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In the last two weeks, we've had two accounts whose accounts have been hacked and posted spam. I'd highly recommend that if you read this, you change your password to this board. Especially if it's a password you've shared with another site. Alright, back to posting:

Do we respond to things like the final segment of Dynamite based on our immediate interpretation and enjoyment of the events on-screen? Or do those feelings instantly get filtered through our doubts/hopes about how the larger pro wrestling fanbase will react to it? I've been slowly conditioned to think that things I find mildly cringe will be interpreted as harbingers of the end times, that good-not-great overwrought workrate epics will be called MotY and transcendent bloody brawls will be called "pretty good", and that once a month a "neat little match" I feel like chatting about is regarded as a travesty because somebody realistically covered for a botch. (Seriously, I saw a kid arguing that Dustin Rhodes vs. Butcher was a candidate for Worst Match of the Year and people were agreeing with him. You feel like you're eating three square meals of crazy pills every day.) The anti-AEW troll contingent was frothing at the mouth over the All In footage because it seemed like the kind of thing they could shitpost about for ages. A bullet in the chamber for the neverending propaganda war that they find far more interesting and engaging than any actual television show. The beleaguered AEW diehards were cringing at the thought because it seemed like not just some desperate worked-shoot trainwreck, but something that was going to be discussed online ad nauseam and create the same doomclick feedback loop that's been dragging everything down for however long. But we're a few weeks removed from it and thus far they've actually managed to thread the needle. They figured if things were still getting clicks then people must care, so they assumed people cared about Jack Perry and they were right. You have to wonder if they were going to air the footage regardless of the Punk interview because they were timing it around Mania hype. Regardless, here we are, Jack Perry is over. So I watch the final segment of Dynamite and I'm thinking "hey this is pretty good soap opera stuff" until about ten seconds later, when the bad feeling in my guts says "you are going to go on the internet and all people are going to talk about is how much they hate this". Which in the moment muted my enjoyment, embarrassing as it is to admit it. But then the next morning I see that a healthy majority of people really liked the angle, and that it's getting a ton of engagement and people are already theorizing how it might bleed into the NFL Draft and a Kenny return and all that stuff. So I feel silly, but better. But then again this board hates it so IDK anymore. I guess I'm arguing that some of you reacted negatively because you feared the fans would reject it. I want the text to be the text but that's impossible in all artforms as long as they're being created and experienced by human minds. I'm glad I'm watching the NBA Playoffs live and putting Dynamite on later because engaging in the moment is so dreadful now. Obviously this and that are driven by a broader "Negativity Gets Clicks" culture that is literally making the entire world depressed but I don't have the words for that right now.

All aboard the Mina Shirakawa train. What a star she is.

Grizzled Young Veterans will be debuting on Collision this weekend

I thought it was a good angle. The fact that it got an unexpectedly large amount of positive mainstream press suggests it was a good idea to run with it. I don’t think there’s much you can read into the future based on it, though. Some of these angles have been harbingers of doom for certain companies, but others have kickstarted a period of big business. It’s all about the follow-up. To that end, if Kayfabe TK really is a benevolent and beloved owner, then I better see EVERY babyface in the company standing up for him and trying to get a piece of the Elite next week in Winnipeg. In fact, I better even see a few heels coming out against the Elite. It can’t just be business as usual for most of the roster.

Man, there's some bad faith shit happening in this thread. That fucking ruled. In fact, this whole show ruled. Other than the completely uninteresting Best Friends stuff. Swerve looked great. They should've let him talk but iiwii. He will. Prince Nana always kicks ass. I thought it was cool how many women they got on the show. I hadn't seen Mina Shirakawa before but that was awesome. I dug that whole thing. Ospreay is so dynamic he made Kyle O'Reilly interesting. Lance Archer deserves more credit. That Gauntlet match didn't make a lick of sense, but it ruled ass. I dug every bit of it. Switchblade looked good, too. I hope this starts his character rehab. UK feels like such an afterthought since Ospreay and Okada showed up. Get Wardlow away from those dorks and salvage what still can be. I'm thinking Big Bill joining Jericho is a bad sign for Ricky Starks' AEW future. That's a shame. His ceiling at the other company is "fun nxt talent." I hope Hobbs is okay. Mox is the man. I don't care what any of y'all say. That main event segment was awesome and everything pro wrestling should be. I'm convinced some people are going to just always have something negative to say about AEW. This door was opened when TK played the All In footage, which he was right to do, and making this issue part of the show is no different than a million other times backstage issues have been made into wrestling angles. I despise the Young Bucks, but they're knocking this role out of the park. Okada fucking rules. He looks like he's having the best time.

Look, I'm white, I'm not Counting Crows white.

Ava should draft Dwayne, be told he's not available, and then stare into the distance and mutter "... no, he never is. " And then everything continues as expected.

I hate the angle as much as the next guy, but whoever is saying it’s a great way to write TK off TV is dumb as fuck because I can count on one hand the amount of times he’s been on screen in a meaningful way over the past 5 years. I also don’t think, and haven’t seen anyone seriously suggest it, that they’re going to bring him back as a heel authority figure. All of that was done just to get heat on the New Elite, and “put them in charge”, until they’re dispatched of eventually by a group of people. Next week will feed more into this “get as much heel heat as possible onto them” scenario, with either beating down or kicking Omega out of the building or whatever in his hometown. Shad Khan isn’t going to look at that angle and say shit. You think he’s out here reading Reddit comments and the Observer or something? This company is valued at $2b 5 years into its life, the fuck does he care about if us nerds don’t like that his son got tombstoned by a shitty heel tag team?

The biggest thing wrong with pro wrestling is that everyone is happy that they “let Chuck say shit” instead of being moved that he was so upset that they couldn’t stop him from doing it.

Remember when a bunch of folks were saying how AEW was fucked because now people would chant Punk’s name each week? I gotta say, even though I thought it was dumb to show the All In footage, the storyline for showing it was fine, Perry is as over now than at the height of Jurassic Express, again - Jack Perry actually means something now so that’s a feat in and of itself, Kenny is returning next week, and who knows how this all shakes out. For all of the booking corners TK backs himself into, he has a pretty good track record of threading the needle to make things work. Sucks that Hobbs’ knee blew up mid match in maybe his biggest match. Awful timing. All in all a pretty fun AEW that reminded me of the more chaotic, crash tv lite days of the company.

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/438805504_10168619006560364_1848109266251124167_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=S1vkgycv6DgQ7kNvgGFQKjr&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBXpY8E6cfKT6hsuliQPcOus7oN01FN-n7TeiC7TffD4A&oe=66309601 Tony Khan has the neck brace.

Shad when asked about what happened to his son:

I’ll say that I’m a lot more intrigued by Kenny’s appearance next week now.

Oh man, we all saw that young security guard breaking up Thunder Rosa from Deonna right? Best of luck young fella.

Dude, THANK YOU. I thought I was being overly critical (man). I love Mercedes, not a hater whatsoever, but it's nails on a chalkboard - It was like a 1999 HHH "I am the Game-uh" promo fed through an AI taught to use her voice by listening to a supercut of only her most awkward cutscenes from the 2K games. Edit: Ha @The Naturalyou caught me typing - great minds and all that I liked this show a whole bunch, and honestly, I have nothing to add that hasn't already been said by @Octopus- he's 100% right here; the only reason I had any apprehension about how this show closed was because of things done by completely different people, in completely different promotions, in completely different landscapes. I looked at it again without the WWE PTSDemon on my shoulder, and honestly? It was everything I've been calling for in these threads lately. Big, chaotic, cliffhanger ending, announcers dropping the mics and letting the ambience be, locker room emptying out, Papa Shad selling that shit as only he can. It was probably the best non-match Dynamite ending since the Daily's residency earlier in the pandemic IMO. Also: SERENA FUCKIN' DEEB. That's it, that's the paragraph.

Also needs to drop that affect-UH that you hear a lot-UH nowadays where any word that ends in s hard-UH consonant-UH has a UH at the end-UH. Anyway, I think TK has the self awareness to know he can’t act and is an awkward guy in general and can’t be a regular character on screen. I mean there’s a reason he had no lines last night.

pre-Bucks heel turn this was literally you, every show thread, bitching about how Adam Cole or the Bucks or whoever and what they’re involved in. Now you’re in the position we were in, and you’re seeing people being negative and don’t like it because you’re enjoying it. God forbid some of us who have been super positive, to the point that other people here mock it, about AEW for five years now are starting to see some flaws. Swerve will be fine, yeah, but this is the equivalent of Cody winning the title at WrestleMania and then the next night he wrestles a 20 minute match and a segment for his next challenger is announced for next week. And then in the main event segment, the Bloodline beat up Adam Pearce or something. WWE fans would rage that the focus isn’t on your new World champion who just spent a year (two actually) chasing that title.

I hope the angle is just a way to write off Tony Khan as Tony Khan and in a few months Luis Fernandez-Gil returns as Tony Khan...

I loved all the chaos in the epic ending. Shit has hit the fan when big Shahid shows up! Mina/Anna ruled again. Thrilled to get Mina back so quick. Love Serena getting in the mix. Serena vs Toni and then Toni vs Mina works for me. thought the Willow/Mone segment was very good, nice mic work from Willow. the Casino Gauntlet was a blast. Dug the Learning Tree segment but I will miss Judas as Jericho moves on to "Spotlight" as his new Fozzy theme. Moxley/Hobbs was solid while it lasted to the abrupt finish. Fun show overall with the closing angle putting it over the top.

I’m probably at serious risk of being doxxed if I share what exactly my function is, but in real life I file arbitration A LOT. In addition to the obvious (private hearings as versus a public trial) there are, in my opinion, three other crucial reasons why Vince and his team would prefer this case be heard by an arbitrator: 1) Arbitration awards, to my knowledge, usually expire after a stipulated amount of time depending on the jurisdiction and dispute forum. If the filing party (Grant) isn't able to collect from the respondent (Vince) within that period, and also isn't able to have the validity of the award confirmed by a higher court order in that period (which is often difficult not only due to the legal costs, but also because judges don't like to step on arbitrators’ toes since many, if not most, are retired judges or prosecutors themselves) then guess what?? She gets nothing. A judge doing so has definitely happened a couple times in my specific field, but this is a much, much different animal. 2) Again, depending on the forum, there's also a strong likelihood that Vince’s team would drag this case out F O R E V E R - the arbitration discovery process is not really what it is in the court system; It's more of what I would describe as a ‘tit for tat’ kind of thing. Unless there is an agreed upon time limit when parties enter into the agreement to arbitrate, or some other statutory limitation wherever this is heard (it may not necessarily be Connecticut due to the interstate stuff, but we’ll see what Vince's team argues) then he could easily just try to wait out the clock, and keep throwing shit at the wall (pardon the phrasing). 3) Arbitration awards, to my knowledge, can't be enforced outside of wherever the dispute forum has jurisdiction (unless Vince were stupid enough to agree to international arbitration). So hypothetically, Vince could lose, and immediately flee to Antigua on the Sexy Bitch without any mechanism for her to collect, while he just, again, waits it out on the beach This would not be a good thing.

Okay I finished the show. I like the general stories they've decided on, but I've got so many complaints about how they present information to the audience. It's infuriating. If I could have AEW's wrestling with WWE's capacity to educate an audience clearly as to what was going on I'd have my favorite promotion. As it is, it mostly falls on Excalibur's shoulders to tell us everything, and I still don't catch on to some of it. LIKES Jericho's gimmick. I think it's funny, and I think it's going to get a lot better now that he's really rolling with it. Mina Shirakawa is fucking gold. Trent saying that Orange was supposed to be their mascot. Their eventual match is going to be a banger. Trent is one of my favorite underappreciated workers. Really talented dude. Serena Deeb showing up - though I feel like she would've been a great first challenger to Willow to build her reign. But whatever. Swerve is cool - but his presentation is not. Don Callis yelling "Melbourne" like he's calling a play. The last segment. It left me with more questions that I'd like to see answered. DISLIKES Whatever the fuck everyone was doing to the camera. @Greggulator is on point about how it looks inorganic and hack-y looking. If no one looked at the camera, then the moment Jack looked at the camera during the hug would've been cooler. Willow is dealing with one of the biggest female stars in wrestling and she's turning to the camera to tell me a story. I don't get it. Talk to her. It makes me wonder if there were just no good angles to get people's faces because it exposed too much of the audience. Swerve fighting some guy I don't know who also has a belt. I want a promo from the new champ about how it's a new era. Instead he fights some other guy with a title while Roderick Strong has 8 people trying to kill themselves for a shot at his belt. Perception. The Don Callis Family. I don't get this act. Don is awesome. I know he's explained that he makes his guys fight each other - and it still makes no sense. I don't get why Osprey is even with him. It should be a great heel group, and instead it's so muddled and confusing. The Gauntlet Concept feeling slapdash. No countdown. No idea of the number of people. Just go until it's done. The guys in the ring were cool. MIDDLING Wrestlers feeling bad for hurting other wrestlers. It's weird. Osprey feeling guilt over hurting his hero and not wanting to hurt anyone else is an interesting wrinkle to his character, and makes that move more important in the long run. But it's also kinda weird because so many moves that guys do to each other look like fucking murder. Also you're trying to hurt each other. Willow feeling guilt over hurting Mercedes in a match is also odd. I never saw that match. I don't understand the context of it or what happened. But I don't know why she didn't say - it's wrestling getting hurt is what we signed up for. It's a weird story idea, and I feel like I could like it, but it also really illogical given the profession.

I know AEW has no developmental, but maybe Jericho could hang out at ROH tapings, and take Insta pics ONLY with whatever unsigned and impressionable young female talents work the shows, to keep the Punk parody going.

I saw someone say that Jericho is doing a parody of CM Punk's backstage persona and that makes it infinitely funnier. I loved the angle, I just hope it doesn't lead to TK being an on-screen presence. Props to Nicholas for doing the full flip and splitting his pants. And Jack's smile is fabulous and should be his calling card throughout. Swerve / Fletcher was fantastic, but maybe he should've gotten a "celebration" or is that too WWE? Loved the sell of the House Call by Fletcher, all bent neck and collapsing. Ospreay winning the gauntlet was great, but Roderick seems like a bit of a downgrade in opponent, but the matches will be fabulous. Poor Hobbs. Hope it's not too bad.

To be clear, speaking for only myself, I'm going to like what I like. I'm not going to change that based on reaction of anyone else. My "dread" is more of a, "Oh. This is going to be a whole thing that people go on about for a while."

I think you're on to something there. I have times where I watch a show and have this sort of dread coming here knowing there'll be a contingent of people talking shit about it. Now, let me be clear. I'm not saying those people shouldn't talk shit about it if that's how they feel. I think we largely don't have a lot of bad faith actors here. There are a couple, but no one takes them seriously. It's just more of a thing where I don't want to "ruin" my high. Like you said, it's silly. Why should I let other people influence how I feel about something I enjoyed? But it happens. Sometimes I just don't want "discourse". I just want to talk about something I thought was cool. Again, definitely not saying anyone should change how they feel about something or how they want to discuss it. It's just a little feeling I get sometimes, and it doesn't just apply to this place. I didn't love the closing segment. I've been a fan of AEW largely avoiding the played-out authority figure trope. But I really feel this will be more of an angle to show the Elite going too far than one to make TK a regular on-screen character. I hope I'm not wrong. Generally, I'm pretty optimistic that they won't go that route. It was fun, though, after the segment aired, trying to kayfabe my son. He was APPALLED at what the Bucks did. His first thought was, "Well, Tony's going to fire them!" But then he came to the realization that the Bucks were EVPs (he has no clue what that stands for, but just knows if make them "bosses") and he may not be able to fire them so easy. Like, I couldn't get him to go to sleep because he kept throwing out scenarios that could come from the attack. "Maybe Tony fires them, but they say no and show up anyway?" "Can they fire Tony?!?!" "I mean, you can't just beat up your boss!!!" I've seen him excited about wrestling (You should've seen his reaction to Osprey beating Danielson. He was so excited!), but this is the first time I've seen him outraged.

Don't want you missing this important announcement: https://deathvalleydriver.com/forum/index.php?/topic/10915-a-note-from-your-admins/#comment-1368040

look I just hate the angle because main event Jack Perry is an unearned huge glowup, and is only near as over as he is, and in this spot, because Punk did a little light choking in England. For all the talk of fragile egos for one person, it’s funny that All Out or All In was never brought up for storyline purposes while Punk was still there, but the minute he’s gone they’re off to the races to try and cash in on it. I’m fine with the Bucks being shitbag heels abusing their EVP status, but the minute you bring real life drama into all of this when the real pay off is now unobtainable when it previously wasn’t, I’m going to get annoyed. Whatever, at least Swerve is champion even if he’s going to take a backseat to more Elite bullshit. Ospreay is going to keep being awesome, even if the International title isn’t what he should be chasing (unless the plan is to unify it with the World title and keep the Continental and TNT titles). Mina/Mariah/Toni continues to be good, and Deeb/Toni will rule obviously. I really want Megan Bayne to Mone’s heater, and for the Statlander turn to be a red herring when it’s actually Stokely turning on them both to introduce Bayne and join up with Mone.

I lost a lot of money when I financed Papa Shango, so I'm a little wary about fiscally supporting the dark arts.

That's a really great way of saying that. I thought last night was a really great ratio of stellar in-ring action to story. If they stick with that mix, I think they'll be okay. Fwiw, TK is getting his money's worth on that Ospreay deal. That dude has risen to the occasion. I like AEW because I see cool shit that I don't see anywhere else. I've gone on youtube deep dives looking at Bandido, RUSH, Mina Shirakawa, Thunder Rosa, and others because they appeared on AEW TV. I don't think TK is gonna suddenly stop having great wrestling matches on his wrestling show because he shot an angle with the top heel act in his company. It probably also helps that the workhorse of that heel act is Kazuchika Okada, who's one of the best in ring performers in the world. I totally understand what you're saying, though.

Jack punching Kenny in the gut to nuclear heat in Winnipeg, please.

Yoooo I just realized that Tony wearing the brace to the draft and the NFL and ESPN being in on the gag would be fucking amazing. Imagine them kayfabing the shit out of it and Mel Kiper is talking about the projectability of the young kid Perry. Quick off the edge, real lunch pail kind of guy but has some off the field issues that have scared some federations away. Oh shit even better if they do it Naked Gun style where TK himself gets up there in full neck brace to announce some random 6th round pick on day 3 and the Bucks jump his ass AGAIN and put him through a table while there’s like mascots and shit freaking out on stage.

Yeah I mean I’m not arguing the fact that owner getting beat up isn’t a classic trope or anything, but I don’t think this is going to lead to TK being on TV any more than he ever was. We aren’t going to get TV vignettes of him building a team or something. It’s not too hard to imagine FTR coming out to cut a promo and bigging him up and they’re proxies for him or whatever. Or Omega implores the babyface locker room to not take this shit lying down before he gets beat up/kicked out. Multiple ways they can go and none involve TK being an on screen character. I think if anyone is immediately jumping to “Tony Khan is going to be an on-air character now/will be a heel/whatever” then you’re letting decades of WWE trauma slip in. Again, I hate the angle, mainly cuz of the Bucks and Perry and the lack of focus last night on Swerve’s big moment on Sunday, but I don’t think this is veering towards how WWE or whoever in the past would do it. TK is not built to walk tall, and if he had any interest in being an on-air character past what he’s done thus far it would have happened already I’d imagine.

The only way they could have they made that last segment funnier is if they had a graphic with Tony's photo that read "Tony Khan Was All Elite 1982 - 2024" followed by some Sarah McLachlan. What really cracked me up is that of all the wrestlers to come out and check on him, they had to be careful not to show anyone important, so it was basically "send out the luchadores and Christopher Daniels!" I actually like obliviously uncool Chris Jericho's new role/group. I'd like to see him surrounded by some real young guy and have Jericho try to talk about Stryper with them. Also he should say "Lol" ( but actually pronounce it) and maybe create a Tiktok account where he unironically dances and sings duets. Swerve's first post-win appearance was kind of weak. Almost like they didn't trust him with a microphone. Prince Nana got to talk but Swerve just had a too competitive match with a guy way below him in the hierarchy. It was weird. Liked the gauntlet casino match. Komander hitting that move on Archer then staring back in disbelief was great. I would like to see them run this match again and have #1 roll up #2 for the win and cut to backstage where 47 guys are standing around waiting and someone just says "Dude..." and they cut to the next match. Jack Perry with a beard talking tough would be like The Miz showing up with a beard talking tough.

Very sports entertainment-y show, but I honestly didn't hate it. I don't think serious, violent Trent is a long-term thing, but him killing Chuck in a parking lot should be fun. Swerve/Fletcher was a good Swerve showcase and sets up the Callis Family break-up since new heel stables are moving in. Willow/Mercedes segment was good. I love that they aren't forcing any face or heel roles here, just let the women be themselves and the crowd can do what they want with it. Mina/Anna was a nice little match. Toni and Mariah as tweeners is working and there's plenty left in that well before the break-up. The casino clusterfuck was ridiculous, but it was set up perfectly to keep the crowd hot and there were some good sequences in there (particularly Ospreay/KOR). Interesting to have Will go after Roddy which seems beneath him, but will be a great match. Roddy seems way beneath Will at this point, but the story of whether Will has lost his killer instinct evens it up a bit. I know I'm totally in the minority, but I love Jericho's new gimmick. Totally leaning into to all the online criticism and playing it straight. The Learning Tree is such a wonderfully stupid and self-indulgent nickname. I died when he used the phrase "Jericho vortex." Bill as the muscle works great. Only problem is no more White Zombie. Mox/Hobbs was there. Shame about Hobbs getting hurt, but man, Callis was a fucking pro heel there. "I'm more concerned about the loss." The closing segment was one of the most WWE-ish things AEW has ever done, but it wasn't terrible. Whoever said New Elite vs. Team Tony in BnG is probably dead right. The timing of Kenny coming back seems just right for him to lead the charge. Extrapolating a little further, Hangman coming back as the 5th for the Elite seems right since his heel run got cut short. Kenny, Ospreay, Swerve, and FTR feels good for the face team.

Well, I hated the All In footage being shown and it ended up being the greatest move in AEW history. So I’m willing to give this a chance.

the fucking NFL has an article up about TK taking the tombstone. What in the world. https://www.nfl.com/news/jaguars-tony-khan-takes-punch-piledriver-on-aew-dynamite-show

This might make it all worth it

If ever there was a time we needed Dasha to save us, it’s now

I don't like heel authority figures either but I do appreciate how they are taking the "Khan is a nice guy and wrestlers walk all over him" thing and running with it. That's pretty darn good storytelling if you ask me.

I'll have to see where this is going. I hate heel authority figures more than anything else in wrestling, if this is the YB's way of "taking over" the promotion. Nothing will make me stop watching a promotion faster than having a heel making matches, setting up the good guys, etc. Not saying that is where they are going but I'm just afraid they are looking to "spark" interest. To me the heel authority figure hasn't worked in over 20 years, I have zero interest in that. So I'm hoping it is just a way to get over The Elite as heels and not a sign of them literally taking over the promotion.

Not gonna lie, "Flee to Antigua on the Sexy Bitch" might be one of the greatest things said on this board.

There were two guys in that period of NXT that I thought had future star written all over them: Sullivan and Velveteen Dream. Boy do I know how to pick em.

I know AEW isn't a serious company because there isn't already a PO Box where I can send TK a get well card.

...and this is what we mean by "being in a bubble." Anywho...

"Our General Manager is a laptop that isn't allowed to run Windows 11 and is using a Linux variant"

I believe it was the Counting Crows who wrote a song about old Freight Train, was it not?

My gimmick is that I hit everyone with this gimmick that I gimmicked.

Made my way through the show, as I am trying to get into AEW again. So much wrestling. Okada vs. PAC Fascinating match. The first third of the match they essentially take turns being the heel working over a babyface, and it felt confusing. Also Excalibur did a great bit of storytelling by talking about how Okada was trained by Ultimo Dragon, and PAC made his name in DragonGATE with a bunch of Ultimo students. Eventually settled into Okada being the bad guy, and he was honestly great at it. Loved him laughing after the DDT on the ground. Loved the middle finger on the pose tease. Loved the eye rake on the submission attempt. Does PAC ever have bad singles matches in AEW? I don't know what you do with him, but he's a guy I have to watch if he's on the card. House of Black vs. Edge/Briscoe/Kingston This was hot stuff. Mark and Eddie are great "in the moment" performers, who feel like they're making some stuff up on the spot, as opposed to doing the match that was planned out beforehand. Really enjoyed Malakai avoiding Edge the whole match and catching him with the mist for the finish. It's crazy how good Edge has been working with all these younger wrestlers. He's hanging with everyone. Willow vs. Julia Hart This felt brief, which is a little disappointing because I think Julia is a great character and Willow is pretty lovable. I'm bummed Hart's reign had to come to an end, but I think this story between Willow and Mone could be a good one, with Mercedes trying to undercut Willow's shine. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong Roderick Strong has a belt too? I’m sure this has been discussed to death, but what the fuck are all these belts? Strong did all those nifty backbreakers and I don’t think Kyle referenced his back until just before the finish.. Not even after the superplex. They could’ve done so much with that. Like every time Kyle did a guillotine choke, Roddy could’ve just ran his back into a corner, or slammed him on his back as a way to break the hold. Just missed story telling. Adam Cole can walk. I hope that means that we're a little closer to getting MJF back because I thought their Best Friends story was great and I hated that injuries spoiled so much of it. Chris Jericho vs. Hook More titles, but at least I know this one. Kid in the front row chanting “AUBREY AUBREY” to start is gold. Jericho’s gimmick is fucking hilarious. He also nearly killed himself trying to make Hook look awesome. Crowd chants “Go Home Jericho Go Home” .Same crowd counts along when he’s punching Hook on the top rope 10 seconds later. Same crowd pops when he hits the top rope ‘rana. And he just keeps giving them the thumbs up like he’s Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Crowd chants “Please Retire”. Same crowd chants “Tap” when Hook is in the Liontamer. HE HAD TO HIT HIM IN THE FACE WITH A BASEBALL BAT TO WIN. This shit is ridiculous and I dig it. Toni Storm vs. ThunderRosa There is some young baby face who will eventually get to do an All About Eve storyline with Toni Storm one day, and it’ll be awesome way to introduce a character. Not a whole lot to say about this one. Rosa looked good but might be a little too screamy for a babyface. That moment where she replied to a fan “I love Toni Too.” Before murdering her on the apron was fucking gold tho. More of that. Danielson vs..Osprey Incredible. My son came in to watch this one with me and we were on the edge of our seats for that final stretch. I haven’t watched much Osprey at all. Like I don’t think I saw any of his Japan stuff. And I wasn’t super impressed watching his recent match with Hobbs. But he got my attention here for sure. Bryan again showed he can do anything and everything at an exceptional level. Best in the world. FTR vs. Bucks Obviously not as good as their last match, but this served a much different purpose. This felt like a lot of big spots, BUT they were always desperately trying to get to those titles. Jack Perry run in was always the most obvious conclusion, and him coming in with a Sting mask was great. I’m actually interested in how they use him moving forward. Swerve vs. Joe Joe is one of my favorite wrestlers. He just brings a different vibe. Liked Swerve’s working on the arm, which allowed him to escape the Kokina Clutch. I don’t know if I like Strickland as a face, because I think he’s really good as a heel, particularly the way he moves in the ring. His acrobatics feel less about being pretty and more just being vicious and mean. Loved Joe immediately leaving like a bully who just got embarrassed. Eventual Osprey vs. Strickland match is going to be fucking wild. OVERALL THOUGHTS Exceptional night of wrestling. No duds. All killer stuff. Even the weakest matches had engaging work. And holy cow what a great crowd. They were down for everything. Also after having been face down in WWE’s and the great build to Wrestlemania, I’ve got to say AEW’s announce team is the best. Everyone that sat in the booth helped tell some great stories and always added to the action. Jim Ross has had some rough nights with the company in the past, but I’d say he was lucid and rock solid in the matches he called. I think it’s crazy they switch guys in and out, but it didn’t hurt anyone’s rhythm or chemistry. It’s probably easy when the wrestling is this good. Lots of interesting questions going forward that make me want to keep watching.