#LAWTAKE - AEW Dynamite aka Big Business 3/13/24
Welcome in to another #LawTake courtesy of RSC’s own Chad Law. Rather than flood your Twitter feed, enjoy my focused review of the current product below! Some of this may be out of order but for the sake of time I’m covering all the bases that mattered. All comments are welcome.
Mercedes Mone is All Elite! No surprise here anymore. The speculation is put to rest. Big Business has picked up indeed.
When it’s a themed AEW show, they usually deliver. Nothing short of those expectations tonight really. Would be nice if Big Business/Boston shows produce a yearly Mercedes Mone-esque theme ala Japan/Okada and UK/Ospreay.
A good promo after a year off for Mercedes as she thanks those that need to be thanked and puts a target on those that need to be targeted. A right to the point promo that kicks off Dynamite, rare too.
The Revolution will be televised in the Mercedes era. Let’s hope we get more focus on this Women’s Division across all five hours of AEW TV please!
The new music and the CEO chant jumps off the page as irritating to me but I will give that time to develop. Hopefully. Maybe.
AEW 2024 already feels much better than AEW 2023/22. Leaps and bounds.
Who’s ready for storytime with Adam Cole baybay? Why aren’t we doing more of these like every week? Great move production.
World Title match is second match of the night with no real emphasis on Wardlow and Joe’s prior AEW history. I think I know who’s not winning this match..
Hey a Wardlow match went through commercial break! And then he got choked out. We have now reached the REPEAT cycle of Wardlow’s pushes in AEW.
If we set the line at 10, I’m going OVER in regard to how many more squash matches Wardlow will have until his next World Title match.
How am I so sure of that? Cause Swerve just stormed out and tried to get his hands on Joe post match. This either moves to a one-on-one between the two @ Dynasty or this becomes a triple threat with Wardlow so he can take another pin and prolong this feud with Swerve and Joe.
Sometimes I forget Okada can speak some English the way he’s presented. He’s GREAT.
It’s time for the Six Man Tag of the night that doesn’t involve Trios titles. Okada aka the Japanese Cody Rhodes just looks like a star. If it’s any actual Japanese talent AEW could have scooped this was THEEE guy. This isn’t Ibushi, this isn’t Suzuki, this isn’t Ishi… this guy is FUCKING KAZUCHIKA OKADA.
I hated Penta and the One Buck in the all red fit. Just not visually appealing.
Penta & The Bucks might really bring the worst out of each other in matches. They will really get on their PWG soap box and showcase “the works.” For this AEW audience this is what they clamor for. For the general wrestling audience it could endure some eye rolls.
Okada is only challenging Kingston next week in Toronto for 1/3 of the Continental Championship… uhhh okay.
As Twitter informed me, this was a stipulation slipped in quietly at the formation of this belt. Yeah whatever.
ROH has a PPV coming up and it’s no way Okada is defending a ROH Title against Blake Christian or Kommander on PPV, so taking 1/3 of Kingston’s belts from him before Dynasty and before ROH’s PPV make sense. I can’t knock this.
But wtf was the point of emphasizing all three belts being on one person? Whatever. If Okada wins 1/3 of the C2 Title then at least we can guarantee classic matches with that, a prestigious lineage continuing on, and a fucking BANGER of a C2 tournament to look forward to Q4 2024.
No Cope, no Christian Cage this week in person. But we still got Collision so I’ll hold hope we see them there. It’s a loaded show as is so it’s cool.
Will Ospreay is the biggest babyface in AEW by default now and he’s still aligned with the coldest heel faction with the loudest heel manager. But for this feud with Bryan Danielson none of that shit even matters.
Will looked like he just got done having Soccer practice tonight and I’m gonna go with this being his apparel on a regular until he goes corporate heel. Still feels surreal seeing this guy on American television weekly.
Deonna & Toni are still feuding… 🥱💤 where is DMD clouding this division when ya need her?
Kyle O’Reilly vs Bryan Keith Saturday on Collision FUCK this is gonna be so tough to predict.
It’s time for Darby’s last match possibly ever. And it’s against the man who once main evented a PPV in AEW for a World Title, Jay White. Bang Bang.
Jay White played the Triple H role well working over Darby’s physical weakness. Why isn’t this guy in a prime singles feud again? If Darby wasn’t trying to climb an impossible mountain I would have ran this back at the PPV or saved it for Dynasty in general. Jay White needs more credible wins against people in AEW that matter - members of the Pillars being some of them.
Best part of this match? Jay White wins clean. Clean. A clean victory in AEW. Wow!
Acclaimed with the worst realization Daddy Ass got leveled with a chair. Whatever, at least we can finally PACK THIS FACTION THE FUCK UP.
Another title unification match otw. ROH can’t catch a break.
Darby written off via BCG leaving a feud open for White upon Darby’s survi.. uh return!
Chris Jericho’s skill of attaching himself to a buzzing newer act when he’s always at his coldest just shines bright every week, every year.
VERY cool entrance from Gates Of Agony. More of this. Shit, more of these two actually being featured (and winning).
Clunky collab finish between Jeri-Hook’s Liontamer & Red Rum finish. I don’t even wanna emphasize them getting better because next week they go one on one not for the FTW Title in Toronto. Another Jericho heel turn coming!
Willow & Riho in a Dynamite main event - you know we are in a new era of AEW. Or the biggest female free agent not named Rhonda Rousey just signed with the company.
Statlander jealousy heel turn on Willow is inevitable. I guess we can work with that if it comes to.
Willow’s video package of her highlights recently were so well done you forget she doesn’t win much besides the highlighted matches. The Owen Hart Cup curse lives on strong.
With this match going so close to run-over time I didn’t expect a banger. But what I did want to see is Willow just demolish Riho. She’s much bigger than Riho, who doesn’t look much older than 13 even though she’s been wrestling since nine.
Case in point, Riho hit a rough looking Northern Lights that was two levels shy of Deonna/Madison Rayne’s botch. That got greeted with a “This Is Awesome” chant. Are we watching the same program?
Riho’s only edge is she is a former AEW Women’s Champion and a notable name in her country. Otherwise she feels closer to Spike Dudley in size than Bully Ray. Which the optics appeared to resemble when you watch her fight Willow.
Willow wins clean then gets attacked by TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue. Then gets saved by Mercedes Mone. The end.
No real big swerve, no Elite alliance like the RSC hoped for. Just Mone making her presence felt and helping elevate the TBS Title picture. I’m not mad at this.
That TBS Title feels like a death sentence at times and if not Willow as the next holder Mercedes would absolutely boost life into the division. Don’t need to force her to the top of the card against Toni Storm just yet.
I know we have the rumored Shelton Benjamin debut, Ali & Nemeth still have all year to pop in once their TNA stints finish up, and we also can expect a drifter named Elijah to pop up anytime with his guitar, but I think we need a freeze on AEW signings now. We are at roster max. Dream matches galore now let the stories actually make some sense.
I’m giving this a 8/10 episode again. Not overall as good as last week oddly enough but it didn’t disappoint. Book-ended with Mercedes from open to close has me excited. Take the clunky parts of matches out, two thumbs up show for me. I won’t bring bad spotlights on such a big night for the AEW brand outside of what I’ve jotted down.
Every time I wanna say I miss MJF or Kenny Omega, I realize we have Okada/Ospreay/Mone all under one umbrella confirmed in the physical and not in a cloud of “will they sign/won’t they sign” lingers anymore.
This product is about to be better than ever before. Let’s just make more stuff make sense.
Thank you for tapping in! If you have any feedback please feel free to tap in at any time via email to IAmChadLaw@gmail.com.