.png)
Welcome to the All Elite Weekly Roundtable for AEW Revolution and the 3/9 Dynamite from Estero, Florida.
AEW Revolution
Best Match
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] CM Punk vs MJF. From the entrances to the ring gear, to MJF taking the mic and cutting a mid-match promo like The Rock, to CM Punk telling him to “eat [poop]”, to the sounds of the chain, the sights of the marks it was leaving on the competitors' bodies, to MJF’s mistreatment of Wardlow playing a part in his downfall without Wardlow getting involved, to the good guy winning at the end, this was filled with good choices and good execution from start to finish. This was not as good as their Dynamite match, but it was still great.
[Tim Morehouse @timmayman] I dug the triple threat for the tag team championship. Kyle O’Reilly is quickly becoming a favorite of mine since he’s signed with AEW and I’m looking forward to the continuing storyline between ReDragon and the Young Bucks. Jurassic Express are looking like good champions with Jungle Boy delivering inventive offense while Luchasaurus proves that he’s the hottest of hot tags.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] For me it would have to be Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston. I give a lot of credit to the crowd who were white-hot for the entire thing. But when this match started with a suplex from Eddie landing Jericho on his head, I knew we were in for a treat.
The two men fought a great match inspired heavily by Japanese wrestling which built into the story of Eddie wanting to fight “the Jericho that fought in the Super-J Cup.”
It was something that frankly I did not think Jericho had left in him and another example that Eddie Kingston truly is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Especially in big matches. His selling and his ability to draw drama out of the simplest moves is unbelievable. A true masterpiece of a wrestling match.
[Peter @PeterEdge7] Danielson vs Moxley was just beautiful. It was the match I expected from the reigning Best Brawler and Best Technical Wrestler in the WON Awards and the desert afterward was just unreal.
The pop William Regal got when he appeared was only matched by Jeff Hardy’s on Wednesday night and it sets up so many possibilities going forward.
Best Move
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Sting’s balcony dive through the tables. In the same month that he will be turning 63 years old, Sting is doing daredevil spots many younger wrestlers wouldn’t dare take, and certainly most legends from his era. I’m so happy that Sting is getting to write the last chapter of his career this way. What a legacy.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] There were so many moves and spots that blew my mind. But I didn’t feel more for any spot than I felt for Wardlow beefing Keith Lee and Powerhouse Hobbs off the stage through tables. It felt like a real star-making moment and just made me fall in love with Wardlow even more.
[Peter @PeterEdge7] The opening suplex in the Eddie/Jericho match got me yelling “Jesus Christ” for the first time during a match since that time I saw that final suplex in the Kobashi vs Steve Williams match from 1993 during my Kings Road bingewatch during lockdown two year ago.
Once I realised that Jericho was fine, I immediately recalled the opening suplex spot in the Misawa/Kawada match from 1992 and it was never going under ****½ in my star ratings no matter what happened.
It set the tone for the night and set up what was a tremendous match.
Best Moment
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Wardlow passing the ring to CM Punk. That’s when I knew.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] Joe stole mine. But Eddie Kingston finally getting his win, and not his handshake was just perfect pro-wrestling for me. Lovely stuff.
[Tim Morehouse @timmayman] Punk coming out to Miseria Cantare. Not for any ROH nostalgia (I have none to speak of) but the atmosphere that this music created was incredible. The build for the dog collar match has been top-notch and Punk going to a darker place for the match made sense from a storyline perspective. The fact that he had history with the song was a fun easter egg for long-time fans.
Best Promo
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Don Callis.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] Don Callis. #BDD.
[Tim Morehouse @timmayman] Shane “Swerve” Strickland made the most with his quick debut. He displayed a cool swagger and it’s clear the fans are behind him. Lots of potential with his future.
Goals & Misses
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Goals: Every match. Misses: Moxley & Danielson sprouting blood out of nowhere + anti-climactic finish.
[Tim Morehouse @timmayman] Goals: The emotional high points during the dog collar match. From Punk’s entrance to Wardlow’s decision. Misses: The women’s world title match between Rosa and Baker. The cold analytical side of me totally understands the booking decision to hold off on the title change. The fan side of me can also be disappointed in an interference heavy match that was disappointing.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] The biggest miss is easily Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker. The entire story since their meeting a year ago has been a textbook for “what not to do” during storytelling. The biggest goal was basically everything else on the card!
Show Grade
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] A+ 10/10. Legendary level of not only high-quality matches but a lack of filler and low-quality matches.
[Tim Morehouse @timmayman] B+ 8.5/10. This PPV did everything that AEW advertised for it. I also appreciated the variety of matches as we had bloody deathmatches, fun multi-man sprints, and a solid World Championship defense from Adam Page. Not to mention the debut of William Regal in a great segment!
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] I’ll go with a 9/10. Call me spoiled but there was a tad too much. A few issues like Rosa vs Baker also. Hard to complain too much, though.
[Peter @PeterEdge7] 9/10 Only the women’s title match missed for the reasons above from my colleagues. And it’s crazy to think it might not have been the best PPV of the last 12 months from AEW.
AEW Dynamite 3/9
Best Match
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Sammy Guevara © vs Scorpio Sky. This match “told a story”. Sammy’s “crazy” [insert Sammy’s finger motion here] choices finally cost him. That missed 630 through a table to the floor put Sammy in jeopardy and brought more doubt into the match and more suspense that Sky could actually win. I think this was an organic and authentic way to introduce Tay Conti & Sammy’s relationship as well. Add in the fact that Scorpio won from a distraction, which protects Sammy, but not outright interference or a foreign object shot, which legitimizes Scorpio, and I like the recipe they used to cook up the finishing sequence here. It’s a 3.75⭐️ match for me, which means it’s good enough for me to tell my friends it's a must-see but it’s not at the level to require a re-watch.
Best Move
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Jake Hager’s powerbomb to Eddie Kingston. This looked NASTY. I hope Eddie is okay. I’m sure his body is feeling even worse than our ears after hearing “Jericho Appreciation Society”.
Best Moment
(photo from @kimberlasskick)
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Jeff Hardy’s debut. Honorable mention to Sammy’s missed 630 and William Regal getting choked up emotionally thanking Tony Schiavone.
Best Promo
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] Eddie Kingston & Chris Jericho. Jericho reminds me a bit of Kerry Eurodyne from Cyber Punk. Those “WHAT” chants were distracting & disheartening, so props to Eddie for shutting them down. Eddie was being very raw and real and great. Kingston sharing the story of feeling overwhelmed & crying in his hotel room, and the stories about the fans who decided not to harm themselves because of how he inspired them, and how that inspired him, was genuinely touching. Jericho also came off authentic with his reactions. I wanted that handshake by the end of that promo, which made the following “betrayal” Angle hit harder. 4.5 ⭐️ promo
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] William Regal’s promo. Watching him in an AEW ring was special. Hearing his words, watching his tears and just experiencing his passion was so refreshing. It ran long but I did not care. I literally tweeted “talk forever”.
Goals & Misses
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] Goals: Everything involving William Regal. Also, the opening segment. Misses: FTR firing Tully Blanchard came out of nowhere and was just skimmed over. Really, really odd.
Show Grade
[Joe McCaffrey @GoodVsBadGuys] B. 8/10. Very good episode that I could see myself revisiting in the future, highlighted by the Eddie / Jericho segment, Wardlow promo, and Jeff Hardy debut, but no matches that are worth rewatching.
[Gareth @Gareth_EW] 6.5/10 by Dynamite standards. It was a very good show but this company is capable of a lot better. There wasn’t a great match on the show which you do expect from AEW. And whilst there were a lot of great things, there was a lot that felt unimportant when it shouldn’t. FTR firing Tully, for example.