5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (3 Nov)
Miro smashes Cassidy, CM Punk talks Moxley and Kingston, Hangman swipes Omega's World Title.
AEW rolled through Kansas City on the second-last show before Full Gear under difficult circumstances. With Jon Moxley entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program, the promotion was tasked with not only reconfiguring the ongoing World Title Eliminator tournament, but reshuffling the rest of the lineup as well as dealing with the undeniable emotional weight of their well-liked and respected colleague's struggles.
Here's to Mox's recovery. He propped wrestling fans up during the pandemic, reminding us to call other mothers while kicking ass as AEW World Champion. Now, we must pull for his recovery while respecting his and his family's privacy.
Dynamite was solid rather than vintage, with a comparatively low ceiling compared to most weeks. Nothing on offer was out-of-this-world good. Multiple pay-per-view storylines were advanced, but through repetitive, mundane means. Several big matches were hampered by predictable angles and story beats, leaving the Full Gear lineup cold despite the expected match quality.
Cody Rhodes wrestled Andrade El Idolo, Jamie Hayter and Anna Hay met in the TBS Championship tournament, The Inner Circle named their American Top Team opponents, Kenny Omega rematched Alan Angels, and more.
Let's light the fuse...