Friday Night Dynamite - 6/18/2021

[Eivion]

1 hour ago, John E. Dynamite said:

Karl Anderson showed the hell up and was the unlikely MVP of the main event. Am I gonna have to watch the G1 Final against Shinsuke again?

Do you mean the final with Okada?

[The Natural]

24 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Do you mean the final with Okada?

That's what I was thinking. The G1 Climax Final from 2012.

[The Natural]

4 hours ago, Casey said:

Let’s not make AEW MMA a regular thing, please.

I wouldn't make it regular, more a special attraction. Like the WWE Fight Pit. You need people who can work the style credibly and have a martial arts background.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

7 hours ago, The Natural said:

Conti vs. Ikaru Shida in MMA regulated garb, gloves and barefoot.

Settle down Naturaletico.....

Quote

Hey we all have fetishes man....

Edited June 19, 2021 by RunningFromAmerica

[hammerva]

6 hours ago, Casey said:

Let’s not make AEW MMA a regular thing, please.

I would argue that was probably Jake Hager most realistic MMA match though.   At least Wardlow doesn't look like someone that wasn't pulled from a truck stop like his Bellator work

[EVA]

I really liked Darby/MOTY.  Best handicap match I’ve seen in ages.  I feel like MOTY are finding their groove as an act.  We’re moving closer and closer to a Darby/Page match, which everybody should be excited about.

[AxB]

8 hours ago, John E. Dynamite said:

Yo. The Wing Men are the platonic ideal of a jobber stable. What does Ryan's resplendent bump-n-preen say about what Big Bro Dee Zee could, should be? It kinda boggles the mind. Avalon is built for making undercard feuds engaging and is really contending for Jobber of the Year. Drake is being elevated like he ought to be and that's fukken peachy. Bononi gets to look the perfect mix of beefy and dumb. Them plus a full force Best Friends is the good time sports entertainment viewing you deserve. Unless you're piece if shit, in which case, lucky you. Cause this was just aces in terms of low-stakes TV pro wrestling.

It's utterly bizarre, how when Ryan Nemeth first showed up in AEW, he came across as the Kidzbop Dolph Ziggler, but now a few months later, he's by far the more entertaining of the Nemeth brothers.

Edited June 19, 2021 by AxB

[Jenalysis]

8 hours ago, John from Cincinnati said:

There's something to be said of a competent veteran vowing to destroy the foundation of this promotion and wipe away its original sins. I love the idea of the character. I'm happy the sing-song SCU stuff is behind him. I love him adopting the Angel's Wings. 

But of course you continue to fundamentally misunderstand what the dynamic of this board is. Misplaced love for Kenny and the Bucks remains dominant. 

If they're not, they should probably consider checking out on wrestling.

Gross. 

 

I think it's more love for just Kenny.  The Bucks are pretty divisive- they tend to deliver when they have to, but when it's not big, they're unwatchable.

 

Kenny though seems to be declining as rapidly as Naito is these days, or the way.

For those two it will be a rougher decline than it was for Tana, because Tana is smarter at the in-ring (Naito and Kenny are smart at the other stuff)

 

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by alstein

[EVA]

GOD’S FAVORITE CHAMPION.  This guy is a gold mine.

[Curt McGirt]

9 hours ago, Casey said:

this shirt

Not to throw stones, but that shirt is really not representative of his body type.

I thought about the Kenny dare stuff again this morning (fittingly, while on the toilet) and just thought Jungle Boy should have responded to that with "What, are we still in the sixth grade? I know I'm not as old as you Kenny, but I'm out of middle school." And walked off.

[Wyld Samurai]

"God's Favorite Champion" is the line of the decade. 

[Goodear]

Penta El Zero Miedo, Eddie Kingston & Frankie Kazarian vs. AEW World Tag Team Champion Matt Jackson & The Good Brothers 

It's funny how the worst parts of this show are the Executive Vice Presidents. Omega's angle earlier was the pits (the only good part was kicking Nakasaka at Jungle Boy so he could get away). This was more of the same where the Young Bucks "outsmart" their opponents because the booking is terrible and requires the referee to cooperate to the point that everyone assumes Knox is on the take (and may be if you count BTE but the actual television show doesn't say that). Let's play everyone's favorite game of "What was Rick Knox" looking at? This week Knox managed to be distracted by his concern for Karl Anderson for no good reason. Clearly AEW doesn't care that they suck at interference spots because they continue to do them. Not sure having the Elite Hunter losing his first match against the Elite is a good idea.

Orange Cassidy (w/Best Friends & Kris Statlander) vs. Cezar Bononi (w/The Wingmen)

Good lower card silly fun. The Wingmen are a fun goofy heel stable and Peter almost stole the whole show with the dramatic angst cradling Bononi at the end. Cezar is awkward but who cares if the match is kept short and focuses on fun instead of serious wrassling action.

Cody Rhodes & Brock Anderson (w/Arn Anderson) vs. QT Marshall & Aaron Solow (w/Nick Comoroto)

Also good, Cody gotta Cody but I guess giving guys their first wins as your partner is one way of trying to give them the rub. Brock looked good and flashed some mannerisms from his father that were very welcome. He moved like Arn a couple of times like when he pulled Solow's hair, worked the arm and that DDT was sweet. His presentation is obviously throw back bare bones and I think I kind of like that rather than throwing him in standard modern gear. Solow desperately needs some sort of direction other than the fourth guy in the Factory.

Handicap Match: Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky & “All Ego” Ethan Page

Also, Also Good. Page and Sky are hitting their stride as an act. I'm not sure if Men of the Year is a great team name but I'll give it some more time. Finish felt hot with the right amount of possible false finish with the zip tie spot. I loved that as Darby gets to show off that he indeed have a plan in order to beat two guys. Page got to look smart too as he came up with a counter to the spot that wasn't super contrived. I really liked that he tossed the tool box back under the ring as it looked like there was barely anything in it but Page managed to hide it. Sky has found a way around his lack of killer instinct and I'm with him on it.

Penelope Ford vs Julia Hart

Match was okay I guess, Hart has something that needs some nurturing. Miro is FIRE although the last thing he needs is to be associated with Kip Sabian in any way again. It's a super chad move for him to 'protect' Ford though against those dastardly Varsity Blondes. Pillman looked good here too bowing up on Miro and I'm looking forward to that.

MMA Rules Cage Fight: Jake Hager vs. Wardlow

I think this idea was okay in concept but failed in execution. MMA doesn't have the pauses in the action like wrestling does so these two were never able to set a MMA pace that looked accurate to even a casual viewer like myself. I really think they just kind of left Wardlow out in the weeds for no reason looking gassed and throwing some really bad punches. Post match was dopey as Jericho just looks unmotivated or unable to move with any sort of energy.  The timing on the multiple run ins just felt really off as though Sammy wouldn't be right there waiting for The Pinnacle to jump in from a logical point. 

[HarryArchieGus]

So happy to see ppl coming around on the MOTYC.  Blown away by how good that handicap match was.  Loving this build to Jungle Boy-Omega.  Hilarious heel-ery from the team of Don, Kenny and the-never-been-better-Nakazawa.  Also much Love to the Wingmen and their tears, OC, and Miro!!!!  Main Event was fun.  Andrade interview was really good too.  I've only seen a couple bouts on Youtube, but super stoked to see this guy's rise to the top.  Am I wrong to assume he's gonna be kinda huge for them?  

I think Penelope Ford's getting better.  And always stunning.  Feeling a lot better about the Women's division these days.  

[Ramo2653]

Actually caught this this morning because of insomnia. I don't know what the hell that Kenny/Jungle Boy segment was. Thought the Ford/Hart match was ok, Miro coming out was amazing. They can't think that Kip coming back will lead to a turn for him do they? Kip just comes off as too much of a jerk for that (he may be a wonderful person in real like). 

The Best Friends/Wingmen stuff was great and I don't even watch the Youtube shows I got what they were about right away. I of course like a bit of goofy in my wrestling which helps offset the "serious business" that happens most of the time.

[Goodear]

Of this ends up with Wingmen versus The Best Friends 4-on-4 and Kris tombstoning Peter to hell, it will all have been worth it.

Actually its already worth it. 

[HarryArchieGus]

33 minutes ago, Goodear said:

Penta El Zero Miedo, Eddie Kingston & Frankie Kazarian vs. AEW World Tag Team Champion Matt Jackson & The Good Brothers 

It's funny how the worst parts of this show are the Executive Vice Presidents. Omega's angle earlier was the pits (the only good part was kicking Nakasaka at Jungle Boy so he could get away). This was more of the same where the Young Bucks "outsmart" their opponents because the booking is terrible and requires the referee to cooperate to the point that everyone assumes Knox is on the take (and may be if you count BTE but the actual television show doesn't say that). Let's play everyone's favorite game of "What was Rick Knox" looking at? This week Knox managed to be distracted by his concern for Karl Anderson for no good reason. Clearly AEW doesn't care that they suck at interference spots because they continue to do them. Not sure having the Elite Hunter losing his first match against the Elite is a good idea.

Dig the bolded matches.  Nice layout.  

EVPs r mentioned here as a big lump sum.  Sure, Cody's had some bad weeks.  But some might say the Bucks are consistently having the best matches on the show.  Omega's work requires a taste for his, and Don Callis', unique brand of comedy, but to those of us that it is - it's splendid!  Happily entertained by the high-end-TNT-esque segment with Jungle Jack.   

[Casey]

I feel like not enough people are talking about how vicious Brock Anderson's shoulder thrusts in the corner looked.

But that's the only thing I was impressed by, or liked, in that entire match.

[Wyld Samurai]

Aaron Solow looks like someone left Punisher Martinez in the dryer too long.

[Curt McGirt]

59 minutes ago, Goodear said:

Let's play everyone's favorite game of "What was Rick Knox" looking at?

As I said in the chat, "I'm just here to count the pinfall."

[Casey]

I'm still baffled as to why AEW brought in Mike Chioda for one match but didn't scoop him up immediately. Maybe they tried and he didn't want to, or he wanted too much money for a referee, or something. I like Rick Knox well enough, especially since I'm not sitting there analyzing everything, but if someone like Chioda is a free agent, you should probably go for it, even if it means letting another referee go. I know AEW seemingly hates to release people unless they absolutely have to, but still. He could probably pass on some knowledge to the other refs about ref work on national TV, since he has decades of experience.

I think you could get rid of Posey and/or Knox, or move them to another role backstage if possible, and bring in Chioda, and that'd be a great crew of refs (for my tastes): Chioda, Bryce, Aubrey and Turner. Would probably mean Paul Turner is downgraded from senior referee if they're basing it off experience, but so be it.

[John from Cincinnati]

I don't know. It's kind of them to throw Chioda a little bit of work, but should they be signing someone who's never really proven themselves outside of the WWE? Chioda should probably work in Japan or Mexico for a year or two to get some real experience outside the system.

Edited June 19, 2021 by John from Cincinnati

[Kev]

I thought the opener was fine as a novelty, like Hager getting the win in his environment. Generally liked the chaotic post-match, although the Sammy run-in, complete with theme song, was a bit off. I like the subtle teases of Wardlow as ‘actually a decent dude’ for when the inevitable face turn comes.

Handicap was good and, again, nice logical booking, although like everyone else I’m wondering what’s the next step here, I suppose that’s a good thing though.

OC vs. Bononi was fun. Perfect wrestling as variety show stuff. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but Statlander has added something to the Best Friends act, and they continue to be the most likeable thing in AEW for me.

I quite liked the goofy Kenny segment in the moment, but it feels misplaced for the heel world champ. See Miro for someone who can say goofy shit while still coming off totally legit as a character, but Kenny feels like he’s role-playing 80s comedy villain.

Hardy’s act just comes off very minor league to me, just not believable. Bunny is dreadful also. In theory, I like that they’re playing off their history with this little feud for Christian, but Hardy is someone I don’t think offers much anymore (at least on screen).

Thought Brock looked decent enough, that whole thing was fine, nothing  more to really say on it.

I hope the Andrade interview being solo signifies more of a loose association with Vickie (e.g. she doesn’t actually appear with him). Not keen on them teasing another surprise, just let the surprise be a surprise.

Hart is very green but thought that match was solid. It probably shouldn’t be significant but I appreciate the simplicity of them booking the more experienced wrestlers to have advantages over the rookies so there’s a clear hierarchy being built.

Nothing about this Nyla Brit setup is working for me. Transitioning Brit into a tweener role also feels increasingly like it could be a misstep. If your unlikeable heel is your most over face then you need better face characters.

If Penta isn’t going to be heel then they should really ditch Abrahantes.

With the new gimmick and him going for a grizzled vet, mercenary thing, Kazarian could do with dropping some of his more high-flying and convoluted stuff. He’s a weird one for me in that he always hits his ‘athletic spots’ perfectly well, but for some reason they never actually look good. I kind of feel the same way about Nick Jackson. Is it just me or is this a thing? I’d use something like ‘forced/false athleticism’ to describe it.

[Curt McGirt]

54 minutes ago, Kev said:

Kenny feels like he’s role-playing 80s comedy villain.

He was one step away from saying "there's gonna be two hits, I hit you and you hit the floor!"

[John from Cincinnati]

Why doesn’t he make like a tree and get out of here. 

[caley]

2 hours ago, Casey said:

I feel like not enough people are talking about how vicious Brock Anderson's shoulder thrusts in the corner looked.

[b]But that's the only thing I was impressed by, or liked, in that entire match.[/b]

You didn't like the transition into the DDT? I thought that was pretty swell, too.

--

Weird show in that I enjoyed it and it flew past but when I go back and think about it match-by-match, there weren't really any blow-away segments.

-Enjoyed the opener well enough. Not so much the post-match stuff. One of my least favourite wrestling tropes is 'heel puts face in submission hold, outside of a match, and face taps out to hold'.  What is that?! Like if you got jumped on the street and someone tried to strangle you, would you tap the ground expecting a fictional referee to show up and stop the choke?! Sammy seems to be really over right now, but I wonder how long that lasts if they separate him from Jericho. Also, Wardlow must be the dumbest man on the roster to bring out Perfect 10 as his back-up (I honestly have forgotten either his AEW or WWE name and don't feel like looking it up!).

-Best Friends-Wingmen was silly fun. It's going to be incredible listening to JR react to this stuff if it goes on and they turn the dial on the silliness up even higher.

-I liked Ford-Hart despite a couple rough patches. I think Ford is really close to being top female heel, just needs to tighten up a couple things (No, not like that...). But she comes across as "Super Bad" where Kip tries, but comes off as cosplaying "Super Bad".

-It occurred to me tonight that I'm really generally uninterested in any of the VPs storylines/angles. I like Jungle Boy well enough, but he seems wary on the mic and I don't think he's taking the title quite yet (Adam Page not talking about the title seemed to be a bit of a giveaway that they're going to have him have to get over his self-doubt so he can end Omega's reign). The Elite as the nWo has all the fun of run-ins and cheating without any of the excitment about guys jumping ship to join the group.

-Anderson looked all right but this whole thing was rushed so quickly from promo to debut that it made it weirdly anticlimactic. Like, shouldn't he have had his own entrance and music, with them hyping his debut all week?! Instead of coming out with Cody?

-Is there any reason why FTR and P&P aren't feuding over the titles? It would make way more sense that one was targeting the other with belts involved than some pseudo-respect angle ("We want your best so we can say we beat the best"). The Bucks aren't doing much with them...they'd fit much better in this angle.