9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (5 Oct)
MJF ascends, Jungle Boy dips, Willow Nightingale rules.
Last week's flagship TV show approached disaster at points and was brutally flat at others.
Bandido was incredible, Chris Jericho was in masterful veteran form, but elsewhere...no. Two impromptu matches, a crowd that wasn't especially into the action, the sinister threat of an onscreen authority figure: WWE Dynamite was not great. At all.
The thing with AEW now is that, even when it's very good, it still feels bittersweet with the absence of the suspended four. CM Punk's run was incredible, and Kenny Omega had just rediscovered his full energy bar following a superb fitness-based storyline. Beyond that deflating vibe, AEW is drawing criticism for various misfires. Why did Tony Khan fork out for 'Jane' if Orange Cassidy is just going to sort of exist? What happened to the clean, decisive finishes?
How was it even possible for the women's division to get worse?
AEW Dynamite premiered on October 2, 2019, in front of 11,500 paid at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC. The three year anniversary celebration, at the far smaller Entertainment & Sports Arena, drew a damning 2,819. That first number was always going to be an aberration, but still. That is some comedown; stark evidence that the halcyon days may well be over.
Did this week's show mark a return to form...?