AEW came up with all the guns blazing tonight with an eventful Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite. It's been a while since Tony Khan brought a big name into his fold, but that changed this week as another former WWE Superstar showed up to change the landscape of the men's division.
The company kept the Greensboro audience in bated breath by delivering multiple high-stakes matches and segments. With a few buzzworthy announcements, All Elite Wrestling yet again generated a massive buzz with their two-hour compelling episode.
We'll now quickly get down to the positives and negatives from the show. If you disagree with the standpoint below, make sure to pen down your thoughts in the comments section.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
#5 Best: Kyle O'Reilly arrives to reform AEW's version of The Undisputed Era; split with The Young Bucks inevitable?
Although another ex-WWE star in AEW seems like the same old story, Kyle O'Reilly reuniting with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish felt nostalgic.
Following the victory over Orange Cassidy, the former Undisputed Era members stood tall with a different attitude, notably suggesting that they're back to rule the yard again. However, The Young Bucks didn't look very pleased with Cole's 'Christmas present'. One could easily smell the dissension between Superkliq somewhere down the road.
As things stand, Adam Cole and his friends are likely to hold the fort and may even turn on Nick and Matt Jackson. Pulling the trigger on an angle like this may prompt a faction war between AEW's version of The Undisputed Era and The Elite, with Kenny Omega returning to even the odds next year.
It would be interesting to see whether Cole's loyalty stands with The Young Bucks or if he wants to hold the entire fort with KOR and Fish coming into his fold.
#4 Worst: A predictable bout between Ruby Soho and Nyla Rose on AEW Dynamite
As the ongoing TBS title tournament draws to its closure, it's becoming increasingly predictable. Did anyone think Nyla Rose would be put over by Ruby Soho in the semi-finals tonight? To be fair, not many people anticipated that swerve.
Though Soho defeating Rose put a smile on everybody's face, it didn't generate any level of excitement for her final berth. Unfortunately, it also seems to have shed light on a possible outcome for the Thunder Rosa vs. Jage Cargill semi-finals match.
Given the current direction, AEW might book a typical babyface vs. heel clash by having Soho up against Cargill to determine the inaugural TBS Champion. Would anyone be intrigued about a tournament if they already know its winner in the first place? Let us know in the comments box.
#3 Best: Sting, CM Punk, and Darby Allin defeating MJF and FTR in the main event of AEW Dynamite
One of the biggest takeaways from the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite went down during the main event. While the bout was worth watching, the dream trio of Sting, CM Punk, and Darby Allin's respective cosplay captivated the audience.
The Straight Edge Superstar embraced Sting's 'Surfer' gimmick by wearing similar face paint and outfit. On the other hand, the 62-year old star wore a Punk t-shirt and his theme-based face-paint as a mark of respect. Darby Allin even appeared as a younger version of The Icon.
Now, coming back to match analysis, the trios bout turned out to be nothing but an action-filled contest. Both teams laid their entire arsenal on display. Wrestling fans even got a preview of MJF vs. CM Punk, though the former tried to retreat during most of the match.
Sting, as usual, didn't look rusty and delivered another breath-taking performance. From a storyline perspective, AEW ticked all the boxes by having the babyface go over the heels. In all likelihood, the endgame seems to be going down between The Salt of the Earth and Punk in a singles match.
#2 Worst: Wardlow's booking on AEW Dynamite
AEW star Wardlow continued his path of destruction tonight after squashing Shawn Dean with four-consecutive powerbombs. But one might wonder if these low-key matches would elevate the Pinnacle member at all.
Sure, they might, as it appears to be a similar booking to the one Braun Strowman used to have in WWE. However, the ship could soon sail if the company fails to maximize Wardlow's potential. So far, AEW has been steadily building a feud between him and MJF, but when will fans witness an endgame between the two?
There won't be any logic pulling the trigger on the storyline if it is becoming stale. Tony Khan's promotion seems to be wasting Wardlow's credibility by limiting him to meaningless matches. He could go after the TNT Championship if AEW is keen to hold off on his storyline with MJF.
#1 Best/Worst: Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page Chapter II made official for the first episode of AEW Dynamite on the TBS network
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. AEW made a buzzworthy announcement by booking Chapter II between Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page for the world title on the January 5th episode of Dynamite to begin a new era on the TBS network.
However, we witnessed how Danielson and Page's previous encounter took the spotlight away from the two-hour programming show. Not only that, their bout went longer and took the majority of the time away from the episode.
Given the high-stakes nature of this rematch, both men should've been booked for a special event or the Revolution pay-per-view. Understandably, the company seems to be pulling this off as a rating ploy. But it may not be the best decision.
It's not like the two will have a much shorter match than last time. Given the bar they've set, one could expect them to last at least half an hour. Regardless, the prospect of seeing them collide again has built up another level of hype.