7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (1 Sep)

2. Final Shots For The Final Fight

MJF and Chris Jericho were both magnificent in their pre-All Out promos, teed up by Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross respectively.

Jericho took Ross' setup and ran with it, cutting the kind of riled-up diatribe we've come to expect from him in this babyface run. He plays the ageing gunslinger's role well, putting over that while he's aware this could be the beginning of the end of his time in the ring, he doesn't want to stop. His ego won't let him step away forever. He's Chris Jericho, MJF doesn't have the balls to get rid of him, and JR, willing tears from his eyes to get the angle over, deserves special credit here too.

MJF, somehow, was on a different level. This was one of the best promos of his AEW career thus far not only for the excellent delivery, but the content as well. Comparing Jericho to Ali (who thought he was the GOAT one or two times too many, turning his "brains into scrambled eggs"), he attacked the Inner Circle leader's fragile ego while dispensing with shtick, leaving his catchphrase at home instead of closing on another killer line. When Jericho's career goes dark, the same yearning of the spotlight that brought him to the dance will be the reason his music dies.

Tremendous, A+ stuff from all involved, and an exercise in how to sell a pay-per-view match. The Final Fight now has the heft to live up to its mighty billing.