We are only one week away from AEW Full Gear! I attended the most recent episode of AEW Dynamite that took place in Connecticut. Here are some of my thoughts and reviews on the show and what it means for Full Gear next week!
Depth of talent has never been an issue for AEW. And I highly doubt it ever will be. The question is: how do you get all that talent the proper promotion, creative, and television time to properly connect with the audience?
Let’s just look at the main event of last week’s Dynamite, which saw International Champion Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher of the Don Callis Family take on Ricochet and his mystery partner, the returning Powerhouse Hobbs. Hobbs looked primed and ready to go for his first match in seven months, and the announce team even provided the backstory of Hobbs’ contract with Callis running out to explain why former stablemates were now on opposite sides.
In a solid showcase for all four participants, Ricochet pinned Takeshita, which marked the second time a champion was pinned on that show (Tomohiro Ishii pinned ROH Champion Chris Jericho in a six-man tag). After the match, Fletcher immediately attacked Ricochet with a chair, but before he could do any further damage, Fletcher‘s former(?) tag team partner, Mark Davis of Aussie Open, came in for the save. While the two got into nothing more than a shoving match, Davis was jumped by Lance Archer and Brian Cage. That brought out Adam Cole, who was immediately cut off by Takeshita, giving us just a short preview of their upcoming match. As the beat down of the babyfaces continued in the ring, the return of Will Ospreay finally evened the odds with Hobbs, Davis, and Ospreay cleared the ring and stood tall to end Dynamite.
With such a mix of fairly new AEW talent, returning talent, and factions taking new directions all in one match, I thought I would look at how AEW followed up with each of these men on this week’s Dynamite.
Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay
Fletcher and Ospreay went back and forth on the microphone, detailing their history and friendship and what brought us to the point where they are now enemies. In a welcomed surprise, Fletcher did not have Don Callis by his side. While I like the new direction of the Callis Family, it was important to establish just how personal this rivalry is by limiting the beginning of the segment to Ospreay and Fletcher.
It was yet another step forward for Fletcher as he continues the evolution of his career. His new look, with the shaved head and trunks, does a much better job of presenting him as a star. His old gear and hair actually may have fit what he used to be, but this current look not only gets the most out of his height it also gives him a needed edge. They are playing up that Fletcher is using Ospreay’s spotlight to further his career, which is why he wants and is getting a one-on-one match at Full Gear next weekend.
Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Mark Davis, and Powerhouse Hobbs
Once the match was made between Ospreay and Davis, it didn’t take long for Archer and Cage to make their presence felt. But, Ospreay said he had friends of his own, as Hobbs and Davis backed him up in the ring with a brawl ensuing. The fight would go up the ramp, bringing out Rodrick Strong for his scheduled Falls Count Anywhere match with Archer. After Strong got the victory, his third in a row, he called out MJF to set up their potential match Full Gear. Before he could say much else, Takeshita took him out. That brought out Adam Cole for the save and took us right into his match with Takeshita.
Adam Cole and Konosuke Takeshita
This was a showdown between two men who never faced off before with both needing a win for different reasons. Cole needed his third straight victory to turn the MJF/Strong match at Full Gear into a triple threat. Takeshita was trying to bounce back from getting pinned by Ricochet the week prior. Cole and Takeshita wound up having a really good match, but the Dynamite Diamond Ring MJF referenced in a tweet earlier in the day came into play. Takeshita put it on his finger and knocked out Cole for the victory.
Before the International Champion could celebrate for too long, Strong came back out to get some revenge. However, Takeshita was able to get the upper hand once again, which led to Kyle O’Reilly coming out with a chair to make the save. Takeshita retreated up the ramp only to be wiped out by Ricochet. Meanwhile, in the ring, O’Reilly showed no interest in any kind of reunion with Cole and Strong.
So, what did you think about the follow-up to last week’s Dynamite main event? While all of the men remained somewhat connected in everything they did on this week’s Dynamite, I enjoyed that the interactions flowed into the next segment. It made for a more natural flow to the show and gave a more organic feel to the rivalries that have now been established. This will continue next week with an All-Star Eight-Man tag, as announced by Tony Khan.
Other Takeaways From My Experience Attending Dynamite
There was a clear change in the atmosphere of the arena when Bobby Lashley made his appearance to confront Swerve Strickland. Based on the reaction Lashley’s getting in arenas and the strong numbers his segments are doing on social media, AEW is doing a great job of presenting Lashley as a top star. Credit is also due for how Shelton Benjamin is being handled. While Lashley is the cornerstone and main attraction of The Hurt Syndicate, Benjamin is not being reduced to a secondary, lackey role. The recent loss to Swerve hasn’t hurt Benjamin’s stock whatsoever. Using Benjamin to sneak attack Strickland and get that much heat has shown that The Hurt Syndicate is cohesive enough to work together with everyone’s interest in mind.
Does MJF have a camera running in his house at all times? Can we check in on him like it’s The Truman Show? Something to consider streaming for the AEW YouTube page…
There’s something very interesting happening with Wheeler Yuta. When Orange Cassidy called Yuta out for a match and referred to him as a pawn, Yuta was picked up on camera saying he’s no pawn, but was immediately told to shut up by Claudio Castagnoli. There is a clear direction to show how Yuta is being manipulated and controlled by the Death Riders. One has to wonder if he has not been pulled completely to their dark side. Perhaps there is a redemption story to tell down the road if Yuta keeps getting treated as lesser than.
I would expect him to have a great match with Orange Cassidy next week, although an eventual loss by Yuta should make for some angry reaction from Moxley. And not to be forgotten, the angle with Darby Allen attacking from the crowd only to be swung into a garage door by Claudio was an amazing visual. Claudio’s unreal strength is starting to come out in the best way possible with the brutality he has unleashed upon anyone who is in his path. Allin versus Castagnoli is such an amazing matchup on paper and a great way to keep Allin focused on the Death Riders, even if he’s not the one challenging Moxley for the AEW World Championship.
The Julia Hart vignettes are some of the best in all of pro wrestling this year. Admittedly, I was a little late to joining her bandwagon, but she has made the transition from cheerleader of the Varsity Blondes to an alluring and eye-catching part of the House of Black. These vignettes are doing a great job showcasing her range. It leaves you wondering if she can return to the light or if darkness will always be with her.
It might seem like a lazy comparison to bring up Alexa Bliss, especially since they had such similar introductory gimmicks, but it is a high compliment. Bliss has shown how great of an actress she can be regardless of the material. Hart has been given a great story and character to play and is seizing every moment. She’s already so good this early in her career, which is why I expect her to only get better and become a star you’ll never want to miss.
And of course we can’t forget about Brody King, whose voice was heard in the Hart vignette telling her to come home. King also got to main event Dynamite in a victory alongside Malakai Black over FTR to qualify for the Fatal Four-Way AEW World Tag Team Title match at Full Gear. Once again, King was a standout performer and is having some of the best television matches anywhere in the world. When given opportunities, he does not miss. As we have seen in his performance in last year‘s Continental Classic along with his recent WrestleDream program with Darby Allin, King has the qualities of being a breakout singles star. 2025 could be the year to make that a reality.
Harley Cameron has turned into must-see television. She is completely unhinged in the best way, isn’t afraid to make a fool of herself, and is never boring. Her chest shake-off with Mina Shirakawa elicited a fantastic reaction from an exasperated Renee Paquette. She really mastered the situation. I wonder where she learned that from?
I’ll be back next week to talk about wrestling even more…
You can watch and listen to Matt every weekday at 5pm Eastern at thewrestlingmattshow.com. Matt is also one of the hosts of Busted Open Radio on Sirius/XM. He is regularly featured as a streamer for Bleacher Report’s pro wrestling content.