Some thoughts on AEW WrestleDream and 10/16/24 Dynamite

 

Good Morning!

Welcome back to Let’s Watch Some Wrestling! I want to go over WrestleDream, which I just caught yesterday after an incredible weekend. But, I’d also like to go through the ELEVEN (!) films I watched over the weekend at the Telluride Horror show with a few of my very favorite people. 

So, let’s get into it. We’ll do the wrestling first, since Dynamite will be starting in just a few hours and pro wrestling is kinda the whole point of this blog. I’ll take notes on Dynamite itself too, pop them in after the WrestleDream recap, and post this here blog. 

But then we’ll make the switch from Let’s Watch Some Wrestling to Let’s Watch Some HORROR, and write up some spoiler-free movie reviews for the weekend’s post. Since I have yet to catch up with Raw, SmackDown, OR NXT, we’re going full AEW around here this week. Which is fine, since I’m thinking about removing the Saudi shows from my viewing rotation, and that’s what most of the Fed’s current build is leading up to. I’ll still do a preview, since speculation is probably my favorite part of pro wrestling, but I’ll maybe just do something else that weekend.  

The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling AEW WrestleDream Recap

To start us off, here’s the preview image I posted to BlueSky prior to the show:

I managed to avoid spoilers for nearly every match on the card all the way through Tuesday by avoiding both Twitter and BlueSky. But then a screenshot on Facebook -- which I felt obligated to pop onto to thank everybody for the kind birthday wishes -- ended that run. Fortunately, that was a spoiler for the result I wanted the most -- a title victory for my sweet Cinnabon son, Konosuke Takeshita. That match was incredible, and you could really tell that both Ricochet and Will Ospreay made the decision to make Takeshita look like a real superstar on the night. Take’s elbows looked like death whenever he hit either opponent, and that brutal move he used to put Ricochet through the table was nasty looking. 

Jay White and “Hangman” Adam Page over delivered, and was a great re-introduction to the suplexes and the skill of the Switchblade. I was a little worried while watching that White couldn’t take the loss, and that really Page could absorb the L because he’s dealing with some stuff that is making him act in a way that shouldn’t earn him wins -- but then Jay White reversed Hanger’s Buckshot Lariat into his Blade Runner and that was that.

Willow Nightingale and Mariah May put on a hell of a match to follow that opener (they should have been the opener, honestly) and I’m starting to think that Willow might be the best thing about AEW’s women’s division. The Ace, if you will. She’s got everything you need to hold that prestigious moniker -- talent, looks, personality, and the ability to get the best out of any opponent. Mariah May is great in the ring, but this title reign has been a little weak. Still, Willow worked great with Mariah, both in the build to this match and in the match itself. She’s going to be a great champ one day, but for now she’ll have to settle for making everyone else look amazing. Let’s just hope that AEW remembers the work she’s putting in now, and rewards her for it.

And you know what? That’s about it for highlights of the show for me. I didn’t hate anything else, but the rest of the undercard matches didn’t really move the needle for me. I didn’t like the finish for Shibata vs Perry, and hated that Perry instantly recovered and was able to attack Shibata, although the introductions of Daniel Garcia, MJF, and Adam Cole covered up Shibata’s uncharacteristic mistake that led to his loss.

Hologram/THE BEAST MORTOS, Bucks/Private Party, and Briscoe/Jericho were all good, but not super memorable. I think the Bucks would like to build Private Party up over the next few months, and then pass the tag team titles off to the younger team, but I guess we’ll have to be patient for that. 

Darby defeated Brody King in another good, not great, match, but the finish seemed more important after the show went off the air. It seems like Darby is going to be the main character of AEW going forward (non-Mox edition) and so having him earn the respect of the monstrous Brody King meant a bit more in hindsight.

And then there’s the main event. Not Danielson’s best, but not terrible either. The finish felt appropriate, and while the post-match beating and melodramatic injury angle felt a little heavy-handed, I understood that AEW was trying to show us that a change has arrived, and Danielson represented the old ways and therefore had to be dispatched, violently.

The match wasn’t the point, though. I think a lot of people, myself included, assumed Danielson wanted to retire in his home state, and I’m sure he had a lot of say in who would be ending his career. Personally, I think Moxley was a boring choice. I don’t love the current version of him, and I don’t like that Danielson was retired by a guy who won’t gain much from it. But I also generally enjoy Moxley’s work, and I love that it looks like WrestleDream was the start of a big sea change for All Elite Wrestling. Maybe the Moxes and the Elite will form a group that’s trying to hold new talent down, and that will lead to fresh faces earning more TV time. But all we can do right now is be optimistic!

The Dynamite Review

Opening the show with 20 minutes of promos certainly was a choice. I get it, though -- we’ve established a new champion and a new faction in charge in John Moxley and nWo mOx, and the new direction of the show is clearly going to be a reflection of the events of this past Saturday. So we had Mox shoot a promo from inside a van, and we’d see the group two more times before the end of the show. 

Moxley’s crew attacked during the trios match between the Elite and members of the Conglomeration, and that brawl led to the Elite stepping away from the fight and a few other trios stepping in (and getting run over.) So it looks like the Young Bucks, Jack Perry, and Kazuchika Okada won’t be getting in the way of whatever Moxley has planned, but Dark Order, Top Flight, the Conglomeration, and Daniel Garcia all seem to be on Moxley’s hit list. 

 Other developments on Wednesday included Adam Cole challenging MJF, Chris Jericho challenging Mark Briscoe again (the Jericho Vortex is real), Private Party teasing a break after challenging the Young Bucks for yet another title match (they declined), my son Konosuke Takeshita issuing an open challenge for his International Title on Collision, and Jay White losing a really good match to Christian Cage after interference from Kip Sabian (unintentional) and “Hangman” Adam Page (very intentional).

It all went by quickly, and it felt like new storylines are popping up everywhere. I overlooked some stuff in that block of text -- Mercedes Mone had a pretty decent showing against Queen Aminata, Lio Rush lost to Shelton Benjamin, who has lost a step but still appears to be refusing to age, and FTR defeated Jericho’s pals and celebrated with the Outrunners afterward. All in all a typical Dynamite from a wrestling standpoint, but the storyline developments were put front and center for this one.

And that’s it!

I’m excited to see where these storylines are going, even though I’ll admit that I don’t love the nWo mOx storyline. I do like that name though, and it’s better than the Poochie joke that keeps popping into my head when I see that crew on screen. 

My problem, as I said on BlueSky, is that these things always start the same -- you run down the young new guys and the established guys look dominant, but you believe it’s because the young guys will give the baddies their comeuppance. However, it’s often not the case, either because of abandoned storylines, injuries, or those established guys deciding they won’t be giving the kids their spots, actually. 

However, I will give Moxley and his buddies the benefit of the doubt because they’ve never acted particularly selfishly, and because despite me not being the MOST online guy you’ve ever met, I haven’t heard anything particularly galling about any of the Mox crew’s behavior backstage.

Next post will be our Telluride Horror Show recap, where we’ll do some synopses of both the festival and the films I watched. I’m excited to try my hand at film review, and have been reading reviews by real writer types in anticipation of this. We’ll see how it goes! I should have that up in the next few days or so, as I’m also working on a pitch for SlashGear. After that, I'll catch up on WWE's stuff and we'll be back on track.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

AEW Dynamite Details from 7/7/2022

 AEW Dynamite aired yesterday! Was there fallout from Blood and Guts? Did we get any new champs? Read on and find out!

Opening Contest: Wardlow versus Scorpio Sky ©, Street Fight for the TNT Championship

Dan Lambert, Ethan Page, and several MMA guys (my MMA-knower pal didn’t recognize them so don’t worry about it) accompanied Sky to the ring. Sky started out using his speed and striking. While Wardlow did have some offense early, it was mostly Sky on top throughout the first half of the match. After a commercial break, Wardlow came out with a HUGE moonsault and went for the powerbomb concerto before he was attacked by the ATT goon squad. Wardlow cleared the ring just in time to be bonked by Scorpio with the TNT belt, but that only got him a two count and an angry Wardlow. Lambert attempted a distraction, Wardlow shoved Sky into Lambert and 3 powerbombs later, we had a new TNT champ!

Three stars! Short, definitive, and with the end result most of us were hoping for here. Sky is a great wrestler, but after the abysmal booking of the TNT championship lately the move was definitely to just get the belt onto the lava-hot Wardlow and let him build that title back up. I would hesitate to call Wardlow an underdog in any match, but they stacked the odds against him in this one so he could look even better. Well done!

Jon Moxley cut a backstage promo down the camera lens, acknowledging Brody King as a monster but also reminding us that Mox is one too.

“Smart” Mark Sterling and Tony Nese were elsewhere backstage, asking Keith Lee to sign a petition to have Isaiah Strickland fired because he’s mean. In a very verbose fashion, as is his wont, Mister Lee declined.

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus headed to the ring next, but were quickly interrupted by Matt Hardy. Jeff Hardy was brought up A LOT in this exchange, as Matt admitted that he used people during the HFO days and he sees Cage doing the same thing to Luchasaurus. Cage said Matt uses people, going so far as to use his own brother to have one last successful tag team run. Luchasaurus then headbutted Hardy, tossed him into the steel ring steps, and put Matt through a table to end the conversation.

A recap of Blood and Guts segued into an interview between Claudio Castignoli and Jake Hager, who will have a match next week for Fyter Fest.

Match #2, Butcher and the Blade (w/ The Bunny) versus Swerve in our Glory (Strickland and Lee)

Lee and Blade started things, but Swerve tagged in quickly. A little miscommunication led to some sloppy ring rope spots, but these things happen and fortunately nobody got hurt. The bad guys took control early and maintained through the commercial break. When we got back to the action, Butcher and Swerve were on a turnbuckle and Swerve took to biting the Butcher’s hand to get him off the post. A sweet diving European Uppercut by Swerve got the opening he needed to tag Keith Lee in, who proceeded to toss the Blade at Butcher. Butcher managed to pull Swerve in front of a charging Lee, and Swerve took some double team offense from the bad guys afterward. Lee stopped a pinfall and, after a fist bump to confirm they’re still pals, the good guys hit the combination Cave-In / Powerbomb to get the victory.

During Strickland and Lee’s celebration, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs came out to repeat the same points they’ve been making for weeks - they are better than Swerve in our Glory, they are tired of being disrespected, they are the best tag team. But if you say you’re the best tag team in this company, it ALWAYS summons someone else, in this case the Young Bucks. The tag champs are proud of the whole tag division, but while everyone is eating well they should remember who set the table in the first place. Both these teams are good, but they lost to Jurassic Express, and the Bucks beat JX right afterward to win the AEW Tag Team Championships. The Young Bucks, fighting champs, challenged Team Tazz and Swerve in our Glory to a three way match for the titles at Fyter Fest.

A spooky video of Malakai Black played afterward, in which he said he envies Jon Moxley for being able to choose violence, a choice he and Brody King were never afforded.

A really short interview in the ring came next, as Eddie Kingston met Tony Schiavone and was in high spirits. He congratulated Wardlow and then congratulated all his teammates in the Blood and Guts match - even longtime nemesis Claudio Castignoli “See, I’m growing, I’m maturing!”. We then cut to a camera backstage where Jericho and his pals smashed Ruby Soho’s hand (arm?) in a car door because she interfered with Tay Conti interfering in the Blood and Guts match. FALLOUT!

The remaining six members of Dark Order made their way to the ring in Rochester, home of Brodie Lee. Evil Uno thanked us for our support, and announced that Dark Order is here to stay. “Dark Order is forever!” That statement brought QT Marshall out to challenge -1, Brodie Lee Jr., to a match. He started towards the ring when “Hangman” Adam Page’s theme hit and QT was beat down by basically everyone. -1 grabbed a mic to say he COULD pin QT tonight, but he’ll wait til he’s nineteen. Playing the long game, as Excalibur said. A nice tribute to the hometown hero.

Jim Ross joined the commentary table for the back half of the show. 

Match #3: Penta Oscuro (w/ Alex Abrahantes and Rey Fenix) versus Rush (w/ Jose the Assistant and Andrade El Idolo)

This was Rush’s debut singles match, and it was a good one. Rush was mostly focused on removing Penta’s mask, something he started going after right from the start. After a Penta tope to Rush outside the ring, Abrahantes and Jose started a brawl and were tossed from ringside as we went to commercial. Rush was still focused on that mask throughout the break, and we had a painful looking headbutt fight when we came back to full screen. A nasty chop fight in a corner followed and Penta took control. A gorgeous sequence featuring a rolling stunner, a superkick, and Fear Factor only got a two count because Andrade put Rush’s foot on the nearby rope. Andrade continued to provide a distraction, letting Rush hit a dickpunch and steal Penta’s mask, leading to an easy pinfall victory.

Four stars! Even though it wasn’t the best match these guys are capable of, it was fun and had a lot of the painful looking spots Penta Oscuro is known for. I think they are saving a big, blowout match for further down the line; the rivalry is just getting started, and from what I’ve heard of Rush he’s a very talented in-ring worker. Penta is, well, Penta, so he will hold his own as this feud gets nastier. Given the mask focus, maybe we’ll even get a mask versus hair match down the line? Or Andrade will start wearing his mask in the ring just to risk it later on. WHO’S TO SAY?

Samoa Joe will face Jay Lethal for the Ring of Honor TV Title at the RoH Death Before Dishonor pay per premium live event. Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh had a short video talking up the match.

Sterling and Tony Nese continued their quest for petition signatures. They found Orange Cassidy and his Best Friends modeling their new tie dyed matching jumpsuits, and demanded they sign the sheet. Cassidy said he never signs anything without his lawyer, summoning Danhausen, who will be playing the role of legal representation. Nese threatened Cassidy for not signing the petition, and both Sterling and Danhausen suggested there was money to be made in a Cassidy / Nese match on Rampage. Orange and Danhausen then traded legal terms to end the segment. I freakin loved it. Also I need to get them jumpsuits for me and the missus.

Match #4: The Gunn Club and The Acclaimed versus Ruffin It and Fuego del Sol.

A glorified squash that was there to move the Ass Boys’ and Acclaimed storyline forward. There were still some fun spots during the short match, and the Bear half of Bear Country looked noticeably more fit than he did the last time I saw these guys in action. The Gunns tagged themselves in on several occasions, including after the Acclaimed hit their finisher for the win. Squash, and we don’t rate squashes round here. The teams argued afterward, leading to Billy Gunn yelling at his kids before clotheslining Max Caster. A wounded Anthony Bowens offered up the scissors to his daddy, but was only given a FameAsser. The Gunns hugged, but Billy did look conflicted.

A video of Miro in darkness played next, as he challenged Malakai and the House of Black.

Match #5: ThunderStorm versus Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir

Nyla and Marina brought umbrellas to the ring, the best way to counter a ThunderStorm. Clever! The bad guys attacked to start, but once things settled down Rosa and Shafir had a cool sequence of reversals and counters. An umbrella shot to the back put MariNyla in control during the break. Nyla overwhelmed Storm with power stuff during the break, but Rosa was able to start a rally for the heroes. A couple shotgun dropkicks from Rosa to Nyla proved effective, but she went to the well one too many times and Rose countered Rosa with a chokeslam. Shafir followed with a pumphandle slam, but Toni was able to help out and a hip attack led to an assisted spike piledriver for the 1-2-3 for ThunderStorm.

Three stars! I thought Thunder Rosa and Marina Shafir looked far better than they did previously whenever they shared the ring during this decent tag team match. I know there were rumors of discontent between them, and I hope they were able to get together and squash that stuff because they really did well tonight. Toni and Nyla played their parts well too, leading to a fun and well balanced matchup for tonight’s women’s segment.

Backstage, Tony Schiavone interviewed (held a microphone for) Stokely Hathaway as he introduced Keira Hogan and Jade Cargill to the new interim baddie, Leila Grey. She offered a handshake again, but Jade has her doubts.

A passionate promo by Daniel Garcia followed, hyping his upcoming Pure rules match with champ Wheeler Yuta at the RoH PPPLE.

And FTR followed with a challenge to the Briscoes at the Ring of Honor show as well!

Main Event: Brody King versus Jon Moxley © for the Interim AEW Championship

A fun, easy to watch brawl between two tough guys, this was a “BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPIN’ MEAT” match with less big men. King’s power advantage led to some cool spots, as he tried to replicate his hanging choke win over Darby Allin on Mox off a turnbuckle. Mox has heart, and lungs, so he was able to survive that. 

Moxley did a lot of submission work tonight, going for a figure four off a dragon screw early. After a superplex, he locked in a bulldog before the hanging spot I mentioned. A Paradigm Shift and hammering elbows combo led to another bulldog, but King was able to drop on his back to break the hold. Mox just clamped the bulldog back on to choke out the powerhouse and that was the end of the match and the show!

Three stars! A good match between two tough dudes, but not the bloodbath or violence fest that some were anticipating. I enjoyed it though, and I don’t think Mox needs to bleed every time he’s on camera. King looked great when he was in control, but also sold well and looked desperate before he broke Moxley’s submission attempts. I hope they meet again, but even if they don't, this match was nothing to be ashamed of!

And that’s it! A show that built off the last couple big event shows (Forbidden Door and Blood and Guts) but also one that built up next week’s big event show, Fyter Fest. As such, nothing felt super important but everything did feel like it was leading to something more. A fun watch and, as usual, the two hours flew by. But what were Five Good Things about the show, you ask? I got you!

1- Wardlow won the TNT Championship! A match suited to Wardlow’s strengths, and one that everyone played their role in perfectly. Sky tried some unsavory tactics, the Top Team guys jumped the incredibly large underdog, and the hero emerged victorious. Good stuff!

2- In a promo and video heavy show, the Dark Order’s segment was nice. A great way to pay homage to the late Brodie Lee in his hometown, and a segment that even featured Lee’s son in a highlight package with his greatest hits. The kid is beloved and I might be tearing up typing this, shut up. I’m glad we’re not seeing the last of the Dark Order anytime soon.

3- Penta Oscuro and Rush had a good match to build this rivalry between the Lucha Bros. and El Faccion Ingobernable. Not their best, but definitely something to grow a whole thing out of!

4- The women’s tag match was a great debut for Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa, and it let Marina Shafir and Rosa show that they can do some good work together. 

5- The main event, a MEDIUM MEATY MEN MAULIN’ MEAT (™) match, was a fun watch and a good way to close the show. Mox was able to overcome the bigger guy, but neither man looked weak and they matched up well for Mox’s first interim title defense.

That wraps things up for today! I’ll be back tomorrow with Casual Friday, where we will recap some news and matches from the last week of professional wrestling. Until then, you can find me here on Twitter: Oso (of Let's Watch Some Wrestling!) (@ElOsoPequeno) / Twitter . See you tomorrow, and have a good one!