8 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Sep 2)

MJF gets Dictator Jon's blood on his hands as AEW heads to All Out.

MJF Jon Moxley
AEW

Goodness, does AEW know how to book a popping angle.

This was the biggest takeaway coming out of last night's Dynamite, on which killer, state-of-the-art action took a backseat to story and character development. A specific segment was so successful in painting a cornerstone AEW wrestler in a stark new light that it should go down alongside Cody's 10 lashes and The Inner Circle's formation as one of the best things Tony Khan's promotion has booked on TNT - but we'll get to that later.

A few wonky moments aside, this was a largely successful All Out go-home show that prospered by adding new layers to some of the pay-per-view's biggest programs, with only the healing Cody absent from an all-star cast of characters. Jon Moxley faced off with MJF's lawyer Mark Sterling before meeting 'The Salt of the Earth,' Thunder Rosa's in-ring debut went down opposite Serena Deeb (!), The Young Bucks looked nastier than ever before, the weight of Hangman Page's Elite exclusion came crashing down on him, and more.

Let's light the fuse...

(Note: Excalibur's return to commentary won't be addressed here. Check the introduction of yesterday's Dark review for that.)

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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.