AEW Dynamite: Jade Cargill and Shaq Lived Up to the Hype

As AEW Dynamite got underway last Wednesday I was extremely excited for the go-home show leading up to the Revolution pay-per-view.  As Cody Rhodes’ music hit the realization dawned on me that the opening match was going to be Cody and Red Velvet taking on Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neal.

The first segment of Dynamite is almost always about creating energy and setting the pace for the rest of the show and also trying to draw the interest of the people who have just finished watching whatever was on the channel right before the two hours of Dynamite start.  This normally consists of a match between mainstays on AEW’s flagship show.  However, last Wednesday’s Dynamite episode opened up with a match that included two athletes making their AEW in-ring debut.

While the name Shaquille O’Neal and the involvement of Cody Rhodes are enough to draw in viewers on their own, this was still an extremely risky way to open the show.  There is always a chance that a match involving a non-wrestler will be a disappointment.  AEW then doubled down on that risk by teaming Shaq with a wrestler making her AEW in-ring debut, in Jade Cargill.  All these factors led me to assume that this match had very little chance to be decent, let alone good.

But as Dynamite drew to a close and I started to think back over what I had just watched I came to the realization that the opening match was my favorite segment of the show.  And that is not to say that this episode of Dynamite was weak.  On the contrary, it was very good.  But the opening match was extremely entertaining and stole the show for me.

Jade Cargill and Shaq lived up to the hype in their AEW in-ring debut

All four performers in this match should be applauded.  This match worked so exceptionally well because of them.  All of the competitors played to their strengths and none of them tried to do too much.

Red Velvet and Cody handled most of the technical wrestling.  Cody was easily the most experienced grappler in this match and Red Velvet has been active on Dynamite and Dark as well.  They were both excellent dance partners in this match for Jade and Shaq and played their roles extremely well as the scrappy underdogs.

Watching Shaq and Cody open the match, the size difference between the two was extremely obvious.  The same could be said about the size difference between Jade Cargill and Red Velvet, as well.  With the size and strength on their side, both Shaq and Jade did an excellent job featuring that advantage.  Most of the offense provided by Shaq and Jade was done so with a lot of power behind it which emphasized their ability to end the match swiftly if given the opportunity.

Another reason the match was such a success was Cargill’s and Shaq’s unwavering confidence before and throughout the match.  Even though they were overmatched in the experience department they never looked lost in the moment.  They exuded confidence throughout the entirety of the match in what they were doing and that made for a much more enjoyable contest.

While Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet gave us what we expected from them, we were truly treated to an entertaining showing by Shaq.  He was confident, powerful, and sold well, especially on his big table spot.  He set the bar high for future celebrity matches in all promotions.  (Good luck Bad Bunny)

But, the most promising thing to come out of this match was Jade Cargill.  There is something about her that just screams superstar.  She has it all.  She is strong, comfortable on the mic, athletic, and beautiful.  Yes, she is green.  She is new to wrestling and has plenty to learn.  But if she stays focused and continues to learn the sky is the limit for Cargill.  And at this time next year, we may be talking about Cargill challenging for or defending the AEW Women’s Championship.