Performance Review – AEW Dynamite #16 (1/22/20)

Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals

You’re on a boat, baby, I think it’s time I stopped micro-managing you!

Areas of Excellence Within Performance

It goes without saying that the cruise setting was a winner, like some new stage unlocked in a fighting game.

Tony Schiavone in a Hawaiian shirt, wind blowing, air flowing, people hooting and hollering, and an intentionally lame heel promo by Dr. Britt Baker – this was a vibe.

Kip Sabian with beach towel and sunglasses making out with Penelope Ford to distract Joey Janela was outstanding.

Someone lit a fire under Hangman Page at the end of that Tag Titles match.

THIS ROSTER. OH MY GOD.

Suggested Areas of Improvement

The wrestling on Dynamite is pretty one-note and samey, so unless it stands out the And The Wrestling section has been thrown overboard. I can only say “solid but forgettable” so many different ways! Give me something between the reverse ranas and OOOOHHHH’s and I’ll be happy.

Based off a 4-month analysis, Marko Stunt with Jurassic Express seems mis-cast. A Boy and His Dinosaur was the thing, and it was adorable. Now the caveman and the dinosaur have a mascot. Why?

Top Plays of the Week (For Sports Reasons)

3. Ortiz. Just Ortiz.
2. Chris Jericho’s Entrance. The pop, the crowd singing along. This guy on his own themed cruise with his championship belt and own song blaring on the loudspeakers among seven other things would probably stand out as some freak narcissist stuff, but this is professional wrestling.
1. MJF’s 5-Minute Entrance. An Undertaker length of smugness.

Lowest Moments of the Week (Regrettably)

3. SoCal Uncensored: Look. It’s OK these dads are doing the same stuff as everyone else. It’s fine. Right? I don’t know.
2. Why was that guy eating an apple when they filmed Cody signing Jungle Boy? Hello? Anybody? WHY
1. MJF vs. Joey Janela: One of those quiet rising star vs. rising star matches that could either be a curiosity to look back on before one or both hit or a curiosity to look back on and go, “Oh – that’s why it didn’t work.”

Areas of Focus (And Other Confident Statements)

3. Drunk, Aloof Hangman Page is kind of good. I don’t trust you to pull it off but keep on going with whatever it is.
2. Videos! Videos! It’s not even that you’re doing what I asked for (and was admittedly the most “gimme” ask of any wrestling show these days), it’s that I find myself roped in by these way more than anything else. More would be good.
1. Sometimes I sense a re-conditioning. The hokey beats of Cody and MJF’s feud, Mox struggling to hit the Dirty Deeds on PAC for what felt like a minute before he actually hit it and won. It might be calculated. It might not be calculated. It also might not be calculated, but someone will say it is calculated later.

Official Star Rating

2.75 out of 5 Stars

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