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This week's episode of AEW Dynamite was fun, as always. It wasn't nearly as good as last week's episode though when AEW pulled a rabbit out of the hat and delivered the best wrestling show that we'd seen in years.
That said, this wasn't a bad show at all and to be honest, kudos to AEW for not filling up the duration of the two hours with matches from their pay-per-view library. Wrestling storylines should always move forward and replaying entire matches aren't always the best course of action, I think.
As has become the norm by now, I have to admit that I preferred AEW Dynamite to RAW and SmackDown by a long shot. My colleagues tell me that WWE NXT was a fantastic show too so maybe Wednesday nights are red-hot right now.
#1 Best: Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega
Had Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega performed the match that they had in front of a crowd full of people, the audience would have been delighted. The seasoned veteran, Kenny Omega was obviously thrilled to be working with someone young and promising like Sammy Guevara and the match, as expected, was really very good.
But what made the match even more special was how disgusting and unlikeable Sammy Guevara can be. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but Sammy Guevara has a face that you instantly dislike because he looks like he's obnoxious and makes you want to see him get beaten up.
And the fact that he actually kissed a Brandi Rhodes poster that was at ringside to get the audience at home to clearly root against him is a testament to the fact that he's committed to being a heel and that he's going to be a big star very soon indeed.
#1 Worst: A Vince McMahon parody
Man, Brodie Lee could have been presented like the beast of a human being that he is, as a total powerhouse. But instead, from the vignette that was aired this week, it just seems like he's a Vince McMahon parody and I'm not certain that's the best course of action for him.
I had imagined that the former Luke Harper would be presented as a cult leader, almost as a new Wyatt Family head, but instead, The Exalted One is apparently a dig at his former boss. Vince McMahon has a problem with people sneezing in front of him and this was one aspect that was a part of the whole Dark Order skit this week.
I just think that while harping (no pun intended) on the past is okay if the entire audience gets it, it's far too 'smart' a topic for international television. To a lot of people watching around the world, Lee may just come across as an eccentric and crabby man, instead of a mysterious and enigmatic heel cult header.
#2 Best: Broken Matt
Had it been anyone but Chris Jericho, then the entire exercise of inviting a drone to join The Inner Circle would have come across as very lame indeed. The final segment of the show worked because you had two masters of their craft in Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho working in unison to tell a very compelling story. It helped that the show this week was taped, and hence cuts were used creatively to indicate that Matt Hardy had magical powers.
Matt Hardy was not allowed to be his creative self in WWE, which is okay because the company has its own way of doing things, but I'm glad to report that he can be himself and thrive in All Elite Wrestling. And to be fair, I do think that the AEW audience has a much better chance of understanding and appreciating the shtick than the WWE fanbase did.
All's well that ends well, especially if it eventually leads to a feud between Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy in All Elite Wrestling.
#2 Worst: Two missing announcers
Kenny Omega may be the best wrestler in the world right now but he is not even close to being the best behind the booth and it's a shame because the opening contest with Cody Rhodes was marred by poor commentary. Tony Schiavone did his best and he really shone in certain parts, but unlike Excalibur, he is not someone who can call every single move in the ring and it just felt like the show was lacking massively in the whole commentary department.
Let me just say that Cody Rhodes did a slightly better job than Kenny Omega did, but even he wasn't Jim Ross, to be quite honest. And this was particularly evident during the Kenny Omega and Sammy Guevara match where Schiavone tried to dial up his volume when the action got too hot, but Rhodes would not move into high gear at all.
In any case, this shouldn't really be a problem in the long run as the actual announcers will be back if the world ever returns to normal again.
#3 Best/Worst: Moxley vs. Hager
There was a very lighthearted nature to this week's show and this made two performers really shine out from the whole pack. Amidst all of the frivolity, Jake Roberts' promo came across as ominous, as dangerous, as evil, as fearsome, as terrifying in my opinion.
And also, Jon Moxley, who came in with much pomp and swagger (no pun intended) took out Jake Hager following his match. Only Hager was prepared and this seems to be the direction that the company will be headed in, going forward.
It makes sense that the muscle of The Inner Circle will go after the World Champion if you consider that Chris Jericho is currently tied up with Matt Hardy and that whole feud, but doesn't Hager feel like a step back? Moxley is the World Champion and let's be honest, the company's not going to really make Hager the Champion anytime soon, in my opinion.
But it was great to see Jon Moxley all fired up and out for blood against The Inner Circle. I'm curious to see where this leads.
#3 Worst: No pro wrestlers at ringside
I know I'm comparing everything to last week's show, but the idea to have pro wrestlers seated at ringside clearly added a different dimension to the overall proceedings. Such was not the case this week at all, and AEW felt like a different, not nearly as exciting telecast.
Last week, it was mainly MJF who made the show with his gestures, his demeanour, and the promo he cut when he was seated at ringside. This week, we had a whole bunch of wrestlers in the backstage area but that wasn't nearly as effective as what happened the week prior.
Maybe there were further restrictions imposed that necessitated this week's actions and I'm guessing if such was the case, then it really cannot be helped. AEW Dynamite is still the best weekly episodic show, in my humble opinion, and I watched a lot of pro wrestling every week.
Some of it really feels like work, but it is a pleasure to cover this show. I do miss the Britt Baker and Tony Schiavone segments though.
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