5 Things AEW Dynamite Has Nailed So Far

All Elite Wrestling’s weekly two-hour TV show, Dynamite, debuted earlier this month, becoming the first professional wrestling show to air on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro in 2001. Through the first four weeks of Dynamite, AEW has done a lot of things right as it builds toward its next pay-per-view, Full Gear, on Nov. 9.

AEW held four events before starting its weekly show, but next month’s pay-per-view will mark the company’s first major show since debuting on TNT. It is already shaping up to be perhaps the biggest event in the promotion’s short history, with World Champion Chris Jericho defending against Cody Rhodes in the main event and Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page vs. PAC and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. Santana and Ortiz representing the announced undercard matches thus far.

That is a stacked card already, with more matches sure to be added in the weeks ahead. Two episodes of Dynamite remain before Full Gear, but up to this point, AEW has knocked it out of the park.

Here are five things AEW has gotten right since debuting on TNT.

 

5. Tag Team Wrestling Has Been Emphasised

One of the highlights of Dynamite has been the World Tag Team Championship tournament, which will crown the company’s first champions on the Oct. 30 edition of the show. SoCal Uncensored’s Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky will battle the Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. and Fenix) in the finals after an exciting first two rounds.

The quarterfinals of the World Tag Team Championship tournament took place on the Oct. 9 and 16 episodes, beginning with eighth-seeded Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) upsetting the top-seeded Young Bucks in the very first match to set the tone for the entire tournament. In addition to those two teams and the aforementioned finalists, Jurassic Express’ Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt, Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) and The Dark Order’s Evil Uno and Stu Grayson were the remaining duos in the bracket.

All five matches in the tournament have been given plenty of time, with the quarterfinal bout between Best Friends and SoCal Uncensored representing the shortest run time at 9:57. A World Tag Team Championship tournament match has opened each of the past three episodes of Dynamite, getting the crowd fired up each time.

 

4. The commentary has been solid

The trio of Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur has provided tremendous commentary for Dynamite after announcing was one of AEW’s biggest question marks prior to its debut on TNT. JR and Schiavone have given the show an old-school, big-fight feel, while Excalibur hasn’t exactly set the world on fire but certainly hasn’t hurt the product either.

The commentary has definitely been a step up from what WWE brings to the table, as the three-man booth on Monday Night Raw, in particular, has been less than stellar. Schiavone has done a great job holding things together and it doesn’t seem like he has lost a step since his days in WCW. While JR is past his prime, he can still get it done about as well as any announcer in the business today.

Regardless of any mistakes they may have made — no one’s perfect, after all — AEW’s announcers have put over the talent and have made the show seem important. Every match and moment is given the treatment it deserves, which is precisely what you want.

 

3. Match outcomes have truly mattered

AEW does something no other major wrestling company does: track and display wins, losses and draws. Yes, there are time limits in AEW so draws are possible, but they have only ever been used when completely necessary, such as this past week on Dynamite when the show ended in a time limit draw between Jon Moxley and PAC, two guys who really couldn’t afford to take a loss based on their booking to this point.

In any event, keeping up with a wrestler’s win-loss record makes the show seem more like an actual sport. It will also help with future booking, allowing a wrestler to, for instance, complain that they haven’t earned a title shot despite their gaudy record. The possibilities are fairly endless, and having the ability to reference someone’s win-loss record gives the commentators something else to talk about as well.

 

2. The big names have been featured

Making Chris Jericho the promotion’s World Champion definitely didn’t happen by accident, as he defeated “Hangman” Adam Page to become AEW’s inaugural champion at August’s All Out pay-per-view. He has been on every episode of Dynamite thus far, both in matches and in-ring promos, which the company admittedly hasn’t had many of but has smartly allowed their best talker to do.

Jericho is far from the only recognizable wrestler on AEW’s roster, though, as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and current Bellator star Jake Hager, previously known as “Jack Swagger,” debuted at the end of Dynamite’s debut episode. Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley (formerly known as “Dean Ambrose”), PAC (formerly known as “Neville”) and Dustin Rhodes (also known as “Goldust”) are some of the other WWE alumni who now call AEW home.

 

1. The youngsters have been spotlighted

While name value certainly means something, AEW hasn’t relied solely on ex-WWE guys. In Dynamite’s first four weeks, it has become increasingly apparent that the company has its fair share of young, budding superstars as well.

The 26-year-old Darby Allin appears to be one of AEW’s future stars. In fact, he has already received a World Title match against Chris Jericho on an episode of Dynamite. Additionally, the aforementioned Private Party recently captured a huge win over The Young Bucks, while perhaps no one has a brighter future than the 23-year-old MJF, whose microphone work is especially noteworthy.

“Hangman” Adam Page, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy and Joey Janela are among the others who could play a major role in the years to come. AEW has some talented young women’s wrestlers as well, so there’s a lot to look forward to on Wednesday nights on TNT.