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There were high points and there were low points during this week's show, as is the case with most weeks as far as All Elite Wrestling is concerned. The fact is that they are working with limited resources, and one can't feel bad but feel sorry for the performers involved.
But that said, I'm going to review the two hours we witnessed this week just as I would any other week I do the same with WWE as well. How did they fare with the components that they had at hand when it came to telling their stories to fans?
So, with that in mind, here is my 'best and worst' analysis for this week's episode of Dynamite. As you are well aware, you can certainly chime in and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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#1 Best: The two tournament matches
We all knew that when Kip Sabian would mix it up with Dustin Rhodes in the ring, Penelope Ford and Brandi Rhodes would get involved on the outside and they did! I liked the fact that there was the additional element of Dustin Rhodes' career coming to a close on this week's show during the match, because, had he come up short during the contest, he would have retired from All Elite Wrestling for good.
Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin also had a fantastic match at the top of the show and it was great to see Allin score a big win. He will take on Cody Rhodes next and that should be a great match as well. One wonders if we will see the two brothers square off in the finals of the tournament to recreate the magic that they had when they first met in AEW.
The tournament has been great thus far.
#1 Worst: Taking even more shots at WWE and Vince McMahon
Check out the video that I have linked above. If you missed it the first time around, there is a certain point during the segment that the gentleman here types out that he had the whole world in his hand, much as Bray Wyatt would.
One of the things that I did not want Brodie Lee to do is to make The Dark Order a Wyatt Family lite faction because there is no way that a group of assorted individuals can compare to one of the most popular stables in the modern era of pro wrestling. And not only did this happen but the former Luke Harper also took a shot at Vince McMahon and his love for hiring football players through this skit.
I really don't know if this is the right gimmick for someone like Brodie Lee because you don't want him to be a parody of what he used to be in a place where he wasn't used to his fullest ability, but be his own self and develop his own identity.
#2 Best: The Bubbly Bunch
No, I did not enjoy the Bubbly Bunch last week at all. But the good news is that Chris Jericho and his band of merry men are finally getting it all together and I have to say that this week's edition was gold. The Inner Circle members involved in a dance-off to win a hand sanitizer made me laugh out loud, for real.
I can only see these segments become even better every week, and if you haven't watched this week's episode yet, I would recommend that you go ahead and do so, if only for this segment. I have to say that the sight of MMA Superstar Jake Hager dancing can lift your spirits, irrespective of how low you're feeling with the conditions prevailing in the world right now.
As Chris Jericho said on commentary, the men and women of AEW are bringing you entertainment in these trying times to take your mind off everything else that is happening in a world that can be depressing and disheartening through the magic of pro wrestling.
#2 Worst: Predictable matches
Would you read a book until the end if you knew how it would end? Maybe you would and maybe you wouldn't. Because of the limited roster available to Tony Khan and company, the AEW roster has to participate in a lot of matches where you know the outcome before it even begins and it can be disheartening.
Even though a Kenny Omega match is always a good thing, when he takes on someone you know is not at his level, the outcome is obvious from the beginning. I get why Wardlow and Brodie Lee had to win their matches, but at the same time, it just made the show a very predictable affair indeed.
My colleagues were raving about NXT in the official Sportskeeda chat and I wonder if I was a fan not assigned to All Elite Wrestling duty (mind you, I love my role) if I would have switched to the other Network and watched what the competition had to offer instead of slogging through so many predictable contests.
#3 Best/Worst: Slipping in and out of character
Something about Matt Hardy's promo this week did not connect with me. I don't know if you felt the same way but the way that he switched back and forth between his 'Broken' avatar and his actual self, by breaking the fourth wall, just seemed rather underwhelming to me.
There is no way that I can dub this a bad segment because it was creative in the same way that all Matt Hardy segments are. But with the Boneyard match and the Firefly Funhouse match causing the stir that they did, Hardy is going to have to think out of the box to make his upcoming match with Chris Jericho in the Hardy Compound stand out and be different from the rest of the pack.
Luckily, Matt Hardy thrives on challenges and so, this should not be a problem. By the way, have you checked out our interview with the voice of AEW Jim Ross yet?
Our very own Darren Paltrowitz caught up with the legend quite recently.
#3 Best/Worst: The Orange Cassidy match
Maybe I had higher expectations from the match between Jimmy Havoc and Orange Cassidy. Maybe Havoc is not nearly the same level of worker that PAC is, to put on the contest that the two men did last time around, that irked some but nevertheless was funny from start to finish.
While this week's match had its moments, I would have to say that it did not live up to the expectations that Cassidy had set up. I think that there should be a few more signature Orange Cassidy spots in every match than there were on this week's show.
And so, in conclusion, I thought that this week's episode of AEW Dynamite was a 'hit and miss' episode with some good and some bad, and a lot of stuff right down in the middle. How much can you really blame AEW for the same I wonder, considering their hands are tied and that they do not have access to some of their top players in these trying times?!
