With two great episodes in the rear-view mirror, did “Maximum Carnage” maintain “Dynamite’s” recent momentum?
HIT: The Opening Package
I really enjoyed the video package that opened the show. The production value was incredibly high and it was a great way to introduce this week’s episode.
MISS: Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage
Last week, Kenny Omega made his triumphant return to Wednesday Night “Dynamite.” Unfortunately, his return was interrupted by Don Callis and his Don Callis Family. Particularly Lance Archer, Kyle Fletcher, and Brian Cage: who quickly overwhelmed Omega, until an unlikely ally emerged in Will Ospreay.
That interaction set the table for this opening contest. Brian Cage faced Kenny Omega, in a match billed as “‘The Machine’ vs. “The Best Bout Machine.’”
This just felt like an underwhelming return for the “God of Professional Wrestling.” Kenny Omega hasn’t wrestled in an AEW ring since Dec. 5, 2023. Omega’s match against Gabe Kidd at “Wrestle Dynasty” was phenomenal, but the bulk of “Dynamite’s” weekly viewing audience didn’t watch that match.
Omega’s return to the ring could have been a spectacle. Instead, it was a brief opening contest, on an episode that also featured a match for the world championship and the first women’s Casino Gauntlet Match.
While the booking may not have been ideal, this was a good match, which was unsurprising given the caliber of both competitors. Brian Cage’s position in AEW belies his ability in the ring.
In the end, Omega defeated Cage with the One-Winged Angel. After the match, Archer and Fletcher entered the fray and swarmed Omega — prompting Ospreay to intervene once again. While Ospreay helped Omega even the odds, Konosuke Takeshita came to his family’s aid, taking Omega to task. Fletcher returned to the ring and helped Takeshita dispatch Omega and Ospreay.
So far, the all-star duo of Ospreay and Omega doesn’t seem as inviolable as we’d expect.
Rating: ***
HIT: Chris Jericho’s New York Minute
Thankfully, I don’t review Saturday Night “Collision.” Chris Jericho’s match with Dax Harwood was an abomination. Fortunately, Jericho’s recent appearances on “Dynamite” have been relegated to these “New York Minute” segments.
That alone is worth considering this a hit. Hearing Bryan Keith abruptly say “mother f***er” on national television made this even better, even if it was censored.
HIT: The Hurt Syndicate vs. Mark Briscoe & Private Party
MVP made his in-ring debut in AEW, teaming with Shelton Benjamin & Bobby Lashley against Mark Briscoe and Private Party.
My only takeaway from this match is that Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen’s days as AEW World Tag Team Champions are numbered.
Admittedly, I’m not very interested in seeing MVP in the ring. Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley are another story. I’m convinced that if The Hurt Syndicate were in The Death Riders’ position, AEW would be in a better place.
Unfortunately, the Hurt Syndicate’s success came at the expense of Mark Briscoe and Private Party: the latter of whom have been a non-factor since winning the AEW World Tag Team Championships. If Kassidy and Quen’s reign as champions are nearing its end, I hope they’re able to at least give Lashley and Benjamin a valiant effort.
On the other hand, having a powerhouse team like Lashley and Benjamin might be exactly what the tag team division needs.
Rating: **½
HIT: Jeff Jarrett and MJF Face-to-Face
Jeff Jarrett came out to address the fans in Cincinnati, but was immediately interrupted by MJF.
MJF was in his element, attacking Jarrett’s most vulnerable weaknesses. Such as his alcoholism, failed business ventures, or wife’s previous relationship with Kurt Angle.
Jarrett didn’t pull any punches either, acknowledging that his best days are behind him, but so are MJF’s. Jarrett called MJF’s father an “ambulance chasing” lawyer and his mother a “call girl.” Then, he said that his wife, AEW backstage reporter Alicia Atout, a glorified Canadian call girl. Jarrett didn’t stop there, though. Jarrett said that, while MJF was going 60 minutes with Ospreay, Atout was going 60 minutes in the parking lot with 10 other wrestlers.
More importantly though, MJF is a scared little boy. Scared to grab the brass ring, scared that his best days are behind him, and scared he’s a “one hit wonder.”
MJF has seen what a wrestling company can achieve when Jarrett is the king of the mountain. When MJF was the champion, 82,000 fans descended on Wembley Stadium. MJF called Jarret a “carny succubus,” who would stoop low enough to ride the coattails of his deceased friend, Owen Hart.
Jarrett couldn’t take anymore of MJF’s rhetoric, attacking the former champion. Security intervened, separating MJF and Jarrett. Karen Jarrett joined security, trying to calm her husband down.
I don’t care how long this segment was. This was fantastic. MJF is at an inflection point in his career and in dire need of a course correction. I think Jeff Jarrett has all the tools and experience to help MJF reach the next phase of his career.
HIT: HOOK vs. Christian Cage
This feud began in early October, when Christian Cage and The Patriarchy brutally assaulted Taz. Christian’s intentions were to exploit the absence of HOOK’s father and become the “Cold-Hearted, Handsome Devil”’s father figure. Does that make any sense? No. For weeks, HOOK was searching for his father’s assailant. Why didn’t Taz just tell HOOK that it was Christian? I don’t know. Do I care about this feud? No.
As far as the match itself was concerned, it was decent. HOOK’s lack of noticeable improvement since his debut is glaringly obvious. Christian Cage did a good job of countering HOOK’s offense and establishing the pace of this contest.
The match ended via disqualification, when Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne entered the ring to assault HOOK. Overwhelmed by the Patriarchy, Taz nearly entered the ring to defend his son, but was interrupted by the long awaited return of Samoa Joe, who has been absent since July.
It was great to see the “Samoan Submission Machine” back in AEW. Unfortunately, it seems like this feud is going to continue.
Rating: **½
MISS: Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match
Last week, we had a Casino Gauntlet Match to determine who would face Jon Moxley at “Maximum Carnage.” This week, we had the first women’s Casino Gauntlet Match, to determine Mariah May’s opponent at “Grand Slam Australia” for the AEW Women’s World Champion.
First and foremost, May was on commentary and did a phenomenal job. After last week’s solid lineup of Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, and Matt Menard; the return of Taz and Tony Schiavone didn’t exactly land with me. May was a great addition to the commentary team.
The match began with Kris Statlander, who won last week’s triple-threat match to earn the number one spot, and Jamie Hayter. Both women went back and forth, before a new challenger entered the fray. The 6’1” Megan Bayne made her television debut in AEW, trading blows with two of the women’s divisions most powerful juggernauts.
After Bayne’s debut, the participants entered as follows: Julia Hart, Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm, and Harley Cameron.
Ultimately, Toni Storm won the match, pinning Harley Cameron with an inside cradle and punching her ticket to “Grand Slam Australia,” where she’ll face Mariah May for the world championship. May was thrilled to see Storm win the Casino Gauntlet Match, confident that she’ll be able to defeat Storm once again.
I have been anxiously awaiting the first Casino Women’s Gauntlet match, but this was a let down. Not because of the women involved performance, but because it was poorly mishandled. This should have been twice as long as the featured attraction of another episode of “Dynamite.”
The sheer spectacle of the Casino Gauntlet Match could have compensated for how easily predictable this was. Instead, it just felt like another regularly scheduled match on “Dynamite.”
MISS: Jon Moxley [c] vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
I have no good will left for Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. I’m tired of giving this angle, faction, and champion any grace. A wrestling promotion’s world champion should be the standard bearer for their company. If Moxley is the standard bearer, then this company is doomed.
Powerhouse Hobbs won last week’s Casino Gauntlet Match to earn his shot at the AEW World Championship. The last time Hobbs faced Moxley, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was on the line. Unfortunately, the match ended prematurely, when Hobbs knee collided with a turnbuckle; rupturing his patellar tendon.
Unfortunately, Hobbs was facing Cincinnati’s hometown hero, Jon Moxley; so chances of winning this match were slim to none. I’ll give Hobbs credit though, watching him bite Moxley’s earring off of his ear was very entertaining, albeit grotesque.
Hobbs gave Moxley a valiant effort, but couldn’t overcome the Death Riders typical shenanigans. In the end, Moxley delivered a Paradigm Shift, but Hobbs kicked out. Moxley desperately applied the bulldog choke, snuffing out Hobbs hopes of becoming the AEW World Champion.
After the match, the other Death Riders enter the ring and wrap a steel chair around Hobbs’ surgically repaired knee. Claudio Castagnoli delivered a stomp, seemingly breaking Hobbs’ knee. Immediately afterwards, Rated FTR’s music hit and the trio entered the ring to repel the Death Riders.
Hobbs is supposed to join forces with Rated FTR and the Outrunners this weekend on “Collision” against the Death Riders and the Learning Tree. If I were Hobbs, I wouldn’t want to work with Rated FTR. They couldn’t come out before the Death Riders broke his knee?
Rating: **¾
Final Verdict
By and large, I didn’t enjoy this special “Maximum Carnage” edition of “Dynamite.” Kenny Omega’s match, the women’s Casino Gauntlet Match, and the main event all could have been featured attractions on a normal episode of “Dynamite.” Instead, all three suffered. This is a classic example of the old adage that, sometimes, less is more.
Rating: **½
The Rest of the Week’s Programming
Saturday Night “Collision”
- “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Christopher Daniels (Texas Death Match)
- Rated FTR, Powerhouse Hobbs, and The Outrunners vs. The Death Riders and The Learning Tree
- Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Tomohiro Ishii