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Rewind-A-Dynamite:
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Eddie Kingston’s comeback has been the best story of the continental classic. Prior to this, he lost to Danielson two years ago and in the C2. It was the first time I’ve rooted against Bryan since the last time he shared a ring with a Kingston (hint, hint). It was the match of the night, by far.
Avenging to the two losses to Mox during COVID in Long Island to become the Triple Crown King? Three will be the magic number. (Word to De La Soul)
It took AEW a whole year to put Swerve vs Keith Lee
It’s a big step backwards, in my opinion
1 Like
Andrew from Cape Breton
Interesting show tonight. Despite the few matches, they were heavy on the wrestling with the two league finals matches going pretty long. I didn’t have any issues with the main event either. It gets the ROH Tag titles off of MJF and we will likely know who they are at the World’s End pay per view. Don’t know why Tony Khan would let two unknown men be champions, but that does add logic to the horror that would be Tony Khan as the devil.
The Don Callis segment I didn’t like. Sammy brought up the fact that they didn’t capitalize on Hobbs’ and Takeshita’s wins and it shines a light on how AEW does have follow-up issues. That and throwing Sammy back with Jericho as if it were Groundhog Day all over again. Jericho I don’t think has looked the best this week either, with him making a fool of himself on Christmas morning. Imagine Santa coming down the chimney and seeing the state of Chris at that point. I’m still looking forward to World’s End and hopefully the end of this devil angle and they could just be a heel faction. No more putty patrol, we need Lord Zed, Goldar and Rita Repulsa.
A couple unsolicited factoids for you guys.
Worlds End will feature Andrade’s first (and only) AEW PPV match of 2023 and Riho’s first AEW PPV singles match in over 4 years.
Eddie Kingston Vs “Finin’” Bryan Danielson was my highlight of the night, capping off one of my favourite wrestling trilogies.
A close 2nd was seeing Harley Cameron gleefully brandish a knife for unknown reasons.
Do either of you have a favourite trilogy, wrestling or otherwise?
Brian in New Jersey.
I thought the two League Finals were quite strong, with Danielson vs. Kingston going the way I thought it would. I thought the show overall was enjoyable, but boy did it end with a wet fart. Felt very rush, didn’t make me more excited for MJF vs Joe, possibly made me less excited. Gave me some Russo vibes.
That all said, I think the PPV looks good on paper. Omega being on the DL leading to this more loaded eight-man tag involving the tag champs, Sting, and the reunited Le Sex Gods, loading up the star power on Worlds End to make up for the absence of him, Adam Cole, the Young Bucks, and presumably Bryan Danielson with Wrestle Kingdom coming up.
Jordan from the Bronx
The Continental Classic is definitely a success and should be done annually. All of the matches felt important and the quality of wrestling was fantastic. 5 weeks with 12 wrestlers was a great way to allow guys who normally wouldn’t have focus to show what they can do. I like Mox vs Eddie with Eddie winning in NY to finally get over the one hump he’s never been able to conquer in AEW.
Conversely, the Devil Storyline has felt stretched thin. It feels like MCU Fatigue in that there’s major plans ahead that seem exciting, but the events between the introduction and the reveal have not been that interesting. Acknowledging that the Adam Cole injury was a big hit on the story, there just isn’t enough to keep me interested beyond a “let’s get it over with” approach.
It’s to the point now where whomever the Devil is might end up being a disappointment.
Finally, how many guys with cowboy hats does AEW have on their roster? The Copeland/Christian brawl was fun game of “name that wrestler.” I noticed Bryan Keith and the Von Erichs, perhaps they’re getting closer looks?