Tonight’s episode of Dynamite was a special “Holiday Bash” edition of the show. It was a lot of things, but it certainly wasn’t slow. For many wrestling fans, this is a victory in itself, especially when compared to some lengthy episodes of Monday Night Raw.
The in-ring action was solid, as is often the case with AEW. Unfortunately, another common occurrence for AEW is messy and confusing storylines. This episode had a lot of that too.
Undecided: The JAS recruits Ricky Starks
Despite Ricky’s loss to MJF next week, AEW continues to gain momentum. This is both very clever and long overdue; With his charisma, Ricky has the potential to be a big name for AEW. He opened Dynamite with a promo, but was interrupted by Chris Jericho, who then said that he wanted Ricky to join JAS. Ricky delivered a solid roasting session in response.
When Ricky was jumped from behind by Jake Hager, Action Andretti came to his aid. Hopefully this angle will build both Andretti and Starks as the best babyfaces in AEW, but JAS doesn’t have a good track record with feuding.
Winner: The Elite Outlast The Death Triangle
The Elite and Death Triangle have done a great job of making each match in this series feel unique. Tonight’s fight was a no disqualification fight that featured the use of a Christmas tree as a weapon and Kenny’s infamous barbed wire broom.
The match was wonderfully chaotic from start to finish. Elite’s win was predictable, but predictability isn’t always a bad thing in wrestling. This series is only getting hotter as it goes on.
Loser: Ethan Page confronts Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson spoke to Renee Paquette in the ring. He told a roundabout story about how much William Regal means to him. The sentiment was sweet, but the fact that Regal abruptly left AEW to take a much higher-paying job with WWE made Danielson’s speech hard to worry about.
Danielson was interrupted by Ethan Page. AEW has tried to make Ethan Page feel important, but hasn’t quite succeeded yet. That seems unlikely to change now that Ethan Page is on his way to losing to another wrestler further up the pecking order.
LOSER: Hook Squashes Jobber, Jungle Boy is thrown in the dumpster
Hook had a brief squash match against independent wrestler Exodus Prime. After Hook knocked him down, the titantron showed Big Bill of the Firm throwing Jungle Boy into a dumpster. Hook promptly left the ring and Moxley’s entrance music began playing for the next match.
Once again, the Firm is hard to take seriously as a faction in AEW. While Jungle Boy and Hook make for an intriguing pairing, it’s hard to see this story getting much momentum. Hopefully that will change.
WINNER: Moxley brutalizes Darius Martin
A tougher side has come out of Jon Moxley these past few weeks. To prepare for this match, Moxley made a promo early in the episode about how it’s not his fault that his opponents are prone to injury. He did a good job balancing cruelty and honesty.
It was nice to see Top Flight’s Darius back in the ring after being in a devastating car accident a few months back. He and his brother Dante have the potential to be some of the most likable babyface tag teams in AEW.
WINNER: The Hobbs Book
This series of vignettes are helping to make Powerhouse Hobbs one of AEW’s most complex rude. This is a much needed thing when you consider how one dimensional heels are in AEW compared to babyfaces. Let’s hope this leads to a big boost for Hobbs.
LOSER: The Gunn Club Highway Robbery
The feud between FTR and the Gunns continues. This time, the Gunn brothers once again landed a quick strike on FTR, this time holding the rope for a pinfall to defeat the AAA/IWGP Tag Team Champions. The match itself wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything special either.
The Gunn club is still dealing with the heat it got while fighting the Cheered and has yet to really establish itself on its own terms. Hopefully this fight with FTR will give them some personality.
LOSER: Rick Ross watches Swerve and company beat up Keith Lee
Celebrity appearances can be a tricky thing in wrestling. Sometimes they go off without a hitch and help draw a lot of eyeballs to the wrestling promotion product. Other times, they produce some of the most confusing segments wrestling has ever seen. This was, unfortunately, an example of the latter.
During this segment, it was revealed that Swerve is building his own faction. It is made up of former NXT star Parker Boudreaux and a disturbing-looking man covered in tattoos who has yet to be identified. All this to say that things are already looking bleak for this new faction.
WINNER: Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida ride a strong-style classic
It’s always good to see women treated as a top priority in AEW. It was very refreshing to see the women in a main event. Also, out of all the women who were featured in this space, Jamie and Shida were the perfect candidates. Both are veterans of the sport and arguably the two best fighters on the list.
This match was an absolute fight. He delivered several brutal points, including an apron-to-floor suplex. The match was so good, in fact, that it wasn’t overshadowed by Saraya’s awkward appearance to close the show.
Full match results
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The Elite defeat the Triangle of Death |
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Exodus Prime Pumpkin Hook |
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Jon Moxley defeats Darius Martin |
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Gunn Club defeats FTR |
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Jamie Hayter defeats Hikaru Shida |