3 things that went right on the March 8 AEW: Dynamite

After producing a Revolution pay-per-view that will likely make some show of the year lists, All Elite Wrestling looked to keep that momentum going on the March 8 episode of Dynamite.

With the promotion’s next supercard, Double or Nothing, a couple of months away, many of these new and continuing stories will have time to flourish or falter, but for the most part, the company succeeded in charting its post-Revolution course.

In that vein, let’s look at three things that AEW got right on this episode.

Further establishing Ruby Soho as a heel

After getting pinned by Jamie Hayter in a Triple Threat match for the AEW Women’s World Championship, Ruby Soho finally chose her side in the AEW Originals vs. Outsiders conflict. In a bit of a twist, Soho aligned herself with Saraya and Toni Storm, turning heel for the first time in her AEW career.

Naturally, Soho explained her character shift on Wednesday’s Dynamite. Showing that she’s already fitting in with her former WWE comrades, Soho chastised the fans for “creating this monster”, citing how the crowds booed her in favor of “homegrown” stars Britt Baker and Kris Statlander in the past.

While the “heel blames the fans” bit has become a tired trope in WWE, it supported her point about her, Saraya, and Storm receiving little respect for their work compared to their contemporaries.

Soho’s match against Skye Blue went as expected; the young babyface got some offense in but eventually dropped the fall to Soho after the latter hit No Future. Between the win and the confrontation with Willow Nightingale, Soho’s former tag team partner, Soho’s heel reboot went well.

The clean(ish) triumph and the post-match attack (even with the lame spraypaint bit) reinforced the trio as a threat in the women’s division, and Soho’s addition to the Outsiders group gives a storyline that felt half-hearted a needed jolt.

The Blackpool Combat Club attacks Hangman Page and Dark Order

Speaking of heel turns, it appears that the Blackpool Combat Club has finally crossed into that rudo lane. For weeks, the BCC has shown more of an edge in their matches and promos, and that culminated in Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli’s tag match against the Dark Order’s John Silver and Alex Reynolds.

Castagnoli and Moxley got the expected win in an entertaining affair, but the victors continued the onslaught after the match. This drew out Evil Uno and, eventually, “Hangman” Adam Page, who came to his friends’ aid despite saying he was done with Moxley. After striking Castagnoli, the BCC beat Page down to audible boos.

The next few weeks will tell us whether the BCC has truly turned, but brutally attacking fan favorites like Page and Dark Order certainly indicate a drastic change (not to mention Castagnoli dismissing Eddie Kingston on Ring of Honor television). It will also be interesting to see where Bryan Danielson fits into this once he returns from the sabbatical he seems earmarked for.

The AEW All Atlantic Championship is now the AEW International Championship

Between PAC and Orange Cassidy, the AEW All Atlantic Championship had built up a good bit of credibility since its creation last June. Specifically, we’ve seen Cassidy defend the title in thrilling television matches against a variety of opponents, putting the belt on par with the TNT Championship in terms of prestige.

Presumably, that trend will continue with the belt being renamed the AEW International Championship. Sure, some will argue that the rebranding isn’t much of an improvement, but as long as fans see the same quality of title defenses, it won’t matter too much.

Besides, they’ll have a different reason to be angry if Jeff Jarrett wins the title this coming Wednesday.