Overall Evaluation and Achieved Goals
On the same evening of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ swearing in – at the same time all the major networks were airing the close of the inauguration called Celebrating America – there were four hours of brand new professional wrestling on television.
Which did I choose to watch live?
Well.
It’s been a long few years.
Areas of Excellence Within Performance
It’s just like All Elite Wrestling. The Elite and friends did what they could as mere employees, but their choices have more weight now because they’re actually here on TV making them: the choice to give Taz a group of tough guys and a microphone, to celebrate a birthday with a wrestling angle, to spread love so far throughout the wrestling industry that Impact Wrestling ends up relevant again.
After two weeks of New Year’s Smashes, AEW was due for a little slowdown but still managed some decent story movement. I am simply human, and I dig story movement.
The big story was Don Callis pitting Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks against each other and getting a black eye from the Bucks (maybe?) for it. The Jackal killed his bit, though this week’s show alone had plenty of things more cohesive than the saga Kenny and the Bucks have been shooting for since AEW began.
Hangman Page denying the Dark Order’s proposal was a good bit, the Private Party heel turn was a nice surprise, and poor Charles (!) Taylor wore butler materials and got razzed by Miro and that dork Kip Sabian.
Jade Cargill and Taz interrupting things (a Cody Rhodes/Pete Avalon match and Darby Allin/Sting bonding session, respectively) didn’t say anything that hasn’t been said a few times already, but Jade and Taz both make sure they do a LOT more than just get the point across.
Loved everything about the quick Jon Moxley/Nick Comoroto match, especially the finish where Moxley realized he was taking too long and decided to just choke this Hercules Hernandez-looking beast man out. Comoroto’s a keeper on look alone.
The 6-man pitting a young team of high-flyers and a “Matt” against each other – Matt Hardy/Private Party vs. Matt Sydal/Top Flight – was kind of a blast, at least as far as late night “well this is interesting” kind of wrestling. It had the foretold buncha fun dives, got a little messy sometimes, and I genuinely enjoy hearing AEW commentary get lost on banter journeys usually launched by Jim Ross saying some well-meaning weird thing.
Penelope Ford is good.
Suggested Areas of Improvement
Can we not refer to The Dark Order as “internet sensations?”
The high level of the Elite/Bullet Club/Impact story is great, but too much of it has this WWE vibe of like: “Hey, guys – we’re telling a story now! THIS IS A STORY.” And meanwhile actual wrestling stories are casually being done successfully all over Dynamite.
This week leaned too much towards “THIS IS A STORY” in other spots too, especially for the finishes of the 6-man (Private Party heel turn) and Penelope Ford/“Legit” Leyla Hirsch (Kip Sabian interference) matches. Peter Avalon tapping out to Cody’s figure-four instead of getting hit in the face was cute, but on the same show as all this other stuff it kind of seemed too cute.
The life and times of The Inner Circle continues to be awesome week-to-week, but even the best story can’t carry a Triple Threat Tag Team Match, which is famously one of the stupidest matches. It’s especially lame when everyone tries to play it straight and do their usual wrestling exchanges instead of just fighting. It got somewhere near the end, even if Jericho kept falling down.
As intriguing and exciting as it may be to see on TNT, someone is going to regret re-introducing the Bullet Club name.
My Favorite Things
2. Jake Hager’s boot to Chris Jericho
1. “When Tony Schiavone digs it – its dug, buddy!”
