AEW Dynamite is owned by All Elite Wrestling, Shahid Khan, and TNT
We’re back with another week of AEW action, and with the Tag Team Tournament coming to a close as well as the ever closer PPV on the horizon, they’ve got more than enough momentum to put on a dazzling display of wrestling glory! Will they continue to capitalize on their runaway successes, or will this be the week that everything starts to derail? Let’s find out!!
The episode begins with SO much stuff before we even get to the opening credits! Essentially they’re trying to build up the PPV Full Gear which will be on 11/9 with a couple of scripted promos, which is basically the opposite of last week which started out with a match that didn’t even get proper ring entrances, and I personally really liked this approach. I’m all about the storylines when it comes to wrestling and while this might not be THE MOST AMAZING PROMOS OF ALL TIME, it’s just another example of AEW showing off that they are on top of EVERYTHING when it comes to the wrestling business. Last week they started us with amazing tag team action and now they’re giving us a reason to care about the upcoming show. So what exactly DID they show us? Well there’s a scene with Cody Rhodes and Tony Schiavone chatting at the airport about his upcoming match against Jericho at the PPV where he will try to strip the heel champion and leader of the Inner Circle of his title. Last week Jim Valley gave an interesting argument as to why Cody is the best wrestling at this period of time and I kind of see it. He comes off like a genuine superstar; one who’s larger than life but not quite a cartoon. He has a great balance of innate charisma and strong showman sensibilities that makes even the obviously staged action of this show come off as something much more real. After that we get reminded that Pac and Hangman have a match as well with a montage of their interactions. No new footage here, but it’s a solid enough package. The BIG promo though comes with Jon Moxley who we see go into a room and we hear a conversation between him and Tony Khan where we learn that the match between him and Kenny Omega has been changed to a Lights Out match; i.e. an unsanctioned match which means that the results will not go on either person’s record and Moxley is VERY upset about this. I think this is a good SETUP, but they definitely need to give Moxley and Omega more time to talk about it for it to really be something special.
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Sammy Guevara Vs. Hangman Adam Page
I liked this one right off the bat because it was telling a story other than the one about how awesomely two dudes can beat the crap out of each other. Adam Page is the frustrated face going up against the cocky heel that’s getting a too big for his britches since joining up with the other bad guys. They just let Adam Page go to TOWN on Sammy and it’s EXACTLY what the dude needs to be taken seriously at this point. The reason I initially had a problem with Jericho winning the title is that it made Adam Page (and to an extent the newer guys on the roster) seem lesser than the old school legend they were elevating to the top which is a trap many bad wrestling promotions can fall into. Since then Adam Page really hasn’t done much to impress me, but here it feels like they finally get it and are giving him a real chance to stake his claim. He fights clean but aggressively while Sammy can only get an edge in with underhanded tactics. It makes Adam Page look like an absolute BEAST (especially after two AMAZING spots where he lifts up Sammy like he’s a loaf of bread) but it also continues to show how smart Sammy is who has GREAT ring awareness on top of his already impressive athleticism. Hangman eventually wins with a buckshot lariat (that is SUCH a devastating looking move!) and he gives a brief promo where he acknowledges his slump but vows to show us what he’s REALLY made of at Full Gear! THAT’S how you sell a PPV, THAT’S how you tell a story in a match, and THAT’S how you turn a face into a superstar! I still think they mishandled Page a bit leading up to this moment, but this has turned me around quite a bit on the Hangman!
