9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (5 Jan - Review)

Down...

1. Dynamite's New Look Is Very WWE

Dynamite was so good that the night's single Down had nothing to do with the wrestlers, the booking, or the performances.

AEW unveiled the show's brand new look last night, having promised its first major aesthetic shake-up since the October 2019 launch. It was revealed beforehand that 'Light the Fuse' would remain, albeit as a remix, and any changes would likely be cosmetic. The action and feel of the show would likely stay the same.

This was accurate. Dynamite still felt like Dynamite. That's the most important thing here. Become too glossy, too shiny, and you lose your unique selling point. Rather than chasing WWE-style presentation, AEW should be looking to maintain an identity of its own.

So it was moderately disappointing to see the new stage design resemble something that may have come out of a planning meeting in Stamford. LED boards and big videos were in, the entrance tunnel was out, and while the set, as a whole, looked cleaner, "cleaner" isn't necessarily a compliment here,

Your mileage may vary on Dynamite's new set design, but becoming less distinct from your closest competition doesn't feel light the right way to go at the moment.