Performance Review – AEW Dynamite (7/15/20)

Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals

Fight for the Fallen had more bad than good, but the good was awesome.

Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage for the AEW World Title was in the middle. I didn’t love it or hate it, though it smoked the Jake Hager match. Cage threw his nice suplexes and Mox kept going at the arm to setup the goofy finish of Taz throwing in the towel. Moxley hasn’t had many standout matches in AEW but he’s a clear top guy, even if AEW keeps throwing these monsters at him to setup questionable matches.

Areas of Excellence Within Performance

All Elite Wrestling found a balance with The Elite, finally. The Young Bucks are almost in the background while Kenny Omega is either going through some excellent long-term character development OR a completely haphazard set of ideas. I disagree with the sentiment he’s hurt as a main eventer; I think he needed a reset before he was ever actually taken seriously as one.

The team with Adam Page has moved him away from Big Match Kenny, while on his first show without Page he got beer poured on him by FTR and didn’t fight back then punched little Marko Stunt later. Something is brewing and me, little old viewer, still has faith it pays off. If it doesn’t, I’ll let you know.

The 6-man match itself with Kenny and the Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express was awesome, a match that completely leaned into being A Lot of Crazy Shit. Jungle Boy‘s double-spring armdrag on Nick set the tone and it didn’t slow down, a wonderful spotfest that also included Marko almost getting a pin on Kenny.

Taz, Britt Baker – keepers.

FTR vs. Lucha Bros didn’t really “click” without defined enough roles, even if it was more interesting than most of The Revival’s output in the last couple years. It was Good Back-and-Forth Competitive Wrestling and there’s bad and good in that. Dax’s mask rip finish was tremendous, at least.

Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage is the play, Darby vs. Jon Moxley is the future. Great stand-off to close the show.

Suggested Areas of Improvement

Including the Moxley/Cage towel finish, there was a lot of capital b Booking here that got in the way of not just the wrestling matches but just telling a straightforward story. There’s too much stuff floating around that got booked without a finish in mind or chose a finish that was just bad.

Cody vs. Sonny Kiss for the TNT Title could’ve shaved time, The Lucha Bros vs. FTR had to establish two acts not one and established none, and I’m all for extending the Jericho/Orange feud but not with the wrestling trope where a babyface rigs it so shit gets poured on the heel from the ceiling. Even if it was orange juice, this is the same old Vince poop angle. Seems like a lot of effort for Orange to go to also, no?

Cody and Sonny Kiss did all the things and Sonny is an endearing TV presence, but doing all the things is going to probably hurt Cody’s future TNT Title matches. There’s giving everybody credibility then going on TV and yelling at the viewer, “See! I’m giving everybody credibility!”

Between the TV return of Brandi Rhodes, Vickie Guerrero brought in to manage Nyla Rose, and Hikaru Shida just straight-up taking to TV to ask for challengers – I remain uncertain about this women’s division.

My Favorite Things

3. That deadlift by Cash Wheeler on Fenix
2. Taz’ smooth save on Excalibur’s flub saying the FTW Title was on the line
1. That Jungle Boy Armdrag thing

Official Star Rating

2.75 out of 5 Stars

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