13 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Mar 18)
AEW knocks it out the park under terrible circumstances in Jacksonville.
The ongoing global crisis leaves the professional wrestling industry in turmoil.
For smaller groups, it could mean ruin. Lucrative WrestleMania weekend paydays have been yanked away, live events have been made impossible, and revenue streams have been decimated. Those scenes are hanging by a thread. Their problems almost make the ones faced by companies like AEW and WWE seem inconsequential, though these bigger groups still face considerable issues themselves, having been forced into empty arena shows with limited talent pools as the crisis worsens.
Both AEW and WWE deserve our love for what they've done over the past week or so. Escapism is vital at times like these and with Raw and SmackDown emanating from an empty Performance Center, it was AEW's turn to step up last night.
Did they deliver? Well, look at the title.
This was the equivalent of a boxer hitting a knockout blow in a pitch-black building. AEW came through big under seemingly impossible circumstances, with two huge debuts, Blood and Guts developments, and perfect improvisation in the absence of a red-hot live crowd. All in all, it was everything it could have been.
Who knows how long promotions will be able to keep putting out shows like this. For now, let's just enjoy them...