AEW returned to the Wintrust Arena in Chicago for its annual “Thanksgiving Eve” edition of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
With “Full Gear” in the rear-view mirror, the road to “Worlds End” has officially begun with the commencement of the second annual Continental Classic. Similar to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s classic G1 Climax Tournament, the Continental Classic is a round-robin tournament with 12 contestants; that have been divided into the Gold and Blue divisions.
The Blue League consists of: Shelton Benjamin, Kyle Fletcher, Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe, the Beast Mortos, and the AEW Continental Champion, Kazuchika Okada.
The Gold League consists of: Claudio Castagnoli, Brody King, Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, Juice Robinson, and Ricochet.
Did the road to “Worlds End” begin with a bang or did “Thanksgiving Eve” fail to deliver? Let’s dive in:
HIT: The Hurt Syndicate continues to impress
“We come here to take championship titles and leverage them for more money and more power. We are the merchants of misery. We are in the profession of pain… What do we do? We hurt people.”
MVP is the best manager in professional wrestling. The Hurt Syndicate have quickly emerged as one of the most dangerous factions in AEW and, in my estimation, the most interesting. This was a phenomenal segment that transitioned well into the evening’s opening contest.
HIT: Shelton Benjamin defeats Mark Briscoe
The Continental Classic is a phenomenal excuse for Tony Khan to book matches that would otherwise be frivolous. For example, Mark Briscoe versus Shelton Benjamin.
What a phenomenal way to kick off the Continental Classic. The rules are very simple:
- Each match has a 20-minute time limit.
- Everyone is banned from ringside.
- Wins are worth 3 points.
- Ties are worth 1 point.
Despite losing to Swerve Strickland at “Fright Night Dynamite,” Shelton Benjamin is still one of the most imposing figures in AEW. Mark Briscoe’s effort was valiant, clawing his way back into the contest on several occasions. Still, Briscoe was unable to endure the totality of Benjamin’s offense.
This was a really fun match, kicking off the Blue League. Shelton Benjamin is no stranger to round-robin tournaments, so it’ll be interesting to see how many wins he can accumulate in the Blue League.
Rating: ***
HIT: Mercedes Moné Celebration
Tony Schiavone introduces the NJPW Strong Women’s Champion and TBS Women’s Champion, Mercedes Moné, to celebrate her victory over Kris Statlander at “Full Gear.”
Moné made this short and sweet. The “CEO” is dissatisfied with her bodyguard, the “Brickhouse” Kamille. Before Moné can fire her though, Kamille took the microphone and quit.
From the minute Kamille joined Moné, this outcome was inevitable. Although, I’ll admit that I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Will Moné find a replacement for Kamille? Will these two share the ring at “Worlds End?” For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
MISS: Chris Jericho defeats Tomohiro Ishii
Quite frankly, I’m tired of seeing Ring Of Honor championships defended on AEW television. There’s no way that this is inviting for new viewers.
Beyond my general disinterest in the ROH brand, this was just a lackluster match. Chris Jericho loves trading chops and open-handed slaps. I don’t understand how fans find these exchanges enjoyable.
The only saving grace of this segment was Big Bill, who joined Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, and Tony Schiavone on the commentary booth. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make this match worth watching. Hopefully, Jericho’s future title defenses will exclusively air on Honor Club. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen.
HIT: “Hangman” Adam Page and Jay White stake their claim
“Hangman” Adam Page joined Tony Schiavone in the ring to address his actions at the end of “Full Gear,” where he tried to help Christian Cage cash in his contract on Jon Moxley. Page expressed his desire to be AEW World Champion once again, which means he’ll have to face Moxley.
Queue “SwitchBlade.” Jay White quickly made his way to the ring, to remind Page that he won their match at “Full Gear.” If anyone is going to challenge Moxley, it should be White. However, both men ultimately found themselves swarmed by PAC, Wheeler Yuta, Marina Shafir, and the world champion. While Page was struck with a briefcase, he was able to roll out of the ring and escape. Unfortunately, White found himself in Shafir’s clutches, who applied a sleeper hold. Once White was unconscious, the Death Riders took turns stomping on him to punctuate the affair.
It seems like we’re angling towards a triple-threat match at “Worlds End,” between Moxley, Page, and White. That sounds like an exciting main event, to me.
HIT: Claudio Castagnoli defeats Ricochet
The Gold League kicked off with a fantastic match between the Death Riders’ own Claudio Castagnoli and Ricochet.
In recent weeks, Claudio Castagnoli has become one of AEW’s most insurmountable obstacles, culminating in his victory last week over Darby Allin. This week, it was a striking victory over Ricochet.
Still, this was a highly competitive affair, and yet another entertaining contest to kick-off the Continental Classic.
Rating: ***
MISS: Kyle O’Reilly wants to wrestle MJF
Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom made their way to the ring, sans Roderick Strong. Cole wasted no time threatening MJF, until he was interrupted by Kyle O’Reilly.
Last week, O’Reilly criticized Cole for allowing Strong to wrestle MJF at “Full Gear.” Now, O’Reilly wants to wrestle MJF on Cole’s behalf… Excuse me?
O’Reilly’s conversation was then interrupted by MJF, via satellite. MJF’s response was clearly pre-recorded, which only made this segment seem even more manufactured than it already did.
MJF announced that next week is the annual “Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal,” to determine the next recipient of the “Dynamite Diamond Ring.” MJF will, of course, enter the battle royal, to retain his diamond ring; which means both Cole and O’Reilly are no longer on his radar. Cole and O’Reilly aren’t ready to quit, so both men announced that they’ll be participating in next week’s battle royal.
In all honesty, I’m tired of this feud. Everything about it feels clunky. MJF hasn’t appeared live on “Dynamite” to actually address Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, or the Undisputed Kingdom. Hopefully this ends at “Worlds End” and both men can move onto bigger and better things.
HIT: Jamie Hayter defeats Queen Aminata
This was a qualifying match for the International Women’s Cup, a four-way match that will be held at “WrestleDynasty,” between representatives of STARDOM, CMLL, ROH, and AEW.
Jamie Hayter, Queen Aminata, Willow Nightingale, and Serena Deeb. The winner of the tournament will advance to “WrestleDynasty” and represent AEW.
Queen Aminata continues to thoroughly impress me, demonstrating her remarkable improvement over the last year. However, her valiant effort wasn’t enough to defeat Jamie Hayter — who endured Aminata’s offense and repaid it tenfold.
After the match, it appeared as though Julia Hart was going to make her return, but it was merely a symbolic warning from the “Princess of the Black Throne.”
This was a very entertaining match that only furthered Hayter’s ongoing feud with Hart.
Rating: ***
HIT: Brody King defeats Darby Allin
At the end of “Full Gear,” Darby Allin crashed a car into the Death Riders parked Dodge Ram, in an attempt to prevent them from fleeing the arena. Merely days after performing that stunt, Allin is back in a wrestling ring — facing Brody King in the Continental Classic.
These two shared the ring one-month ago, at “WrestleDream,” when Allin narrowly defeated King. However, Allin has sustained an inhumane amount of punishment since that match, which altered the complexion of this match.
It’s quite remarkable how different this match was from their affair at “WrestleDream” one month ago. With that said, this was very one-sided. Allin was never able to mount a significant comeback, due in large part to his pre-existing injuries.
After King finally pinned Allin, the House of Black’s behemoth exited the ring. However, when Claudio Castagnoli tried to enter the ring and attack Allin with a steel chair, King returned to protect his friend. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that King and Castagnoli will face off in a Continental Classic match.
Final Verdict
In the past, the “Thanksgiving Eve” edition of Wednesday Night “Dynamite” has delivered in spades. Unfortunately, this was a very hit-or-miss episode. The Undisputed Kingdom’s segment and ROH World Championship match were major disappointments, while the Continental Classic matches were highlights of the show.
Rating: **¾
The rest of the week’s programming
Friday Night “Rampage”
- Top Flight & Action Andretti vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Mascara Dorada, and Atlantis Jr.
- Thunder Rosa vs. Harley (Gram)
- The Beast Mortos vs. Serpentico
- Hechicero vs. Komander
Saturday Night “Collision”
- Kyle Fletcher vs. The Beast Mortos
- Juice Robinson vs. Will Ospreay
- “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Wheeler Yuta
- Mina Shirakawa vs. Leila Grey
- The Outrunners vs. The Iron Savages
- Private Party & Mistico vs. MxM Collection & Johnny TV
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