5 Biggest Takeaways from AEW Dynamite (December 29th, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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The final TNT Dynamite is in the books and we now move towards the TBS era. With the final show of not only the year but the TNT era, the show itself was rather lacking in the quality department but things moved forward and that’s always a plus to look at. The show usually starts off hot, but this time it opened with a mess of a 10 man tag that could have been left off the show entirely as it was only used to drive a certain story that would have been served better in a shorter segment. We had a Chris Jericho return that seemed to fall flat when the crowd didn’t seem to care so much as well as a debut from Mercedes Martinez that garnered no reaction. But enough of the bad and let us move towards the good as we dive into the 5 Biggest Takeaways from this weeks AEW Dynamite.
# 5: Pride & Power Struggle
Ortiz and Santana have served as henchmen for Jericho since their arrival in AEW, in which Jericho’s battles always took precedence over the goals of the tag team and it has been a real shame. Earlier this year, they were on their own for a small period of time during their rivalry with FTR and it was the best the team had looked inside the ring and outside of it as they enjoyed time away from the Inner Circle. They found themselves back with Chris for a quick program with American Top Team that would drag them back to irrelevance before Chris would be sent away for his tour. A chance for them to shine again, away from the group that had been holding them back. They would find themselves by the side of an old friend, Eddie Kingston and it looked as if they might be breaking away completely from Jericho but all that became very unclear this week. After losing to Daniel Garcia and 2point0, Ortiz would find himself on the receiving end of a post match beat down only to be saved by a returning Chris Jericho. After things calmed down, Eddie Kingston and Chris Jerich found themselves in each other’s faces, both claiming that Ortiz & Santana are with them. I’m all for a Jericho versus Kingston feud, but with Pride and Powerful now in the middle it becomes unclear where they will be heading. Santana recently said that it’s time they focus on the Tag Titles in 2022 but with the track record in Inner Circle, it doesn’t seem very likely. Will Eddie Kingston break them free from the clutches of Jericho? Or will they continue to be henchmen? We shall find out in the coming month as the Jericho/Eddie Kingston feud unfolds.
# 4: Tensions High
Each week, Dynamite seems to have a recurring theme throughout the night. This week? The old WWE trick, “can they coexist?” It started with Jurrasic Express teaming with Lucha Brothers that would end up turning into a Tag Title match for next week when the 5 of them couldn’t get along. It would continue with Wardlow’s patience slowly dwindling with MJF as he discovered that any accolades he would accomplish in AEW would become property of MJF. And it would boil right over into the Undisputed Era/Young Bucks storyline where the lines seem to have been made and now Adam Cole will have to choose. All three are good stories being told and all 3 of them are being done differently. It’s very telling of how good AEW is when they really put forth the effort with telling stories. Jurrasic Express/Lucha brothers is coming to a close next week, MJF/Wardlow is getting to the breaking point and Elite/Undisputed Era is just starting to get going. Kudos for those involved with the multiple stories at different levels all at the same time. It’s something we haven’t seen in quite some time.
# 3: Kyle O’Reilly
Speaking of the Undisputed Era/Elite story, we have Kyle O’Reilly being the focal point of the story this week. It was his arrival that got this story kick started last week and it was his reluctance to accept Adam Cole’s trust this week. They addressed the NXT blood feud situation and explained why he even felt the need to align with Cole and Fish to begin with. The Young Bucks made it a point to say Kyle hadn’t even said hello yet to which Kyle gave them a very sarcastic “Hey Matt. Hey Nick.” that let you know he was not very thrilled about being aligned with them. A lot of people didn’t think Kyle was a very big addition for AEW but these first two weeks have made it very clear that his presence in the company will have major implications in the very near future for some of the bigger names within AEW. Having him be the reason to kickstart Adam Cole departing The Elite and feuding with the Bucks and Omega is a very big deal and will only bode well for his run alongside his good buddies Adam Cole and Bobby Fish.
# 2: Jade Car-Green
I get it, Jade Cargill has the look. She is a specimen, that upon first glance, you can tell she is a big deal. The potential is there and she will be a future superstar in wrestling as long as she continues to progress in the right direction. No doubt about it. They have protected her well with her only loss coming in a battle royal and most of her wins have come in dominant fashion. The TBS Championship tournament seems to have been catered for her to walk away with the title and most of the fans don’t seem to have a problem with it. After the match with Thunder Rosa on Dynamite, I think a lot of problems have arisen. She can not go the distance in the matches that will be expected of her as a champion. She is clearly not ready to carry a title for AEW as her skills in the ring are still very green. Her time will come, there’s no reason to doubt that but throwing her in the deep end before she is ready could be very detrimental to her progress. Hopefully I’m wrong but I have seen nothing to make me think that is the case.
# 1: Powerbomb Symphony
AEW has quietly been building their next big babyface right before our eyes. A true babyface gives the fans what they want and plays to the crowd during the match. It’s a small talent that usually takes people time to learn but if you have been paying any kind of attention to Wardlow’s squash matches, it’s clear that he knows how to do it. He has the audience in the palm of his hands and makes them believe that they control the amount of damage he is going to inflict on his opponent. They chant “one more time” but he’s already planning on doing it 4 more times. And the fans love it. To make things better? Having him break free of MJF’s grasp at the end of this story is only going to make the fans love him more. The roof will explode when he turns on MJF and they will lose their ever loving minds when he hits Shawn Spears with the Powerbomb Symphony that first time. With the ending of Punk and MJF in the near future, you can expect Wardlow to play a part in that as MJF moves right from one feud into the next with Wardlow and the next big babyface is made.
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