GOOD- The Young Bucks beat Stu Grayson and Evil Uno
This was a pretty damn good match in terms of athleticism and generally being full of action. In terms of ring psychology and selling, it wasn’t very good. Though to be fair, a lot of matches are like that and I would rather see this type of match than a slow-paced plodding affair. Though I wish they wouldn’t have as many dives to the outside.
GOOD/BAD- MJF promo and Jon Moxley attack
MJF came out with more of the Presidential schtick. He’s good on the mic so he pulls it off. MJF kept calling out Moxley and challenging him. Moxley’s music hit and he came through the entrance way so MJF never saw it coming and Mox lays out MJF. Wrestling logic would dictate that this means MJF is winning the AEW World Championship, because otherwise you wouldn’t let Mox lay out MJF because you want to continue building hype for their upcoming match. If Mox retains, which I think would be stupid, you would have MJF do some chickenshit heeling and get the upper hand and leave Mox laying.
There’s many reasons that MJF should win the title. One, you shouldn’t waste his “undefeated” streak here. Mox doesn’t need the boost of being the one to beat him, they’ve already Superman’d him enough as it is. Two, it’s time for Mox to drop the belt for a bit. MJF isn’t going to get any hotter than he is right now, at least in my eyes. Moxley should have already dropped the belt to Brian Cage at Fyter Fest anyway. AEW shouldn’t waste another strong buildup for a heel without switching the belt.
GOOD- Cody beats Scorpio Sky
Cody came out with a big squad and Scorpio got a nice entrance as well. This was a strong match with plenty of back and forth. Cody ends up retaining, as expected, but this is a match you should really see for yourself if you haven’t already. If I were to describe it, I don’t think it would do it justice. Brodie Lee challenges Cody after the match.
GOOD- Kenny Omega and Adam Page defeat Jungle Express
Everybody knew that Jungle Express had no chance of winning here but it was still a fun match. It’s clear that FTR will be the ones to finally beat Omega and Page but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some good matches before that happens. Again, really fast-paced action with people flying all over. It doesn’t always make sense if you stop to think about it but if you just go with it, they’re usually pretty entertaining. Again, probably better to just watch rather than have me describe it.
GOOD- FTR turns heel
AEW had been doing tag team appreciation night all night and The Rock N’ Roll Express was there along with The Brainbusters Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Some really good promos and then FTR turn on the Rock N’ Roll and hit Ricky Morton with a spike piledriver, turning heel. I think they’ll still feud with The Young Bucks for quite a while but I also think it won’t be long before FTR beat Omega and Page for the belts. Good segment with some really good promo work.
BAD/GOOD- Hikaru Shida beats Heather Monroe
The match was good while it lasted but it didn’t last long. I really like Shida but they need to do better by her. She could, and should, be one of the big stars for AEW. She’s not a great promo but her matches are good and she has charisma.
GOOD- Orange Cassidy beats Chris Jericho
I’m not sure how most people feel about Orange, but I like him. You have to use him right but I don’t think that’s too hard. They did that here. You do the comedy stuff early but as the drama ratchets up, he gets more serious. He also has to be the only one who does what he does. The Best Friends stuff works because they’re different from Orange. You don’t want to do too much comedy but in smaller doses, it works.
As for the match, Cassidy started strong but Jericho fired back. There was interference from Santana and Ortiz, who brawled with Best Friends while Jake Hager took out Cassidy. However, Orange kicked out and rolled up Jericho to get the win. This was a really good match with a nice finish that will continue this feud. AEW was the better show this week.
