“Tony! Tell ’em what’s up, tell ’em what’s up to throw to commercial…”
There is a lot going on in AEW, maybe too much (more on that in a minute), but it continues to provide both the 90s WCW and Crockett vibes that wrestling kind of just needs on a weekly basis (until someone shows otherwise).
This week had Daily’s Place in Jacksonville feeling like TBS studios in Georgia more than maybe ever, and that was before Cody Rhodes strutted out from the production area in a peacoat and sling looking around at nothing in particular with a smoldering intensity that caused him to look and feel more like his dad than maybe ever.
The Kenny Omega/Matt Sydal opener had a real Ric Flair/Ricky Morton energy, The Pinnacle’s 6-man had obvious Horsemen overtones (if not energy), and hey it’s STING!!
The World
They’re going to have to drag me kicking and screaming into watching AEW Dark or Dark: Elevation, and I say that as someone who generally supports the concept of both. I just have to continue consuming this world as the slightly disconnected but still in way too deep guy I am (until someone shows otherwise).
As WWE has found out in the last decade to a horrifying degree, with more shows (aka THINGS) you are able to position and introduce… more, but you are also inevitably diluting yourself and have to be careful about losing a focus.
Dynamite has remained impressively focused through the pandemic: I love the little bumpers every Wednesday reporting the supporting cast’s wins over jobbers; I grew to appreciate nearly everyone being part of a stable as a way to introduce more people.
But now it feels like Jungle Boy is doing a lot on some other show, and Cezar Bononi had two seconds for a 3-minute loss to Hangman Page — is this good or bad? I say ultimately good, but a preview of something possibly bad.
This is also a world that usually supports the idea of “nuance” and I appreciate that: the QT Marshall/Cody Rhodes segment more than anything was just a good old-fashioned wrestling setup angle, and it was made better by QT and Cody still playing friends despite a clear need to just fuck each other up at least once.
It is also still a world informed by last week’s unbelievable Britt Baker/Thunder Rosa main event: Baker’s follow-up had her come off more of a star than ever, and the sarcastic resentment in her voice thanking Mick Foley for praise was something that can only come from a real professional wrestler. The footage of Rosa’s post-match promo gave me goosebumps too and not bullshit wrestling goosebumps – real god damn life goosebumps. Not sure why you’d have Tay Conti ranked #1 in the middle of all this, but hey: things to work on.
The Wrestling
Wrestling matches are pretty cool when they feel like they matter, and if they don’t then hopefully they have something awesome in them. Everything this week was pretty cool.
Kenny Omega/Matt Sydal was the coolest, one part impressive showcase of two athletic freak wrestlers and one part a real Flair/Morton tribute: cocky top guy vs. babyface that just keeps on him with a pace that rarely slows.
Shawn Spears & FTR beat a few scrappy young fellas in 5 minutes and as a Pinnacle-building match it was fine but they need to be MEANER. The Young Bucks had a 6-man too and it may have had Brandon Cutler but it also had Rey Fenix, so, you know.
I liked the Darby Allin/John Silver main event for the TNT Title too, probably more because it was the Meat Man in a big match but they had a solid competitive contest that had no less than Sting and Matt Hardy involved.
The Entertainment
Don Callis is such an amazing schlub.
Johnny Hungie hyping (really hyping) himself up was phenomenal.
The Cody/QT exhibition match setup was well-done on all levels, and credit to both guys for treating it so serious it delivered. Poor Overworked QT’s wife’s reaction to him saying he’s never in bed with her was tremendous too.
Dax Harwood nearly lost me screaming and trying so hard to do that Arn Anderson promo but my goodness gracious he very briefly got to the promised land. More promos with The Pinnacle looking directly into the camera lens please.
Taz promo saying everything’s cool, Powerhouse Hobbs’ delivery of “I’m cool”, Ricky Starks’ fake delivery of “absolutely” – tremendous. Hangman Page squashing big tall Bononi – tremendous. Cody & Brandi TV show – either the official jumping off the shark or Rhodes hubris or completely and utterly tremendous.
Room for Improvement
- Kingston and Mox don’t feel so relevant post-Barbed Wire dud – still have to own it
- Kenny: don’t say “New York,” ya douche!
- Could’ve separated that Team Taz promo from that Pinnacle promo… anything but back-to-back, you know?
My Favorite Things
- The shot of The Pinnacle marching out of their locker room – good, serious stuff
- Wardlow wrecks Pillman Jr.
- That bump Sydal took when Kenny tossed him away from the Frankensteiner setup
