At one time, the go-home show was a staple of weekly wrestling, the one episode out of the month that became appointment television for a promotion's fanbase. It strived to add excitement and extra importance to that upcoming pay-per-view, a critical step in converting an intrigued fan into a regular customer, and it was on these nights that promoters truly shined. WCW and the WWF poured blood, sweat, and tears into making their go-home shows the best that you could find, and TNA, ROH, and others carried the tradition into a new era as they sought to topple Vince McMahon's vast empire. At one time, you could feasibly skip everything before that one final episode prior to a big event and get a full dosage of where a company's product was at without any need for further context. But as the years waned on and the pay-per-view market became only a small portion of the WWE's profits, the folks at Titan Towers lowered the emphasis on the go-home show. By late 2019, with AEW gearing up for their first pay-per-view since the debut of Dynamite, WWE no longer treated the go-home show as particularly remarkable. They had found success in the fallout of a pay-per-view, not the buildup, and since they no longer needed to sell their monthly events at a hefty price, they had little reason to alter the model. In many ways, AEW represents a throwback to a time before WWE's corporate ideals controlled the peak of the business, a time where a wrestling promotion had to claw for relevancy, rather than just claiming it, leading to an increased focus on making every week a can't miss event, to ensure every eyeball possible was trained on them. In addition, the company was and remains beholden to their corporate overlords, WarnerMedia, who hoped to churn as much profit out of this new venture as they could, pricing AEW's quarterly offerings at $50 a pop, which caused much outrage in the fanbase when it was announced. AEW had no control over the price point; that was what it was, but it was now their obligation to make that purchase worthwhile, and this would their last chance to win over a new audience before the first Full Gear.
- AEW Dynamite #6 comes to you from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the company heads further South after last week's trip to Charleston. Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur are on the call.
- Our opening contest sees PAC ready himself for Full Gear, as he battles through a hard-hitting contest with Trent of the Best Friends. Both men land solid shots and engage in heated brawling, getting over the danger of PAC's ringside work. PAC picks apart Trent on the outside and drops Orange Cassidy with a pump kick, sowing the seeds for a future program between the two, before Trent manages a comeback. Trent no-selling a whip into the barricade and charging in to nail a Spear was a perfect babyface move, showing off his fighting spirit. Unfortunately for the folks in attendance, PAC snuffs out that fire with a sickening Brainbuster on the floor, before the match ends in a jumbled mess, as the referee stops his three count after the Black Arrow, despite the fact that Trent never kicked out. It's clear that Trent was supposed to, which would lead to PAC cutting all hope with the Brutalizer, but instead, confusion reigns for a few moments before PAC applies the hold to end it. PAC responds to Hangman's promo afterward, perfectly displaying his heelish pomp by referring to Page's "Cowboy Sh**" catchphrase as a naughty swear word, and promising to make an example out of Page at Full Gear.
- This week, we don't need any overly long backstage promos or an hour-long wait to get a Cody Rhodes promo, as the number one contender turns up to deliver a final address before his AEW World title match with Chris Jericho. Cody's promo is overwhelmingly authentic, staying true to his roots by name-dropping Eddie Graham, Bill Watts, and even his own father, stating that their legacies were diminished by being both competitors and management. To ensure he won't follow in those same footsteps, Cody announces that if he loses on Saturday, he'll never challenge for the AEW title again, a massive raising of the stakes that adds plenty of dramatic heft to his match with Jericho. While any fan might've written off the outcome beforehand, there's surely no way Cody would restrict himself so heavily in his own promotion, right? It's a brilliant wrinkle to add right in the final moments of the build, though that huge moment is undercut by Cody continuing his promo, which meanders to the finish, as he's peeved over being called an "entitled millennial", which is a part of this feud that doesn't need to exist. His final line about he and The Elite eating The Inner Circle alive was delivered well, but this could've cut out a minute or two without losing too much content.
- While AEW has done a meticulous job building its world title feud, programs for the other two belts have suffered, as after SCU became the inaugural champions last week with a roll-up victory over the Lucha Bros, both teams have been randomly thrown into a triple threat match at Full Gear. I'm sure that match will be great, especially after both are joined by Private Party, who earn the right by defeating the Dark Order, but the main story of the tag scene already culminated last week, and dragging it out to the pay-per-view just feels lazy in a way this product rarely does. Marq Quen and Isaiah Kassidy qualify for that match in a straight-forward affair, breaking out their usual high-risk offense, with an extended heel beatdown worked in for the Order. Stu Grayson looks great, nailing both Quen and Kassidy with a kip-up double Pele, before almost winning it with a gorgeous 450 Splash, but he's booked to look like a doofus for the finish, as he sits on the top rope for an age, waiting to take the Gin and Juice. I'm not enthused over the direction of the tag title picture right now, which is a shame, as the tournament to crown the first champions was terrific.
- The Inner Circle's comedic chops shine in a video package detailing Chris Jericho's state of mind before Full Gear, as Virgil (referred to as Soul Train Jones), Sammy Guevara, Ortiz and Santana, Jericho's aunt's friend, and a completely silent Jake Hager all share testimonials. There's a ton of gold to mine from this one, from Jones comparing Jericho's talents to Olive Garden's breadsticks (they're both unlimited", to his aunt's friend swearing, to Hager staring stone-faced at the camera, but the best barb is landed by Sammy, who calls Jericho the "youngest ever AEW Champion" to a heck of a pop from the crowd. It's great to hear a live audience respond well to a taped video, after years of seeing WWE fans sit on their hands while backstage adventures play out, and AEW's tremendous writing shines yet again, although I felt the order of Cody and Jericho's promos should've been reversed. It doesn't make much sense for Jericho to completely ignore what Cody said earlier in the night; if you played this video beforehand and had Cody respond to it, I think the progression would've felt more natural. That being said, this was a hoot, and well worth watching if you haven't before.
- Much like the tag division, AEW's women's division is aimless right now, as the division's most developed rivalry, Britt Baker against Bea Priestley, has been completely taken off TV for some reason, leaving everyone else to scramble for some semblance of a direction. It's been announced that Riho will defend the gold against her mentor, Emi Sakura, at Full Gear, and the two Joshis square off on opposite sides of a tag match (Riho is joined by Shanna while Sakura teams up with Jamie Hayter). The heel team is a mess, as Sakura, despite possessing a vicious offensive repertoire, is way too charming and crowd-pleasing to work as a proper villain opposing Riho, while Hayter is an absolute scumbag that will do anything for a leg up. Hayter's sly cheating and brutal strikes are the highlight of this match, which ends after a pinfall exchange between Riho and Sakura, with the champion taking the L after being trapped in the La Magistral Cradle.
- AEW may not have had time to promote that Baker/Priestley feud, but they do somehow have a slot open for yet another Brandi Rhodes pre-taped promo, as she remains one of the focal points of the division for some reason. Brandi's delivery is bland, but the content was intriguing, as she discusses being dismissed as a "pretty face" and promises that she knows nightmares. I don't necessarily have a problem with getting more Brandi, she is a recognizable name in a division that desperately needs them, but giving her so much consistent TV time just screams nepotism.
- Brandon Cutler is apparently only capable of wrestling for a couple minutes at a time, as after being squashed on the first episode of Dynamite by MJF, he returns to national TV to get battered again, this time by Shawn Spears. Cutler only lands one impactful move, his springboard guillotine legdrop, before Spears takes control, finishing the BTE bystander off with a Death Valley Driver. Spears works in his gimmick after the match, looking to deliver a DVD on a chair, but Joey Janela runs down, setting the stage for their collision on Saturday. I'm not sure that these two have interacted enough to earn a spot on a pay-per-view card yet, but I do like both of them, and that closing angle on last week's Dark made me excited for the kind of violence they both might bring.
- You could probably refer to this episode of Dynamite as the "night of pre-taped promos", because we've got yet another one before the main event, this time showcasing the carnage Jon Moxley has inflicted in AEW thus far, and including final words from both Omega and Moxley before their Lights Out match. So much history has already been built between these two in the last 5-6 months, and while each didn't have much to say, the tension between is palpable, and the hype is real. Moxley, always the maniac, says he needs someone to bring him the absolute worst out of him, while Omega knows that their match will bring Moxley to a dark place, and promises to meet him there.
- Main event time, as Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara of The Inner Circle battle "Hangman" Adam Page and Kenny Omega, representing The Elite. AEW has already the perfected the formula of chaotic show-closers that incorporate various different rivalries and operate at a million miles an hour, and this was that design executed efficiently. Guevara and Omega have several terrific exchanges, as Sammy's insane athleticism and pure smarm mesh perfectly with Omega's vicious strong style approach. Omega scores early with a wild spinning chop, before Sammy escapes a German suplex by flipping onto his feet, and Omega counters a springboard move with a teeth-rattling dropkick. Jericho and Page don't have as much to do in this one, although Page does his mettle working against the veteran, surviving the Liontamer. A couple big dives build towards the finish, as Sammy is launched onto the interfering Jake Hager by Omega, who takes flight with a huge tope, before Page flies with his gorgeous Orihara Moonsault. Page isn't about to get the better of Jericho, though, as PAC sneaks in for a low blow, allowing Page to fall to the Judas Effect. Another of AEW's wild post-match brawls follows, as MJF runs wild on Jericho and Hager with a chair, allowing his buddy Cody to lift the AEW title aloft, before Moxley enters with his barbed wire bat for yet another tease of violence with Omega, who brings out the wire-covered broom. The tag teams of each side get their shine, as Santana and Ortiz attack both Moxley and Omega, receiving a V-Trigger and Paradigm Shift for their troubles, and Nick Jackson delivers the biggest highlight, diving off the top of one of the entrance tunnels onto all of The Inner Circle, the perfect thrilling visual to set the stage for Full Gear.
8/10
There were plenty of shortcomings throughout these two hours, but despite all of my nitpicks, this was still a great time, especially at the end. This show flew by, and the anarchy and pure thrill generated in the final ten minutes made sticking around through the occasional rough edges so worth it. I feel like what makes AEW truly standout is less than the individual pieces, and more the experience as a whole. No match or segment on this night was truly must-watch, but it left me clamoring for more, and that should always be the desired outcome.
- Henry
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