Go2Sleep

I liked them going through the trouble of explaining the logic of Eddie Kingston's allegiances. Eddie's "no bullshit" promo style was great for that. The name "blind eliminator tag team tournament" sucks, but I'll forgive it since it's actually the Lethal Lottery, one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

He was the first member of the NWO, but also the one that jobbed the most of the originals. I love Scott Hall, but he was a Nitro title shot filler guy not a ppv title shot filler guy. If WCW any balls, Rey would've been a hell of winner for a Sting filler defense. I don't know if was feasible because Rey needed one of his many knee surgeries a couple months later (I remember the injury angle that cemented the Jericho heel turn), but match where Rey "earns Sting's respect" in a competitive loss and being free to move out of the CW role would've been sick.

Scott Hall winning the 97 WW3 was a little surprising. Not sure who else of note was in there, but it always seemed like an odd choice for a world title shot at that time, even as a filler defense. Hall was in a spot where no one above him would look any better for beating him and he himself wasn't elevated by being in a title match. Off the top of my head, DDP or Raven would've been more compelling winners. It's tough to get surprise winners in high profile battle royals because there's usually something at stake beyond the match itself, but I liked AEW giving Top Flight and AR Fox the win in their random Christmas $300k battle royal. Didn't have to overpush them, but it gave them a nice highlight to set up a few good TV matches over the next couple of months.

"Ortista" sounds like Ortiz doing a Batista parody as a low-card comedy act. Might get him on a show once in a while.

Batista did alright. I'd actually point to Kidman as a success too, oddly moreso than Saturn who was the one really feuding with Raven. The secret is getting a strong, consistent push. You also have to consider if the lackey has real singles potential or is primarily getting over because the shitty boss has all the charisma, which I would say was definitely the case with Virgil and Mizdow. Wardlow seems to be on the Orton path where he clearly has potential and will probably get there some day, but the booking in the months after his big moment clearly isn't working to his strengths and is holding him back.

Dug the show minus Luchasaurus winning the TNT title. He's already been a tag champ, he doesn't need the career accomplishment and Wardlow should be a big part of their future plans. Overall, it was just another Dynamite, but AEW has the roster depth to pull that off. Buddy and Andrade put on a show. Both guys using their SO's submissions was cute. Punk did what he was supposed to do. He can fire up a crowd like no other with a promo, even if it's pretty routine by his standards. Given that they didn't actually show what was in the bag, I'll be a little disappointed if it's actually the old AEW title. I'm not sure what it should be, but there is serious creative potential there. Treat it like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. If it is actually just the title, they almost have to be thinking double turn with MJF down the road. Punk was obviously leaning way into the Bret tribute act, and I could see him really wanting to do a WM 13 style match for his legacy.

Wait, so the biggest feud in the company is between a guy who comes out to Cult of Personality and a group that comes out to Carry on My Wayward Son, and we're supposed to believe AEW is missing the mark using one of Elton John's biggest hits?

That might have been the best episode of Dynamite ever. Big match MJF always delivers, and Cole avoided most of his pitfalls in long singles matches. He was great fighting from underneath and had the crowd behind him the whole way. The overbooking stuff all worked great to protect everyone and leave the door open for a rematch. I loved the fake-out on the Eddie spot with the belt, then the ref actually being proactive and sensing the diamond ring, which led to a reasonable setup for the Panama Sunrise. I figured they were hitting the time limit when Roberts made an announcement earlier that went untouched on by the announcers, but the execution and utility of the finish made it work. The Darby/Sammy/Jericho was fine and set up some fresh matches for the future. Sting/Jericho should probably happen at Wembley. The 8-man was pretty much perfect. Great pace, everyone got a little shine. Wardlow/Hager went beyond expectations. Wardlow controlled quite a bit of the match. The women's match was alright. I thought Skye might have a chance with Saraya out, and I bit on the spray paint false finish. This was the only segment that didn't have that extra wow factor, but it was still good. Main event was great chaotic 6-man. I liked that it was more out of control than the 8-man to differentiate the matches. I love Hangman in the "difference maker" role whether it's with Dark Order or the Elite. Post match was just killer with one big moment after another. New matches for Forbidden Door are solid too. JB/Sanada and MJF/Tana both have obvious results, but should be incredibly fun. I think they'll circle around to ZSJ/OC which will be a banger as well.

I think MJF did something like this in AEW. I think it was during either the Jericho or Wardlow feud. One of those where the opponent has to jump through a lot of hoops to get a singles match with MJF. Also, it was rampant during the attitude era as a couple other posters have mentioned. The Austin/Dude Love match with Vince as the ref was super fun.

This is probably gonna close the thread, but it's worth pointing out that if you replaced the men's names here with women, this would sound absolutely vile. Also, I'm curious if the realism aspect goes both ways. Like do Keith Lee and Kevin Owens offend you for working a sprinty style as big dudes? Or is that believable while a smaller guy packing a punch isn't, as if guys like Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather don't exist? And if you're gonna say "Cole doesn't have the reputation of Conor or Floyd and his strikes aren't protected enough or technically believable to the point that they take me out of matches," then great, you've just presented a reasonable argument for not liking Adam Cole matches without body shaming. Finally, you said it would be silly for Orange Cassidy to work a heavy hands style, when his finisher is literally a punch.

Christian is still pretty good yeah, but I don't think he's ever had a match on the level of the MJF/Danielson IM. You'd have to go back a long time to find a Christian match that even competes with MJF's performance in the pillar 4-way. No shame in not being as good as someone 20 years younger with a dozen fewer concussions.

What are the most recent "live animal" spots in wrestling? I feel like the Kennel from Hell was the nail in the coffin for live animal stunts, at least on national TV. I think Sting has done some stuff with crows, and Torrie Wilson came to the ring with a small dog named Chloe in 2006, but it seems very rare over the last 20+ years (likely for the best).

I feel like this the opposite of damning with faint praise (blessing with faint criticism?) If those are the only guys in North America getting more heat than MJF, he's doing great. Sometimes he'll miss the mark with his promos, but he always gets massive heat and turns any crowd that's thinking about cheering for him the other way pretty quickly, other than doing the Bret/Canada thing in Long Island. Plus it's not like those three can work on MJF's level in the ring right now, so it's not a great argument against MJF being in the spot that he is.

Is Baron Corbin the main roster crossover they're talking about, or do they have something else planned?

Does AEW really have a match like that in their pocket? Maybe Punk/Kenny, but you save that for All In or a ppv if those two can ever agree to work together. Anna has taken a noticeable step forward in the past year. The Lights Out match was good and her match with Julia was decent and Julia isn't nearly as far as along as the others yet. Stat has been a workhorse when healthy, so no surprise they had a good match together.

That's what happens when Vince McMahon dictates the direction of pro wrestling for 40 years. Anyway, I thought the MJF/Cole promo was mostly good, though could've been trimmed down. MJF reading back Cole's promo against Karrion Kross was the good kind of deep call back. Cole blew off all the cheap heat stuff and got to outsmart MJF to set up the match. Jay/Ricky ruled up to the finish. The only silver lining to the Gunns being there is that keeps hope alive for a Powerhouse face turn to save Ricky at some point. Claudio's uppercut on Trent might have been his best ever. The timing on that spot was impeccable.

Nice looking lineup, shame it's going up against the NBA Finals. I expect Swerve/OC to be a MOTYC. It feels like it could go either way. Even though Swerve hasn't done a lot since the tag title run, he's the kind of guy AEW could heat up very quickly with some showcase matches. Definitely a good fit for a workhorse title. On the other hand, I could see it being OC's last hurrah with the belt before some one else moves in on him (Takeshita, maybe Miro for the new show). Jay/Ricky should be good but I expect a screwy finish with a 3rd member for BCG debuting (El Phantasmo?).

As someone who liked his AOTF stuff, I don't think he's ever been that much of a GMSI guy in WWE. He debuted in a trio where everyone picked their spots well and maximized all their values. His singles heel run had him cut out most of his coolest moves (even the stomp for a while). The buckle/barricade bomb and superplex falcon arrow combo (although this would've been fine as a super finisher) overstayed their welcome, but is that any worse than Cena trying the make the springboard stunner happen for way too long? WWE style is all about making sure the fans who paid to be there get to see you do your thing. Most of the matches where he is throwing out a ton of moves is because it's exactly what the match calls for, either because it's main event level or against someone the crowd wants to see him go all out against (thinking of his matches against Danielson, Finn, KO, AJ, etc).

They both work a style that triggers an immediate "this guy sucks" reaction from older fans, no matter how good they are at executing that style (I'd say Rollins does it better than Cole). The problem then becomes less an issue of objectivity and more an issue of "backing down on previously stated opinions online." No one will admit it now, but AJ Styles got the same kind of reviews in the mid 2000s. I feel like Kenny Omega got it in the early 10s too. Ospreay and Ricochet certainly did. It takes lots and lots of great matches not to necessarily get people to admit they were wrong, but at least quietly shift to "this guy's alright even if it's not my cup of tea I guess." It's the other side of the coin for the people who begrudgingly came around on Cena in like 2015. I think Rollins has gotten over the hump where he gets more positive reviews than negative now, even if he's the same wrestler he was 8 years ago. It took AJ a doing a New Japan run before he got his just due (even though his 05 match with Joe is one of the best in TNA history). Cole isn't there yet, but he doesn't have the body of work Rollins does either.

This has kinda been a thing with Shibata in AEW. He squashed Yuta to win the belt too. He's like the opposite of Roman Reigns who is presented an unstoppable force but squeaks by every match with tons of cheating. Shibata is presented as great, but not super dominant, yet demolishes all of his opponents, especially in the context of pure rules. He countered Lee's finisher straight up instead of using the ropes when he had all 3 left lol. His matches are all good, but they could probably stand to alter his presentation as head and shoulders above so that whoever finally beats him gets a big rub.

You're misunderstanding the wrestling physics. The jump off the ropes (or other elevated surface) gives him a natural bounce when he lands. That bounce gives him the extra momentum he needs for the elevation to do a full flip while squeezing another person's head between his legs. Perfect for executing such a move on a larger opponent.

Main event seemed like something performed entirely for All Access. That said, the Cole/Jericho interactions were better than the ppv match. The rest of the show was fun and set up good stuff. BCG is a way better matchup for FTR (and that roll of quarters was delightfully old school). Swerve/OC next week! Taya heel turn? Kenny scouring the lands for help. Callis getting nuclear heat, and Takeshita gets the rub. No beating around the bush with Punk.

That's definitely a "3 friends playing SVR and all picking random" match. The worst part about a brand split is drastically cuts down on craziness like this that generally makes Dynamite fun.

So when did Taz start his "_____ Jones" gimmick, and is there a story behind it? I noticed "Mezzanine Jones" in the Roddy/Jericho FCA a couple weeks ago, and at the ppv he said "Kendo stick Jones." I assume it's a running gag, and it's amazing. Most importantly, is there a video comp of all his Joneses?

Normally AEW throws together the bottom 2/3 of a ppv card, but the in-ring action picks everything up. This time, they actually built every match (save the trios) for a month plus, but the in-ring action fell flat for most of the show. Didn't help that the crowd was dead for most of it. Hopefully AEW won't go back to Vegas for a while. Jeff Hardy is totally washed. No idea where the angle with Ethan is going. The battle royal was the one undercard match I thought was entertaining from start to finish. Bill was good in the hoss role, the teams worked together in sensible ways, a few different stories were featured, and Swerve is always ready when his number is called and delivers a great performance. I'm glad OC's streak didn't end in a battle royal, but I wouldn't mind if Swerve beat him in a proper singles match soon. Cole and Jericho are really bad at pretending they hate each other. The Roddy/Jericho FCA match on Dynamite was 100x more hate-filled than this, and that was a semi comedy match. This was easily the lamest and least worthy unsanctioned match AEW has run. Britt's cameo was the only thing worth a damn. That finish was whatever the opposite of a masterclass is in worked punches. FTR/JJJ feud has had great promo segments, but they oddly have no in-ring chemistry. Dax/Jarrett singles a few weeks back was underwhelming, and this was pretty boring too. At least Briscoe made his stand and the feud should be over. Wardlow is oddly good at ladder matches, but Christian is clearly getting too old for them. Arn/Luchasaurus spot was the bad kind of cheesy. The Trios match was way too long, and the first HOB match I can think of that actually dragged. The Dom shout-out was pretty good, though. It sucks that Jamie Hayter is hurt and they had to run an identical angle to Christian/JB last year. Even with this quiet crowd, you could feel the pre-match sucking the air out of the arena. Also, Toni's great, but I would've liked to see one of the other two get the gold here if this was the angle. The Jade angle made no sense. If they knew Stat was coming back, why didn't they blow off the heatless Taya feud sooner and actually build a real moment for Stat? The Fatal 4 Way was really good in-ring stuff as expected, despite some mis-steps with the build. The finish was brilliant and silly at the same time. I don't know why they got cold feet on giving them the last spot. AITA was fine. Kenny doing Captain America cosplay with the trash can lid was awesome and should've been given more time. Felt like Danielson was being a bit more cautious in this one. Matt Jackson definitely upped his hardcore cred with the barefoot tack spot. Even though it was cheap, I dig Wheeler getting the pin on Kenny at the end. Nice little rub for the guy who usually takes all Ls for the BCC.