It’s AEW Dynamite! You know what that means.
Hope you guys liked that ITZY reference in the title more than I liked this week’s stick of Dynamite. Despite KENTA appearing and the forbidden NJPW door being open—well, as open as you can get in a world still affected by COVID-19—AEW’s Beach Break episode was really weak.
Maybe this is what happens when you plan a summer-themed show in February, Tony Khan.
Let’s get that forbidden door business out of the way because it was the most noteworthy thing to happen in this show and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t even a little bit cool. If you’ve been following KENTA on NJPW or Twitter, you’d know that the man with terrible hair has been chomping at the bit to get his hands on Jon Moxley. While their title match has already been advertised for NJPW Strong, the fact that he appeared in Beach Break and will be wrestling in next week's Dynamite is crazy awesome news.
We seriously live in a world where Impact Wrestling, NJPW, and NWA get to cross over thanks to a hot new company called AEW. The crossover potential that comes with all these companies working together is endless and fans have every right to go crazy with their fantasy bookings. Shawn Spears vs. Aaron Stevens when?
Also, the six-man prior to the forbidden door being opened was awesome. Rey Fenix was just bouncing everywhere and hitting everything that moved, showing us that he might just be the greatest luchador of the modern-day. Jon Moxley, PAC, Kenny Omega, and The Good Brothers also contributed to this being one hell of a match but Fenix was the star. Damn shame he was pinned but he didn’t look like a loser, at the very least.
So, what are the other good things about this show? Umm, I kind of liked the tag team battle royale since it showcased so much young talent and told a solid story about The Inner Circle’s problems, though Chris Jericho and MJF winning made me roll my eyes. Yes, MJF and Jericho vs. The Young Bucks is a money match but it felt a wee bit predictable.
Oh, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. beat Thunder Rosa in a genuinely good match and they were given a lot of time too. It started out a bit sloppy but got better as it went on. Can someone tell me how Baker got so good after her injury? This version of Britt is a much better worker than the dentist we saw in the early days of Dynamite. Thunder Rosa is awesome too and she did a lot to make this match a good one. I even dug the finish where Reba took the turnbuckle pad off since it knocked out Rosa so she wouldn’t have to tap to lose. Good stuff and I hope this feud continues because, let's be honest, this is the best women's rivalry in AEW's short history and it ain't even close.
The rest of this show though? Blargh.
Let’s start with that shit wedding, which was shit. Of all the wrestling weddings I’ve seen, this was probably the most boring. The wedding vows from Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford were unfunny, while the payoff from this segment was just an Orange Cassidy run-in and Ford barely falling on the cake. In terms of heels getting their comeuppance, this hardly qualifies as embarrassing.
Say what you will about the horrible Lashley/Lana wedding but at least stuff happened there. That wedding annoyed me but at least it wasn’t boring.
Speaking of Boring, that Sting/Darby Allin segment. I’m just so…done with this rivalry and we’ve got a few weeks left before Revolution. Taz and Ricky Starks were good on the mic but Sting’s delivery was weird this week. His delivery was just off, particularly the final line. Guess that’s the downside to live TV.
While not godawful, Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer in a lumberjack match was a weak payoff to their admittedly lame feud, but I liked Eddie throwing Lance to the heels to weaken him. Bear Country taking out Butcher and Blade should also lead to a nice Dynamite debut for this team, who have been getting over on AEW Dark. Archer won but that doesn't explain why he helped fend off The Good Brothers after the main event.
Final Grade: C- Beach Break? More like, Weak…Shakes? Shut up, this episode was lame.
Bullet-Point Party
- Hangman Page and Matt Hardy def. Chaos Project: A nothing match but Hangman was really good in it. Seriously, look at that snap suplex he does, de-li-cious. The match also makes sense since Chaos Project tried to ruin Brodie Jr’s birthday.
- Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet vs. Shaq and Jade Cargill won’t be happening in Revolution: The match will be done on the Dynamite before Revolution, which is a bit weird but will get eyes on the product, for better or worse.
- An AEW Eliminator Tournament for Hikaru Shida’s Women’s World Championship will take place this month: FUCKING AWESOME. The fact that this is happening in Japan and the USA saves the talent from having to do too many travels. Plus, we get to see some of AEW’s talent get elevated while also seeing why the Joshi scene is such a hit with hardcore wrestling fans. A complete win, but this was just an announcement and does not elevate this episode.
Images from AEW
*****
: Not Shy, Not Itami, KENTA!!!){kind=link}