AEW Booms/Duds: Jericho calls out “Iron” Mike Tyson
https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1265821402583592960
Boom: a great first choice for Cody’s first weekly challenger
Dud: a rather clunky battle royal
I was both shocked and please that Darby Allin wasn’t involved in this battle royal. After the beating he took Saturday, particularly at the hands of Cage, leaving him off for at least a week helps sell his injuries. It’s probably also too soon to return to a Cody-Allin feud.
To the actual match, it was rather clunky and bumbling for most of the match. It seemed like it was destined to be an adventure of a match when Luther attacked an opponent before the bell and before Orange Cassidy even made his entrance. This may have been the plan with Santana and Ortiz taking out Cassidy on the stage, but the start of the match was still rather awkward.
The match fell into one of AEW’s old bad habits: looking too choreographed with wrestlers looking like they were waiting for spots rather than looking like they were actually wrestling. I know it’s more difficult with a battle royal setting, but this also didn’t need to be how a contender was determined.
However, once the participants dwindled, the match (as one would expect) was more crisp and story-driven. This began with MJF’s promo before the match, teasing tension with Wardlow. MJF hiding behind Wardlow until the final four and then accidentally striking Wardlow with the diamond ring not only led to both their eliminations, but gives us that one “moment” we can turn to when Wardlow lays out MJF in the future.
Cassidy and Jungle Boy being the last two participants was a great decision. Cassidy being in the final two is a nod to fans who just love his gimmick and everything he does, elevating him. I don’t think Cassidy needs a championship at this point, and AEW can have a long, long-term build to Cassidy finally winning a singles championship in 2022.
Jungle Boy, as we’ve seen in his past matches with the likes of Jericho and MJF, has vastly improved in the ring for someone still so young and green. His match with MJF at Double or Nothing was my favorite wrestling match on the card, and I loved the European clutch leverage pin ending. He gained a measure of revenge in eliminating MJF and becoming #1 contender to Cody’s TNT Championship. That has to (kayfabe) anger MJF.
It should be a great technical match between Cody and Jungle Boy next week. While I don’t expect Jungle Boy to win, this is just another step in the eventual run to the top of the card for young “Jungle Jack.”
Now, did this help make the TNT Championship appear as more than just a mid-card or secondary championship? It’s difficult to say after one week. The #1 ranked contender, MJF, was involved in the match, so that helps (#2-#5 were absent from the show save for Kenny Omega’s brief appearances). Wrestlers with slow-burn builds and star qualities like Wardlow, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy were involved, but is that a positive or negative in this equation?
The biggest thing that helped during the match was just how serious the wrestlers competing in the match took the situation. If they’re selling the stakes and the TNT Championship as something that worthy, then it helps me, the viewer, also feel the same about the title.
Outside of the match, I like that we have a definitive mission statement for this championship: it will be defended every week on Dynamite. It functions much like Television Championships of the past. This, coupled with Cody’s standing in AEW and the wrestling world, do help elevate the championship. The question is will that be enough for fans to view it as more than a mid-card/secondary championship?
It will be nice when we have more detailed rules regarding how contenders choose the championship they want to wrestle for and if defending the title a certain number of times entitles Cody to a World Championship match or not, thus vacating the TNT Championship. I also think it would have been more prudent to have a championship defense every other week with a contender’s match in the in-between weeks, but this should still be a fun segment to look forward to every Wednesday.
Side note: those red graphics for Cody as TNT Champion are pretty sweet.