6 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (September 13 - Results & Review)
A dry Dynamite sets the stage for Grand Slam but falls surprisingly short elsewhere.
There was a time when the "table-setting" editions of AEW Dynamite were the ones you forgot about because - like the pay-per-views they followed - they only came around four times a year.
Revolution, Double Or Nothing, All Out and Full Gear had winners, losers, outcomes and consequences. A vacuum effect was created by the sheer drama on a Saturday and Sunday that tempered the action the following Wednesday, but this was a good thing for the patient, discerning viewer. It was a reminder that the specials were worth paying for, and that new seeds could soon sprout underneath the scorched earth.
There are more of these episodes now because, regrettably, there are more pay-per-views and less focussed longterm storylines. Such is life in the content super-service era, but the September 4th post-All Out edition of the flagship was the first time in forever that a series of new and fresh directions were cleanly laid out for the (admittedly shorter) next cycle ahead. Hangman Page Vs Brian Cage is seeped in AEW legacy lore from a beloved pair of matches in 2021, but also feeds the former AEW Champion's new rivalry with Swerve Strickland. Don Callis wanted to move on from Kenny Omega, but saved his new target for this week. The hottest story in the company promised to feature heavily in a Tournament Final for a title shot that itself just feels like one more big chapter.
Could this week's show build on that momentum just seven days out from an under-performing Grand Slam card?
Let’s light the fuse…