Just over a year ago, the wrestling landscape changed. For the first time this century, WWE has legitimate competition on mainstream television as AEW Dynamite launched. On top of this, the programme was placed on Wednesday nights. This was the same night and timeslot as WWE’s new format of NXT. Recently, the new version of NXT on USA was analysed with the good and the bad (read about that here). But what about Dynamite? Here are the good and the bad aspects of the new dog in the yard.
The Good
The in-ring quality has been excellent. The shaky start of tag team matches ignoring rules now seems a distant memory. Across all promotions, the best TV match of the week generally will come from an episode of Dynamite. The match shown above recently received a five-star rating from critic Dave Meltzer. There are also unique styles with performers like Orange Cassidy performing moves we don’t see on any other shows. WWE can be guilty of having a very specific structure with their matches. AEW feel more individual and the unknown feeling of what to expect adds value to each week.
AEW have also mastered the pandemic setup. The adjustment of the hard camera and including talent in the crowd to provide fan noise provided a much needed change in dynamics. Shows with no fans were unwatchable but providing some crowd noise helped keep interest in the product. So much so that a couple of weeks later, all WWE programmes had the same setup.
Underused talent are getting the treatment they deserve. In 2020 we now think of Jon Moxley not Dean Ambrose, and we think of Jake Hager not Jack Swagger. Superstars who were booked poorly in WWE get a chance to be the performer they always should have been. They get their own creative input and there is an increased sense of enthusiasm. We are seeing FTR on a career resurgence too. Hopefully, Miro will be able to carve a new legacy and leave the bad memories of Rusev behind too.
Chris Jericho. From “A little bit of the bubbly.” to the witch hat cone to everything in The Stadium Stampede. Chris Jericho’s antics have been a highlight every week on Dynamite. At nearly fifty years old, he can still be more entertaining than most and still have knowledge of what people want to see on TV.
New superstars on TV. A promotion that simply signs old WWE talent can look like a watered down version of RAW or Smackdown. Impact Wrestling have been guilty of this many times, most notably in 2010. Not true with Dynamite. Fresh faces like Orange Cassidy, MJF and Britt Baker feel as important as any talent signed from the big promotions. Everyone feels like they are treated based on their talent and not their previous TV credentials. It’s not all positive though…
The Bad
It feels like a boys club. The main criticism of Dynamite is the minimal featuring of female talent on the show. In a two hour show, there is usually only one match or segment involving the women’s division. The promotion also received heavy criticism for not airing their women’s tag team tournament on YouTube as opposed to network television.
Is it too much? 2019’s Full Gear PPV drew some criticism from fans by claiming the match between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega went too over the top and unrealistic. The barbed wire bed pictured above being cited as being a weapon created for shock value only and didn’t add to the story of the match.
Note everyone makes it. Unfortunately, for every Jon Moxley, there is a Shawn Spears. Even without the rogue chairshot on Cody earlier this year, Spears could be seen as one of the worst former WWE signees. His stock has not been raised since signing for AEW and it is unknown what is next for the former Tye Dillinger.
What Next?
AEW can continue to grow by doing what they do best. Provide something for everyone with a mix of great in ring action, stories that make sense and some funny moments in between. If the women’s division get more time then rating may rise further. Perhaps even frequently over one million viewers a week. Not many companies have had a debut year as good as Dynamite, and it doesn’t look like they will be slowing down any time soon.
Image credit: AEW
