AEW Dynamite 12/7/2022 Match Ratings and Commentary
The Acclaimed (Credit-AEW)
Here’s where we landed with this week’s Dynamite from Austin. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.
AEW Dynamite - 12/7/2022
Ricky Starks won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal: ★
Samoa Joe murdered Darby Allin to retain the AEW TNT Championship: ★★★★
Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta def. Daniel Garcia and Jake Hager: ★★★
Jade Cargill and The Baddies def. Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne, and Skye Blue: ★★
The Acclaimed def. FTR to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship: ★★★★1/2
MJF and Ricky Starks (Credit-AEW)
Show Highlight—
The Acclaimed def. FTR. AEW pulled off the near impossible task of having it both ways—The Acclaimed not losing the titles and FTR remaining a top babyface act after eating a loss with the fanbase not split by the outcome. Judging by the reaction to The Acclaimed, it was the right call to keep the belts on them. The crowd is into them, by now they should be a merchandising windfall, and the surest thing to cross over to non-fans—I mean, Jesus Christ, who doesn’t want to scissor under the mistletoe? The Acclaimed can be the team that’s for the party, FTR can be for the podcasters, and that’s totally fine. Dax Harwood is the wrestler of the year, but dammit if Cash didn’t have some of his finest moments in this match. An annoying pro wrestling announcing cliche is hearing the drop, “his face tells the story,” but his face did tell stories—dejection, embarrassment, failure, sportsmanship—tag team wrestling is fucking majestic.
What Worked—
Ricky Starks/MJF promo duel. I read nothing but universal acclaim for Ricky Starks on my Twitter feed. “Star making performance,” “strap a rocket to him,” “have him go over Roman”—well not quite that, but whatever, it’s rare for a habitually nitpicky audience to herald something so euphorically in real time. How great does it feel to see someone not only reach for the brass ring, but fucking Scorpion spear it to themselves? What a moment.
Joe def. Darby. If not for the main event, this would have been the in-ring highlight. I was not expecting it to be this memorable and shame on me for thinking it would be just a match. Darby killed himself here, and his initial missed dive to the outside was arguably the craziest dive he’s ever done in his history of crazy-ass dives. After Darby was doinked on the railing a few times, you could see in the background AEW’s resident Doug Dellinger was selling in disbelief. As amazing as this match was, I can’t help but belabor the point of watching Darby and thinking of Mick Foley, wondering how soon his career is going to end. If Darby had to use the Socko equivalent of just brooding and riding a skateboard, he’s earned it.
Red Velvet/Skye Blue. Great to see Red Velvet back in the ring on Dynamite, and she and Skye Blue have great chemistry. Totally looking forward to seeing that on a Rampage or a Dark main event soon, especially after that great spot of Velvet trapping Blue in the ring skirt. And sure, you can say they’re just doing the same bits with Velvet looking at Jade not unlike Hayter did with Britt, but it could work now that we never saw that storyline be concluded initially.
Dem Ass Boyz. When you really think about it, The Briscoes and the Gunns could be second cousins. Don’t they just look like they’d be all apart of the same extended family Christmas? Like they should be in the same socioeconomic standing, but the Gunns got an internship at a reverse mortgage company and just barely cleaned themselves up.
What Didn’t Work—
Joe and Darby. The unfortunate downside of such a great match with a memorable feat of endurance, is you want to see Darby get the nod on Saturday and poor Juice’s big PPV moment seems less appealing (on paper).
Regal’s goodbye. Of course that felt tacked-on and sorta whatever, but good on Tony for letting Regal go out in a classy way, on and off-screen.
Show Cringe—
Stipulation bitches. With Starks looking so great, I think there was a longing for Ricky getting another shot at MJF again after he loses at Winter Is Coming. For all the establishment of stipulations with the rules for the ring, it felt just kinda huh? with Excalibur announcing it was all or nothing next week. Minor gripe that all the fantasy booking got cut off so abruptly.
(Credit-AEW)
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