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From Shaquille O'Neal's mainstream match to a professional wrestling legend's in-ring return, this week's edition of AEW Dynamite featured many contrasting moments.
With this episode of AEW Dynamite, the promotion succeeded in putting on one of the most newsworthy shows in a while. It wasn't perfect in terms of quality, but the go-home episode created some excitement for AEW's upcoming pay-per-view, Revolution.
Tony Khan has made it clear that making mainstream moves is a significant priority in 2021. How did NXT fare against AEW in terms of quality this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of AEW Dynamite (March 3, 2021).
#5 A botch and a major surprise — Paul Wight appeared on AEW Dynamite for the first time ever
Paul Wight has been in the news ever since he became All Elite. This week, he came out on AEW Dynamite to address the live crowd.
Wight seemed excited about his upcoming career in AEW. Tony Schiavone stood beside the veteran as Wight looked forward to doing commentary alongside Schiavone on a brand-new show — AEW Dark: Elevation.
As for this Sunday's pay-per-view, Wight encouraged fans to tune in for a major surprise. He teased that a Hall of Fame level signee would debut at AEW Evolution Revolution.
Yes, the veteran botched the name of AEW's upcoming pay-per-view during his first live appearance. It's possible that the "Evolution" name-drop was done on purpose to foreshadow Batista's arrival. However, that seems highly unlikely at this stage.
Despite the botch, fans are genuinely excited to see which major star will become All Elite next. AEW wouldn't have teased the same if the pay-off wasn't huge. Who do you think will join Tony Khan's promotion at AEW Revolution?
#4 AEW Dynamite ended in mayhem after Matt Hardy and Hangman Page's tag team clash
Matt Hardy made his intentions against The Dark Order clear on this week's AEW Dynamite.
He pulled some strings to cost The Dark Order's "10" an opportunity to qualify for a spot in the Face of the Revolution Ladder match. As a result, Max Caster was able to qualify for the opportunity instead of The Dark Order member.
The main event of AEW Dynamite led to a chaotic ending before Sunday's Revolution pay-per-view.
In the final match of the night, Hangman Page teamed up with The Dark Order's John Silver to face Hardy and Private Party's Marq Quen. This match would have been more suitable as an opener, but it was booked as the main event for a specific reason.
Towards the end of the bout, Page successfully pinned Quen to secure the victory for his team. After the match was over, Hardy attacked Page. The rest of The Dark Order came out to defend AEW's resident cowboy.
Soon, several tag teams - part of the Casino Tag Team Royale at Revolution - rushed to the ring to kickstart a chaotic brawl. It was a standard way to end the go-home show with multiple bodies in the ring, something which has been done several times throughout history. This explains why Page and Hardy's tag team match was booked as the main event.
#3 Tully Blanchard returned to in-ring action on AEW Dynamite
Before this week's AEW Dynamite, Tully Blanchard last wrestled in 2006.
The 67-year-old legend returned to in-ring action in a six-man tag team match on AEW Dynamite. He teamed up with FTR to face Jurassic Express.
For a man his age, Blanchard had a good outing in the ring. J.J. Dillon, The Four Horsemen's manager, was present ringside and got involved in some shenanigans as well. Towards the end of the match, a masked man assisted the heels - FTR and Blanchard - to win the match. The masked man was revealed to be Shawn Spears with a new blonde look.
Not only did Dillon reunite with Blanchard, but after the match, Arn Anderson briefly appeared to give a Four Horsemen salute to his Four Horsemen allies.
As a whole, this entire match/sequence had three major plot points:
- Tully Blanchard's in-ring return.
- Shawn Spears' return to AEW television.
- The Four Horsemen's connections were showcased in a significant way.
The Four Horsemen were a major part of Jim Crockett Promotions. This week's AEW Dynamite had to be a great show for people who grew up watching the stable in the 80s and 90s.
Then again, FTR and Blanchard wrestled a kayfabe dinosaur and his wild allies. So this was a good example of old and new professional wrestling beliefs mixing well together.
#2 The Young Bucks interrupted Chris Jericho and MJF's entertaining press conference on AEW Dynamite
Chris Jericho has been in tag teams with The Rock, Paul Wight, and many more. But according to Jericho, none of them hold a candle to his current partner in AEW — MJF.
This week's AEW Dynamite featured a press conference with The Inner Circle. Notable names like Conrad Thompson and Eric Bischoff appeared on the panel to ask them questions.
The main topic of conversation was Jericho and MJF's vicious assault on Papa Buck from last week's episode. As always, there was a hint of silliness with The Inner Circle's segment, even though they didn't go overboard this time around.
The Young Bucks invaded the press conference and cut a passionate promo against the heels. The Bucks presented their father as a huge source of inspiration, who may have been indirectly responsible for the events leading up to AEW's formation.
This promo played an important role in building up the hype for Jericho and MJF's match against The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution. A brawl eventually broke out between the two parties.
Matt and Nick Jackson managed to stand tall against The Inner Circle on this week's AEW Dynamite. The brothers executed two separate and equally risky spots to accomplish the same.
It's safe to say that the last two episodes have built up a lot of momentum for The Young Bucks and The Inner Circle's storyline.
#1 NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal went through two tables during his AEW in-ring debut
Shaquille O'Neal's involvement in a match alongside Jade Cargill to face Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet was the biggest part of this week's AEW Dynamite.
Both Shaq and Cargill made their in-ring debuts for AEW this week, and neither star disappointed, for the most part. Usually, crossover stars don't understand various aspects of professional wrestling, but Shaq played his role well as an intimidating giant.
Although the NBA legend got knocked out after being put through two tables by Rhodes, Cargill managed to successfully pin Red Velvet for the victory. So even if Shaq was knocked unconscious, his team emerged victorious on AEW Dynamite.
After the match, Shaq was rushed into an ambulance. However, when Tony Schiavone wanted a medical update, there was no one present inside the vehicle.
Apart from his sports credentials, Shaq has to be a master magician, right? His sudden disappearance indicates that the NBA legend's AEW stint isn't over just yet.
The match itself was an exhilarating ride for the fans in attendance. As for Cargill, she could soon become a major threat to Hikaru Shida's reign as the AEW Women's Champion.
In the video embedded above, do check out SK Wrestling's 'The Debrief', where Jose G and Rico El Glorioso review the latest episodes of AEW Dynamite and NXT.
