AEW Booms/Duds: Matt Hardy knew the original Judas!

Boom: when the “Broken” universe met “Le Champion”

Dud: all the arguments you have against this segment are justified

I understand if you aren’t a fan of AEW giving two former WWE stars the main event segment of the show. I understand if you weren’t a fan of this segment with its special effects and the hokey/comedic verbal exchanges.

The teleportation bit (with Jericho’s body slightly shifting due to the obvious jump cuts) is definitely something that reminds you’re watching a scripted simulation and won’t work for everyone.

This is also the one segment on the show where it may have seemed more engaging and important with immediate, live fan reaction. This probably means there wouldn’t have been a teleportation scene, but trade-offs, right?

However, you can’t deny the fact that both Hardy and Jericho are “all in” so to speak not only in their characters, but in this angle. That, dear readers, is the main reason it receives a “boom” from me, though again, all your arguments for giving it a “dud” are agreeable.

With these types of characters and segments, particularly the “Broken” character, the wrestlers must “buy in” (to use another AEW pun) wholeheartedly to their characters. Hardy and Jericho have never had issues fully embodying their characters, particularly when they’ve had creative input.

If you haven’t or just need a reminder, bypass his recent WWE run and revisit Hardy’s time as the “Broken” character in Impact Wrestling that is the genesis of his current character. If you still give this a “dud” after, that’s fine.

You might also change your mind after thinking about the amount of creativity in character and matches he brought to Impact and how quickly the Broken universe became the hottest act in the promotion. He even used that platform to elevate his wife, his brother, and his children; I think King Maxell is still the youngest person to ever record a pin on a national pro wrestling show.

Back to last night’s show, the dialogue, even though filled with creative quips and historical references, felt more natural than we hear in WWE (genearlly). The “DELETE!” vs. “ELITE!” duel was hilarious, as was Jericho cutting a promo on that “piece of trash” and new West Coast correspondent Vanguard-1.

Then he said, “All those Instagram drone models will be flocking around wherever you go.”

I busted out laughing.

There were other great lines between the two, particularly Hardy’s, “I knew the original Judas, too. Ironically, he betrayed me.” What a tough 3,000 years it’s been for poor ol’ Damascus.

Bonus points to Omega on commentary: “Is he using the Britney Spears mic?”

My only qualm is I’m not sure the quality of 1-on-1 match we may have between the two, which seems to be the case after tonight’s interactions; remember, we’re not sure when B&G will happen. I can see two ways a match between them works without trying to be traditional or a high work-rate match: a gimmick brawl of some kind (falls count anywhere, no dq) OR an “Ultimate Deletion” type match.

I vote for the latter.