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Even though he's only been missing for 2 weeks, AEW Dynamite does not feel the same without Cody Rhodes involved in the thick of things. Whenever he is around, there's no sense of goofiness or comedy, and AEW Dynamite just becomes a real, compelling, and gripping television show, which was not the case this week.
This is not to say or suggest that this week's episode of AEW Dynamite, the go-home show before AEW All Out was bad by any stretch of the imagination, but somehow all of the components just did not come together in the cohesive manner that it should have. This is the opinion of one humble reviewer, and if you did feel otherwise, you are free to voice the same in the comments section below, because we at Sportskeeda appreciate your input.
So, without further ado, let's have a look at what worked on this week's broadcast and what did not click on AEW Dynamite.
#1 Best: Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb have a fantastic AEW Dynamite women's match
At a certain point during the course of the match between Thunder Rosa, who takes on the AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida at All Out 2020, and Serena Deeb, whom you may remember from the Straight Edge Society in WWE, on AEW Dynamite, Jim Ross said that he may get into trouble for stating this but we were actually watching a pretty good women's match on AEW Dynamite. This is not a disrespectful thing to say, considering that we've all been rooting for the women's division on AEW Dynamite but there just exists such a great gulf between a consummate pro like Hikaru Shida and the rest of the roster.
Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb had a solid match, which wasn't extraordinary, but it was a massive step in the right direction.
#1 Worst: Jon Moxley bullies a non-wrestler for a good while
The idea of a match between Mark Sterling, MJF's lawyer, and Jon Moxley ahead of the Jon Moxley vs. MJF match at AEW All Out was not a bad idea per se, but honestly speaking, it went on for far too long. It makes all the sense in the world for a heel like MJF to bully a babyface with no actual wrestling skills, but for Jon Moxley to actually toy around with a man who is supposedly not a wrestler did not really make sense for a good guy (or even a tweener).
The worst part about the match between Jon Moxley and 'Smart' Mark Sterling (is it a good idea to use insider terms in an International broadcast, where people outside the business may not exactly understand the joke?) is that it was in the main event spot. Yes, the same main-event spot where Cody Rhodes was pulverized by the Dark Order in a segment that is still being spoken about to this day.
#2 Best: Best-looking Codebreaker from Chris Jericho in a while, this week on AEW Dynamite
Anyone who's followed Chris Jericho's career for any length of time knows that as good as he is for his age, physically, his best years are far behind him. The finish of the match that he had with Orange Cassidy on AEW Dynamite was pretty sloppy, and knowing the high standards that Le Champion sets for himself, one has to assume that he was disappointed too. And so, the Codebreaker that he hit on Joey Janela on AEW Dynamite this week must have made both men smile, with just how picture perfect it was.
Of course, it takes two to tango and Joey Janela deserves as much credit for the picture-perfect moment on AEW Dynamite as Chris Jericho does.
One has to wonder if Joey Janela vs. Chris Jericho is a feud that we'll go on to see in All Elite Wrestling in the near future because there seems to be a spark between the two men. Only time will tell.
#2 Worst: A very underwhelming battle royale preview on AEW Dynamite
When you advertise a battle royal (or royale as it is dubbed on AEW Dynamite), with what looks like a battle royal, the results are almost always a hodge-podge of randomness and chaos. How different will the actual battle royal at AEW All Out be from the fare that we saw on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite, one wonders? The only real positive to emerge from the segment was a reminder of just how good a promo Eddie Kingston is, as he managed to outshine with Jake Roberts and Taz on the microphone!
The actual brawl seemed meaningless and pointless and directionless and honestly, did not do much for anyone on AEW Dynamite this week.
However, the positive in this whole situation is that the company has always done a pretty commendable job when it comes to booking these Casino Battle Royales in the past, and Brian Cage, Lance Archer, Darby Allin, and Ricky Starks should all have great showings at the upcoming pay-per-view.
#3 Best/Worst: Kenny Omega's latest promo on AEW Dynamite
There was a very heated debate on the Sportskeeda Wrestling chat about whether or not Kenny Omega is a good promo, and some were of the opinion that he speaks like a normal human being instead of an over-the-top pro wrestling, as we've come to know. This week on AEW Dynamite, there were some aspects of his promo game that just felt a little off at times, and honestly, the same could be said of Cash Wheeler and Dax Hardwood as well, when they interrupted the AEW Dynamite segment with Tony Schiavone.
There were also audio issues through the course of AEW Dynamite, and one tends to forget just how much they can affect a show until they happen. This is not a usual occurrence for AEW Dynamite, so one can forgive them in this instance.
We had the legendary Nick Patrick on Sportskeeda Wrestling's YouTube this week and he spoke, among other things, about how Cody Rhodes is carrying on his father's legacy. Do check it out.
