Performance Review – AEW Dynamite #2 (10/9/19)

The Headlines

Let’s get right to it. AEW neither knocked it out of the park nor shit the bed for their second week of TV. I liked the show this week, and felt a lot more positive coming out of it after last week. The Young Bucks vs. Private Party match opening up the show helped, as did MJF and Darby Allin getting some love plus Chris Jericho’s weirdo stable being established.

Dum Dum’s Dandiest

3. Darby Allin: This kid’s got “it” more than anybody new I’m being introduced to through this company outside of MJF. I love the way he wrestles and I love the promotion he got this week.
2. Chris Jericho: Speaking of “it” – Chris Jericho finally showed this week why he’s so important to AEW. Great, free-wheeling promo that got over everybody who stood by him.
1. Private Party: A standout performance and victory against The Young Bucks is exactly what you want to do the first time you wrestle on TNT.

Novartis Presents, The Dumbest Dunces of the Week
3. Chris Jericho is a Bit Much: As much as his promo ruled, going all in on on him with a group of goons right away might be moving a little too fast. It’s necessary, but feels forced, and all the “shoot” and “creative” mentions will probably play well with the base but had me rolling my eyes. I guess it’s not about me. Boo.
2. Britt Baker/Bea Priestley Feud: I appreciate them trying to do something, but this women’s division isn’t clicking quite yet and Britt and Bea going at each other isn’t either.
3. Jon Moxley vs. Shawn Spears: AEW’s got a hot property in Jon Moxley and they’ve also done a decent job of making Shawn Spears interesting but this didn’t work for me, baby. Too long to get whatever point they wanted to get across, and God bless Tully Blanchard but he was looking more like a worried frail man out there than the bitter, condescending JJ Dillon I want him to be. Also, can we get a Mox promo on TV already!? JESUS.

Thing of the Week: The Inner Circle

Hot Take: AEW Dark is a bummer of a YouTube show, but it was my choice to watch it.

10 Questions
10. WHERE IS AJA KONG?
9. WHERE IS AWESOME KONG?
8. Is there anything The Young Bucks think they could do better?
7. Is Sammy Guevera ready for this?
6. Does ANYBODY regret naming the pay-per-view Full Gear?
5. Does Kenny Omega even care?
4. How cool is it how present Dustin Rhodes is at the onset of this?
3. Does Jon Moxley’s new gear work as well in the U.S. as it does in Japan?
2. HOW OVER IS JON MOXLEY?
1. Even though the angle was cool, wasn’t it kind of stupid for MJF to even pause for one second and think about NOT helping Cody?

The Wrestling

IS IT BAD OR IS IT GOOD?

That was my general thought after this. I enjoyed probably half of it, was bored by the other half, and overall I’m conflicted on what kind of contribution this makes to the wrestling business outside of being a viable wrestling company that’s paying their wrestlers money. Oh.

The Young Bucks vs. Private Party was a brilliant way to kick things off and the real story is that Private Party beat The Young Bucks, knocking them out of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament. Mar Quen and Isiah Kassidy have been a shining bright spot on all the shows leading up to TV and one day all of us will know their names by heart. Until then, the name Private Party brings the good vibes. They’re Special Young Talents and this match showed off those talents, while the Bucks made it look easy whether taking or giving.

Young Bucks matches can get repetitive, so it was neat seeing them play the vet role too. I dug the Superkick Party rally by the Bucks to respond to Private Party just going OFF with dives, like they were so overwhelmed by what they used to do so well that they just had to superkick a bitch. Excellent hot tag cut-off by Nick towards the end too, and everybody did a great job making the Private Party loss look inevitable before it wasn’t. Post-match crowd celebration was awesome.

Chris Jericho in a suit surrounded by the weirdest-ass posse was a THING, man. I’m conflicted on them going all in on this collection of dudes as the lead heels, like the most hastily put together Dangerous Alliance possible, but for this first promo Jericho made it work. “He looks like a Spanish God, look at how sexy he is… and he is on my list” – OK then, now I give a shit about Sammy Guevera. NEXT. Santana and Ortiz are PSYCHOS and you’re gonna say “Viva la Raza” as if you chose them as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero? OK then, now I give a shit about Santana and Ortiz. NEXT.

And oh my God he even made Jake Hager interesting. The “OK hold on” ad lib during the booming “WE THE PEOPLE” chant was amazing, and then he just went full tilt: “We the People sucks and is dead and buried … it was a stupid idea from bad creative and that’s GONE.” BAD OR GOOD? I DON’T KNOWWW

I do know that I just don’t like watching Jimmy Havoc wrestle like he’s any other wrestler, even if it was opposite Darby Allin in an AEW World Title #1 Contender’s Match that I very much enjoyed. Havoc dished out some OK meanie offense on the heat segment, but this was all about Darby Allin – the comparison Sabu is to easy to make, but I’ve got to make it. He’s a wrestler who even with all the crazy stuff wrestlers do these days you just can’t take your eyes off of – every movement and choice has something different about it. Then he bit Havoc’s hand and hit a Coffin Drop for 3. Nice.

Riho & Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Bea Priestley & Emi Sakura was… fine. Like anything in wrestling, all these gals need some character definition before it starts to matter. Riho’s got it – the rest I’m waiting on. Bea and Britt going at it isn’t enough.

Even as a fan of his I was shocked at Jon Moxley‘s monster pop – this man is a GOD in All Elite Wrestling, the one who SHUNNED the riches of WrestleMania for the… riches of All In or whatever. His match with Shawn Spears wasn’t much though – Mox hasn’t said a word on this TV show yet and here he is in his G1 Climax biker shorts meandering around with Tye Dillinger for a bit too long. Tully Blanchard‘s shtick didn’t quite work for me either, and I will call myself out as one of the all-time fans of Tully Blanchard. This wasn’t a failure, but a miss.

Post-match Kenny Omega showed up to stare deeply into Moxley’s eyes, but carrying a barbed wire broom and bat – one of which he offered to Mox. Then PAC, who was on commentary this WHOLE TIME, attacked Omega from behind. I liked it and I am far more into Kenny challenging Moxley to find his roots than both guys brawling their way to a PPV match.

Dustin Rhodes & Hangman Page vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevera was some wrestling moves to lead to an all-over-the-place awesome end to the show, but it was some serious wrestling moves – I feel like Dustin dared Page to put his fucking working boots on and the Hangman did it. The Judas Effect downed another man, this one Dustin Rhodes, leading to a beatdown of The Inner Circle on Dustin and Page before the LIGHTS WENT OUT and… Cody appeared for the save? I love a beatdown and a lights out deal but why did they go out for freakin’ Cody? C’mon.

This led to Cody getting beat up too, prompting MJF to run out with a chair and think about shacking up with Jericho before he went after the bad guys. Then he got beat up by them too and The Young Bucks ran out to run them off, and THEN Darby Allin skateboarded down the ramp and went after Jericho.

That was a good ending to a wrestling show.