“We’re back!”
“It’s got that feeling again!”
“We’re SO back!”
“It’s the AEW we remember!”
I can’t help but wonder if these phrases would have been used during the WCW Nitro Era. Did WCW or even the WWF Attitude Era have its ups and downs? Absolutely. Without question. However both companies never failed to deliver television to be talked about until the next episode. AEW, in my opinion, seems to be in their own era of rekindling their era as well. The Spring Breakthru episode of Dynamite most certainly gave me all the feelings I experienced in my teenage years, the ECW Prime, the WCW Nitro and WWF Attitude Era RAW style of providing wrestling and eye-catching value.
Let’s add in a formula in which I believe even the most scrutinous on the internet will have to agree with. The formula of smaller venues (ECW prime era) with matches, regardless of mid-card or main event level, will garner great crowd reactions and emotional investment. Then, the pay-per-views will take place in the larger arenas to pull in more fans live. This is the right formula. Each week, Dynamite and Collision will have the appearance and the hype fans want to continue to invest in.
Tony Khan, sir. If by some miracle you are reading this, stick to this formula. please.
Dynamite kicks off with what will most certainly be a main event in the near future. Multi-championship holder Mercedes Mone defeated ROH Women’s Champion Athena in what I believe to be a preview of more to come. Fantastic opener With two women who are undeniably the best in the wrestling business today. I had hoped that Athena would have come out the victor which would have also segued to a potential title match in their near future, however even in defeat this could also lead to an upcoming title defense as well. I do NOT want Mercedes winning the ROH Women’s Championship though. We need Athena to continue as our “Forever Champion.” Mercedes does not need another championship belt over her shoulder, we get it. She’s a star, she’s a champion, but dethroning Athena will be a decision many will despise.
“Hangman” Adam Page defeated “The Walking Weapon” Josh Alexander
Let the surprises continue! This is something all elite wrestling does extremely well. when it comes to surprises and mystery opponents, they never cease to deliver. Despite losing, Alexander looked like a million bucks. This is something, again, AEW does impressively well. Despite someone losing in their debut match they come out of it looking like a star, because of their presentation and follow-up. With the perception of Alexander aligning with the Don Callis Family, he immediately becomes a main attraction alongside the likes of Kyle fletcher.
This was not a “who is this guy?” moment, as the live crowd immediately erupted when his name flashed across the big screen. “The Walking Weapon” looked dangerous, menacing, and a credible threat throughout the entire match.
Backstage a meeting between the Young Bucks, Okada and Hangman didn’t seem to go as well as The Elite had hoped. It seems Hangman has returned to babyface mode, however maintaining his violent and vindictive streak.
A wrestling and promo segment featuring The Hurt Syndicate, the Gates of Agony, and MJF truly felt like something ripped from the attitude era. It was a pretty good match, however I thought the gates of Agony should have been presented as more of a menacing threat. However, The Syndicate continues to be portrayed as undefeatable. Enter MJF, who makes yet another appeal to join the faction. This time he brings out enough women to make the Godfather jealous in order to sway voting in his favor. While still unsuccessful it seems that MJF is softening their hardened hearts. Even backstage, MVP took a light-hearted approach to his charges in an effort to de-escalate any tension.
Still not sure where this is going to end up, but I very much enjoy the banter between MVP and MJF.
Also backstage, Nick Wayne seems to continue finding his stride with promos. This time, his words get him into a little bit of trouble with a lot of reward. Christian Cage, loitering, informs Wayne he pulled some strings and got him entered into the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tournament and will face Komander for the ROH TV Championship. He is then smacked right across the face. It’s pretty clear there will be a turn coming… But from WHO?
Will Ospreay defeated Konoske Takeshita in a bona-fide Match of the Year Candidate
I don’t throw around MOTY candidates like Meltzer is perceived to throw around his star ratings, But I give this match eleventy billion stars. Find it, watch it. so many close near falls, and the action only picked up the longer the match went. even the most die hard of critical online podcasters had to concede and admit their love for this match. I was dead tired coming back from Six Flags with my family earlier in the day and this match woke me right up. Takeshita is one of my top guys in AEW and watching him once again perform on this level was an absolute delight. I could equate this to the prime days of ECW, where super crazy and Tajiri would put on clinics in agility and stamina. This match, like the rest of the show, stood out so uniquely that it truly felt like a main event match. The crowd was loud and on fire with no stopping as long as our favorite wrestlers kept going. kudos to Referee Bryce Remsburg who also managed to keep those near Falls as suspenseful and intense as possible. Give that man a raise.
This was not about high risk moves, not about a fast-paced style which old school traditionalists still struggle to adapt to. This is about two extremely accomplished wrestlers who put on a tense and suspenseful wrestling match in which, regardless of winner, would receive a standing ovation. This is the stuff that gets talked about when we refer to Great pro wrestling matches. the complete unpredictability, feeling astonished and blown away with each kick out, counter and reversal.
The Opps (Samoa Joe, Katsyuori Shibata, and POWERHOUSE HOBBS!) defeated The Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castignoli, and Wheeler Yuta) to become the new AEW Trios Champions
POWERHOUSE HOBBS in an unexpected main event spot was absolutely the right call! The Hook on the shelf with an injury, you needed someone big to sub in, and they don’t get bigger than Hobbs.
This closing segment of the night, encapsulates what was great about the 90s run of ECW, WCW and the WWF. Fans could sense the match was nearing its end but had no idea what the result would be. Rampant appearances and interference. Marina Shafir got involved with the use of a chair. This brings out Willow Nightingale to run interference. Towards the closing moments The Young Bucks made their way out seemingly to assist the Death Riders. the fans began booing, and you had that disheartening sensation that evil would triumph once again. Just then, Swerve Strickland from out of nowhere stopped the corrupt EVPs from doing any damage. Shibata choked out Claudio on the floor. Hobbs mauls Yuta, leaving Joe and Mox in the ring, where Joe violently locks in the Coquina Clutch and forces Mox out cold.
BOOM! New Trios Champions, and the Death Riders have FINALLY suffered a significant loss. I would have to agree this does bear some similarity to when Lex Luger forced Hogan to tap, and reclaimed the WCW World Championship from the nWo. Was this intentional? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. What an amazing finish. The perfect amount of chaos without becoming too overbooked and hard to follow. It was well-paced with each bit of interference having a start and finish in time for the next one to play out. Joe presenting Hobbs with the Trios Championship Belt was awesome. Will Ospreay and other AEW wrestlers came out to celebrate (again, just like Luger defeating Hogan) a milestone moment.
This is the stuff which brings fans back for more. This was a big title change and a big, big turning point in the death rider story arc. It shows that cracks are forming and they are no longer invincible. This is what fans have been waiting for for months. It’s about time Mox and his crew were taken down a few pegs.
I know I’ve said before that a certain episode would be “one of the best Dynamites in a long time.” Well this might have been the best Dynamite in recent memory and on some level may have surpassed previously mentioned “best Dynamite in a long time.” fantastic show from top to bottom, with a great venue and a red hot crowd from start to finish. Each match brought something unique to the table, with the common thread of a 100% emotionally invested live audience.
If this is the stuff AEW can keep up with then they will certainly continue their run for years to come.
