6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (November 1 - Results & Review)

2. Another Diluted Storyline

Kenny Omega Jake Hager
AEW

There wasn't a great deal to the Golden Jets Vs. Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang tag, though Kenny Omega looked remarkably sharp given his exploits on Collision. Also, Chris Jericho can map out a good tag team match even when it means absolutely nothing, and he sprinkled in a halfway convincing false finish when he ate a baseball bat shot counter to a Lionsault attempt. This otherwise just existed to set up a post-match verbal showdown.

Nice as it was to see Omega finally feel like he wants to get at Don Callis, this whole scene embodied the booking philosophy that is nuking the sense of emotion in AEW's storytelling.

Why does so much of AEW's output feel like Joey Janela's wacky, ironic Spring Break meets WWF Survivor Series?

Callis challenged Jericho and Omega to an eight-man street fight in a fortnight's time. Omega accepted, revealing that Kota Ibushi will partner his team. When Don Callis pointed out that he has four men (Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay), Jericho revealed that they have three men, and, to combat the strength of Powerhouse Hobbs, one giant: Paul Wight.

What?

Wight - in addition to being the latest geezer in the retirement home that is AEW - was fished by MJF and Adam Cole the last time he was seen on television. He was mucking about as Captain Insano before that. And now fans are expected to take him seriously. Even it's for a Dynamite eight-man tag and nothing more, it's still lightweight knockabout fun. It's still diluting, ultimately, the Callis Vs. Omega programme, which feels less and less like a believable conflict but rather an excuse to get more out of an overcrowded roster.

MJF and the Acclaimed.

Omega, Jericho, Kota Ibushi and Paul Wight.

Copeland, Sting and Darby.

FTR and LFI.

Orange Cassidy and his endless cast of acquaintances.

Unexpected babyface supergroups are the latest thing AEW has become intensely obsessed with, to diminishing returns, and supergroups are never as good as proper bands.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!