5 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (25 Aug)

This was an unideal show for AEW to deliver at this specific point in time.

With the promotion still buzzing from CM Punk's debut on Friday and extra eyes almost guaranteed to be on last night's Dynamite, a popping show would have gone a long way. Last night was essentially an advertisement for those who came back to wrestling for Punk. Hook them in with a strong, adrenaline-pumping show outside of the 42-year-old's segment, and there's a stronger chance of retention.

Rather than delivering that, AEW coasted on goodwill. This was the kind of show you often get from a promotion in the midst of a hot run. Why overdose in excitement when the spotlight is already on us and we can save those things for later?, was likely the logic.

The result was an unimpressive night. Dynamite had its flashes, but the middling card yielded a middling production.

Punk was in Milwaukee for his first appearance on Wednesday nights, Chris Jericho had a big announcement to make on his career, the Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament continued with the Lucha Brothers vs. Varsity Blonds, and Jamie Hayter faced Red Velvet.

Let's light the fuse...