5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (January 31 - Results & Review)
3. A Fun Main Event, Nothing More
Early in the Dealer's Choice match, Hangman Page appeared on the big screen to advise Swerve Strickland that he should have read the paperwork: Page was able to select both the opponent and the stipulation. He selected, as was all but confirmed, Rob Van Dam. The Hardcore match was an unexpected bonus announced at the perfect time.
Until the shortcuts were withdrawn from under the ring, though, Van Dam looked constantly on the verge of falling over when when launching Swerve into the guardrail to create movement for him. Happily, instinct took over when Van Dam ran through his crowd-pleasing spots, and he can still reach impressive distances with his guardrail leg lariat. There was a boggy quality to the match at points, but the crowd's nostalgic affection for RVD helped carry it before some inspired and well-executed set-pieces. It was quite tame by AEW's standards.
Or perhaps that standard no longer exists, at least on television: you can stop making those sh*t Jon Moxley jokes, because the days of Dynamite being soaked in blood are, sadly, over. An almost generic LED sheen has blanketed the promotion, and this match, fun as it was in spots, typified that. Where was the blood?
Also, this was the second consecutive week, in which no match approached great, headlined by the sort of novelty affair that felt more charming a few years ago. RVD doing RVD things is cool, but he's already done it in AEW after doing it full-time for decades. Skippable table-setting for next week's show, all in all. A fitting main event - a crowd-pleaser, but nothing that would capture the imagination of the wider audience.
Dynamite was slightly better than expected, but was hardly the sort of show that will make you rush to AEWTix dot com.