10 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Apr 8)
Empty arena wrestling is wearing thin but Matt Hardy and Britt Baker make it easier.
It's not the same, is it? Empty-arena wrestling. That the situation won't be resolved until months from now makes droning on about it pointless, though every passing week makes it harder and harder to get amped - even on Wednesday nights.
That All Elite Wrestling is so crammed with creative people makes it easier. They're constantly adapting to the situation and doing the best possible job with what they've got. These aren't the electric, eyeball-popping Dynamites of early 2020, but still entertaining, functional shows.
The TNT Championship Tournament took top billing this week, as Shawn Spears faced Cody in a rematch of their All Out bout. A tag team match pitting Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa against the Best Friends was also advertised alongside another Lance Archer squash, Chris Jericho on commentary, Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida, and Matt Hardy doing Matt Hardy things. A solid lineup, though calling it "stacked" would be a stretch.
We await news on what will happen to Double Or Nothing after the MGM Grand's shutdown. Here's hoping this is clarified sometime soon, as an indication of what, exactly, AEW's programmes are building to would be appreciated.
Let's light the fuse...