9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jan 27)
Jon Moxley crashes the Bullet Club party, Dax Harwood and Jungle Boy kill it, and more.
Last week's disappointment meant a sharp upturn in quality was needed from AEW Dynamite's 70th episode.
Though it ended up doing solid ratings despite major news coverage of the United States presidential inauguration, last week was the most dysfunctional Dynamite has been since January 2020. An abundance of invisible camera segments, the misfiring World Title/Bullet Club content, harmful botches, and lacklustre in-ring action dragged down a night highlighted by -1's birthday celebrations. Worrying, considering Beach Break was just two weeks out.
Recording one day later, this was a significantly better episode. Angles popped, stories weaved, and matches banged like we've come to expect from this promotion. A months-old rivalry erupted as Eddie Kingston finally faced Lance Archer, Jon Moxley took care of his Kenny Omega business ahead of Beach Break, and Dax Harwood and Jungle Boy turned the clock back 35 years in their singles match. Elsewhere, Cody Rhodes found a partner to face Shaq and Jade Cargill, and Britt Baker took on the ascending Shanna ahead of the Thunder Rosa grudge match.
Great to see Dynamite back on track after the brief blip. Beach Break is shaping up to be a fun show, and remember that the road to Revolution 2020 brought some of AEW's best television ever as well.
Let's light the fuse...