AEW Booms/Duds: Jericho calls out “Iron” Mike Tyson

After a thoroughly enjoyable Double or Nothing, how did AEW continue the momentum with last night’s Dynamite? Let’s review the “booms” and “duds” for May 27.

That “Stadium Stampede” was something else, huh?

Sure, it wasn’t for everybody and certain segments within the match tested the patience of some viewers, but it was different and fun. AEW made good use of the stadium available to them, and I’m pretty sure everyone popped when Jaxson de Ville was hit with Chris Jericho’s Judas Effect.

After the events of that match and the rest of Double or Nothing, which saw The Elite defeat Inner Circle; Cody win the TNT Championship; Jon Moxley retaining his World Championship; Hikaru Shida becoming the new Women’s Champion; and the thunderous debut of “The Machine” Brian Cage as the mystery ninth participant and winner in the Casino Ladder Match, how were new stories and feuds set last night?

Cage winning and Moxley retaining has them set for a match at Fyter Fest “sometime this summer” as Jim Ross stated, much more time than the original announcement of last night. How did AEW begin the build to their eventual match?

There was also a battle royal last night to determine Cody’s first challenger for his freshly won TNT Championship. AEW has been insistent that this title is not a mid-card title and should be respected on the level of the World Championship; was this reinforced by the events of last night?

Shida is the new Women’s Champion and had her first match (non-title) as champion. We know former Women’s Champion Nyla Rose won’t just sit around quietly, and competitors like Kirs Statlander, Penelope Ford, and Big Swole seem primed for big runs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. also appeared live last night (with her assistant “Reba”) to update fans on her unfortunate knee injury.

Lastly, after their disappointing but highly entertaining defeat to The Elite, Inner Circle held a pep rally to gather the troops after what has been a rather rough couple of months. What did this pep rally entail, and what does this mean for Inner Circle?

As a reminder of my criteria, I’m not going to run through each match/segment. Rather, I will identify a couple of segments that either worked (“boom”) or didn’t for whatever reason (“dud”).

My criteria includes quality of match/segment and how it starts and/or builds stories. After all, we watch partly to be caught up in the stories. If a great work-rate match happens with no context or bearing on the stories, it’s going to be a miss.

Also, just because something is a hit/miss doesn’t mean it was an overwhelming choice. The selection could be 51 percent hit, 75 percent miss, and so on.

There are other subtleties to my criteria, but those are pretty much the parameters.

Boom: “The Machine” does work, sets his eyes on Moxley’s championship

Poor Lee Johnson, jobber to the monster heels of AEW. That German suplex Cage drilled him with was impressively frightening as Johnson appeared to land on the back of his head/neck (but did more of a shoulder roll). Well, to partially quote a certain “The Man,” Johnson was there to do the job and put Cage over, and put him over he did.

Even though Cage pulled a Lance Archer by throttling his opponent before the bell, it was a bit unexpected and made me sit up. I was hoping we would see Cage pull off another “F10,000” as commentary said on Saturday because of its sheer impressiveness (probably better than Wardlow’s), but he was still dominant nonetheless.

That Drill Claw driver variation is something wicked. Cage didn’t land it as smoothly as usual, but Johnson’s ability to bump using his long body to indicate he was stiffened cold by the move added to the move’s ferocity.

Taz being paired with Cage makes them a fearsome duo. We all know of Taz’s past as the “Human Suplex Machine,” a former World Champion, and great commentator with an analytical side. Now he is imparting all of his tips and tricks to Cage, who seems destined for greatness in AEW.

I initially wondered if this would be like a Brock Lesnar-Paul Heyman situation where Taz will do 99 percent of the talking, but Cage (like Lesnar) will speak when he feels necessary, usually when the fiercest feuds reach heightened levels of intensity. Thus far, it appears Taz will be the mouthpiece while Cage speaks through his actions.

Even knowing he’s next in line for a World Championship match, them directly addressing Moxley and telling him Cage is going to “rip your heart out of your chest” just added to the sense that Cage is not to be trifled with. He didn’t need to jump Moxley like Jake Hager (yet) or take physical possession of the title like Brodie Lee (yet); he just looked Moxley square in the eyes as Taz discussed how Cage is going to dismantle Moxley.

A round of applause for Moxley as well. He started by telling commentary, “I’m doing terrible, thanks for asking,” after that physical match against Lee on Saturday. The whole time Taz was talking, he had a sick smile of sadomasochistic pleasure like he knows this match is going to be another test of brutality. Moxley knows his character, and though he doesn’t work for all fans, he’s at least consistent in his presentation.

It’s also refreshing to see AEW is avoiding more comparisons to TNA in terms of World Championship challengers being former WWE wrestlers. Jericho dropped the title to Moxley, who defended against Hager and Lee, all four being recent WWE wrestlers. Cage’s cache, on the other hand, is centered on his being a former Impact World Champion. Unlike how former TNA/Impact World Champions have been treated in WWE, Cage seems poised for a run befitting his accomplishments.

Will their match “sometime this summer” at Fyter Fest be a five-star mat wrestling classic? Probably not. Does it have to be? No. What it most likely will be is another match where Moxley takes an extreme amount of punishment, relishes in the pain, and reciprocates in kind. A good old fashioned slobberknocker is sometimes just what the soul needs.

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.

Boom: Baker staying true to character

Dud: questionable booking in for Shida

The new Women’s Champion showed her mettle against Christy Jaynes last night, probably taking a little more offense than I would have liked to see, but also explained due to the size difference between the two. Still, the match didn’t need to be over five minutes, and shaving off two minutes to put over Shida stronger would have been nice.

It didn’t help that Jaynes kicked out of Shida’s finisher, her 3 Count running knee, to the back of the head (the move she finished Rose with on Saturday). Instead, Shida hit Jaynes with a Falcon Arrow for the victory, immediately conjuring Excalibur’s voice in my head saying, “Nobody kicks out of the Falcon Arrow!” in jest since everybody kicks out of the move…well, except Jaynes last night.

It just seems weird to have a veritable jobber kick out of the very finisher used to win the AEW Women’s Championship just four nights before at Double or Nothing. Sure, Rose took more damage leading up to the move considering it was a no disqualification match, but Rose was also the defending champion; it should take a lot more to defeat her than Jaynes!

In any case, as a known fan of Shida’s, I foresee a reign filled with tough matches from bonafide challengers. While there was no mention of her next title challenger yet, the AEW rankings indicate her most likely challenger will either be a Rose in a rematch, Kris Statlander in a face-face match, or Penelope Ford if she can string together a few wins. #4 ranked Yuka Sakazaki is in Japan and unable to travel due to pandemic restrictions, and #3 ranked Baker is injured.

Speaking of Baker, she appeared for a promo alongside her assistant, Rebel (or “Reba”), who wheeled Baker out in a wheelchair (the best part being after her promo as she wheeled away in her chair that said “Roll Model”). The good news? She’ll return at All Out. The bad news? This means a delay (if not complete scrapping) of what was going to be a Shida-Baker feud that had been building through the pandemic shows.

However, Baker was once again fantastic on the mic last night as she laid out a convincing argument that there has been a conspiracy to injure her by Shida, Rose, and Statlander since AEW began. How dastardly!

She began with rule number three for being a “roll” model (do you remember the first two?): don’t hurt the role model. This led her into delving out her conspiracy theory as to how she was deliberately injured the other three competitors in the match last week.

Basically, all three happened to be in the same area when Baker was injured, thus making them guilty by association. Sure, Shida and Statlander were double hip tossing Rose into Baker, but a self-obsessed heel like Baker can’t see it that way; everything is a means to prevent her from achieving the greatness she feels she deserves.

Her conspiracy board immediately drew connections to Charlie Day’s from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and rightly so. I tweeted out a “Who did it better?” comparison (Day had more connections, so probably him). It made me chuckle.

Baker doesn’t need to appear every week, and she doesn’t have to appear live. Her vignettes from her “office” were entertaining and simultaneously creepy, but in that creepy way that works in wrestling.

It’s also a question of what this means for ref Aubrey Edwards. I’m generally a fan of refs being kept out of stories, so let’s see what this holds for the future.

I’m glad Baker’s injury isn’t as serious as a torn ACL, which would have kept her out for at least a year, but still disappointed for her that this injury happened right when her character was peaking towards a title shot. Here’s to a smooth recovery and return for the Doctor.

Boom: a pull apart brawl to set the stage for Jericho-Tyson

Dud: Inner Circle should switch from comedic to serious (and this may have been the start)

First, let’s discuss the underlying issues in booking Mike Tyson.

The main issue is Tyson is a convicted rapist. Yes, he served his time, but we also can’t blame or fault anyone who holds this fact against Tyson. He’s worked hard to recreate his image from uber-tough boxing bad boy to a comedic and lovable middle-aged former boxing legend. Again, this doesn’t erase his past or mitigate his conviction; it’s an issue to be considered.

If people are turned off by his involvement, who are we to say they’re wrong? I just hope that if AEW is questioned specifically about this regarding Tyson that they do not shy away from the questions and explain their thought process in bringing in Tyson, how this issue was considered, and if it wasn’t, how it will be considered particularly in light of the last half-decade of increased awareness surrounding domestic/sexual harassment, abuse, and rape.

The issue more directly related to wrestling is the criticism of giving time and money to a celebrity non-wrestler when those could be better spent on wrestlers already under contract, such as the women’s division or mid-carders. It’s especially jarring to some considering the basis of this feud is a match from a decade ago in an organization that is AEW’s direct rival.

I’m not going to explain in detail why I’m not so bothered by these wrestling criticisms with Tyson. I’ll just say this is far different from the WWE playbook of bringing in an athlete since WWE usually thrusts them into a championship feud.

With Tyson and Jericho, there are no titles on the line, it shouldn’t main event (hopefully), and Jericho’s entire run in AEW has been about putting other wrestlers over. He, of all people, can have a mini-feud on the side with Tyson.

I did think Tyson and his crew (which consisted of former UFC champions “Suga” Rashad Evans, “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort, and recently retired “King of Cringe” and “Triple C” Henry Cejudo) looked a bit awkward and like they were trying too hard, but the end result was one of the better pull apart brawls in recent memory; I don’t know if anything tops the pull apart between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, though.

The pull apart is where Tyson looked intense and invested in the angle. You could almost feel the fire protruding from his eyes! Jericho reciprocated in kind by almost choking Scorpio Sky to death (who he had held against him in a side headlock-like move) as he yelled to Tyson, “I’m gonna get you you son of a bitch!” as the show went off air. The last minute or so was fun.

Now, hopefully this is the impetus for Inner Circle to switch from being a comedic heel faction to a serious heel faction, which they arguably should have been all along. I understand why they shifted so heavily comedic with these pandemic shows and their use of vignettes, but last night was the “jumping the shark” moment.

The whole punchline to the pep rally was Jericho saying he wanted Tyson’s head on a platter. It took far too long with some bad attempts at forced comedy mixed in, aside from Ortiz constantly yelling and putting on the headphones so he could stop the ringing and hear again. Ortiz, in general, is a delight to watch.

Especially with someone like Hager, whose acting skills aren’t great, forcing them to perform comedy when their character is supposed to be more of a straight up fighter is hard to watch. Hager was great his first few months as the heavy who didn’t talk and just demolished people. Going back to that would help reestablish some of his (and Inner Circle’s) credibility.

Santana and Ortiz, rekindling their edge from their days LAX in Impact, could wreak havoc on the tag division. They’ve been booked 50/50 (as with many teams), and having them embark on a nice win streak to a tag title match at All Out would elevate them, Inner Circle, and the tag division.

Jericho is pretty much Teflon at this point, but not so much for his Le Sex Gods partner, Sammy Guevara. Out of the five members, Guevara is most in need of a shift in disposition. Sure, being built like “a Spanish God” comes with a level of arrogance and self-indulgence, but he is too talented to keep taking pins and looking like a fool.

He’s an excellent bump machine as evidenced by the bumps he took from the golf cart incident and the One Winged Angel on Saturday, but that shouldn’t mean he constantly takes them to elevate everyone around him. Make him more serious, more physical, more vicious and you have someone who can quickly elevate himself to challenge for the TNT Championship.

Being more serious doesn’t mean the comedy has to disappear, but it should be more strategic. I hope to see more of a serious edge to them next week on the heels of last night’s events, but it’s also safe to say the shift may occur over a few weeks rather than just one.

A mixed bag of a Dynamite still did enough to keep me intrigued for what’s to come. I didn’t even discuss how Best Friends are #1 contender’s for the Tag Team Championship yet Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc won a title match against Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page next week. We also didn’t have an appearance from either Archer or Lee coming off their respective first losses in AEW.

Oh yeah, FTR debuted.

Next week, I hope to see Archer and Lee chart their new courses. The tag championship match should be entertaining even if it seems obvious who will win. We should also see further builds for Moxley-Cage, Shida’s next opponent, and Jericho-Tyson.

See you next week!