4 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (1 Mar - Review)
3. THIS Is What a Go-Home Promo Looks Like
Jon Moxley remains the coolest wrestler on the planet.
Last week, the blade-job felt excessive even by his standards. He ran the razor with just 45 seconds of the telecast remaining. Yes, the barbed wire shot had to be put over as something dangerous that could pierce one's skin, but this was all the more reason not to have bladed in almost every TV match he'd worked in the weeks prior. Here, it all made incredible sense.
Blood in wrestling is cool. It just is. Here, for the first time in ages, it felt actually effective. As Mox cut a promo filmed after last week's match - an absolutely awesome monologue in which he said he'd kill or die at Revolution, and really seemed to mean it - the blood trickled down from his forehead to the steps of the stairwell. As the seconds passed, thick red blotches pooled below his feet. He created a safety hazard just by talking. This was a tremendous idea.
It looked as though the blood may never have stopped dripping if Mox didn't bandage up the cut. It felt like bleeding may have a consequence, and an ominous one, after all. It was also fantastic, '80s magazine cover-worthy imagery. It wasn't close to Pressure Bandage-tier, but it was still terrifying.
***** stuff that put over an upcoming match and restored the power of a fading plot device, all at the same time.
Hangman Page's promo incidentally wasn't quite as good, and it was weird how he stated that he loathes violence - even as a babyface who is there to compete fairly. He still had enough fire and belief to stay over.