It’s AEW Dynamite! You know what that means…
That’s right, it’s the post-Double or Nothing episode of Friday Night Dynamite, so that means fresh feu—what’s that? They’re continuing most of the feuds from Double or Nothing? Especially the ones that shouldn’t be continuing?
Well… that’s… just… PEACHY.
On paper, it’s not the worst thing in the world to have some of these feuds continue. Some of the Double or Nothing matches did lend themselves towards more development, but most didn't. I don’t know why AEW is stretching out some of these feuds, though a part of me thinks it’s due to the Friday night schedule and not wanting to churn out their best content on a dead time slot. While I’m not a fan of all these feuds getting an additional chapter, it wasn’t all bad.
Eddie Kingston, for example, should totally continue hating The Young Bucks after Double or Nothing. This wasn’t just a case where the better team won, and both parties should move on; The Bucks concussed Jon Moxley (in kayfabe) and tried to end his career. Eddie should be livid over what happened and should be trying to get revenge on these two fuckers for trying to kill his friend.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." - @MadKing1981 to @BASTARDPAC and @PENTAELZEROM pic.twitter.com/ppy1TaxUO1
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 6, 2021
Another great part about this feud continuing is Eddie needing the help of Death Triangle. PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo have every right to hate Eddie Kingston for his previous actions as a heel, so seeing them team up next week should be an absolute treat.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I also don’t mind Orange Cassidy still wanting an AEW World Championship title match with Kenny Omega. Mr. Freshly Squeezed had a visual pinfall over Kenny until Don Callis interfered, so he should be angry, though I hope he’s booked to win a few matches to earn the title shot. The last thing we need is an entitled babyface who just whines and complains till they get what they want.
"Hey @TheDonCallis why are you here? You're a useless con man." - @trentylocks
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 5, 2021
Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/1cXj6cAFJ3
Dynamite also convinced me not to completely hate Sting and Darby Allin continuing their feud with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky, which is saying a lot because this feud should not have continued. I loved their Double or Nothing match and thought it was a perfect ending to this drawn-out rivalry. Their match was so good that it made me forgive some of the clunky booking decisions that got us to the pay-per-view, and seeing it continue has made me accept those storylines.
With all that being said, I do like how The Men of The Year are trying to drive a wedge between the face paint-obsessed vigilantes. Sting and Darby have been together for a while now, so planting those seeds for their inevitable feud is actually appreciated. This feud shouldn't continue, and I'd rather work on some tag wins for Page and Sky, but what can you do?
Before I get negative about one feud that should absolutely not continue, let’s talk about Andrade El Idolo. This was far from a perfect debut for the former NXT Champion but what we got was still pretty entertaining. Having Andrade work with Vickie Guerrero as his manager is a smart move since it ensures that he'll be getting plenty of heat, as this episode of Dynamite showed. They should be one hell of an act.
But wow, who the hell wanted to see The Inner Circle continue their feud with The Pinnacle? WHO? I’ll give them credit for cutting some killer promos, but this feud should have ended at Double or Nothing with The Pinnacle winning and The Inner Circle breaking up. We didn’t get that, obviously, but I was at least hoping we could move on and have these groups work on new programs.
Sadly, we’re stretching Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle out because each member hasn’t had their individual feuds finish yet. I get that we might need proper conclusions to FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz or Chris Jericho vs. MJF, but why do we need to see Chris Jericho fight MJF again? No offense to Le Champion, but can't you at least sell your injuries at home and make us miss you first? Ugh.
Gonna lay it out there, Cody’s Nightmare Family should be feuding with The Pinnacle. Cody wanted to call out MJF before getting interrupted by Jade Cargill a few months ago, so can't we move on from the American propaganda and focus on that?
Final Grade: Sad that most of the feuds from Double or Nothing are continuing, but there was some good stuff here. C+
Bullet Point Party
- The Young Bucks defeated PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo: I hate that the heel Young Bucks are really growing on me. Their selling, showmanship, and wrestling are among the best you’ll see in this business today. Pains me to say this given my previous annoyance with their characters, but staying heel has done wonders for them. PAC and Penta weren’t slouches either and are incredible wrestlers in their own right, but The Bucks really feel like superstars.
- QT Marshall and Anthony Ogogo beat Cody Rhodes and Lee Johnson: Was really hoping this feud wouldn’t continue. Ogogo has the fundamentals to be a good wrestler, but he’s green and shouldn’t be put in a position like this yet. I don’t know if he can take another loss from Cody and before you all say, “Why doesn’t Ogogo beat Cody?” I don’t think he's ready. The match itself was fine, and Lee Johnson looked really impressive.
- Dustin Rhodes beat Nick Comoroto in a Bullrope Match: Some Nightmare Family drama I was actually a fan of. Not a pretty match, by any means, but that’s not what these Bullrope Matches are supposed to be. We got a long and bloody brawl with “The Natural” carrying The Factory’s monster to a worthy main event.
- Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. celebrated her AEW Women's World Championship win with burgers, Nyla Rose has no time for this: Fun heel segment here, and I really dug Nyla Rose’s facial expressions before she decided to disrupt the party. I’m all for a Nyla Rose face turn because she is a hoot on Twitter and could easily bring that charisma to Dynamite.
- Red Velvet beat The Bunny: A solid match here with two women who could be real players in this division. Red Velvet gets better every time I see her, and The Bunny’s offense looked really crisp in this match. Bunny also had good facial expressions throughout, and that could help her character in the long run.
- Christian Cage and Jungle Boy beat Private Party, Matt Hardy attacks Cage after the match: Decent match here, and I’m a bit interested in this veteran feud they’re teasing. Matt’s no spring chicken, but I’m sure Christian can get a good match out of him.
*****
Nico Parungo is a freelance contributor for Geeky PH and previously wrote for Epicstream. He provides weekly recaps of AEW Dynamite for Smark Henry and has contributed several reviews for PWR and MWF shows. When he isn't frustrated about the WWE, he's playing video games at home and is bugging his friends with glorious puns. He's new to the world of Twitter drama but is quickly getting hooked.
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