Performance Review – AEW Dynamite (6/3/20)

Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals

It still feels silly to have pro wrestling going on right now, but somehow AEW is delivering great TV. The characters are clicking, the angles are working, and the wrestling is getting better and better.

Areas of Excellence Within Performance

The boyz are nailing it, and the in-ring wrestling has been brought up because of it. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page have very quickly become a reliable tag team, and I know that because I just watched them have a really good match with Jimmy Havoc & Kip Sabian. Jimmy and Kip brought their own charm too – I loved Havoc casually using a wrench to get on offense, and Kip Sabian with a hook beyond “SUUUUUPER-BAD” looked very good.

They continued to pepper in little bits that make their world seem alive and gives them things to pick and choose from in the future – lots of Earlier Today, lots of pans to the wrestler-filled crowd. Like, there WILL be a Butcher & The Blade vs. Natural Nightmares match I care about in the future just because there’s was a 5-second shot of Bunny flirting with QT Marshall two weeks in a row.

The setups were abundant: Matt Hardy and Private Party formed HARDY PARTY, Orange Cassidy answered Chris Jericho‘s challenge to The Baddest Man on the Planet, and the AEW guys have got me positively hyped for Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage. We are blessed that Britt Baker is in our lives, while FTR had an expected but effective follow-up to their debut when they sat down with JR.

This was a show that got something great in 2020 out of Tully Blanchard, Taz, and Colt Cabana.

Tully Blanchard ripped an old school promo, Taz as Brian Cage‘s asshole manager is the best Taz ever, and Colt Cabana had an absolutely FINE match with Chris Jericho that might have happened a decade too late but I’m glad there’s a place that gave it focus and time.

Also, The Butcher & The Blade now wear white – THAT’S THE MOVE!!

Suggested Areas of Improvement

Stuff that didn’t completely hit at least set something else up.

Except Cody. The TNT Title match with Jungle Boy felt a little gratuitous. He doesn’t have to do Tully Blanchard TV Title matches, but he’s going far beyond even John Cena U.S. Title matches. There was some great stuff here – wasn’t quite Flair/Sting, but a quality match – if there wasn’t so MUCH: strength spots, blood, a table bump, emotional “I’m so sorry I love you” finish… it all went from fun to kind of ridiculous.

My Favorite Things

3. The Delivery of the Judas Effect to Colt Cabana
2. Jimmy Havoc Uses a Wrench
1. Orange Cassidy Confronts Chris Jericho

Official Star Rating

5 out of 5 Stars

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