6 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (13 April)

Samoa Joe, Minoru Suzuki, MJF, Shawn Dean, Wardlow, and more dazzle on CRAMMED AEW Dynamite.

by Andy H Murray
Samoa joe
AEW

Tony Khan's newfound fondness for presenting episodes of AEW Dynamite as mini-pay-per-views continued last night, with his promotion serving a stacked and packed lineup featuring seven announced matches.

TBS' promise of an overrun offered relief. Nonetheless, when combined with the usual array of angles and promos, AEW still had a lot to fit in there. This may not necessarily have been a good thing for a promotion that often rushes for content that would resonate stronger if given more time to breathe.

Quality-wise, last week's blockbuster show (which was trending towards becoming the best Dynamite in history at one stage) was more even and peaked higher than last night. A bunch of big moments didn't land in New Orleans. This includes the show-closing angle, which unfortunately harked back to mistakes the promotion should have learned from in year one.

Nonetheless, with ROH TV Champion Minoru Suzuki vs. Samoa Joe, Team Taz vs. Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee (in Ricky Starks' hometown), CM Punk vs. Penta Oscuro, a World Tag Team Title defence, and more on the card, there was plenty to enjoy here.

Let's light the fuse...

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.