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Welcome to this week's edition of Best and Worst of AEW Dynamite. I will be taking over the reins from Riju Dasgupta this week, and as usual, Dynamite delivered in a big way.
Next week on AEW, there will be a wedding, a Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa match, a Tag Team battle royal with title stakes, and a six-man tag team match involving Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers.
It's not often that we have lackluster episodes of AEW, and this week continued to prove the overall consistency. It wasn't all good for AEW, but it certainly wasn't all bad either:
#4. Best: A good showing for Ryan Nemeth on his AEW debut
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Ryan Nemeth, the brother of WWE star Dolph Ziggler, made his All Elite Wrestling debut on Dynamite. He took on former Tag Team Champion Adam 'Hangman' Page in his first match, and while he was never going to defeat a more established star, he was given a good showing.
It was a relatively short match with a few objectives. The first was to help Ryan Nemeth dip his toes in the water, and the second was to continue Hangman Page's story. Matt Hardy was ringside as well, and he appeared to be impressed by Hangman's performance on AEW Dynamite.
Post-match, Matt Hardy admitted that Hangman Page didn't deserve the treatment he got from his former AEW Tag Team partner Kenny Omega. While Hardy seemed intent on recruiting Hangman for his own reasons, he simply stated that he wants the latter to be happy.
This is a perfect example of AEW utilizing a short time-space to get a lot done. Not only was it a quick and entertaining match, but it helped put Ryan Nemeth on the map in AEW, and it added to Hangman Page's story.
It's going to be interesting to see where it goes, and we will be following Ryan Nemeth's AEW career closely. He looked sharp in the ring and impressed, which means that he will likely be a big star in the company for the long run.
#3. Worst: AEW's Women's division continues to be lackluster
AEW's problems with the women's division as been a long-standing issue since the Dynamite debut. Simply put, their women's division isn't stacked enough. Either way, Britt Baker faced Shanna in a short match that had the objective of getting heat.
Baker managed to submit Shanna, and just as they began the post-match beatdown, Thunder Rosa came to save the day on AEW Dynamite. That was perhaps the saving grace in the only women's match of the night. Otherwise, the booking of the women continues to expose a major problem that AEW has.
#3. Best: A physical match-up to start AEW Dynamite
Starting the show with a match over a promo/segment is always a good idea, and AEW implemented that, starting this week's episode of Dynamite with an intense, physical match-up between Eddie Kingston and Lance Archer.
It was a great match to kick things off, and Eddie Kingston did an incredible job alongside Lance Archer. The latter asked Jake 'The Snake' Roberts to not be ringside, and that may have cost him on AEW Dynamite. The Butcher and The Blade came out assaulting the WWE legend, and the distraction caused allowed Eddie Kingston to pick up the win.
It was a solid match overall with some great storytelling. It was perhaps the second-best match of the night. But from a physicality standpoint, the two men did well on AEW Dynamite.
#2. Worst: The Cody Rhodes-Shaquille O'Neal-Jade story on AEW Dynamite
There isn't much of a guess as to which storyline we feel is the most underwhelming in AEW right now. Shaquille O' Neal has issued a challenge to Cody Rhodes.
The idea was for Cody Rhodes to team up with his wife Brandi Rhodes against Shaquille O'Neal and Jade at AEW Revolution, but her pregnancy changed things. Cody Rhodes' role on this episode of AEW Dynamite was to find a prospective partner, and he sought out the help of Arn Anderson.
Arn Anderson gave a speech about Dusty Rhodes for some reason, and it didn't feel like it made sense in a feud against Shaquille O'Neal. Red Velvet was teased as his partner, and Arn Anderson stated that she had the fire in her to be Rhodes' partner.
Red Velvet came out and said that while Cody Rhodes wouldn't hit Jade, she would. So at AEW Revolution, it looks like Cody Rhodes will team up with Red Velvet. While Velvet's promo on AEW Dynamite was great, the story and segment as a whole came across as the weakest part of the show.
#2. Best: A good look for Brian Pillman Jr. in defeat by AEW's top stars
Brian Pillman Jr. teamed up with Griff Garrison to take on The Inner Circle's two main men - Chris Jericho and MJF. It was a great showing for the young superstars, who fell short to two extremely popular and bonafide superstars.
The best part about the match was that the young stars looked like they had a legitimate chance to win. Before the finish, there was even a sequence of great moves, but that was all stopped by the Judas Effect and the Lionsault - allowing Chris Jericho and MJF to pick up the victory.
MJF and Sammy Guevara had a tense backstage segment later in the night as well.
It was a good segment that created further tension within The Inner Circle - proving that they aren't the collective unit that they present themselves as. It's interesting because MJF and Sammy Guevara are the two young, bright stars from the Inner Circle.
The rift is only going to continue to escalate, and Guevara's declaration on AEW Dynamite saying 'I'm not playing' planted the seeds for a big break up down the line.
#1. Worst: Not an extremely impressive main event on AEW Dynamite
The main event of AEW Dynamite saw a crossover, as IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers teamed up with The Young Bucks. It was the first time in five years that they teamed together, and they faced The Dark Order.
While The Dark Order put up a decent match, it was a showcase for The Good Brothers. With that said, the match was a bit underwhelming - although we must admit that AEW got the finish spot on.
Post-match, there was a brawl, and even Kenny Omega ended up coming out. Although his target was former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, the latter managed to anticipate Omega's arrival and put him out to end the show. Ray Fenix pulled off a couple of great moves post-match as well.
Next week, Jon Moxley teams up with Pac and Rey Fenix to take on Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers. That has all the makings of a pay-per-view main event-level match, which means that AEW next week is a must-watch.
The Young Bucks, meanwhile, will take part in a Battle Royal to determine their next tag team title opponents at AEW Revolution. If they win, they get to choose who they face.
#1. Best: Jungle Boy steals the show on AEW Dynamite
There's little doubt about which match was the best of the night. While we admittedly were quick to jump on the match, Jungle Boy and Dax Harwood were given sufficient time to build the contest and end with a great finish.
There were several false finishes on the AEW Dynamite match, but it never went overboard. Dax Harwood must be given credit for making Jungle Boy look as good as he did.
While it looked like the former Tag Team Champion would be getting the win, it was Jungle Boy who walked out victorious. Unfortunately, it also meant a post-match beatdown for him by FTR. Luchasaurus, who was ringside, was blinded and attacked as well after the bout.
Despite the loss, it was a good way to get the heat back on FTR. Jungle Boy has looked good in several matches, but it appears as though he is really coming on his own as a performer in AEW. We hope that he is given more such opportunities.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
