13 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Mar 18)

4. Tone = Set

Last week's SmackDown saw Triple H set the tone with a necessary to-camera promo ahead of an intended night of escapism. On Dynamite, Cody, Matt Jackson, and Kenny Omega did the same while splicing storyline material in at the same time.

This was everything Dynamite's opening needed to be. In the wake of the current crisis, Cody felt alive, saying that he refused to live in fear. He touched on the beef between Hangman Page and Matt Jackson, telling them to toss it aside for Blood and Guts, then told Omega they needed 'The Best Bout Machine', not the neutered version he was pre-2020. Each named wrestler came out from the back. Jackson asked him, "as a man," if he'd stand with his brothers, and Page responded by raising his glass and walking to the back. It was the response Jackson was looking for.

"All we can do is give you the best possible show we can," Kenny said, bringing this circle. The lights hit, the pyro exploded, and Dynamite went boom.

It's hard to imagine what more anyone could have possibly wanted from this. It had the right blend of serious tones and rousing ones, geared fans up for the night ahead, and pushed The Elite's storyline forward as well. Had they no-sold the crisis, it would've come off incredibly poorly.