Performance Review – AEW Dynamite #21 (2/26/20)

Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals

It might’ve taken until a few weeks before the show, but somebody kicked somebody’s ass into shape and I am officially hyped for the Revolution pay-per-view I already bought tickets to on Saturday Night.

Good wrestling on TV appears to be correlated with excitement for a wrestling pay-per-view. Story at 7.

The stories are streamlined, the nonsense has has been sent to Dark, and The Elite finally figured out what they wanted to do. Jericho vs. Moxley isn’t hot but crowds singing to Judas and Moxley vs. The Inner Circle is.

I’m not going to start replying to every Tweet questioning the greatness of A Young Buck, but this is fun.

Areas of Excellence Within Performance

Kenny Omega vs. PAC in a thirty-minute Iron Man Match started the show and was the embodiment of excellence, the second best match in AEW history behind Cody/Dustin. I wasn’t into the previous Omega/PAC matches, but this was the one where they showed that yes they actually are the best at wrestling.

They basically put on a great 15-minute match, going home with near falls and everything, to setup PAC getting DQ’d for using a chair then immediately getting a fall. The crowd ate that first 15 and the last 15 up, with a couple guys in the front row in particular just LOSING IT seeing these guys go off. The last 15 took full advantage of the first, as considering they already had a full match they tacked on more spectacular stuff than usual. None of it felt ridiculous, it just felt like the next natural insane step in this wrestling match.

Kenny caught a PAC backflip that PAC turned into a tornado DDT, PAC countered a top rope One-Winged Angel attempt with a sunset flip powerbomb, and PAC did a Shooting Star Pres through a table. Seriously. They even threw some good old-fashioned body part psychology when PAC dropped Omega with two vicious DDT’s on his neck to setup the Rings of Saturn that Omega struggled in until time ran out. PAC’s sell of Kenny’s Kamigoye and Omega’s sell of those DDT’s is something to watch over and over for how to sell like an All Japan in 2020 but not over-do it. So so good. ****1/2

PAC and Orange Cassidy was a great bit – more than anything, this match getting setup sold me on Revolution. I’m not even saying that as a bad thing.

Big Swole vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Shanna vs. Yuka Sakazaki was a good time, a 4-Way Dance with everybody getting their shit in seems a lot better right now than a cold 12-minute singles match.

Mixed about putting the JR interview with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page here. Passionate Matt Jackson was a little try hard, but alcoholic-in-denial Adam Page and Kenny Omega’s “wtf am I doing, I used to wrestle Okada” face at the end are the very definition of excellent.

Suggested Areas of Improvement

Some of the wrestling matches still aren’t very good. Sammy Guevera, Santana & Ortiz vs. The Jurassic Express and The Best Friends vs. The Butcher & The Blade both just kind of happened but I do appreciate that AEW is sticking with their crew – everybody might not be over, but a lot are getting a chance to be.

Gary Michael Cappetta cameo aside, the weigh-in for Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley was a little useless. Should’ve stuck to a video package like Cody and MJF.

Top Plays of the Week

3. The Inner Circle on Offense: The match wasn’t my favorite, but Sammy’s squat reps during the fireman’s carry and Santana’s high-angle cannonball in the corner were awesome.
2. Chuckie T on Orange Cassidy: “Jokes on you, buddy, because this time… he’s gonna TRY!”
1. Kenny Omega vs. PAC Iron Man Match: Just in general.

Bloomberg 2020 Presents, The Overkill Ad of the Week

3-1. The Missing: The two hours this week was used well, but where are Private Party? Where is Sonny Kiss? Why do The Lucha Bros seem like they’re on a pay-per-appearance deal?

Performance Improvement Plan (Kind Of)

3. Address the missing. AEW Dark is where the nonsense is going, but anyone who might be above that nonsense should probably avoid being dragged down by that nonsense into a weird Dynamite/non-Dynamite caste system.
2. Strap up Mox. He’s the best you’ve got and every day Jericho remains champ the rest of the roster looks like a loser.
1. I’ve got no other advice. Really – you seem to be figuring this out.

Official Star Rating

4 out of 5 Stars

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