The road to “All In” continued last night in Winston-Salem, N.C., for Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
Several hours before the show, Tony Khan announced via X (formerly Twitter) that due to flight cancellations caused by Tropical Storm Debby, several AEW wrestlers struggled to travel to Winston-Salem.
Ostensibly, this forced Khan to make a few alterations at the eleventh hour. While it’s merely conjecture, it’s possible that those last-minute changes affected the overall quality of this week’s episode.
Unfortunately, this was another lackluster episode of “Dynamite.” While there weren’t any terrible segments, the highs weren’t very high, either.
Let’s dive in:
HIT: The Opening Match
The saga between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Will Ospreay continued this week, with MJF defending his American Championship against Ospreay’s longtime friend and former stablemate, Kyle Fletcher.
I try to refrain from using profanity and “insider baseball” terms, so pardon the expression; but MJF sold his ass off in this match. Despite portraying an entitled, abhorrent, narcissistic, and sadistic psychopath — MJF has always been a charitable performer. The spotlight he cast on Kyle Fletcher was bright. Fortunately, the opportunity was not lost on the young phenom.
Under the stewardship of Don Callis, Kyle Fletcher has adopted the epithet “Protostar.” According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a protostar is: “a cloud of gas and dust in space believed to develop into a star.” If this match was a litmus test for the 25-year-old, I’d say he lived up to his name. Fletcher’s immense talent was on full display against MJF, forcing the latter to rely on his guile and wit to outlast the “Protostar’s” offense.
This was a great way to kick off “Dynamite,” culminating in MJF viciously assaulting Fletcher after the match with the Dynamite Diamond Ring — prompting Ospreay’s intervention. This was a welcome detour from the tired formula that MJF and Ospreay have adhered to the last two weeks — thanks in large part to an exciting performance from Fletcher.
MISS: The Learning Tree
The obligatory “miss” of the week.
Bryan Keith versus Katsuyori Shibata would, under normal circumstances, be an exciting bout. Under the constraints of Chris Jericho’s weekly allotted “TV time,” this match was utterly forgettable.
After Shibata defeated Keith, Big Bill and Jericho stormed the ring and throttled “The Wrestler.” Before Jericho could land a concussive shot with the FTW Title, the “Cold Hearted Handsome Devil,” Hook returned. The former FTW Champion ran roughshod of “The Learning Tree,” forcing them all to flee the ring.
It appears as though Hook and Jericho are destined to collide in London for the FTW Title. Unfortunately, this segment didn’t generate any excitement for that match. In fact, all it did was disappoint me.
HIT: Orange Cassidy’s Surprise Teammates
Due to flight cancellations, The Conglomeration’s scheduled match against The Beast Mortos, Roderick Strong, and Rush was in jeopardy. The only member of The Conglomeration who successfully arrived was Orange Cassidy, but wrestling’s most easy going superstar was determined to perform. In a backstage interview with Renee Pacquette, Cassidy promised that he found a few “good ole’ boys” to help him.
So imagine my surprise when North Carolina’s own Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler, FTR, returned to “Dynamite.”
Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of FTR — who haven’t wrestled as a tag team on “Dynamite” since April 2023. Normally, these Conglomeration matches against some combination of the Undisputed Kingdom, Rush, and/or The Beast Mortos have been largely forgettable. This segment was saved by the grace of FTR, who were a breath of fresh air for this feud.
I love FTR’s commitment to Saturday Night “Collision,” but this match reminded me how much I missed the “Top Guys” on AEW’s flagship program.
MISS: Pull-aparts
After the show, AEW released a digital exclusive where “Hangman” Adam Page attacked Jeff Jarrett after his main-event match with Bryan Danielson. Jay Lethal defended Jarrett, before a swarm of referees and security guards separated the two. Then, out of nowhere, Toni Storm and Mariah May enter the frame in the middle of a fight, forcing the referees and security guards to separate them.
Earlier in the show, Toni Storm and Mariah May were separated by officials after the latter’s match against Viva Van. After Orange Cassidy and FTR defeated Strong, Mortos, and Rush; The Acclaimed made their way to the ring to confront FTR — resulting in a pull-apart.
That’s three pull-aparts in one night. How can a full apart feel special, when it happens multiple times every week? Tony Khan needs to curb the pull-apart inflation.
HIT: Tony Khan Overturns the EVP’s Suspension of Britt Baker
Rumors began to circulate last Friday that Britt Baker was involved in a backstage incident with MJF and his partner; backstage personality Alicia Atout: during the July 17 edition of “Dynamite.” As a result, Baker was reportedly suspended for one to two weeks by AEW’s disciplinary committee.
Last week, Mercedes Moné mentioned in passing that the Executive Vice Presidents (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) suspended Britt Baker — preventing her from interrupting Moné after Kamille’s debut. Where does reality end and the story begin? It’s difficult to really say. What I do know is this entire segment was great.
“The Brickhouse” was scheduled to participate in a handicap match — defeating two enhancement talents in dominant fashion. Afterwards, Moné addressed the Winston-Salem crowd, once again thanking the EVP’s for suspending Baker.
Tony Schiavone interrupted Moné, announcing that Tony Khan overturned Baker’s suspension — who was “standing by via satellite.” Baker’s monologue was yet another home run for the doctor, pushing this feud forward in a positive direction. I can’t wait to see these two come face-to-face next week.
HIT: The Main Event
Can Bryan Danielson versus Jeff Jarrett be considered a “dream match?” Both wrestlers have won a combined 18 world championships across various promotions. Both wrestlers are bona-fide first-ballot Hall of Famers, if such a thing meritocratically existed in professional wrestling. Did it feel like a “dream match?” Not quite. Thanks to the match’s “anything goes” stipulation, it was still a lot of fun, though!
Like last week, we’re still in Jim Crockett Promotions’ classic Mid-Atlantic loop. So, who better to serve as a special guest announcer for this match than Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat?
“The American Dragon” and “The Last Outlaw” fought in the ring and out of it — breaking guitars, hitting each other with beer bottles, slamming each other onto garbage cans, and even wrestling. If Jarrett’s goal was to prepare Danielson for his match at “All In” against Swerve Strickland, I don’t really know how any of that was applicable, but it was fun nonetheless.
If Jarrett’s retirement is imminent, then the last few months have been an exciting resurgence for the veteran. Considering the aforementioned digital exclusive after the match, where “Hangman” Adam Page attacked Jarrett — it seems like these two are destined to do battle once more.
I can honestly say that I never thought I’d want more Jeff Jarrett in 2024.
The Rest of the Week’s Programming
Friday Night “Rampage”
- Darby Allin in action
Saturday Night “Collision”
- The House of Black vs. The Bang Bang Gang (Number One Contendership of the AEW World Trios Title)
- Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo (Texas Bullrope)
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