It’s Thursday, you know what that means. Last night, Dynamite emanated from Duluth, Georgia.
With ALL IN on Sunday, AEW’s biggest show in their short history, let’s run through the card and see how Dynamite moved all of their stories forward, setting up for Sunday’s historic PPV event.
THE MAIN EVENT
Adam Cole gets defensive, MJF in control
The main event of ALL IN will be Adam Cole and MJF. If a year ago you would’ve told a wrestling fan “next year, AEW will run Wembley and MJF/Cole will be the main event. BUT they’ll be best friends.” They would’ve RKO’d you on the spot for your terrible wrestling opinions.
And then you’d have to mention they’ll be tag partners on the Zero Hour as well.
First, let’s make it clear. It is an INCREDIBLE feat that Wembley will be filled to the brims Sunday. People thought they wouldn’t sell 35k tickets. There will be 90,000 people in London Sunday. AEW is about to enter a different stratosphere.
Now onto the main event.
Cole and Max both sat down with the excellent Renee Paquette for separate interviews.
Renee, playing the role of investigative journalist, presented footage to each man from the last few months of their friendship… but instead highlighted the times they almost turned on each other.
Max’s response (basically):
“Whatever, I’m new at being vulnerable. This is all new to me. I’ve never had real friends and sorry for showing weakness, but Adam is the best friend I’ve ever had and I am honored to fight him on Sunday. 😇”
Cole’s response (basically):
“WTF RENEE. CAN’T TWO MEN BE FRIENDS WITHOUT PEOPLE TEARING THEM APART? 😠”
Two schools of thought.
- Max cares more about the relationship itself. He showed how deeply Adam has affected him on a real level. Adam is getting defensive because he knows it’s an act and that he’s so close to getting exactly what he wants, the AEW title.
- Max is a sociopath who can lie through his teeth without a second thought. Adam genuinely cares about Max and is tired of people not trusting his instincts.
So. Fucking. Good. Please go out of your way to watch these interviews.
The show ended with Max and Cole brawling with their Zero Hour opponents Aussie Open. Cole went for a super kick while MJF held Kyle Fletcher up. Fletcher ducked and MJF caught Cole’s kick.
Was it on purpose? Was it a mistake?
MJF doesn’t know. Cole goes for a handshake. Classic MJF shoulder bump. Grabs the diamond ring. Thinks it over. Puts it away. Hugs Cole.
They are going into ALL IN as best friends. How they leave could alter wrestling history forever.
THE CO-MAIN EVENTS
Will Ospreay, Chris Jericho, and the art of the contract signing
Contract signings are incredibly overdone.
Whether it’s in wrestling, UFC, or whatever the fuck that Paul/Danis fight is supposed to be, generally the hype of the presser/signing will be greater than the event itself.
Jericho and Ospreay is a match that wrestling fans (not this one) weren’t sold on.
They sold it here. This is the real main event of Wembley in my eyes.
Will Ospreay, is currently one of the if not THE best wrestlers on Earth today. The favorite for Wrestler of the Year. He has defeated Okada and Omega this year and is looking to add Jericho to that list. Quite a list, not gonna lie.
But he wasn’t on ALL IN.
And this is Wembley fucking stadium. The biggest stadium in the world. In his home country nonetheless. And the night before? He’s wrestling at RevPro, continuing to build up the British indie scene. He has a family and stepson to take care of. His contract is up in 6 months 👀 with NJPW and this moment could be a career-defining moment before signing a life-changing contract.
Chris Jericho, is legitimately one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, defending his legacy at Wembley. The internet says he’s washed. That he can’t keep up. Jericho respects Will for making his way to the top of the mountain. He called Ospreay and told him to tone it down and saw the potential but was worried about losing his career due to injury.
But now? Ospreay is ungrateful. It’s about staying at the top and Jericho has been there for over 20 years. But he’s here to prove to everyone why he’s still the best in the world. And to prove to Don Callis he made the wrong choice.
Jericho. Britain’s favorite son, Will Ospreay. Wembley Stadium. I’m sorry, that’s going to be epic and I have no doubt the match is 4 stars or higher.
The Elite and Bullet Club Gold and a perfect wrestling brawl
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks were supposed to take on Bullet Club Gold.
Instead, BCG and The Elite started their fight on the ramp and continued to have an extended 5-10-minute brawl.
We got our first Jay White/Kenny Omega encounter (!!!) on AEW television, but we’re conspicuously missing Kota Ibushi and more surprisingly, Hangman Page to help take out BCG and Takeshita.
Well, Collision taped after Dynamite so I guess we know why Hangman wasn’t there.
Oh yeah, The Elite did end up with the advantage over BCG until evil Takeshita laid out Omega.
Sunday, the cowboy and Kota will be there in support though.
This feels like the beginning, not the end, of an epic story filled with Bullet Club lore. About damn time.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Swerve lives up to the name, kicks AR Fox out of Mogul Affiliates, teams up with Christian Cage at Wembley
Swerve is a super villain and it’s working. for. me.
In a Roman Reigns-esque promo (in the best ways) after Nick Wayne and Darby Allin defeated Swerve and Fox, Swerve told Fox this was all a test. And he failed. He couldn’t beat an 18-year-old.
He can’t trust him, especially going into the biggest match of his life. There’s no time to play games. Brian Cage shows up and destroys Fox.
Fox is out of Mogul Affiliates. WOW.
Now I understand the confusion, as it seemed like the two had real chemistry and that it was a huge angle to put over the war between Allin and Swerve.
Instead, it just makes Swerve that much more dastardly. And it gives us more of an emotional investment in Babyface AR Fox.
And we get Swerve and CHRISTIAN CAGE against Darby Allin and STING on Sunday. What more could you ask for?
Santana and Ortiz return for Stadium Stampede, join BCC’s team
Rey Fenix and Jon Moxley put on a BANGER of a match. I love their chemistry together. Mox as a base for Lucha matches is some of his best work.
Fenix has visa issues and can’t attend Wembley, so a BCC beatdown ensued post-match and they hit the poor man over the head with a crowbar.
Eddie Kingston and The Best Friends tried to come out for a save, but Ortiz stopped them! He’s back! And so is Santana! He gets his big solo entrance after being gone for a year!
Not a lot of interaction between the two. Reportedly they have personal issues, but the fact they can put it aside to meet this moment and to have this match? Special. You can’t tell the story of AEW without these two, so I’m glad they will get their shine.
It’s BCC + Santana and Ortiz vs. Best Friends, Pentagon, and Eddie Kingston in Wembley Stadium Stampede. Buckle up.
CM Punk and Samoa Joe, one more time in Wembley
LOL. See you on Saturday.
Daddy Ass is back to being a Bad Ass
Billy Gunn is back! Malakai and House of Black made him consider leaving Max and Anthony out to dry and quitting altogether, but after the House of Black’s vicious attacks on The Acclaimed the last couple of weeks, Billy made a choice. Daddy Ass won’t be at Wembley. But a badass is coming.
Unfortunately, very little was built for the Women’s 4-Way
Ruby Soho defeated Skye Blue and they talked about the title match. Britt Baker and Shida will fight on Rampage. But for a go-home show, it’s extremely disappointing they didn’t have a bigger angle for the women’s title match.
They taped Collision immediately following Dynamite. spoilers are found here.
Next time we will see AEW live, they’ll be inside Wembley Stadium for the biggest wrestling show ever.
Buckle up.
One Response
This show is going to be EPIC!!