'AEW is the alternative,' believes WWE veteran after Samoa Joe's Dynamite return

AEW debuted a new television special, Maximum Carnage, last week on Dynamite and Collision. ECW and WWE legend Tommy Dreamer has now shared his views on the star-studded Wednesday night program.

Dynamite: Maximum Carnage emanated from the Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 15. The episode was loaded with numerous high-stakes matches, including Kenny Omega's AEW in-ring return, the first-ever Women's Casino Gauntlet Match, The Hurt Syndicate's debut as a trios act, and hometown boy Jon Moxley's world title defense against Powerhouse Hobbs.

Speaking on Busted Open After Dark, WWE veteran Tommy Dreamer praised last week's special edition of Dynamite and talked about being a fan of the Tony Khan-led company's product.

"I thought [the show] took great strides forward. There are so many negative comments and feelings towards AEW, some are merited, some are not. I am an [All Elite Wrestling] fan, I am a fan of the men and women that work there, but I'm an overall fan of the product," Dreamer said. "And yes, there is no perfect wrestling show, and when you have WWE doing monster, monster business, of course you're going to look at the number two and the number three and say, 'Hey, where can there be improvements?'"

Dreamer highlighted elements of the Wednesday night show that he enjoyed, including Samoa Joe's return and the staging and presentation of the program, among other things.

"I liked [Dynamite]. I felt it was a step in the right direction and I want to continue to see steps in the right direction for AEW," Dreamer said. "[Dynamite] had a lot of moments to build from. Like I said, Samoa Joe's return, the usage of the ramp (...) Just looking and feeling different makes you turn and go, 'Hmm, I want to watch this because you are the alternative.'" [H/T - WrestlingInc.]

Stacking up last week's Dynamite with big-time bouts and segments saw positive results in the form of increased viewership figures as well.

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Tentative card for AEW Dynamite this week

This week's episode of All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite will air from the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. Three significant singles matches have been announced for the show already, including Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart II, Samoa Joe vs. Nick Wayne in Joe's comeback match, and Adam Copeland vs. PAC of The Death Riders.

Furthermore, Private Party will put their tag team titles on the line against Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin this Wednesday. In addition, the episode will witness Kenny Omega meeting with Will Ospreay face-to-face, presumably to discuss an alliance against The Don Callis Family.