6 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (June 26)
Jungle Boy shines; AEW fans bring the noise; Dynamite ends with an old WWE feud.
This was more like it.
AEW has almost been on autopilot throughout the NBA Playoffs. A temp move to Friday nights did nothing for the promotion's Dynamite flagship (shows weren't bad - they just didn't have the same zip to them), but Saturdays? Well, it seems that's a different story, because the company lit up the weekend with a sparkling night of action.
Jungle Boy's underdog AEW Title challenge was the main course, and other appetisers like the simmering feud between The Pinnacle and Inner Circle helped pad things out. There was a wobble after the main event though. It's one AEW really need to think about long-term, if only 'cause there's zero need to present ancient WWE rivalries as more important than your top champion getting serious.
That "wobble" shouldn't have closed out the show.
Back on the plus side, youth very-much got the chance to shine. That's AEW core strength - they're doing a bang-up job of building fresh faces like the aforementioned Jungle Boy, Powerhouse Hobbs, Sammy Guevara and more.
Here are all the 'Ups' and 'Downs' from AEW's final fling with weekend life...