Performance Review – AEW Dynamite (8/27/20)

Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals

This Thursday edition of Dynamite felt like an off week for AEW, and it caused me great discomfort when I had to recommend SmackDown to a friend that only had time to watch one or the other.

The wrestling wasn’t much and it seems like they’re just waiting for All Out to get things moving. Hangman Page did get kicked out of The Elite, but even that felt too low key – like when WWE had Sasha and Bayley fight for the first time backstage.

Regardless, Orange Cassidy (who I just found out is 36-years-old which downright startled me) attacking Chris Jericho ended up feeling like the right payoff for even an off week show.

Areas of Excellence Within Performance

One of the best parts about AEW is I am pretty sure Tony Khan or at least somebody knows The Young Bucks aren’t TV stars. Maybe it’s the Bucks themselves. The viewer knows they are important, they hit their spots in matches once in a while, but otherwise they’re occasionally featured YouTube stars – it’s an approach way more inspired than I ever imagined.

Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone as a commentary team – Vince McMahon, you stupid idiot.

I thought the Brian Cage/Lance Archer showdown was awesome. Love it when two monsters run into each other on the same path, like when Yatsu and Kabuki collided in World Class.

Ricky Starks took to TV like it was no big deal – rock star performances and development every week since he signed.

I don’t know about a Butcher or a Lucha Bro but I loved that wacky 4-man team they wrestled (Janela, Kiss, Garrison and Pillman Jr) and I loved Eddie Kingston dropping a Mission Statement. Like Hogan Must Pose, Kingston Must Speak.

Mr. Brodie Lee seems to have found his voice and I very much like it. Scorpio Sky got setup as kind of a big deal with that save too.

Suggested Areas of Improvement

If you’re going to do a Gauntlet Match centered around your Very Good Tag Team Division, it should definitely be made up of more than four “OK” tag team matches.

Did they do a contract signing video for Hikaru Shida/Thunder Rosa followed by another contract signing in the ring for Jon Moxley/MJF?? Folks, the contract signing is played. Even bringing up that the contract signing is played on live TV is played. The promos were fine but it really slowed down the middle of the show.

People in the crowd at low capacity really added nothing to the show beyond their own personal experience. It all still feels kind of stupid right now.

Don’t mention the Handicap Match again.

My Favorite Things

3. The Butcher and Fenix Embrace
2. John Silver Passionately Congratulates Brodie Lee then gets Punched
1. Hangman Page Stares into a Broken Mirror

Official Star Rating

2.5 out of 5 Stars

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