A really solid go home show from AEW this week, doing a very good job of setting out the key relationships and dynamics between participants ahead of their Full Gear matchups both inside and outside the ring. The highlight of the show was of course Hangman Page’s extraordinary promo on Swerve Strickland, a tremendous segment to befit a tremendous story. We also had some strong in-ring work, though nothing particularly remarkable or newsworthy. The main event street fight was the show’s lowpoint, a mess of a match only partially saved by some of its high spots. The messiness of the main event, on top of the multitude of unnecessary squash matches docks marks for Show Structure, but the show was still watchable, cohesive and entertaining, leading nicely into Full Gear
Tonight on AEW Dynamite, It’s the Like A Dragon Street Fight as The Don Callis Family takes on Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi and Paul Wight. The BCC also promise gang warfare as they take on Orange Cassidy and Hook. Elsewhere on the card, the final spot in the TBS Title triple threat match is up for grabs as Skye Blue takes on Red Velvet. Lets get at it!
GREAT Orange Cassidy and Hook vs Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta
This was a really entertaining opening match that served the primary purpose of reestablishing the Moxley/Cassidy dynamic before Full Gear, with Moxley again having Cassidy’s number and dominating him in several sections. Wheeler and Hook were window dressing really but you obviously don’t want to give the singles match away before the PPV so the tag match makes the most logical sense. Not quite the gang warfare promised, but a really well done opener
Result: Wheeler Yuta by Seatbelt Pinfall
David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
GOOD Jon Moxley Promo
Basic promo from Moxley just continuing to establish that story dynamic of Moxley being above Cassidy. An underdog with a title against a monster without one is always a fun dynamic.
David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
PERFECT Hangman Page Promo- Watch Promo Here
Consistently week to week this has been AEW’s best story, and this may have been his magnum opus. Absolutely electric crowd, very clever conceit to the segment to explain the lack of physical interaction and a good circumnavigation of that with the Nana swerve. Swerve’s facial expressions were outstanding opposite Page but it was of course Page’s delivery that was the real highlight, and I was just blown away by this. I want to see this Texas Death Match so so badly
David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 5 Stars
Roddy still thinks Max is the devil but Cole says no. I’m interested to see when the devil storyline will culminate.
GREAT Skye Blue vs Red Velvet
From an in ring standpoint this got really quite great and I appreciate the time this was given to really sing. The simple problem in this was predictability, because the storyline entirely dictated that Skye Blue would win and as good as Red Velvet is I never bought it could go the other way. Still this was functional from a storytelling perspective, building the PPV well, and emphasising the morally murky water of Skye Blue, not aligned with the heels but not entirely good either. This was very well done, even if deeply predictable to a fault.
Result: Skye Blue by Pinfall via Code Blue
David Sheldon WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Miro wants Andrade. That will be a hell of a match for Full Gear
Mariah May finally meets Toni Storm and of course messes up. I thought the whole presentation of this segment was brilliant and I love the black and white world cracking in through the world of colour. Also, Mariah May is so fun in this role, I assure you this partnership will be absolute dynamite when it connects (no pun intended)
SQUASH Samoa Joe vs Local Competitor
Not much to this, but I majorly chuckled at Samoa Joe just blocking kicks with his shin. Rest was a simple squash, but that entertained me greatly.
GOOD Samoa Joe Promo
The hometown crowd loved to see Joe, but he said very little very well. Just continued to extend his hand of friendship to MJF before calling himself inevitable (Thanos to AEW Confirmed)
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3.25 Stars
AMAZING Young Bucks vs Kommander and Penta El Zero Miedo
Such a silly art is pro wrestling and I love it so. These 4 names tell you exactly what to expect and you get all of it. Flips, kicks, dives and ridiculous athleticism. The innovation and atmosphere both were fantastic and get an easy perfect score. Psychology takes a hit because the type of match this is usually suffers some ropey and convoluted psychology and this was no exception. I was also ready to dock storytelling until the very end in which we see the energetic hometown face Bucks replaced by the bitter old heel bucks when they can’t get the job done, with the Judas Effect being a really nice touch. Fundamentally mostly good although a few flying nothings and ropey spots do drop it slightly, though about 80-85% of the spots came off, which for a match with this much spectacle is no mean feat. Not quite Bucks vs Bros, but still a terrifically fun match that I enjoyed immensely
Result: Young Bucks by Pinfall via BTE Trigger
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 4 Stars
Backstage promo from The Bucks and Omega, which has some good content and ties together the story we just saw in the match, but they did need to slow down as nearly all their diction was lost and I had to really work hard
SQUASH The Gunns vs Local Talent
The Gunn’s really don’t feel credible as tag title contenders of any description given they’ve beaten no one of any value over the last month in two on two action. I get that’s the joke, but it really continues to devalue ROH as a result of every title they have being treated like a joke. Also, why do we not get the names of the local talents anymore. I’ve noticed it recently is a massively decreasing practise in AEW, a shame as it’s a great way to highlight local talent.
Result: The Gunn’s by Pinfall via 3:10 to Yuma
AVERAGE Like A Dragon Street Fight
Hard match to rate this, because there were two unbelievably outrageous spots and some of the action was camp fun, which the crowd seemed into. I enjoyed Hobbs being caught in the ropes like a Mafia victim and as promotional tie-in matches go I’ve certainly seen worse. However there was some really really bad stuff in here. Psychologically it was all over the place, half the weapons spots were either really contrived or completely missed, the camerawork was very shoddy, Paul Wight didn’t need to be there and in truth I found much of it rather dull. At one stage I watched Brian Cage walk very slowly around the ring so he could be hit with a moonsault. It just all felt contrived and in my opinion didn’t work as a cohesive match. Right winner, fun in busts, but otherwise a mess.
Result: Kenny Omega by Pinfall via One Winged Angel
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 2.5 Stars
GREAT MJF Promo
Enjoyed this segment quite a bit, particularly the stuff from Max. The ongoing relationship between Max and his friends is super interesting, and we all know how good both MJF and Jay White are on the mic. The closing beatdown could’ve been a lot more memorable, but the promo itself was strong
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3.75 Stars
Overall…
A really solid go home show from AEW this week, doing a very good job of setting out the key relationships and dynamics between participants ahead of their Full Gear matchups both inside and outside the ring. The highlight of the show was of course Hangman Page’s extraordinary promo on Swerve Strickland, a tremendous segment to befit a tremendous story. We also had some strong in-ring work, though nothing particularly remarkable or newsworthy. The main event street fight was the show’s lowpoint, a mess of a match only partially saved by some of its high spots. The messiness of the main event, on top of the multitude of unnecessary squash matches docks marks for Show Structure, but the show was still watchable, cohesive and entertaining, leading nicely into Full Gear
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.5/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling – November 15th 2023
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
