AEW Dynamite 1/17/24: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "AEW Dynamite," the show that was main-evented this week by a commercial free world championship match and a potentially star-making turn for Hook despite his loss to Samoa Joe, none of which we're going to talk about here! Don't get it twisted, pretty much all of us had strong feelings about the match, but the WINC crew debated this one pretty hard, and in the end, everyone just had other things they'd rather write about. As always, to get caught up with everything you may have missed, including Joe vs. Hook, you can check out our live coverage/results page; here, we have other fish to fry.
For example — what did we think about Jay white becoming ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion? Where are we at when it comes to the new personas of Nicholas and Matthew Jackson? And most importantly, how much crying did we do during the Jay Briscoe tribute segment? (Spoiler: Lots.) Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 1/17/24 episode of "AEW Dynamite."
Hated: Overkill(switch)
At this point, I'm not sure AEW has it in them to just, you know, end a wrestling match. Instead, we continue to need all the finishers, all the interference, all the false finishes, all the ref distractions, all the things, all the time. Such was the case in Wednesday's opening match, and the fact that it featured a pair of quinquagenarians — AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage and "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes — only furthers the point that sometimes (most times) less is more.
First of all, if you thought Rhodes was becoming a champion for the first time in AEW tonight, oh, have I got some deals for you! (Inquire within.) Now listen, I'm not complaining here about a match, per se, between Cage and Rhodes. They can both still get after it, and kudos to both for what they've been able to do under the AEW umbrella. But you can't tell me that match needed two segments, multiple instances of outside interference, and several false finishes, including a Cross Rhodes from "The Natural" (hi, Cody!), and a Spear/Killswitch combo that didn't get the job done for Cage, who ultimately needed a second Killswitch to score the victory.
These two are a combined 104 years old kicking off this show. Rhodes got over without going over, as they say, but why the hell are we protecting Dustin Rhodes? There's a way to put on that type of match — a veteran champion fending off a veteran challenger — without all the hullabaloo. Pretty simple. Give Rhodes some offense, have the heel champion cheat, get the win, maybe a beatdown, easy peasy. But AEW doesn't get that.
Written by Jon Jordan
Loved: Chris Jericho has been banished to Rampage
The Matt Hardyfication of Chris Jericho has begun.
Once the franchise face of AEW, Jericho was a welcoming, familiar face for WWE fans who weren't quite sure if they could trust Tony Khan's vision for wrestling, but now he has become a stain on AEW programming, with his promos and matches now conveniently micromanaged to assure that the home audience can hear as little of the vitriolic crowd response to him as possible. The once legendary superstar has had an ignoble fall from grace, not only due to clout-chasing booking that makes him look more and more desperate to kill the future and live in the past, but also due to rumors about his use of Non-Disclosure Agreements, and now the former AEW World Champion has found himself relegated to "AEW Rampage."
Jericho won't be alone, as this selfsame fate befell The Hardys following Jeff's DUI and Matt's tendency to talk too much on his podcast. It also happened to disgraced WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair once he ...you know... started talking like Ric Flair, and AEW realized they have to edit everything he says. Seeing a preview graphic for Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal — a man who appears almost exclusively on Friday nights — on this Friday's "AEW Rampage" filled me with pride, because the Fozzy frontman is finally where he belongs: on a program loaded with liabilities.
It's not 2019 anymore, and what little appeal Jericho initially had is gone (there's still money for him to make on cruise ships, Indian casinos, and the convention circuit). I'm hoping his slide to "Rampage" means the Jericho-worshipping AEW has finally put the tender neck of its former hero on the altar of a better tomorrow.
Written by Ross Berman
Hated: Jay White's fall from grace
The signing of Jay White was pushed as a major coupe for AEW, and rightfully so. His work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling had garnered him a lot of interest, and it was a great signing. After some initial problems, Tony Khan seemed to get the best out of White, pushing him as a heel willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He wrestled for the AEW World Championship, was leading his own faction, and felt like a big-time player for the company.
However, Wednesday's show was the latest example of his current fall from grace, which is a shame to see. While he did technically become a champion on this show, being one-third of the ROH World Six-Man Champions isn't exactly what fans expected when he became All Elite. While this is playing into the bigger picture of Bullet Club Gold working alongside The Acclaimed and possibly turning babyface (another mistake pending), this is hardly the way to make him feel like a big star.
Khan might like to think the ROH titles are on the same level as AEW, but fans know that simply isn't the case. ROH is seen as second-rate in most people's eyes due to how the promotion is positioned, and the titles have effectively been props whenever they've appeared on AEW television. Rather than being a top main-event threat, White now just feels like another guy on the roster, which is a waste of his ability.
Of course, television time is limited and White can't be in the main event spot all the time. However, there are surely better ways to utilize a talent like "Switchblade" than holding a title that is meaningless, and isn't even AEW gold to begin with.
Written by Matthew Wilkinson
Loved: Timeless meets Virtuosa
I love it when a fun promo is used to push a storyline forward, and this post-match verbal exchange between AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm and the newest member of the women's locker room Deonna Purrazzo (not Wendi Richter like Storm first assumed) did just that.
This was easily the most memorable segment from Wednesday's show. It checked off all the boxes, from Purrazzo acknowledging that she and Storm have history with one another, to the switching between black and white and color, to Storm's insults, to the two tossing around Storm's shoe. It brought a much needed element of humor and was a nice break in between the randomly thrown together matches on the rest of the card.
There haven't been any memorable or ongoing programs for the AEW women's title in recent memory, aside from the occasional defense from Storm with little build, but this segment gives me hope that things might be changing soon. If the company can capitalize and keep this momentum going in the women's division, then we are certainly in for a treat, and this will be a storyline for the ages. One might even say that it will be timeless.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Hated: The Young Bucks use Sting's retirement as therapy
Sting's retirement should be the easiest thing in the world. Sting is retiring. The once-retired WWE Hall of Famer came back for one last miraculous run, and now he gets to go out on his own terms. What more do you need from a storyline perspective?
Apparently, AEW thinks that Sting's retirement is the perfect time to debut a new heel persona for the Young Bucks, with the AEW EVPs taking part in a misguided interview with Renee Paquette. On Wednesday's "Dynamite," the brothers decided that Sting's retirement story is going to be all about them. They have new personas. They have new names (Nicholas and Matthew). They have a new look. They are very mad about all of the "cancerous" wrestlers that AEW signed, and while I would like to believe they're talking about Chris Jericho, themselves, or any of the other malcontents that seem to be throwing a tantrum every time AEW pivots away from the main players of 2019, they're not. They're talking about CM Punk, who doesn't even work there. Move on, focus on yourself.
If the Young Bucks really need to vent their frustrations with the wrestling media or CM Punk or Matt's wife quitting or whatever they're so furious about, then I might recommend therapy? I've never done it but it's done wonders for friends of mine in similar positions. It can really be nice to talk to someone and get some perspective, and it will also prevent you from possibly torpedoing the most important storyline of a wrestler's career.
Or maybe the problem was just low blood sugar. There's something about the whiny promo they cut, which barely had anything to do with Sting, that felt like those Snickers commercials with the "You're not yourself when you're hungry" tagline. "Cranky about the way you're talked about in the media, despite making millions of dollars? Sad about people taking CM Punk's side instead of yours? Do you want to make a legendary wrestler's swan song all about inside baseball bulls*** that he wasn't even involved in? Have a Snickers before this gets more embarrassing."
Written by Ross Berman
Loved: Jay Briscoe tribute brings all the feels
Wednesday's tribute to Jay Briscoe, even though he sadly never had a match on AEW television, was made of pure emotion. Mark Briscoe being allowed to come out onto the stage and explain how his brother passed to AEW fans who might not have known the circumstances was heartbreaking, but probably necessary, and Mark held it together so well to get all his points across about his brother and tag team partner. The way Jay died was so terrible, and the fact his daughters were in his truck with him when another vehicle swerved to hit them head-on is just terrifying when you know both girls were seriously injured and hospitalized, on top of losing their father.
Jay's daughters were the highlight of this tribute segment. Mark said that his older niece was told she was injured so badly, she would never walk again, but then both of Jay's daughters came out from the back, walking on their own accord and looking healthy. The tribute segment overall, video package included, were lovely, but seeing Jay's daughters on an AEW stage is where the tears started flowing for me, to the point I had to re-watch the tribute video on social media because I was so misty.
The only thing I would change about the segment is its placement on the show. With it being the anniversary of Jay's passing, I personally would have opened the show with the tribute — and that's only if it didn't main event. The placement wasn't egregiously bad, however, so I can't complain about it too much. The segment flowed in with the show well, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the arena. There certainly wasn't a dry eye from my couch watching the segment. Jay may have never been allowed to appear on AEW despite multiple apologies for his past comments (thanks, Warner Brothers, allegedly), but seeing Mark keep the Briscoe Brothers' legacy alive is incredibly heartwarming.
Written by Daisy Ruth