IN LAIMAN’S TERMS: Thoughts on AEW: Dynamite

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Thoughts on AEW: Dynamite – February 28th, 2024

1. I admittedly didn’t see most of Sting’s career as it happened, but even as a kid, his reputation was legendary. The way he’s been able to rehabilitate the latter end of his career with this AEW run has done so much for his aura, and he’s clearly been having the time of his life the whole time. This last week of his career has been treated with such reverence, it’s hard not to get caught up in it.

2. A week after pointing the camera away from him at ringside, Hangman opens up the show. He can’t put weight on that ankle but is still living the gimmick with them cowboy boots. I feel like you could’ve chosen easier footwear for such situations, but sure.

3. He’s back to the “aw, shucks” style of promo, and the crowd is going along with it. He won’t be able to compete on Sunday, and there are reasons beyond what is said I’m sure.

4. That pop for Swerve despite the heavy moment before it… I’m interested to see how this comes off, given the recent disposition circumstances.

5. It starts off almost as a follow-up to the promo that started this whole feud. “Remember when we tried to unalive each other? Great times, right?”

6. Samoa Joe comes out to bring some HAM and snark to the segment. Destiny is mentioned so much, it feels like a RAW promo circa 2011. Speaking of people who are having the time of their life… Joe saying the word “hop-a-long” with such a grin, I’m delighting in it. Reminds me of the name Hop-a-long Cassidy, which, that would be an interesting turn of gimmick for OC if he joined the Vaudevillains. The century-old college football references mixed with a short-lived, underrated tag team, let’s fuckin’ party.

7. Aw Shucks Hopalong, that wasn’t very nice. Swerve got Swerved and Swerve got Served. Hey, Taz just said that now too. Come on, don’t take your eyes off an enemy, everyone should heed Tatsu’s advice.

8. Matthew and Nicholas get out of their ride as Ruby Soho looks on ominously. Soon…

9. They walk from the car right into an interview with Renee, what a cool tracking shot. They’re gonna conduct an exit interview, and they wander off into the night calling for Sting.

10. I know new people have been involved with the company lately, but the aesthetic has just improved so much in the last couple weeks. The BCC’s entrance feels even cooler than it already did with that extra beginning camera shot.

11. Danielson has been such a shit in this Eddie feud, and it’s awesome how he can just flip that switch. Or I could get mad that I didn’t know who his Collision opponent was because I can’t type a name into the information machine box, that would also be an option.

12. Gosh, they sure are promoting that specific episode of Dynamite in a few weeks. Ya think something is supposed to happen there?

13. The Huntsville crowd is really into this show, and it’s making it better. Might just be the angle, but it looks like a uniquely-shaped arena too. Always appreciate when some different architecture is brought into the situation.

14. One of these two feuds started with someone being so disgusted that he lost to the other guy that he’s been trolling him non-stop to goad him into a failure reaction. The other was just like hey you want fite i want fite too brawl. Both of them work. Wrestling.

15. Someone has a sign that says Happy Birthday Luke. Just wish him a happy birthday when you stop by the diner for three cups of coffee in the morning, I’m sure that’s all he needs.

16. I think we just found the next Taz commentary section to be on Botchamania. You think they’re trying to get things on there at this point? I feel like they’re all aware.

17. I’m flying out early in the morning. I’m really grateful that time zones make the shows happen an hour earlier than they did most of my life. But as certain issues have prevented me from writing the last two weeks, I wanted to make sure I got at least this one in.

18. Apparently the commentary team can confuse Diet Coke and Gatorade. This feels like a difficult mistake to make.

19. Mox and Eddie take great joy in beating the shit out of each other. They are definitely those type of friends.

20. Really awkward team moves there, not sure what happened. What a fun match though, minus the Dunn-like zoom shot of the Big Swing. Please tell me we’re not gonna get that shit. I enjoy being able to watch wrestling without getting a damn migraine.

21. Triple submission followed by triple escape. Odds that the BCC lose both their matches, given their track record in the last year-plus?

22. No one will be seated during the triple mirror moves portion of the show.

23. Danielson puts Eddie out via Little Shit Leglock, so Eddie’s probably going over again on Sunday. This feels like a show where the vibe will be similar with Sting’s last match. Eddie’s bleeding from the mouth. “Sunday, Eddie, your ass is getting choked out.” You mean again? Like you just did?

24. Look at those old school clips of Jericho with Atlantis. Shame that a lot of Sting’s won’t also be accessible for such vignettes, but what can ya do? Will the CMLL wrestler lose again?

25. Tony in the ring to welcome Will Ospreay, much as he did when he was announced as All Elite. I guess they found his bags! He reminds us about what he said in November, and all obligations are complete.

26. Wrestlers are allowed to have memories that go back longer than three weeks, so he recounts his matches in AEW so far, mostly. He brings up the Callis family just in time to be interrupted by the brown noise.

27. Callis comes out to get heat at levels that hasn’t happened in a while, or at least on this show since a lot of it was confined to Rampage.

28. Callis compares Takeshita and Ospreay to MJ and Pippen, because everyone knows heh heh, iron sharpens iron. Ospreay HAMs it up with his handshake offer, and Takeshita returns the HAM favor with a long stare into it. Now neither of them want to let go, so let’s get a good waltz in there since we’re in such a good mood.

29. Renee asks Eddie about the lack of RESPECK, partially coming from Renee’s spouse, but what can ya do? It’s an interview so it’s getting interrupted, and they’re levying out fines and dress code advice. Taz laments the idea of a dress code.

30. Orange Cassidy is facing Nick Wayne in a title match for reasons. So when does Adam Edgeland return to go heel on Danny?

31. The heels get ejected, and they sing that one song that I truly wonder if most of the people singing it even know that it was a real song and not just a thing that people sing at sporting events on such occasions.

32. OC manages to sell during a kip-up. Like doing a kip with your hands in your pockets isn’t hard enough, he manages to make it awkward in the process. That’s attention to detail.

33. I love how much this crowd loves the show. Hot crowds make everything better.

34. We get some Undisputed/BFFs brawling, but Garcia’s extra power of distraction is the determining factor. OC’s victory doesn’t last long because Roddy’s gotta get more abuse in. I’m still really surprised Trent hasn’t turned on OC yet.

35. The Bang Bang T-Shirts Gang keeps Renee busy. I totally believe Jay isn’t gonna turn on these guys the first chance he gets. Not a chance. He’s so all in.

36. Kris Statlander’s music hits. Is it 20 after the second hour already? Wait… now it is.

37. Willow apologizing to the fans at ringside for Stokely. We’ve all had that friend, haven’t we? And if you haven’t, there’s a chance you are that friend.

38. Stat just busting out a standing senton like it’s freaking nothing.

39. Stat takes us into commercial by throwing Skye Blue into the front row where (hopefully) a couple of plants break her fall. Otherwise that just became a very interesting day for a couple of people.

40. German Suplexes on the damn apron, the things we get to see just happen as transitional parts of wrestling matches these days…

41. Get you someone who looks at you the way Stokely looks when he has a chain in his hand. The double distraction happens though, because we haven’t had enough of those tonight, and Skye ends up beating Stat after all that thanks to Julia. This show has quite the vintage feel in some ways tonight.

42. The Young Bucks lost in Cleveland searching for Sting continues, and I’m pretty sure Steve Austin is also hunting them throughout the show too. They try to spring a trap in… Kane’s locker room with a Sting t-shirt? Quirky.

43. It’s Lionheart Chris Jericho, so I’m sure that’ll distract me from not giving a shit for at least a few seconds. Wait, no it won’t.

44. Jericho starts trying to take Atlantis, Jr.’s mask off to fill the void left by Andrade, I guess.

45. Atlantis classic throws in the towel, I admittedly was too busy looking up images of Shady Maple Smorgasbord to pay much attention. Best damn breakfast you’ll ever have if you’re ever near Lancaster, PA.

46. Wait, it’s not a Meatsterpiece match, now it’s an 8-man scramble? How dare they switch out the Meat match for eggs?

47. They keep saying “then this Saturday at Collision” after Revolution matches, which seems like opposite order?

48. How organic and convenient that so many people in the front row have Sting masks. I wonder which one of them is actually Sting? Oh hey, one of them is Darby at least.

49. Darby gets double teamed for a considerably long time before… Flair’s music hits? There’s a trustworthy sight to see.

50. Flair is about to swat Darby with the bat, but instead he unleashes some attempts at offense. The dirtiest player in the game gets out-dirtiest played. Sting sure is taking his sweet ass time, ain’t he?

51. Sting gets harnessed in from the ceiling as the Bucks wait at the top of the stage. There’s some bat clinking for real real, not for play play.

52. This was good for a go-home show. Revolution’s several month build-up is finally coming to fruition, and I’m anxious to just see that show already. Regardless of what the weekly products offer, the PPVs deserve their reputation.

LARGE HAM

Toni couldn’t win because we didn’t see her, so I have to give it to the goofy handshake between Ospreay and Takeshita. Getting some new blood in the HAM category, always good to see.