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Tonight, AEW produced its final episode of Dynamite in 2021, which also served as their last episode on the TNT network. Given the hype surrounding the New Year's Smash edition, the company didn't disappoint.
AEW displayed a combination of entertainment and shocking surprises on Wednesday night, which kept fans on the edge of their seats for the most part. As usual, the significant portion of the show revolved more around in-ring action and less compelling storyline build-ups.
Yet, the episode was newsworthy, and we've plenty of tidbits to discuss as positives and negatives. Since the reviewer's opinion may vary with the audience, pen down your thoughts in the comments section.
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#5 Worst: Brandi Rhodes name-dropping WWE's Paul Heyman on AEW Dynamite
By now, AEW certainly knows name-dropping rival company employees would undoubtedly generate a massive reaction.
Last month, Punk and MJF made references to John Cena, The Miz, and Triple H, to name a few, and this time, Paul Heyman's name came up during a shoddy segment pitting Dan Lambert and Men of the Year against Brandi Rhodes.
The AEW CBO explicitly called Lambert a less-talented version of Paul Heyman when the former lashed out at Cody and Tony Khan. In response, Lambert quipped that he would prefer to be called Jim Cornette.
Though it garnered a massive reaction from the crowd at Daily's Place, AEW's tendency to reference WWE employees to hype their segments may receive harsh criticism. Such references only intrigue once in a blue moon.
Brandi may have proved Edge right when the veteran said AEW was referencing their names to get a 'cheap' pop. Understandably, Tony Khan wants to go toe-to-toe with WWE, but he needs to change this approach.
Given how poorly AEW has built up to Cody Rhodes vs. Ethan Page, one may hope the eventual clash lives up to expectations.
#4 Best: Chris Jericho and Mercedes Martinez returning to AEW programming
One of the most intriguing takeaways from this week's AEW Dynamite was two stunning surprises in the form of Chris Jericho and Mercedes Martinez.
The Demo God showed up tonight after Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz came up short against Daniel Garcia and 2point0 in a trios match. While almost everyone enjoyed seeing Jericho back after a short hiatus, the Mad King didn't look pleased with the veteran saving the babyfaces from a brutal post-match assault. Both men had intense staredowns, possibly hinting towards a rivalry down the road.
Meanwhile, Martinez played a pivotal role in assisting Jade Cargill to defeat Thunder Rosa in the TBS tournament Semi-finals. Rosa and Martinez are likely to rekindle their rivalry from the independent circuit.
From a storyline perspective, both stars' comebacks were very well executed. Tony Khan played a ratings ploy tonight and grabbed massive eyeballs.
#3 Worst: Christian taking the pinfall loss during a 10-man tag team match on AEW Dynamite
Christian Cage's booking has become questionable ever since the veteran failed to capture the AEW World Championship from Kenny Omega a few months ago.
After weeks of staying inactive as a competitor, Cage returned tonight only to take a pinfall loss in a meaningless 10-man tag team match pitting Jurassic Express and Lucha Bros against FTR and Hardy Family Office.
Where Icon Sting is heavily protected and used to his legendary stature, Christian Cage, on the other hand, has been misused, thanks to his association with Jurassic Express.
Given that Captain Charisma has only a few years left in his career, Tony Khan must book him in a better way, at least not propel him to take pinfall losses. He still has a lot left in his tank, and a singles run against stars like Cody Rhodes and Bryan Danielson could be worth his time in AEW.
#2 Best: MJF teases leaving AEW once his contract is up
AEW star MJF once again proved tonight why he is one of the best, if not the best, promo cutters in pro wrestling today. The Salt of the Earth cut another top-notch promo this week, primarily talking about the company's unsafe working environment. He took a shot at Sting for legitimately injuring him.
In an amusing bit, MJF stated that had he been working for a 'professional' company, such scenarios could have been avoided, seemingly hinting at a move to join WWE in the future.
The 25-year-old star has openly talked about initiating the biggest bidding war of 2024 when his AEW contract expires. Now that he has brought this up on television, it makes him a valuable commodity to this company. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that WWE and AEW would be gunning to sign the star in the future.
Regardless, it would be interesting to see what AEW has in store for him now that he has refused to resume the feud with CM Punk this week.
#1 Best/Worst: Real reason why Thunder Rosa lost against Jade Cargill on AEW Dynamite
Jade Cargill and Thunder Rosa undeniably produced spine-chilling performances during their TBS tournament semi-finals tonight.
Yet, their outcome was seemingly predictable, and almost everyone knew from the beginning that AEW was eyeing to book Cargill vs. Soho in a typical heel vs. babyface clash in the finals next week.
But on a positive note, the company made the right decision by bringing in Martinez as it avoided the Mexican star from taking a clean loss. Previous reports have suggested a rematch between Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker is in the works for the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view. It bluntly explains why AEW booked Rosa to lose against Cargill.
