In watching AEW Dynamite the past few weeks, there are a lot of things that they try to pack into a two-hour show. This is considering that AEW Dark has averaged 10-12 matches on it for the past couple of weeks. There are some connecting threads at play. You may have to take a step back after you watch to really make sense of it all. We are about a month away from All Out, thus it’s time to start building towards the major feuds that will occur. This show does that in some ways. There are some surprise appearances and intriguing matchups that are foreshadowed for the next couple of weeks as well.
A Warhorse and A Cardona Walk Into A Ring: A lot of wrestling fans on the internet have been wanting indie wrestler Warhorse to answer the call to Cody‘s TNT title open title. Last night, they got their wish. I like that they turned the tables here. Warhorse had Cody scouted much to the chagrin of ‘Coach’ Arn Anderson. While that was good, there were some of the points of the match that didn’t mesh. Chalk it up to both these men fighting for the first time. As Cody worked Warhorse’s leg and went for the submission, it did slow the match down quite a bit.
After the match, The Dark Order attacks Cody, and from out of nowhere, Matt Cardona (formerly known as Zack Ryder) shows up to make the save. It’s been known that both Matt and Cody are good friends and for the most part, this is a good pickup for AEW. They get a wrestler that has something to prove who also demonstrates a good promo/social media presence. That caters to the AEW fanbase. What my concern is that there have been many introductions in recent months — Brodie Lee, Lance Archer, and Brian Cage to name a few.
I know you have the TNT, Tag Team, and main championship, but it’s going to get to a point where the cupboard is going to be full. Hell, there was a ten-man tag to open up the show that had to fit all of the Inner Circle in. AEW is trying to find a way to utilize both Dark and Dynamite efficiently. You can pretty much factor that their rumored third show is going to be on hold due to the pandemic. I just hope that the introduction and presence Cardona doesn’t get lost in the mix in a few weeks’ time.
Also, what’s the endgame for Cody here? They have been teasing an eventual heel turn and it’s been fun to wonder who is going to step up in these open challenges. However, that novelty is eventually going to wear off, so, there has to be a point where AEW pivots to something more substantial.
The Dark Order Comes For Us All: Speaking of The Dark Order, there are so many stories that are intertwined within this orbit. Will Kenny Omega and Hangman Page be able to co-exist while Brodie Lee seeks retribution? What are FTR‘s plans as Hangman drifts closer to an alliance with them? Are they just seeking to drive a wedge between the tag team champs before dethroning them? How do the Young Bucks factor in all this and how long can they stand neutral? When you have a factor as large as The Dark Order, it has to make sense. They have to be a big presence throughout your show.
Brodie Lee targeting Hangman for a possible singles match is going to be an interesting wrinkle as it draws him further away from Omega. I don’t think you do the eventual split now – you do it at All Out. Omega and Page drop the titles and goes into their own singles feud. Then, you can set up FTR and The Young Bucks for the tag titles. Behind in all, The Dark Order could be waiting in the wings.
MJF’s Presidential Address?: A hotly contested election is on the way and one of the top heels in the company goes on a presidential campaign of sorts. MJF makes some good points. He’s undefeated in singles competition and a complete contrast to Jon Moxley‘s style. Or much of the styles’ that have been showcased on AEW Dynamite in recent weeks. He works much akin to an 80’s old school bad guy. I had a feeling that this would be the money feud going forward into the fall. Also, looking forward to the banter that MJF and Moxley have leading into their eventual clash at All Out.
Shida Prevails and a visit from a former Funkadactyl: Good on AEW to give Diamante her own vignette before the match with Hikaru Shida. It’s something that they are really good at and should continue using. The match itself was a little rough in spots, but it did the job overall. What I was not expecting was what happened after the match. The upcoming Women’s Tag Team tournament is going to have some surprise entrants. It almost has to with the amount of missing competitors that AEW has; whether it be due to travel or injury issues.
We found out who Nyla Rose‘s partner will be. Ariane (formerly known as Cameron) returns after a long time away from wresting and announces that she and Rose will be teaming up. (Nyla looks thrilled!) After such a long duration away from the ring, I hope AEW gets Ariane some work on Dark to get knock off some of the rust heading into the tournament.
Moxley Has A New Challenger:
It was refreshing to see Tazz on commentary this week because 1. He’s really good at it and adds to the show and 2. It let Ricky Starks talk. More of this, please. There’s a cool wrinkle that happened in this match. The brutal thumbtacks spot that happens towards the end is eluding to what MJF was talking about earlier. The types of matches that Moxley involves himself in are more brutal and hardcore in nature. It was good to see Darby Allin back in action after the rough spot he took last week. We got ourselves a title match between Allin and Moxley to look forward to. It will no doubt involve a lot of broken tables, tacks, skateboards, and whatever isn’t nailed down near the ring.
I don’t feel like there will be a definite finish there. Cage and Starks will get involved as their feuds with each of the men are not done.
