Rewind-A-Dynamite 8/5/20: Jericho-Cassidy Debate, Nick Khan-WWE, Raw Ratings

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Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/08/06/rewind-a-dynamite-8-5-20-jericho-cassidy-debate-nick-khan-wwe-raw-ratings/



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John Pollock and Wai Ting discuss AEW Dynamite featuring the debate between Chris Jericho & Orange Cassidy with moderator Eric Bischoff, and tons of news including Raw ratings and WWE hiring Nick Khan.

NEWS OF THE DAY

  • Report on changes to WWE’s taping schedule
  • WWE Raw ratings including a big analysis of how Raw Underground performed in the third hour
  • WWE hires Nick Khan from CAA
  • The passing of former Toronto-based wrestler Jaguar Vijay Singh
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi cleared for this week’s Summer Struggle shows at Korakuen Hall
  • Police investigating a Facebook post from Marty Jannetty
  • ESPN+ grows to 8.5 million subscribers

Dynamite featured an AEW title match with Jon Moxley defending the title against Darby Allin in the main event, the AEW debut of Matt Cardona teaming with Cody against Alex Reynolds & John Silver, a 12-man tag involving Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, The Young Bucks & FTR against Dark Order & Colt Cabana, a violent attack on Sue’s minivan by Santana & Ortiz, Britt Baker chooses an opponent to face Big Swole, and Eric Bischoff moderates the AEW Super Wednesday Debate between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy.

Plus your feedback, comments, questions from the POST Wrestling Forum, and our weekly Patreon T-Shirt Giveaway.

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Photo Courtesy: AEW

Rewind-A-Dynamite Theme by Jacob Chesnut

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This was the first AEW I sat down and had on in full on TV since October. I’ll say it was fine. It feels more well put-together and coherent as a whole. But, it still feels a bit inconsistent in some ways that I had hoped early on it wouldn’t.

I ranted a bit about the women’s division and the Reba segment on another post, so I won’t regurgitate. But it felt low-brow and insulting to the intelligence of the viewer. At least it was short.

The other main thing I didn’t get is why the #5 contender gets a world title match? Did that need to be a title match? It sort of throws the idea of rankings out the window if you’re just going to pick and choose who gets the first title matches.

I’m also not big on MJF. I don’t get it. Maybe it’s a bit over-the-top for me. I know he’s grown in the ring and people here love him. I just feel like I’ve seen it before a million times and he’s not particularly more special than others who have done this (EC3). He’s always felt more like a “You People!” Heel versus someone with deep nuance.

I don’t want to sound too negative. There was good stuff. The 12-man was a fun sprint, Moxley is a complete stud with his promo work, and the main event told a fun story that has long-term implications. I liked the debate segment as well. I’m not huge on the Jericho comedy. But Wai touched on something in the podcast that rang true, this was a segment that actually built to something substantial. It feels like a star creating process that contract signings in WWE haven’t shown for two decades.

The last thing I’ll touch on. The AEW Heels thing is a good idea in concept - to create a safe space for female fans. $50 for a safe space? In a pandemic? You’re really making it a privilege to have a safe space for a portion of your fanbase you want to grow. Further, it doesn’t seem to cater to trans/non-binary/etc, so it feels further create a space that may not be all-inclusive. At least from friends I’ve spoke to. Feels short-sighted, despite good intentions.

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To be honest I thought they threw the idea of the rankings out the window… and title matches are more of a draw which is why they did it. I agree that it didn’t make much sense storyline wise but unfortunately this obsession with ratings has both AEW and NXT regularly doing things that they could’ve built up better.

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Between John & Wai and the feedback I’m surprised no one mentioned that the OC answer about the oceans was an obvious homage to Frank the Tank in Old School. Even the large inhale before his answer was directly out of the debate scene from that movie.

Hopefully next week he sings “Dust in the Wind”.

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Glad to see I wasn’t the only person who caught that. I was laying on the couch watching Aew but as soon as Cassidy started his answer it got me to sit up.

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Regarding Britt picking Reba to fight Swole, it makes sense in that she couldn’t find anyone else to do it; both in the respect that she’s a heel and has no friends, and that no one is crazy enough to step in the ring with Swole

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If you have never seen MJF besides in AEW check out his MLW run on their Fusion TV show
on either Youtube:

Or Fite.TV:

Oh and if the referees in AEW could please enforce the 10 count (for people to get in and out of the ring after a tag) and the 10 count (when people leave the ring) in the words of Bill Lumbergh “That would be great.”

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Well, they cant really enforce a 20 count outside, when their countouts are a 10 count.

I actually thought they were better with the in-ring 10 counts for tag teams this week. It wasnt as glaring as usual.

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I assumed that they still had the 20 count like the announcers mentioned on the very first episode of Dynamite so I do apologize for being wrong about that.

I have not seen this weeks episode of Dynamite yet (that darn sports decided to come back for the most part) so I will have to see if the AEW wrestlers are actually following the rules in regular matches.

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No they just had a backslap tag one minute in. Top rope cooperation about two minutes in. The Young Bucks along with Kenny Omega being in the ring way past 10 without a count and Hangman Page being outside the ring and a count not going. I assume Hangman Page was “caught” after his outside moonsault? Of course the Young Buck’s “buddy” Rick Knox was the referee

Oh and we had the Dark Order tagging each other in even though the guy who was originally tagged in never touched his opponent.

That was the opening match. Thankfully FTR had “better things to do” so they were not around for the last five to ten minutes of the opening match.

So I assume since Brodie Lee pinned one of the tag team champions that he gets a World Tag Team Title Match?

I will say AEW is not a “chore” to get through. Like a lot of pro wrestling these days the show is alright most weeks.

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Your post screams of someone who sat down, purposely looking for issues to find. I never said they’re issues were fixed. I said they were better than usual.

Your very first issue is just total nonsense. Backslap tags have been happening forever. Who cares that Rick Knox was the ref? Its not like he’s ever shown favoritism for the Bucks.

The stuff with Dark Order tagging in, without touching an opponent, it isnt the greatest, but its been established that each guy gets extra time in the ring after being tagged. Thats what they are using it for, so it is something that has been established in their own rules.

Sure, Brodie pinned the champ. why would he not get a title shot? That is usually how things work, when you pin a champ. He can team with anyone in the Dark Order.

The worst thing for me and I cant remember which match it happened in, was 2 guys making a tag, behind the ref’s back and the ref allows it, because he heard a slap, but didnt actually see it. That isnt even an AEW thing, its a thing that has happened as far back as I can remember, but its the absolute dumbest spot in all of tag team wrestling.

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I mean the county nvm Hong is to some extent an industry wide thing, I think the AEW Saying 10 count thing draws attention to them being in way longer. I also kind of have an issue with it keeping up with every new tag. Essentially a tram if they keep tagging can double team the whole match. It doesn’t really bother me unless it is done too much, but I just wish that when they made points about rules being different they would enforce the rules.

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Refs not enforcing rules isn’t an AEW thing. Shall we talk about Red Shoes for a minute?

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Even though I really dislike a lot of the refs in WWE right now, I thinkit is one thing they don’t get enough credit for, is following the rules, for the most part.

AEW has been bad, Red Shoes is absolutely horrible. Some of the other New Japan refs are right up there too.

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Yeah, especially when there are some hidden rules and a DQ comes outta nowhere and you are sitting in front of the TV and blinking like a total moron that a spot you’ve seen 10 000 times in tag team matches is all of a sudden a DQ.

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Let’s not forget that a closed fist is illegal, as is a chokehold; but those are just accepted things. And, let’s not forget there was a dq in a hell in a cell match. You can say the ref threw out the match, but that’s the same damn thing

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I’ve never seen anybody ever complain about officiating, or lack of rule enforcement, before the launch of AEW.

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I remember fans complaining about the rules as far back as I’ve been watching wrestling. How many times did you see a cheating heel get his win overturned by a second ref, only to see a second cheating heel win two matches later without another ref running down to fix it?

There just wasn’t an Internet back then.

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I’m not looking for issues. I just see things that take me out of the match.

I just do not understand why they still have the same issues when they have been on the air for ten months. I’m sure they watch their show which the tag match is an example of that.

The Backslap tag has been around since the Attitude era. You had to show how say Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker would tag each other when they were feuding with each other.

Watch a tag match before the Attitude era and you will rarely if ever see it.

At least Bryce Remsburg was not the referee in the match who is just awful. He was the referee in the Trent vs. PAC match on one of the early referees who would not count to three. If there was a match that let people do what they wanted to do (and it was not a no DQ match) he was probably the referee.

The tagging without touching an opponent is not one of the rules of tag team wrestling. If it is a rule in AEW than explain that.

I will be glad if AEW follows the New Japan rules of title matches where if you beat the champ (for whatever belt they hold) you get a title match. It would have been nice if the announcers mentioned that.

That’s alright if you are the #5 contender you get a title shot. I’m not saying FTR and MJF who are ranked #1 should be challenging for their respective title on TV (save them for a PPV), but what about 2-4?

I do agree with you about two guys making a tag behind the referees back and the referee allowing it. It’s stupid and it’s been going on for a long time. It’s especially stupid when the people involved do not look like each other.

I think it was in the Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz match that had the illegal tag.

Yeah Red Shoes is a “good traffic cop” not so much as a referee. The refereeing in New Japan leaves a lot to be desired. A referee gets shoved and they don’t call for the bell unless it’s during a tournament match?

I just want AEW and pro wrestling in general to be better. I want AEW to still have the 1.4 million viewers they had at the beginning of Dynamite instead of the under 1 million viewers they have now. There is no reason why they cannot challenge Raw’s rating right now.

They can be the alternative to WWE in North America (have really good matches/matches that make sense, promos (why should I care about you?), go after performers who are not signed to WWE or New Japan who are not “friends” with the Executive Vice Presidents) instead of trying to do their own version of WWE.

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Are we seriously complaining about referees in pro wrestling? Wtf?

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