AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash - Best and Worst - Another WWE personality name-dropped, two massive returns, top star hints at leaving the company

What went down during this week's AEW Dynamite?
What went down during this week's AEW Dynamite?

#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.

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Edited by Angana Roy
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