for a special episode of IMPACT Wrestling
Just digest this information for a minute, ladies, and gentlemen. Can you imagine Kenny Omega, the brand new AEW World Champion showing up on IMPACT Wrestling, for his first televised appearance since winning the title on AEW Dynamite. As historic as Sting arriving on AEW Dynamite was, and it will certainly overshadow this massive moment, this feels like a brand new era in pro wrestling.
Giant kudos to Tony Khan, who is certainly the second-biggest booker in all of North American wrestling at the moment, for taking such a massive chance and giving fans a chance to see Kenny Omega mixing it up with the wealth of talent in the IMPACT Wrestling currently.
And who knows what could happen on subsequent episodes of AEW Dynamite, as a result. Maybe the Motor City Machine Guns and FTR could mix it up in a fantastic dream match for the ages, or Rich Swann could take on Kenny Omega in a huge main event!
#2 Worst: Teasing a breakup of the Inner Circle already on AEW Dynamite, when the group just came together not long ago!
The brand new version of The Inner Circle came together on AEW Dynamite just a few weeks ago, with MJF and Wardlow joining the faction, and honestly, it's far too soon to break them up.
Of course, the group may not break up, but Chris Jericho has announced an ultimatum, and it seems far too premature to do that, at this stage of the game. Some are saying that it will allow Sammy Guevara to turn babyface and actually branch out on his own on AEW Dynamite, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but this is an angle that should happen a few months down the line. Let the idea of MJF and Sammy Guevara being at each other's throats play out for a few weeks, is all we're asking.
Jericho vs. Kazarian was a solid match too, but with everything that happened on AEW Dynamite this week, everything they were involved in just feels a little overshadowed.
#3 Best/Worst: Choosing Orange Cassidy ahead of Jungle Boy or even Miro to win the AEW Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale this week
The battle royale that kickstarted AEW Dynamite this week was fine, but it was the perfect opportunity to launch Miro from out of the mid-card right into the main event picture, and one has to assume that it was an opportunity lost. And this may be a biased opinion, but Orange Cassidy will always be a comedy gimmick wrestler, so having someone like Jungle Boy, who doesn't have a gimmick win this match may have been the best thing to do.
All said and done, congratulations to AEW Dynamite for getting the wrestling audience invested in pro wrestling once again, and for giving us not one, but two legendary moments on the same show, after what has been a pretty difficult year.
Speaking of AEW, do check out Thunder Rosa's interview with Dr. Chris Featherstone as part of our UnSKripted series by clicking on the link above. You will not be disappointed, reader.
