AEW Dynamite 11/9/2022 Match Ratings and Commentary
Another classic (Credit: AEW)
Here’s where we landed with this week’s live Dynamite from Boston. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.
AEW Dynamite - 11/9/2022
The Acclaimed and FTR def. Swerve In Our Glory and The Gunn Club: ★★
Ethan Page def. Eddie Kingston: ★★
Jay Lethal def. Trent Beretta: ★★
Jamie Hayter def. Sky Blue: ★★
Bryan Danielson def. Sammy Guevara: ★★★★
Ethan and Eddie (Credit: AEW)
Show Highlight—
MJF Promo. It’s really unprecedented what he’s done this year. To call MJF the promo of the year is not nearly enough praise, he’s cemented himself as THE best promo in the history of the business in a year. 2022 will be remembered for a shitload of things, most of them unthinkable crazy shit, but the good stuff we’ll think about in the years to come is how MJF made himself THE guy. The irony of course, is that he cut a promo this week on why this main event matters and why he’ll cement himself as the next torch-bearing, crossover, generational, THE GUY.
Note the genius of what he did. It was a simple podcast appearance of cutting a promo into the camera. But it’s in a unique venue, it made it feel different than an in-ring, backstage, or entrance-ramp interview. He had to acknowledge the beatdown of The Firm, which he did here, but because we didn’t see him in-person in the ring, he didn’t have to sell anything physically, allowing the audience to think that maybe The Firm beatdown was all part of his plan and conspiracy. He insulted Moxley while putting him over, making his victory over him matter most. He talked about how when it was his time to take the spotlight, the spotlight was taken from him by Cody’s tattoo, Matt Hardy’s concussion, Jericho’s baffling bad bump, the gripebomb, etc. Interesting he never mentioned his hijacking and stealing the spotlight from Wardlow earlier this year. Again, subtle brilliance setting up if he’ll go face or heel at the end of Full Gear—not acknowledging that is a heel thing to do, to gloss over something like that, while the babyface thing to do is not mentioning it in hopes the audience forgets and doesn’t have a reason for disliking him; typically trying to have it both ways backfires but this was a masterclass in how to pull it off.
MJF made the case that he’s next to be THE GUY, and it was the most credible interview for that promotional opportunity that I’ve ever heard. It was postmodern, it was in kayfabe and spoke to smart fans, it was for hardcores and casuals—it’s why he can bring a creative rejuvenation to the industry if he’s the top guy. No pressure.
What Worked—
Eight man tag. Hot start to the show, with a wonderful spot of Dax doing a superplex from the top turnbuckle to the outside on the heap of perfectly placed hapless heels. Did it feel icky in any way to see FTR performing a support role to The Acclaimed? They did it like pros but, wow, jarring. Oh, and hilarious spot by the Gunn goober to get massive heat by imitating Road Dogg to Dax’s Bret Hart.
“Dickriding without a license.” What a line. And who knows if they will go this route or not, but AEW was wise to sequence the Stokely promo right after the MJF bit to reinforce they are married to each other and something devilish is happening at Full Gear.
Page/Kingston finish. Eddie being the emotional favorite needed to take a convincing loss and an Ego’s Edge from the top rope will do it.
Samoa Joe heel turn. Transparently clear but it still worked (even if you couldn’t see it happen in the moment, a Kevin Dunn glitch). Make it a triple threat at Full Gear. I know there’s no been story about a title unification but nobody would care if they just added that out of nowhere.
Hayter. Doesn’t it seem like whenever there’s going to be a title change, especially for the women’s championship, the challenger gets much more ring time and shine? Toni’s whole thing for over a month or so is being friends and not being friends to girls.
Danielson/Sammy. I wasn’t into a 2/3 stipulation, not every rematch needs a stipulation attached to it, and with the match starting at the regular time any other main event started it made that first fall predictable. But then Sammy got that heel heat doing the most loathsome thing ever—using the corded end of the microphone for maximum ocular offense! This legit grew into a great main event and added to Danielson’s list of 4 star matches for the year.
What Didn’t Work—
Final Cut D’oh. The hell was that awful edit and transition of Trent calling out Jay Lethal? That was video production class in high school unprofessional. That’s not hyperbole to suggest that’s amateur hour nincompoopery that makes the product look second-tier.
Saraya/Britt Segment. The over-the-top reaction of blue belt bro was a bad omen for this promo. Not that it was bad per se, it was just odd tonally. Saraya played the fish out of water character while also declaring that AEW was her house, which, doesn’t make any sense and feels wrong for an interloper, so the crowd booed that, while also rejecting such a transparently WWE-esque, force-feeding of a catchphrase that’s already been done by someone else. And then Saraya’s character seemingly didn’t get the slight that Britt called her a superstar and not a wrestler, and the crowd booed when she went into the whole, what makes a superstar run. Saraya had fire, don’t get me wrong, it was powerful to see her say she was publicly humiliated from her sextape and drug scandals with her genuine, from-the-heart quivering. But the big-timing of Britt landed like it was big-timing of AEW, even though that wasn’t the intention.
Show Cringe—
Jeff Jarrett. Please help me understand why would Jay Lethal pick Jarrett to be his partner when he has a seven fucking foot giant to do his dirty work? It’s stupid.
Saraya and Britt (Credit: AEW)
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