Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals
Jake Hager challenging Cody‘s TNT Title bores me, but even without a raucous crowd chanting THE ELITE, THE THE ELITE – this kind of rules. Just stay away from AEW Dark.
Areas of Excellence Within Performance
Beyond the front row comprised of AEW wrestlers, I loved all the shots of guys scouting in the crowd – Jake, Archer, Tully, Arn. They just needed a few seconds on TV but now I buy that something is happening even if nothing is.
The finishes too! I miss creative finishes, where one thing leads to another leads to another leads to another. AEW is bringing that back – I KNOW Cabana and Sammy spent some TIME making sure all that hit.
Modern day moron Chris Jericho being a guest commentator who yells a lot added to the festivities, I thought.
The first FTR match against The Butcher & The Blade showed that those guys are still pretty good but I question if they stand out in a promotion where attention to detail seems to be a thing most guys do, not just them. Regardless – the match and post-match with The Young Bucks and Omega/Page setup some possibilities, let me tell you.
Also, the Goodnight Express is an EXCELLENT finisher name. The Shatter Machine never really felt ready for prime time.
As AEW continues to give Orange Cassidy the PUUUUUSH, I continue to be amazed at how well his shtick has worked in every single situation. This week he played Misawa in a 6-man tag, did a hot tag, won the match, and got beaten bloody. I know the bag of oranges were funny, I’m not sure they were needed, but all of this ruled.
Let’s talk abut MJF‘s wardrobe now that he’s got TNT money.
Let’s talk about Tony Schiavone‘s reaction to MJF calling himself “the ceiling” of AEW.
Let’s talk about how I’m hyped for a Billy Gunn match in 2020. WHAT’S HAPPENING?
I really liked Colt Cabana vs. Sammy Guevera, and thought it was Sammy’s best in-ring outing in AEW despite feature matches with Kenny Omega, Dustin Rhoees, and Matt Hardy. Colt Cabana has a bunch of fun TV spots and great timing, and it’s awesome to see him get a run like this.
The Jon Moxley/Taz showdown was some STUFF. I’m kind of fascinated by the balancing act of making it so Cage is the star over Taz. Taz talked some incredible shit here, but I think Cage still came off as the guy you want in the ring with Mox.
There was a bunch of stuff that wasn’t excellent but a fine addition: Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander vs. Nyla Rose & Penelope Ford was a fun tag, the Joey Janela video was well put together and finally gives both him and MIA Sonny Kiss something to do, and Cody vs. Marq Quen for the TNT Title didn’t quite hit but you’ve got to respect the WORK Cody is putting in to make wrestling seem like wrestling again. There SHOULD be wrestling TV that ends with a TV Title match where a star takes on a young fella still figuring it out. Bless.
Also, TONY FUCKING HAWK
Suggested Areas of Improvement
Love Colt Cabana, but why is Brodie Lee only targeting Colt Cabana? If this ends up a meta gimmick where Brodie is the only guy on the roster not acting with any logical intent, I might be in.
Marq Quen showed off some very cool moves, but his challenge for Cody‘s TNT Title wasn’t very good. Still more exciting than Cody vs. Jake Hager though.
My Favorite Things
2. Matt Hardy’s Michael Hayes Gear
1. Orange Cassidy’s Hot Tag
Official Star Rating
4 out of 5 Stars
