Another revisiting of the mid-week wars, AEW Dynamite, goes head-to-head with WWE NXT. Live in Manchester, New Hampshire, AEW has the momentum from a strong television week.
The card is stacked with plenty of matches made and promoted in advance. Competition with NXT is being taken seriously, and return shots have been prepared. More on this later.
Five contests have been announced, with three interesting multi-man tag matches.
Will we see Will Ospreay return with Ricochet to take on The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita or Kyle Fletcher? Or perhaps will it be Mark Davis after the Aussie Open man’s return last week?
Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin reunite to take on The Blackpool Combat Club/Death Riders team of Claudio Castagnoli and PAC in what could be a show-stealer of a context.
Similarly, the underrated Penelope Ford takes on Jamie Hayter. If given the time, these two women may provide NXT with a challenger for the best women’s match on the night.
Let’s light the fuel.
#AEWDynamite THIS WEDNESDAY@snhuarena_nh | Manchester, NH
LIVE at 8/7c | @TBSNetworkTakeshita & Fletcher vs. Ricochet & ?
Who will be @KingRicochet‘s partner when he faces #AEW International Champion @takesoup & @kylefletcherpro of @TheDonCallis Family in tag team action?! pic.twitter.com/KROiR93N7T
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 4, 2024
Announced Card Thus Far:
Matches announced:
- Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black
- Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter
- Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher vs. Ricochet and a mystery partner.
- Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli and PAC
- Fight Without Honour- The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho, Big Bill, Bryan Keith) vs. The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly and Tomohiro Ishi)
Other segments announced:
- The Hurt Syndicate Live
- Christian Cage and Hook face-to-face
Speculation:
- More destruction from Jon Moxley and Blackpool Combat Club/The Death Riders
The Hurt Syndicate is Back in Business
Bobby Lashley made a statement with multiple exclamation marks by beating down the former AEW World champion, Swerve Strickland. Fans are excited about this third elite variation of the group.
For those wondering why third, MVP and Lashley were part of a similar faction, Beat Down Clan, in TNA in 2015/16.
That version of the group also faced issues that ended their creative momentum.
Will the third time be the charm?
Expectations are high. MVP on the microphone has brought a fresh breeze into the locker room. In handing out cards to Mercedes Mone, The Acclaimed, and others, the tease that these stale acts might receive re-inventions has minds speculating.
Phenomenal performances in-ring by Shelton Benjamin tease at what Bobby Lashley could deliver.
Intentions may be clarified. Directions for Full Gear and possibly a huge contest between Lashley and Swerve set up. Some further hints are about who joins and how else The Hurt Syndicate is going to grow.
Gamble of the Night: Counterprogramming NXT
EXCLUSIVE: How did @AdamColePro feel when he returned to in-ring action against Buddy Matthews this past Wednesday, and how is he feeling ahead of his battle against Malakai Black this Wednesday on #AEWDynamite? pic.twitter.com/SyzwMf62c4
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 3, 2024
Perception of AEW as imperfect (as I’ve written about here) has dented the promotion over the past two years. NXT and WWE booking is still flawed (as discussed here), but while hot, that doesn’t matter as much.
The Fight Without Honour match and Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black feel like shots to be fired at NXT. Both attempts at counterprogramming run the risk of just highlighting AEW’s creative problems.
The former with the implication that AEW is more akin to the spirit and ethos of ECW. The problem is it puts Chris Jericho once again at the forefront of AEW Dynamite. Jericho is a channel-changer/bathroom-break wrestler for some fans.
Even diluting Jericho in this six-man with the very capable Big Bill, Bryan Keith, and extremely talented opposition, the strings are visible. It’s another plunder match to hide Jericho’s weaknesses.
Although it may be bloodier, more brutal, and more ECW than what’s on NXT, critics will likely be ready with complaints of AEW’s (both rightly and wrongly) violent excess.
The latter is a clash between two stalwarts of NXT Black and Gold in a rematch who faced each other at NXT: Takeover Philadelphia. There are two problems. First, Adam Cole’s square peg in a round hole babyface return and motivations are messy.
The contradictory fallout of The Devil storyline lingers. Second, optically fighting new NXT with old NXT with two wrestlers who, due to recovering from injuries, may not be at their 2018 peak.
However, an over-delivery for both or either match would not be surprising.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
