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Sportskeeda's designated Best & Worst guy, Riju Dasgupta, decided to take a much-needed break after a hectic week. So I will step up for this edition to fill his mighty shoes. Wish me luck, folks! This week's AEW Dynamite was stacked. When is it not?
Dynamite, for me personally, has had more misses than hits in the past few weeks. You can't be satisfied every single time, and that's understandable. Some of the booking decisions have been questionable, but Dynamite continues to be a wholly entertaining episode despite the evident flaws.
This week was no different, as it was a compact two-hour offering with several moments to dissect and analyze. Let's not beat around the bush anymore and get right to the Best & Worst for the latest installment of AEW Dynamite.
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#1 Best: The Town Hall segment on AEW Dynamite
I was not a big admirer of the 'Le Dinner Debonair.' While it was entertaining, I wanted elements of seriousness to overshadow the continued goofiness that has been the major feature of the AEW storyline between MJF and Chris Jericho.
The Town Hall Meeting from this week, much to my liking, was balanced and a really cleverly-booked angle. There are so many things to unpack in this one. The biggest takeaway from the segment was Chris Jericho announced that he would face MJF at Full Gear. MJF becomes an Inner Circle member if he wins. MJF showed intent when he declared that he would do anything to win the match.
Sammy Guevara and Ortiz's disapproval of Jericho entertaining the idea of adding MJF to the Inner Circle added a big layer to the storyline. The Inner Circle just isn't about Chris Jericho, and the clash of opinions could prove to be dire for the faction in the future.
Of course, no Chris Jericho segment can be done without comedy, and this one had it in the right quantities. AEW parodied the incident of a woman hitting on Donald Trump during the Presidential debate. Luchasaurus and Peter Avalon were great in their respective roles.
Former WCW veteran Eric Bischoff, aka Eric B, returned to AEW TV and asked a few really pertinent questions that steered the Town Hall segment in the right direction. Tony Schiavone snapping and telling Chris Jericho to shut up was one of my favorite moments from the whole segment.
All in all, the Town Hall Meeting was a successful venture.
#2 Best: The Cleaner is back, and he could turn heel very soon
I have been one of the biggest detractors of how Kenny Omega has been booked for well over a year. The AEW version of Kenny Omega just doesn't cut it for me. However, the return of The Cleaner has dispelled any lingering doubts in my mind about Omega's future in AEW.
Kenny Omega was majestic tonight, as so was Pentagon in the AEW World Championship Tournament semi-finals, which main evented Dynamite.
Omega is an exceptional worker and easily the best in the company if given the time and platform to go all in. Omega's overly grandiose new entrance is also on par with what Cody does, and it makes him look like a real star.
Omega showed heelish tendencies during tonight's main event against Penta as he mocked the Lucha Brothers by bringing the AAA title with him. The back-and-forth chopping sequence to kick off the match was one of the highlights of the show. All said and done, Kenny Omega is on the path of a slow-burn heel turn, and it has been a long-time coming.
The Cleaner is finally here in his element, and his match against Hangman Page in the finals of the AEW World Championship Tournament should be one for the ages.
#1 Worst: The Young Bucks' big announcement for AEW Full Gear
The Young Bucks have pulled off a Cody, and it just makes no sense. Well, it does if you consider the pattern here. Last year's Full Gear show had Cody involved in a similar stipulation match when he faced Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. It could be a yearly Full Gear tradition for all we know.
The Young Bucks will face the same predicament at Full Gear 2020, and I'm not too excited about the decision.
The dream match between the Young Bucks and FTR has been in the making for years. It's what the fans have wanted since FTR wasn't even FTR but the underutilized Revival in the WWE. It is the biggest match in AEW's tag team division, and many would argue that it is even bigger than several singles matches that can be booked in the promotion.
The first meeting between The Young Bucks and FTR at Full Gear now seems like it could be a potentially feud-ending bout unless the Bucks end up dethroning the champions.
The AEW tag team division would lose a driving force if the Bucks fall short at Full Gear and are never near the tag titles again. What makes it even more irrational is that the decision wasn't forced upon the Young Bucks by FTR. It just came out of nowhere.
While FTR and Bucks had a solid interview segment on Dynamite, the stipulation wasn't needed for a match of this caliber and hype around it.
#3 Best: A great AEW Dynamite opener, Wardlow is the real deal!
'Hangman' Adam Page had to advance to the finals of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament. It just had to happen to set up the highly-anticipated singles match against Kenny Omega.
For me, this match was more about whether Wardlow could hang with the Hangman - one of the best that AEW has to offer, and MJF's muscleman surely didn't disappoint.
AEW Dynamite never fails to book a high-octane opener, and this match was no different. It ticked all the boxes. Wardlow looked multi-dimensional as he not only showcased his well-documented feats of strength but also came across looking like a nimble operator in the air. Hangman did move out of the way, but Wardlow's Senton from the top rope was as clean as they come.
Wardlow didn't even look weak in defeat as Hangman needed two ferocious Buckshot Lariats to get the win. Jim Ross even planted a psychological hook to explain the defeat by mentioning Wardlow's relative lack of in-ring experience when compared to Hangman.
Wardlow is still green in many departments, but he is the real deal and will be a great asset to AEW in due time.
#4 Best/ Worst: The Lumberjack Match for the AEW TNT title, Orange Cassidy suffers another big loss
To describe it in one word, the Lumberjack match was 'chaotic', but in a fun and engaging way. However, was it the right decision to have so many AEW wrestlers in close proximity considering the current climate? A section of the fanbase isn't too happy, but that isn't even the biggest issue here.
The Lumberjack match was primarily designed to keep the Dark Order members out, and guess what? John Silver played a big role in the match's outcome by attacking Orange Cassidy inside the ring.
And then we come to the curious case of Orange Cassidy, who suffered another significant loss to an established name. Cassidy is a great character, and he has the backing of the AEW management, but him losing decisive matches or even being booked in high-profile matches that he is bound to lose isn't doing him any good.
AEW has overexposed Orange Cassidy, and they might as well take a step back and reevaluate their options. Cody is still feuding with Dark Order by the looks of it, and it leaves Orange in a tricky spot.
#5 Best/ Worst: Serena Deeb wrestles, More focus on the NWA Women's title in AEW
Serena Deeb won the NWA Women's World Championship last night from Thunder Rosa, and she was quickly booked for her first title defense on AEW Dynamite against Leyla Hirsch.
Serena Deeb and Leyla Hirsch put on a solid women's match. Deeb brought all her experience to the table by carrying the title showdown with her technical acumen. Barring her unimpressive striking game, Leyla Hirsch also looked excellent in the title match that Deeb expectedly won.
AEW needs more matches of such quality every week to help shrug off the tag of paying little to no attention to its women's division. Serena Deeb could and should be one of the faces of the division.
The problem here is that AEW has focused more attention on the NWA Women's title than on Hikaru Shida's AEW Women's Championship. Shida was involved in a backstage segment in which she challenged Nyla Rose to a match at Full Gear.
In AEW's defense, the promotion had originally taped a match between Abadon and Tay Conti, which had to be stopped due to a horrific injury. The NWA Women's title match was a last-minute replacement, and thankfully for all parties involved, the women delivered.
AEW's women's division is a work in progress, but there is still a long way to go. Serena Deeb and the new faces like Leyla Hirsch are a step in the right direction.
