Matches:
1.The Elite (Omega,Page) vs Young Bucks vs Proud N Powerful vs Best Friends ***3/4
2.Nightmare Collective vs Shida, Stratlander **
3.Moxley vs Guevara ***1/4
4.MJF, Butcher & The Blade vs DDP, Dustin, QT **3/4
5.PAC vs Darby ***3/4
Thoughts:
The January 15th edition of Dynamite saw Cody's trademark game in full effect as AEW revived the old WCW classic, Bash at the Beach! I love that move and the general way AEW leans into the fact that they are a modernization of the old fed. Why deny it, right?
So, last week's episode was the first episode of Dynamite I truly disliked. Luckily, this was far better. Not the best thing they've done on TNT, but a fun one more often than not.
The opener was great with a touch of story work mixed in while everyone got a chance to look good. I appreciated the length of it too, feeling just right. The outcome in particular was logical even if I fear they're slow play is too logical and thus an inevitable being prolonged. Minor stuff.
Cody's promo was very good, as is typical of his mic work. Joey's package was solid, too. Good start to the show but...
The show's momentum hit a wall with the follow up. The Nightmare Collective stuff is still one of my least favorite things going on in wrestling right now and I hate seeing the division that was starting to gel set back once again by being tied to this angle. Shida and Kris deserve better. There was a few moments that helped, but it was still average at best.
The Dark Order package was actually really well done, in my opinion. I hate that I see so much potential, especially long-term, for the group but think they've just failed with the execution almost every time they've had them in the arena. Still, it's far better than the Nightmare Collective. Let's see where it goes.
The first #1 contender's qualifying match was fairly good stuff, and I appreciated Sammy getting such a chance to shine against Jon. It worked on many levels and I'm sure I might even be a bit low on this in compared to others. The change up on the finish was a nice touch, too.
The Inner Circle attack was well done. I like the group working together, which doesn't always feel as well done as I'd expect, and I'm intrigued on which way they move this.
I appreciated the six-man. It was a fun throwaway, with a bit of trivia worthiness, for those who like that sort of thing, and it just worked as a nice crowd-pleaser. DDP got to shine a bit, even. QT played his obvious part but had a few chances to show off a tad.
Page's drinking was a thing. Omega excused his behavior, showed respect to the Tag Champs, and the tone for the title match was set.
The closer was great, with the right guy winning and a huge match being setup as a result. I thought the angle after that officially closed the show was a bit campy, though. Still, both workers looked very good in the match and PAC/Mox should rock if they don't lean on any bullshit at all.
Dynamite's revival of Bash at the Beach this week provided for a good episode of AEW content with very little that I didn't care for and they set up next week nicely, too. Thumbs up.
Overall Rating: 70/100%
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