3 Issues We Hated And three Issues We Beloved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s weekly evaluation of “AEW Dynamite,” the present the place MOX WAS HERE — for like two seconds on the finish of the episode, the place he and the Blackpool Fight Membership made most of AEW”s high younger babyfaces look very silly and managed the Herculean feat of beating up retired wrestler-turned-producer Chuck Taylor. Sure, you learn that proper — they took out Chuck Taylor. Be afraid.

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Look, apologies for the sarcasm, but it surely was fairly universally agreed by the WINC workers this was not an excellent episode of “Dynamite” this week. Nonetheless, we’re sticking to our ordinary format and saying some good issues earlier than stepping into the present’s broader points. Because of this, we’d cowl a good smaller out of complete happenings than we normally do … however that is not an issue for you, certainly, since you already know that you’ll be able to go take a look at our “Dynamite” outcomes web page if you’ll want to know any of the particular issues that occurred Wednesday evening. This column is about our opinions, be they optimistic or (largely) unfavorable. Listed below are three issues we hated and three issues we liked concerning the 10/23/24 episode of “AEW Dynamite!”

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This might very properly be some wishful considering, however even the potential for Ricochet to be within the Damage Syndicate — heck, even seeing MVP ship a enterprise card to Ricochet — is one thing I liked on a present I did not discover to be very love-worthy. I do know this won’t be to everybody’s style, with AEW probably placing collectively a secure of former WWE guys within the type of MVP, Shelton Benjamin, a (hopefully) soon-to-debut Bobby Lashley, after which probably, Ricochet, however I fairly prefer it. At this level, these guys do not feel like WWE guys to me anymore. MVP, Benjamin, and Ricochet have all flawlessly match into the AEW machine, and I am hopeful Lashley will as properly.

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This week, after we noticed MVP give Ricochet his card and praise his go well with after Ricochet challenged Worldwide Champion Konosuke Takeshita to a face-to-face on “AEW Rampage,” Ricochet had an odd look on his face. I could not inform if he was pondering it, or confused by it, or what, however the look did not scream “disgust” to me, in order that’s sufficient for me to be hopeful we may see Ricochet within the Damage Syndicate. Many followers, myself included, weren’t thrilled with the best way he was handled in WWE, together with his unbelievable expertise not often getting used accurately, and I believe getting in with MVP’s thrilling new secure is one thing Ricochet must not be misplaced within the shuffle like he was at WWE. If MVP is trying to create a well-rounded secure, he already has his massive guys in Benjamin and Lashley, with Benjamin’s collegiate capability and Lashley’s MMA background, and including Ricochet because the high-flyer could be fairly neat. MVP additionally does not appear to be completed giving out enterprise playing cards like invites, so AEW has the chance to incorporate different expertise to make the group extra than simply former WWE expertise. Max Caster definitely appeared .

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It could have simply been a small factor on Wednesday’s present, probably even only a passing factor to maintain the Damage Syndicate in everybody’s minds, however there was simply one thing I appreciated about it that I am unable to clarify. Possibly it was the look on Ricochet’s face I could not place, or the hope that this epic expertise will not get misplaced within the AEW shuffle of wonderful wrestlers, however this quick section was one thing that labored for me.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin gave the impression to be certainly one of WWE’s subsequent massive issues within the 2000s, however he stalled out someplace and ended up feeling like a shadow of himself for a lot of his WWE run, as in the event that they had been hoping to recapture the speedy, athletic glory of his 2000’s heyday. For that reason, his match towards Sammy Guevara felt like a revelation.

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Benjamin slowed himself manner down, profiting from the truth that exterior WWE, he’s a tremendously massive man. Benjamin wrestled like his former roommate Brock Lesnar, tossing Guevara round with suplexes and seeming to relish the dissection of the ROH World Tag Workforce Champion, somewhat than merely making an attempt to win. The match performed like a minor riff on Lesnar’s notorious 2014 match with John Cena, which noticed him manhandle Cena equally en path to profitable the WWE Championship.

The match was lengthy, Guevara hasn’t had any warmth since earlier than the pandemic, and due to this fact it wasn’t as dominant a exhibiting because the Lesnar comparisons may make it appear, however Benjamin nonetheless felt like a unique wrestler. Not is he making an attempt to recapture the springboards and swift strikes of his youth, as a substitute wrestling just like the seasoned killer that MVP is presenting him as. No matter The Damage Syndicate is, it can doubtless not be a rehash of their WWE days if Benjamin is already dedicated to being a unique wrestler. Who is aware of what the longer term holds for the group, however Benjamin’s evolution provides me hope.

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Written by Ross Berman

I am fairly certain I have been saying AEW ought to do extra squash matches on TV for precise years now (again within the day they solely occurred on “AEW Darkish”) and whereas I did not actually love something “Dynamite” needed to supply this week, I did love the mere existence of two matches on the present whose solely objective was to make their winners look bad-ass.

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The trios squash involving Home of Black was notably properly completed, with the three jobbers charging one after one other into the wooden chipper, and I appreciated it as a backdrop to Buddy Murphy difficult Adam Cole. The opposite squash was a daily tag crew match, and whereas I most likely would have given the spot to individuals apart from Brian Cage and Lance Archer, it was nonetheless good to see two massive dudes wreck store for 60 seconds on AEW programming.

I can’t emphasize strongly sufficient: Variation in match size, match model, and if you wish to put it in these phrases, match high quality, is important to the operation of a compelling wrestling present. We’re getting rattling near 2025; each match does not must be a Takeover match anymore. These days are over — when you ask William Regal, they had been over 5 years in the past, when he had high “WWE NXT” stars telling him concerning the want for a serious stylistic change after Takeover: Portland, simply earlier than COVID hit and the world went haywire. AEW incorporating a double dose of squash matches on this episode is a possible signal of evolution from Tony Khan, and I hope we see extra of them.

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Written by Miles Schneiderman

AEW has shortly made me a fan of Worldwide Champion Konosuke Takeshita, much more so than I used to be earlier than, so, I ask one query, particularly after his debut in Maple Leaf Professional Wrestling over the weekend. The place the heck was he on this “Dynamite?” If AEW goes to go the additional mile to indicate me footage of his championship protection within the new promotion, the place he was confronted by one other tremendous scorching AEW star, why would not he be on the present tonight with one thing to say? After all, it may all the time be attributable to journey or private points, however I am speaking except for that, as a result of if that had been the case, I somewhat AEW not point out something in any respect concerning the champion this week and reserve it for a time Takeshita may really be there in individual. Final week on “Dynamite,” Takeshita had a reasonably hearth promo the place he mentioned that anybody who needs the Worldwide Championship ought to come take it from him. However, if he isn’t on the present, that vaguely open problem is not actually doing a lot for anybody.

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For many who missed it on Saturday’s episode of “AEW Collision,” Ricochet known as out Takeshita, saying that wherever he was on this planet, Ricochet would present up, too, alluding to the actual fact he’d be at MLP to confront the champion following his title protection. That was enjoyable and thrilling, however Ricochet calling out a lacking Takeshita to go face-to-face on Friday’s “AEW Rampage” is tremendous lame. I get that AEW and Tony Khan try to maintain momentum going for “Rampage” forward of it now not being part of its lineup with WBD shifting ahead subsequent 12 months, so possibly they might store it elsewhere, however truthfully, simply let “Rampage” die at this level and provides me the good things in your flagship present of “Dynamite.” And even entice me to tune in on a Saturday for “Collision.” Particularly after so many followers had been clamoring for Takeshita to get a giant push and win a championship following his look within the G1 Climax, his first time competing in it, this appears fairly lackluster following his championship win at WrestleDream. You need to preserve him scorching shifting ahead, particularly in a feud with Ricochet, so put it on a present the place persons are going to see it and proceed to be invested.

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Written by Daisy Ruth

Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, and Marina Shafir have been constructed up as threats in AEW over the course of the previous few weeks. Moxley profitable the AEW World Championship and placing an finish to Bryan Danielson’s profession at WrestleDream was a stunning and memorable second that followers will not neglect anytime quickly, however the issue is that the corporate has but to completely comply with by way of on the angle as was made obviously obvious tonight.

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A lot of “Dynamite” tonight was devoted to having a number of babyface members of the roster ready exterior the Maverik Enviornment for the arrival of Moxley, Yuta, Castagnoli, PAC, and Shafir as a way to get one step forward of him. As an alternative of selecting to go together with the far more apparent angle of the 5 rivals arriving and taking out everybody, AEW as a substitute selected to have Moxley, Castagnoli, and PAC take out Non-public Get together and assault Chuck Taylor as Shafir distracted everybody else. It was a second that felt extremely underwhelming particularly for the closing moments of the present, and did nothing to get anybody over, cement the concept in followers minds that Moxley, Yuta, Castagnoli, PAC, and Shafir had been a menace to everybody on the roster, or additional any form of storyline. Moxley is in determined want of a challenger that’s prepared to face as much as him and his allies somewhat than half organising Orange Cassidy to develop into extra concerned within the storyline by way of an assault on Taylor that felt fully random.

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Written by Olivia Quinlan

At WrestleDream, Jon Moxley set himself as much as be the Omega-level villain in AEW, elevating the Blackpool Fight Membership to make The Elite’s villainy appear to be kid’s play as they savagely broke Bryan Danielson to take his World Championship and his profession in a single fell swoop. Nevertheless, it seems the “American Dragon” is however a figment of our collective creativeness, a mirage {of professional} wrestling excellence that was paradoxically only a dream. That will make extra sense than him present, foremost eventing a few WrestleMania occasions, and profitable a handful of titles in every single place it mattered solely to not be talked about after he was successfully compelled into retirement, proper? RIGHT?

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Someway within the weeks which have handed the story has was a drama of AEW unique babyfaces standing towards a supposed assault on the corporate – though the corporate continues to be the identical AEW we all know, love, tolerate, or despise – which has but to get out of its violence for the sake of violence stage. Simply why are the babyfaces standing towards the BCC doing so? Whereas they went out to “save” Danielson in Tacoma, none of them has particularly mentioned what he was presupposed to have meant to them and the way they felt about his assault. It simply comes off that they are going back-and-forth with the BCC as a result of they had been assigned to, with no rhyme or purpose to both of the faction’s actions as of late. It is like Danielson by no means existed, as if the assault on him was real and he has since entered witness safety, however that is a cardinal concern contemplating Danielson was the catalyst for all the things that has occurred.

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He is not going to be on the present, I’m absolutely conscious of that, however that does not imply we simply transfer on from the story as if it by no means occurred. It makes it appear as if Danielson was what saved this story grounded, and now he isn’t there we’re working on autopilot till Orange Cassidy and/or Darby Allin steps as much as take the title. This was an bold sufficient angle when it began, promising a litany of choices for the narrative to run, however now we’re caught with the BCC coming in after The Elite has softened their enemies up, and it is beginning to really feel no totally different in its coding to a Premier Athletes feud: “You might be dangerous guys and we’ll battle you due to that,” and vice versa. The one character within the story that has been working their character arc on this story is Orange Cassidy, and even he does not actually appear to care about Danielson. Quite, Chuck Taylor — now a part of the manufacturing crew — was fed to the BCC to offer him one thing to work with. All of it simply leaves me questioning how one can fumble the pay-off to retiring the “American Dragon” so badly already.

Written by Max Everett