Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "AEW Dynamite," the show where we all get to swim in bracketology for the next month and it's GLORIOUS. Yes, it's that time again the ContinentalClassic is back (albeit with a twist), and it was back in a big way on Wednesday night, with no fewer than three C2 matches over the course of the evening. Shockingly, we have some feelings about those, which you will find further on in this column! But the tournament bouts aren't the only matches we're talking about this week; we also have to discuss the ROH World Championship match between Chris Jericho and Tomohiro Ishii, as well as the Wrestle Dynasty International Women's Cup match between Queen Aminata and Jamie Hayter, and more!
As always, you can find any information on stuff we're not covering here via WINC's "Dynamite" results page it can at least keep you up to speed, though it doesn't provide our opinions. We only give out our opinions for the things we felt absolutely strongest about. With that in mind, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 11/27/24 episode of "AEW Dynamite."
Bald is beautiful, and so was the moment of harmony all AEW viewers had over the amount of bald men on Wednesday night.
Alright, it seems a bit ridiculous to point out such a inconsequential pattern after all, you don't need to be bald to be a good wrestler but Tony Khan himself acknowledged the Chicago crowd's "bald forever" chants, so I think it is well within my jurisdiction to write about it. The representation of bald men in the show, or, more rather, how the AEW crowd responded to the a part of the show that is insignificant in its booking implications, but wholly important in its representation of AEW and its type of fan.
The Continental Classic matches were almost certain to be fine. Just fine. The matches are twenty minute time limits with no outside interference (ideally); they are meant to represent pure wrestling, without any shenanigans involved. By its nature, it was more likely that the C2 matches were destined to be technically passable to great matches that lacked the added drama and ridiculousness that I applaud AEW for. Shelton Benjamin and Mark Briscoe's match was cute, and Ricochet and Claudio Castagnoli's match was a souped-up version of whatever they were doing in WWE.
You know what set these matches apart from the other ones on the card? The "bald forever" chants. With the "bald forever" chants, the Chicago crowd kept the ridiculousness in AEW that distinguishes it from the rest.
It's pretty common knowledge that I love AEW when it gets ridiculous. When AEW tries to appear as a serious form of sports entertainment typically, in the way it leans more towards violent sport than entertainment the product is at its weakest. There are so many talented wrestlers in the AEW locker room, but AEW is not known for making the brightest booking decisions, and the creative direction on more serious aspects of AEW have left much to be desired. On the complete opposite hand, when AEW is not afraid to be a bit schlocky, a bit over-the-top, a bit boisterous that is when the product is the most enjoyable to watch. AEW is more enjoyable when I see Darby Allin light someone on fire because he's Darby-freaking-Allin, and it is not so enjoyable when I see the same match with two independent circuit sweethearts for the fifteenth time for no discernable reason. Obviously I'm not saying that AEW shouldn't focus on wrestling, but I do think that when AEW combines its absolutely unhinged concepts with some solid in-ring work, it is infinitely more entertaining.
So, when the crowd adds back in that ridiculousness with "bald forever" chants, it made the Continental Classic matches so much more memorable and exciting. Was it the most mature or sophisticated thing? Absolutely not! It was so much fun though. To do something well, technique-wise, is impressive. It is twice as impressive to do something well *and* have the capacity to make it campy, without sacrificing the technical prowess.
Written by Angeline Phu
After Full Gear, I thought AEW may be headed in the direction of a breakup between Kamille and TBS Champion Mercedes Mone sooner rather than later, and I was right, but I absolutely did not like what they did, or what they didn't do, to get there on "Dynamite." Mone had been bullying Kamille for weeks, even after "The Brickhouse" went as far as to almost commit vehicular homicide on Kris Statlander for her boss. At Full Gear, Mone made Kamille stay in the back during her victory over Statlander, and Mone proved she didn't need Kamille or any kind of interference to have her best match yet in AEW.
This week, Tony Schiavone interviewed Mone on stage after said victory, and the longest women's match in AEW history, and even went as far as to say some are calling it the match of the year. Mone said it felt like "money," and that's about all we got from her about the excellent, historic match, which really was one of the best of the night on the pay-per-view. Mone's attention then went to Kamille after she grabbed the mic, and she bashed her for not being able to get the job done a job she didn't really have at Full Gear, since Mone told her to stay away. She got as far as the "you're" in "you're fired," before "The Brickhouse" grabbed the mic. Kamille had some playground insults on her now-former boss, asking her if she was stupid or if she was dumb. She said she quit, and walked off to the back.
All of this was simple, and not in a good way. It was ineffective and certainly anticlimactic. Mone was just about to fire her bodyguard, but when Kamille said she quit, Mone threw a shrill temper tantrum on the stage, basically for no reason. If you were going to fire her anyway, why on earth are you upset? I also understand Kamille's arm is still in a sling, but she didn't even use her good arm to smack Mone with the microphone or anything. The segment was completely without physicality. Kamille also doesn't have many wins stacked up at the moment for it to make a lot of sense for her to challenge Mone for the championship, but, I guess it doesn't have to make sense from a win standpoint anymore.
While I don't necessarily want to see Mone versus Kamille for the championship, there should have been at least some catfighting going on. If Kamille can't take anything from Mone with her arm, she should've clocked her a good one and left her laying before walking away. This was all boring and doesn't make me excited for what the plans are for these two in the future. Kamille versus Mone is definitely a "Dynamite" match, if it happens, and I hope the feud doesn't find its way to World's End.
Written by Daisy Ruth
Have you ever watched a sequel to a movie and thought "that wasn't as good as what I thought it would be." That's what Chris Jericho vs. Tomohiro Ishii was.
Back in 2022, these two men had a chop battle for the ages where the Chicago crowd was licking their lips for each and every slap that each man gave each other. It is often regarded as one of Jericho's best AEW matches, and one of Jericho's best ROH World Championship matches from his much celebrated first reign as 'The Ocho.'
But lightning couldn't strike twice. A crowd much more focused on the first round of Continental Classic matches, combined with the fact that no one believed that Ishii was ever going to win the title, led to a title match that you actually felt like you had seen before, just in a worse manner. In fact, AEW fans had seen this match earlier this year when Jericho chopped Minoru Suzuki to death in a match that 2018 fans would have called 'match of the year,' but that simply isn't going to cut it in 2024.
The bout wasn't dull by any means, but by the sheer fact that even Big Bill on commentary couldn't even find the words to describe this match towards the latter stages let me know all I needed; this match was boring. I have seen Jericho and Ishii chop the hell out of each other, I don't need to see it again. If I wanted to see it, I'd watch their first match. Sure. they slapped each other across the face a bunch of times, but that isn't enough to get this Jericho reign as 'The Nueve' off to a drab start. I expect more from Chris Jericho, and expect more think-pieces like this the longer his reign goes on.
Written bySam Palmer
The AEW Women's Division had a milestone at Full Gear, when Mercedes Mone and Kris Statlander wrestled in the longest match in women's division history. Following that substantial match with matches as weighty as the one Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata delivered on Wednesday is the kind of slow steady progress that builds a better women's division. AEW's women's division has oft-felt like an afterthought, especially with criminally short matches and underthought storylines. All of that feels like it is changing for the better.
Hayter and Aminata delivered one of my favorite matches of the night, hard-hitting, dramatic, and just fun as all hell. Aminata is never one to waste an opportunity, and Hayter is a time-tested talent, and the two of them together were able to come up with a singles match that felt as competitive as any of the Continental Classic matches of the night. The brief tournament to determine AEW's representative in the Wrestle Dynasty Women's Cup match promises to be a breath of fresh air if Hayter's match with Aminata are any indication of the quality. If AEW can manage to keep this focus into the new year, which will see them co-broadcasting on Max, the women's division could finally gain the foothold in AEW for which they've struggled for five long years.
Women's division fans have been paid plenty of lip service in the past and no one would be wrong to doubt AEW's follow-through on this endeavor, but it's hard to not be positive after a match like that.
Written by Ross Berman
Everyone here knows that I love it when AEW gets over the top and ridiculous. I think AEW is at its best when it doesn't take itself seriously.
That solely goes for the storylines and the special effects. When AEW doesn't take itself seriously in the production department, it's a problem.
Tell me why I thought I had muted my stream by accident because a fight between Darby Allin and Brody King absolutely demolished the commentary's audio equipment, and AEW production did not get it back up until the last moments of the match. Tell me why Tony Schiavone continuously called Shelton Benjamin "Lashley." Tell me why the commentary table told the entire world that Bryan Keith was edging (towards the ring, of course). The commentary table was absolutely wild with inconsistencies, bad jokes, and technical issues, so much so that it distracted from the wrestling (you know, the thing we are here to watch and enjoy).
If you are of the people that believe AEW is a serious contender in the professional wrestling promo sphere (and I mean *serious,* as in they are producing the same storyline, match, and broadcasting quality as their competitors), then this is plainly unacceptable. We're all human and we all make mistakes, yes, but calling Benjamin "Lashley" multiple times over the course of a match is just downright embarrassing, and it reeks of unpreparedness and lack of serious care. When even AEW fans on social media are asking for a commentary-free feed, you know there are some serious issues.
Listen, I can't even begin to imagine how hard a commentary job must be. You're calling the action while trying to tie in certain in-ring moments to storyline beats, all the while trying to create an atmosphere appropriate for the match at hand. I don't know how Tony Khan speaks into the ear of his commentators, but to be frank, it must be a pain to have to listen to someone else talk over you while you are constantly rambling for the better part of two hours. However, these people are professionals they signed up for this job, and they are people in the industry who Khan and AEW executives are sure can do the job. Sure, it's funny when AEW shirks professionalism in the interest of having fun and inventive storylines and in-ring moments, but this is nothing of the sort. AEW shirked professionalism, and had nothing to show for it except for some clumsy saves and a solid 5-10 minutes' worth of silence.
The goal of commentary is to, again, tie in-ring moments to storyline beats, and create an enjoyable atmosphere for at-home viewers to get the best out of their wrestling experience. When done right, the commentary team can push a certain babyface to the moon, or transform a 50/50 tweener into a dastardly heel. However, AEW's commentary team was so ill-prepared that they ruined the ambience they were trying to create. A major wrestling promotion cannot be making these mistakes.
Written byAngeline Phu
Last year's Continental Classic felt for me like a rejuvenation of the weekly TV product, providing a constant and logical flow of interference-free professional wrestling and casting the spotlight on a handful of different names. Reigning TNT Champion Daniel Garcia had something of a renaissance during the tournament despite picking up just a single win, allowing for a story to be told of potential unfulfilled leading to last weekend's Full Gear. Bryan Danielson started the road to his retirement, while Jon Moxley continued to cement himself as AEW's final boss, with their paths running parallel until WrestleDream. Swerve Strickland legitimized himself in the tournament ahead of his eventual AEW World title reign four months later, and Eddie Kingston proved to himself and fans that he could hang with each of Danielson, Moxley, and Castagnoli in winning the tournament and thus the Continental Championship. So there is scope for the tournament to plant seeds for plots to emerge over the following year, and arguably at a time when AEW needs compelling stories first.
For me, the C2 does well in adhering to the tried and trusted format as it pertains to the sport-presentation of wrestling; building from a structured league system, there are stories to be told in the ring and over the course of the fixtures. Fatigue and injuries in the face of a packed schedule could be the difference between going far or not, as exemplified during the main event between Brody King and Darby Allin. Allin had literally crashed a car at the close of Full Gear, so he was walking into the match more than banged up and it provided the foundation for why he went on to lose. Castagnoli, who will face King next week and Allin further down the line, emerged to do further damage to his rival, but King ensured he wouldn't enter the ring. So it'll be interesting to see where that thread goes and whether that could bring the House of Black into conflict with the Death Riders. But the wrestling itself was also really good, unable to be marred by the potential deflation that comes with interference and screwjob finishes, and serving to solidify the competitors in victory or defeat.
Mark Briscoe and Shelton Benjamin's opener served that purpose perfectly, one to be considered an underdog in the tournament and one that you'd expect to be close to the top, and gave each of them something to build from. Both men will have to come against the champion at some point in their bracket, and this result ensured differing dynamics when they do so respectively. Briscoe is going to have an uphill task and Okada could serve as a way of stamping his name on the tournament even if he doesn't advance, while Benjamin is going to be looking to make a statement on his way to qualifying. I am really looking forward to the Continental Classic and the threads that come with it. Plus it's an excuse to get some of the best wrestlers in the ring with one another, what's not to love?
Written by MaxEverett
