Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley, Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe, Rush vs. Jay Lethal, and Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo in Continental Classic matches – Pro Wrestling Dot Net

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Dynamite Hits

Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo in a Continental Classic tournament match: The standout match of the night on a show filled with good in-ring action. Both wrestlers continue to shine in the tournament matches. King’s stock is soaring, as he went from being featured mostly in tag team or trios matches and has been outstanding in these tournament singles matches. There’s work to be done on his character and presentation, but I’ll be disappointed if he simply returns to working House of Black tag matches once the tournament concludes.

Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe in a Continental Classic tournament match: A solid match with the expected outcome. Briscoe continues to be a good choice for a wrestler who takes a lot of losses in the tournament because he’s charismatic enough that the fans are still behind with him even though he has no chance of winning the Continental Classic. White feels a little cold at the moment, but perhaps the tournament will play out in a way that gives him a boost.

Hangman Page vs. Roderick Strong: An enjoyable opening match with Page fighting off outside interference from Matt Taven and Mike Bennett to go over clean. The finish featured the safest looking Deadeye, as Strong’s head was nowhere near the mat. I’m not complaining given the risk factor involved in the move. The Page and Samoa Joe verbal exchange that opened the night was intense before Strong and his crew showed up. The closing angle with Page being put through the windshield of The Devil’s car pointed viewers in the direction of Jack Perry being the man behind the mask. I hope it’s a red herring. Perry doesn’t strike me as a satisfying reveal to this long saga.

Riho vs. Ruby Soho: A solid match with Riho gaining a momentum building win. I’m not sure why Riho disappears for months at a time, but it keeps her fresh and the fans always react favorably to her.

Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone: The Dynamite broadcast team is doing some of their best work during the Continental Classic matches. They are doing a very good job of explaining the round robin format and the various scenarios related to the point totals while also giving a sports-like feel to the matches they are calling.

AEW Dynamite Misses

Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks, and Big Bill’s segment: This was one of the worst segments to ever appear on AEW television. So many attempts at humor fell flat, and Omega continues to dress like he’s about to binge watch a television series on his couch on a sick day as opposed to presenting himself as a top level star of a weekly television series. In fact, the only thing that made me laugh during this segment was when Starks went after Jericho’s attire even though Omega was in the same ring.

Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley in a Continental Classic tournament match: A soft Miss due to the finish. The crowd was really hot for the match and it was encouraging to hear them chant “holy shit” before the wrestlers even locked up. It shows that Swerve has arrived and the fans see him as a star. But the double protection finish was really disappointing considering that the Continental Classic is meant to be similar to New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament. This wasn’t a Toru Yano style comedy match (which I actually get a kick out of), this was a match involving two of the top names in the tournament. And while I understand the desire to protect Swerve, they just went too far with it and closed out a very good night of tournament action on a flat note. My guess is that Moxley’s cheap win is leading to a rematch in the semifinals and that Swerve will go over and go on to win the tournament.

Rush vs. Jay Lethal in a Continental Classic tournament: A soft Miss. Lethal’s tournament matches are well worked, yet continue to feel like channel changers. The viewers were given no reason to take Lethal seriously after he spent so much time clowning around with Jeff Jarrett’s goof troop. As good as Lethal is in the ring, he was a poor choice to have in the tournament. On the bright side, the company was wise enough to keep the match brief and I like that Rush followed up his loss to a submission hold in his previous match by winning this match with a sleeper.