[8.0] "show cold opens to a mercedes mone debut who calls out willow and came out to symphony 9, so happy to see this. the opener was meaty but nothing special especially with wardlow winning clean. the trios match was great and i expect okada to win next week. the ospreay promo was decent and built up the dream match against danielson. the darby match was excellent and definitely match of the night with darby taking some massive bumps. the main event felt big time and was very good and then mercedes came out as a babyface? a strange choice"
[6.0] "This was a good episode of AEW Dynamite which excitedly showcased its newest big signing Mercedes Mone. In fact this show did much in highlighting all 3 of its newest prospects, with Mone, Okada and Ospreay all given chances to shine. I must admit however to being a tad underwhelmed given the shows big hype, as the match quality didnt quite reach the exceptionally high standards the card promised. While much of the action was good fun, the world title match underdelivered and nothing rose to the standard necessary to push the rating higher. It also lost some of its great momentum from last week in its overall presentation and pacing, though the show was themed to give it maximum importance. The crowd were molten hot for much of the show but sadly in some segments died out completely (notably the JeriHook tag) so I cannot in good faith give that a full score either. It was an enjoyable and exciting show, but one which did drop in quality from the incredible standard set last week."
[10.0] "What a banger of a night! AEW is on fire right now and this show was no exception! Mercedes Mone's entrance can only be described in two words - Star Power! She is really something else. Can't wait to see what will come next from her. CEO! CEO! CEO! Besides that, I think the night was epic top to bottom. The World Title match opening the show and a women's main event were both pleasant surprises and both of those delivered very well, I think all four participants looked amazing from that. The story time promo video with Adam Cole was a very nice touch too. The six man tag team match was epic fun top to bottom, which is par for what I expect from these guys. It's amazing to think that this borderline dream match doesn't need to cross any forbidden doors anymore to happen as all the people involved are full time All Elite! The future looks bright there. The Lion Hook tag team match was pretty good honestly, not the absolute greatest but it was very enjoyable, I think the current rating here is too harsh. And last but certainly not least, Jay White vs Darby felt like a battle for life and death and all the story moments in there with both Darby and the Bang Bang Scissor Gang were very enthralling. Can't wait to see where this goes. Overall, absolute banger show that truly felt BIG as its name would imply. AEW are on a huge roll now and show no signs of slowing down. March truly is shaping up to be one of the biggest months in the company's history and I'm all here for it!"
[7.0] "Thought this was a pretty good show. Mone's debut was obvious but I thought the promo was good. AEW title match was fine. The PAC, Penta and Eddie team vs the New Elite match was great and the MOTN for me. Ospreay had a very good promo as did Deonna. Allin and White was another good match with the end segment being great as the Bang Bang Scissor Gang is no more. Jericho and Hook vs Gates of Agony was alright and Riho and Willow was another good match."
"Great promo's from Mercedes and Ospreay. Okada telling Alex to sing and being a sassy little bitch during the six man was great. Other than that, nothing really worth noting. An okay show. No great matches, not any great segments, really. A show promoted as a big deal mainly for Mercedes but just an ordinary ep of Dynamite."
[6.0] "A real letdown for me. This looked to a pretty stacked card with big matches and a big debut, but it fell a little flat to me. Mercedes Mones big debut was the show was really all about, but she gave a half hearted promo and then went back. Okada has his in ring debut as an official AEW talent and it was pretty mid, maybe the young bucks should hang up the boots. Jay White vs Darby Allin was a real highlight for me and reminded me why I ever watched AEW in the first place and Id love more matches like that. Main event womens match was a real disappointment, when you have a whole show built around Mercedes debut and what that means for womens wrestling in AEW id expect a better showcase match, but this was a mediocre tv bout."
"I really liked that new star who was given a grand debut at the beginning. I heard she is a Hollywood star. Also she wrestled on njpw against willow. Great debut and good catchy theme song. The rest of the show was great as well. I like will Osprey a lot and he should be given more mic time. That new Japanese guy is so cool and his partnership with young bucks is amazing. Good show overall and very fun to watch."
[8.0] "Without the Jericho match this would've been easily a 9, however that match sucked and kinda took me out of the show for a bit. The rest of the night, however, was awesome. Mercedes Mone is All Elite! AEW's third major signing in the last three weeks and this one is an absolute game changer for the women's division. She delivered a fairly decent promo in the opening segment and then got involved in the main event as well with seeds being planted for lots of future match-ups. Can't wait to see what's next for her. Joe vs. Wardlow was a good opening bout. These two don't have the best chemistry but here I think they had their best match yet. The Elite vs. Pac, Penta and Kingston was my match of the night, just super fun and entertaining all around. I love this new version of Okada, pairing him with the Bucks was a genius idea and I was super happy to see Pac back in action. Will Ospreay cut a crazy-good promo on his upcoming match with Bryan Danielson. Really passionate with an awesome delivery, show it to anyone who says he's just a spot monkey and can't cut a promo. White vs. Allin was really good, nice chemistry between the two and the ending was wonderful. In the post-match we finally got freeded from that awful thing that was the Bang Bang Scissoring Gang as BCG turned on the Acclaimed, thank God. Lion-Hook vs. Gates of Agony was bad. Just bad. Does Jericho really needs to be on TV every week at 54? Willow vs. Riho was a really good main event, both ladies really brought their A-games to Boston and delivered two great perfomances. Post-match was also nice. Overall: lots of fun matches with some stories being advanced in front of a red-hot Boston crowd. AEW is back and I can't wait to see what's next for the company. Haven't been this hyped for the AEW product in quite a while."
[9.0] "It was a fantastic episode this week: The highlight, of course, was Mercedes finally being All Elite. After that, (almost) all the matches were good and the segments delivered too... unfortunately, Jericho was there to remind us that nothing is perfect (I love Jericho, but sometimes, get away for a while is a smart choice, make the people misses you, and then come back with a bang)."
[5.0] "The first 3/4ths of this looked like the show was shaping up to be quite good, but the final 1/4th was quite a considerable crash in quality to bring it back down to the 'mediocrity' baseline. Mone's debut was pretty mixed. Her reveal itself was unfortunately too similar to Punk's in almost every way, given it was a non-secret (due to all of AEW's unsubtle teases), occurring in her hometown, and it opened the show that was built entirely around her. So, it wasn't very creative, but she naturally got a great crowd response. Her promo, sadly, was incredibly basic "I love the fans, I love wrestling, believe in your dreams" fluff. Her delivery was decent, and the fans responded well, but I was just rolling my eyes. At least her sign-off promo and posing was far more charismatic and star-like than anything else she said/did. Joe's backstage promo on Wardlow was good, with his usual convincing intensity. Cole's recorded 'storybook' segment on Wardlow was pretentious, and not even in an especially interesting heel-type way. Joe vs Wardlow was alright. It was a bit lethargic at times but mostly a decently convincing brawl, with both guys also getting a few cool highlight spots. Can't say I ever remotely bought into a Wardlow win, and this wasn't exactly a "big business"-type match, but wasn't offensive either. **3/4. Swerve's post-match confrontation showed him looking convincingly determined, but I didn't need the cliched "throws off the security dorks trying to restrain him" stuff. The Bucks and Okada's backstage interview was really good. Nick was a bit over-the-top with the smugness but Matt was a bit more natural with his comedy, while Okada spoke well and had really good, funny delivery with the "Matt's birthday" lines. This arrogant heel trio really is working well so far, at least in their character segments. The Bucks & Okada vs Pac, Penta & Kingston was quite good. I didn't enjoy the Bucks' and (especially) Kingston's over-animated character work and selling, but that was the only real negative. Everyone's opening shine segments were good, as were Pac and Penta's cool tag spots. Kingston was mostly restrained and did well enough with his big chops. Okada's mix of arrogant smugness and tactical cowardice is interesting and quite compelling, given he's so damn charismatic and his offence very slick and athletic. Penta's hot tag plus Pac clearing house was fun, and the usual 'fast-paced run-on spots' period it kicked off was actually kind of fun because it wasn't that over-choreographed, everyone was quite energetic, the biggest spots were all hit well, plus I really liked Okada's highlight moments to put him over as a big deal. ***1/4. The hype video for Christian vs Copeland was decent. Ospreay's promo giving respect to Danielson but also calling him out was very good. He still gets a bit too over-animated at times but his undeniable passion definitely shone through very strongly. Deonna's backstage promo on Toni was short but good. She's far more confident and charismatic when not in front of a live crowd. Darby vs Jay was pretty good. It was a classic Darby match, with him getting destroyed the majority of the time and only getting brief but very exciting comebacks. Jay's beatdown work was all really good, as was Darby's real-time selling, especially with his back-selling. Darby's scrappy comebacks with his agility and speed were always good, especially with his signature daredevil offence. And of course Darby couldn't have a match without taking some really cool dangerous bumps. I enjoyed seeing Jay become even more sadistic in response to Darby's endurance, and I thought their 50/50 trades were good, though I wish Darby hadn't sacrificed his back-selling. I also enjoyed the spectacle of the finish, with Darby's big, stupidly cool apron bump setting him up for the Bladerunner back in the ring. ***1/4 - ***1/2. The post-match angle with BCC and The Acclaimed was good, with BCC coming off as appropriately brutal. Jericho & Hook vs Gates of Agony was weak. GoA's monstrous beatdown work was okay, though their fundamentals were a bit awkward. As usual, Jericho's terrible look, unathletic movements, and completely weak offence made him impossible to take seriously. Hook's hot tag of suplexes was decent, but that and his Redrum was basically all he did. **. O'Reilly's backstage promo was fine. I wish his delivery was more compelling, but I did like the further mysterious tease of his relationship with Roddy and The Kingdom (please, Kyle -- team up with Roddy to become a no-nonsense bruiser tag team please please). Riho vs Willow, hilariously placed as the main-event, was poor. Neither woman's overly bubbly character works for me. Willow's monster offence was okay, but the ever dainty Riho was basically impossible to take seriously given the massive size difference. Their chemistry was pretty mediocre too, and neither could sell/bump properly for the other. None of Riho's big moves in the 2nd half at all fit her size/physicality and thus felt really forced. Respect for their efforts, at least. **1/4. Julia and Skye's post-match beatdown was very generic, and Mone's slow "let met pose first" run-down, typical for AEW, was stupid. Her head-kick whiffed too, but her finisher looked good. Her and Willow interacting so genuinely friendly, despite apparently having a rivalry Mone wanted to pick back up, was odd. It's going to suck if Mone joining the company forces all the mediocre and outright bad women's wrestlers they already have to get featured even more."
[10.0] "The show was really amazing. This show was an example of how a wrestling show should be. Great stacked cards, amazing build up between PAC and Okada. And of course, what a debut by Mercedes Mone! This show was nothing but an example of excellency which we needed in 2024. And my god! Ospreay is such a natural! His promos are just brilliant and so good to hear. The show had a full house this week and it keeps getting better and better!"
[9.0] "A really great episode of Dynamite; almost perfect really if not for a particular stretch of this show (you know the one). The show opens with the long-awaited debut of Mercedes Mone, in what was a great moment. My favourite match of the night was Darby Allin vs Jay White; in which after we get my favourite segment which sees the Bullet Club Gold re-establish themselves as heels and turn on The Acclaimed. Wardlow vs Joe in the World title match was surprisingly good. Young Bucks and Okada have a hilarious segment with Alex Marves, which ends with Okada making Marves sing Happy Birthday to Matthew. The trios match was always really good, and leads to Okada vs Kingston for (only) the Continental Crown Title being set for next week. Kyle O' Reilly's first match back is set for Collision versus Bryan Keith. A tag match is also set up for next Dynamite where Deonna Purazzo will bring a partner to face Toni Storm and Mariah May. The main event was also pretty good with a really good after match angle which saw Mercedes return to save Willow from Julia Hart and Skye Blue. AEW is having a great March and I hope to see this momentum continue."
[8.0] "Big Business was a 3 & 1/2 star show match-wise and was enhanced further by the big debut of Mercedes Moné. AEW feels very on the rise right now from their big signings and their current major storylines. Hopefully they keep that momentum going throughout the rest of the year. [MOTN: Jay White vs. Darby Allin]"
[9.0] "This was another excellent episode. Obviously, the debut of Mercedes Mone was the focus, but the wrestling held up its end, as well. The first match featured Samoa Jow defending his World Heavyweight Title against Wardlow, and it managed to be better than a match between Joe and Wardlow had any right to be. Death Triangle and Eddie Kingston then faced the Elite in another enjoyable match. We then hit the match of the night, as Jay white did his best to ensure that Darby Allin never made it to Everest. This lead into the definite pee break match, as Lion Hook faced Gates of Agony in the Battle of the Boring. Finally, Willow Nightingale and Riho had an excellent main event bout."
[8.0] "I'll be honest, there were a bunch of little things I think really hurt this presentation. One was the invisible camera bullshit that is making it's way into AEW television in a way I just can't stand, but overall this was a very good show. Show starts with a quick run down and car roll up. Door opens and they cut to the stadium. I popped hard for it. Then there's a new song and Mercedes Mone is introduced. Holy hell. She was absolutely over as hell. The CEO chant was deafening THROUGH the TV. She cuts a promo starting with "I'm Home" and the crowd is so hot for her, they just won't let her talk. It was a really good promo. Very emotionally resonant and incredible. She sets up her first program with Willow and gives a little lore on it. I LOVE IT. Samoa Joe comes out and just absolutely murders the 15 second promo. Then there's this really overproduced, Adam Cole reading from a book promo that I could have done without. Warlow/Joe match was good. One of the best ways that this type of match can go with someone of Wardlow's skill level. Really good showcase of Joe too, which we always appreciate. Post match angle has Swerve come down to the ring being held back by security with a chain in hand. Joe powders and lets security take care of him, kicking a member of security off the ramp on the way. So we know that's going to be a HOT match. Cut to a backstage promo of The Bucks and Okada with Alex Marvez. Okada bullies Marvez, speaks exceptionally good English and shows really good comedic timing. I'm in love. After break we get a really awesome Trios match with The Elite vs Death Triangle and Kingston. This match does exactly what it should do. I barely paid attention to a RETURNING PAC because the story is all about that Kingston / Okada matchup. I love it more. Can't wait for Eddie to warm this thing up even more with promos. Afterwards we get a Cope/ Cage promo which was a recap and didn't deter anything. Ospreay in-ring and he continues to be incredible on the mic and in the ring. Deonna has a promo and it was great, much better than her matches lately. The Darby match was great as usual. Jay White feels really big time after this match. After match angle had Bullet Club Gold decide to destroy Darby Allin's leg after teasing a hand shake, Acclaimed ran down, and they got it too. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is finished. We all are rejoicing. We come back to that dreadful Jericho mess. KOR comes out and cuts a promo pumping his match with Bryan Keith. Really Middle School acting promo. But he's just an Awww Shucks kid and I really like that. Then there's this Undisputed Kingdom interruption and I don't think it hurts anything. This goes into a nice little sizzle promo for the Riho / Willow match. Riho is stretching and gets interrupted by Mone. I HATE that, phoney ass shit. After commercial break we get a Jericho and Hook backstage segment. This dude compliments himself by complementing that dumb fucking Lionhook name that he WITHOUT A DOUBT made. Then they make a match that literally no one is excited about....AGAIN in the form of those two wrestling each other next week. I'm feeling like this guy is just mocking us at this point. The Riho/Willow match was excellent, just like I knew it would be. After match we get a nice little hug to make sure you know that Willow is still the good guy. Lights go out for Julia Hart and Skye Blue to attack a downed Willow. This gets interrupted by Mercedes Mone coming down the ramp and just absolutely DEVASTATING Skye Blue to help you know that she's past dealing with the bottom of the card, she then gets in the ring and lifts Julia Hart onto her shoulders for the Mone Maker. Willow clears the ring to give the ring and frankly the whole division to Mone. We're putting all our eggs in her basket and I'm very excited to see where this goes."
[6.0] "Solid TV episode. Mercedes making her debut at the start was good, but didn't really stand out any more than a normal episode of Dynamite, at best. Certainly one of the lesser "named" episodes of Dynamite. Joe/Wardlow was good. The Elite 6-man match was decent. I liked Allin vs. White well enough. I understand Willow vs. Riho going on last was to set up Mone for the final shot, but doing that match last felt rather lackluster. Not a bad match, but just kind of there."
[8.0] "Mercedes isnt a great promo or anything but that was a good 1st promo in Aew. Joe vs Wardlow was boring, can we end this whole Wardlow thing? And so was Jericho/Hook vs The Gates of Agnoy funny how workrate Jericho brings out the worst of Jericho. Okada seems to have his character work down pat and the 3-way was a good match. Jay White vs Darby was great, and the post-match stuff was good. Ospreays promo was energetic, but I thought he cut just a solid promo. Womens match was good but it was only put in that spot so Mercedes could come back out again. Overall a pretty damn good show."
[9.0] "Great episode! Only miss on this was the Jericho match, which the crowd was absolutely not into. Mercedes had a very promising debut presentation, Joe crushes Wardlow, Bucks and Okada are fantastic as this shithead heels stable (SING IT), Darby gets murdered again and Jay White looks deliciously vicious, and the main event started a bit heatless but got pretty great by the end. Jericho - go away for awhile ffs. People are fatigued, take the hint before you ruin the goodwill you have in the community."
[6.0] "I'm not a regular watcher at all but stumbled on this show, heard about all the hype and the new direction AEW apparently have so I decided to give it another try. I think the biggest positive about this show was the energy of the crowd, it surely helped to make some of the matches feel better. They were good and only the Jericho tag match seems to have killed them a bit, not blaming them. The Elite vs Death Triangle and Eddie Kingston was alright, pretty much felt like a tag match to build up a future singles match as we can often see in Japanese wrestling. Okada is a funny guy and it seems that his run in AEW will be mostly focused on that part of his personality, not sure he'll feel like a big deal but I guess he'll have some funny moments. Jay White feels like just another dude but he is talented no matter what and the match against Darby Allin was good. Mercedes Mone looks great but her promos are pretty bland/bad as usual. Ospreay's promo was good in terms of intensity and he's really over but I get the impression that AEW often does the "who's the best in the world" schtick so it feels uninspired to me, and shouldn't the "best in the world" involve the world champion ? Granted he had a very bland defense on the show but he's still holding what's supposed to be your top title so it looks pretty weird to me and surely doesn't help to make the world champion feel like the biggest deal on the show, that is the biggest negative in my opinion. The main event was solid and better than the usual Riho match. So overall I'd say it was alright. Will I be watching the next show though ? Honestly doubt it, no characters or stories got my attention and I don't really see any big changes compared to the last time I watched. I guess it's definitely not for me. I don't know if it lived up to the hype but it wasn't bad and the crowd had fun at least."
[8.0] "One major flaw in the Jericho stuff, but overall this was yet another fantastic Dynamite. Obviously the Mercedes debut was the main highlight here, and the change that she's likely to bring about for the women's division has me very excited, but there was a lot of other good shit on this show. Loved the six man tag; the Elite a just such a good act, and this match has me hyped for Eddie vs Okada next week. Jay vs Darby was also a great match, which finally saw the end of the horrific Bang Bang Scissor Gang faction, you love to see it. Ospreay cut a really fucking good promo, adding even more hype onto his match with Danielson at Dynasty, not that it really needed it. And the main event between Willow and Riho was perhaps too short, bit still really good in the time that it lasted. AEW continues their hot streak that they've been on pretty much since the start of the year, and it feels genuinely exciting again to be a fan of the product."
[9.0] "My first and really only negative of this show is Jericho, as someone who still thinks Jericho can deliever in the ring and 2022 was among one of his greatest years, he needs to go away for a while, he feels less over and important than the end of his first run in 2005 please take a break, but the rest of this show felt utterly electric, a supremely good show, Wardlow having his best match in forever, the 6 man tag being full of star power, Jay White and the rest of the bang bang gang turning heel again and feeling like killers, darby bumping like a mad man, Joe and Swerve heating up, Ospreay cutting a good promo for his standard, a killer main event in Riho and Willow and best of all Mercedes Mone showing up instantly and feeling like a STAR, a great show, AEW really feels completely back on track since worlds end, very very very good."
"5.0. Kudos to signing Mercedes but I am left underwhelmed partly because of all the signings that have occurred but havent really turned into anything. I am bored and sick of Chris Jericho. These attempt to somehow rely on his Lionheart moniker as a way to make him palatable as a face isnt working. The Elite arent good bad guys. I dont want to see them on television. They arent proving their point with their new gimmick. I find it lazy. Samoa Joe is a credible and amazing World Champ who should be given bigger and better things instead of what hes been given. I am thrilled Mercedes is back in the US and on a major wrestling companys flagship show, but this could not and did not carry over throughout the night. I question the logic and booking of some things on this show. I just I find myself disappointed."
[4.0] "I have been instructed in writing by Cagematch not to reference specific deficiencies in Tony Khan's booking of new talents or roster management (as, obviously, there are no such deficiencies), so I will not do that moving forward and have deleted the balance of my review in acquiescence to this demand by Cagematch. AEW's athletes are fantastically talented and they put their athleticism on display virtually every match. I stand behind my 4.0 rating for reasons I am prohibited from typing."
[8.0] "Up until the end of the Jay White match this was about as good as wrestling on TV can get, you had the Mercedes debut, a good Will promo, decent title match, a really fun big time feeling six man and a top tier singles match. Last 40 minutes were not quite at that level and Jericho really is stinking the joint out. When AEW nail it, they really do have the best stories and programmes in American wrestling."
[6.0] "This felt like an overhyped show that was just okay, Joe/Wardlow was fine (probably bogged down to protect Wardlow's knee), the group of Okada with the EVPs still does nothing for me personally, the Bang Bang Scissor Gang exploding felt to me as pointless as when they formed, the highlight of the show was easily Ospreay cutting one hell of a promo. We all knew that Mercedes Moné has been coming since the TD Garden accidentally spoiled this show getting announced, and in short this was not the First Dance moment they were hoping to recreate in my opinion."
[6.0] "A solid show but not one that made me feel overly invested in AEW currently. Darby had a good last match against White in my match of the night. Really didnt care for Kingston taking a loss even to Okada to immediately rush into a singles match between the two, Kingston also who is ROH champion in a streak of ROH champions losing between he, Kyle Fletcher, and The Kingdom all within a week. Ospreay had a solid promo for he and Bryan. So many of the programs feel very flat from the latest edition of Billy Gunn vs. Gunn Club after that group formed to combat Undisputed Kingdom only to split without ever engaging them, PAC having little upward mobility in a Death Triangle associated act, ROH Champions losing, and another Wardlow buildup for a decisively clean loss. Deonna and Toni continuing despite both roles being miscast with the crowd being more pro Toni and anti Deonna thanks to a middling buildup of Deonna. Makes a good portion of the show feel like time wasted. Good talent but the creative feels very uninspired aside from the Bucks/Okada trio which has been a fine way to establish Okada while also redefining the Bucks personas."
[6.0] "This was a decent Dynamite but not much more. Where it suffers is what it actually delivered versus the high expectations for this event. The good parts were a good promo by Will Ospreay, he just livens the place up and AEW desperately needs it, Okada is funny and the trios match wasn't that bad, although the Bucks have go away heat with me. Everything involving the undisputed kingdom does not really work for me. The Jay White/Darby Allin match was good, the post match angle is the endless regurgitation of Billy Gunny and his Gunn sons and the Acclaimed. Of course, they can't move on cause those teams are the trios division, but if you have that many divisions you can't really feature/present any division consistently. Hook and Jericho are now a tag team, the less said about this the better. The big debut of Mercedes was the opener, they tried hard to give her a star treatment and preserving her "old package and image" and they somewhat succeeded. Her promo was ok, nothing special or earth shattering, grateful to the audience, loves wrestling, wants to build a global phenomenon of a women's division and only AEW can do that. She may even truly believe that, I didn't. So the main event was Riho against Willow and it didn't do either any favors. They tried to work small versus big but it was kinda clunky. Not a disaster but just not great as a main event.Then we got the usual post match beat down of the winner Willow with Mercedes coming to the rescue and getting to dance again to her CEO music.I'm sure Tony gave this his all but I just expected more fire from everything."
[9.0] "I want to give it a 10 but unfortunately the Jericho match stunk up the joint badly so it'll have to be a 9. Mercedes is the greatest north american women's wrestling star ever."
[8.0] "Very good episode. The trios match, Darby vs Jay White and the main event between Willow and Riho were all very good. On top of that, you'll get the debut of Mercedes Mone."
[9.0] "A very strong episode of Dynamite that featured an extremely energized crowd and a motivated group of wrestlers delivering solid matches and inspired promos. With the exception of Jericho being shoehorned into an angle clumsily, I think all of the Dynasty-build stories are working well. From an in-ring perspective, all of the matches delivered but the Darby/Jay White and Riho/Willow matches were standouts. The Trios match was also formatted and executed in a fun way, and it's good to see PAC back in action. Mercedes' presentation in her debut hit a lot of good notes, so I'm excited to see where they can move between now and Dynasty. Her promo to open the show was pretty solid (if unspectacular), but it was a relief to not hear her message wander into meta/shoot territory (like Punk's stuff always did). I should also give credit to Ospreay for delivering an impassioned promo filled with feud-specific soundbites that really delivered."
[8.0] "Even I can say sometimes AEW gets consumed by its own hype. Clearly this was a Mercedies Mone Party celebration... but when these names drop like we are getting a mini ppv, then when it doesn't deliver its just kind of sad. A Samoa Joe world title match should not be that... flat... and if you HAVE to have the arbitrary jericho stuff.. do it sooner not later. And even though they highlighted the women and let them main event and it was very good... no Toni storm at all, not even a little bit felt like a glaring issue. Also no one came to face off with Mone... at all... very missed opportunity. But maybe the goal is a Statlander heel turn because she cant get the job done and feels like Willow is replacing her with Mone even though we all know she would never. But ultimately, even though I am giving it maybe too high a rating, this felt more like a Fyter Fest and less like a Grand Slam."
[9.0] "This show was a big HELL YEAH for me! Okada and Kingston are about to cook Michelin star food, and Wardlow looked good tonight against Joe. Im not super familiar with Mercedess work, but Im certainly looking forward to becoming a fan! I do sort of wish Jericho would leave TV (maybe wrestling generally) for a while, though. Hes a solid enough worker, but people dont want to see him right now. Overall, a high energy show that did a great job of advancing the restored feeling!"
[7.0] "Felt really good to be in a packed arena with a loud crowd. AEW can't do that every week, but they really shouldn't be trying. Big arenas for specials, smaller venues for regular shows. Samoa Joe, Okada and PAC all took advantage of the hot crowd. Mercedes' debut was the highlight, but so was Ospreay's promo."
"An excellent episode of Dynamite bookended by the debut and first interactions of the newest signee, Mercedes Mone. Joe and Wardlow put on a great match with a slightly flat finish, though I do believe this is an intentional choice for Joe, with all of his title matches ending with home choking someone out during their hope/heat spot. The New Elite are an excellent trio together, and it's great to see PAC return in a big way, looking crisp with everything he does as always. Eddie/Okada should be an excellent match on next week's show, though I must admit I am a little perplexed by him defending one title out of the Triple Crown. Ospreay's promo showed to me that he is ready to be the #1 babyface in the company. Ospreay vs Danielson at Dynasty should feed families. Jay White and Darby Allin put on a great match that showed both of their qualities, with Darby playing the undersized Bull and Jay White the cerebral matador. I hope and pray Darby makes it back safely from Mount Everest, because I really feel that at any point they could push him to the moon. His look, his in-ring style, his aura, to me he is Mr. AEW. LionHook needs to never happen again. Please send Jericho on a one way cruise to somewhere very far away. Very glad to see Willow get a big win in the main event, she pairs very well with Riho and their match was a fitting main event for the debut show of Mercedes. I can't wait to see her square off against some of the better workers in the company, and I long for the day she and Hayter go at it for the first time."
[2.0] "The fact Mercedes made her debut here should have done Big Business. Perhaps I dont know, something interesting could have happened during the opening segment, giving us a story to thread throughout the show? Or maybe Britt Baker could have come out and given her a whack. The Bang Bang Gang can beat the crap out of all these guys and break somebodys ankle but Swerve isnt allowed to fight Joe one on one? Hook again chokes out a guy twice his size. Having the world title match on early was a mistake, and there was no attempt to retain viewers on this mediocre show! If people out there are satisfied with a card of matches with predictable finishes, I am SUPER happy for you, but this was an extremely disappointing episode of AEW Dynamite. Bring back early-mid 2021 Dynamite before everything got over complicated with Collision and ROH tapings and Rampage, having too many people on the roster, and all that crap. Stop hanging your hat on the next signee from other places. You're losing the identity of what AEW once was. This show was written with a crayon. I really wanted this to be a crazy show, an unpredictable show, and it just felt like nothing exciting or spontaneous reeeeeally happened! You had so many weeks to think of an interesting scenario, and all we got was Mercedes bragging about herself. Ah, I just don't know anymore."
[9.0] "AEW Big Business was a great show, it had the Rampage First Dance vibes with the debut of Mercedes Moné, she opened and closed the event, extremely deserving spotlight, her promo was great, it's just great to see her at AEW, unbelievable stuff, the roster they assembled is unreal. The first hour was insane, we had Mercedes, a world title match, Okada and then Ospreay. Secound hour had some good stuff too. The matches may have not been anything really above average but just the moments, vibes and feeling this one gave to everybody is enough, it will me remembered for ages, what a message delivered."
[9.0] "Possibly the fastest two hours I've ever watched of pro wrestling, goddamn. This was all hits, zero misses tonight. A ton of story, promo work, and overall hype making this an all timer episode. I actually don't have much of an opinion about Mercedes (her opening address was the weakest point of the episode imo, besides possibly seeing Jericho yet again), so her debut doesn't mean much to me. But I think she feels like an amazing star, and it may mark the genuine turning point for the booking of the women, which tbf has been improving tremendously already. Joe and Wardlow have a fine match. Wardlow takes a clean loss, he feels toasted at this point honestly. Okada making Marvez sing to Matthew was hilarious, and the trios match following was quite entertaining. Dickhead Okada is giving me life. Can't wait for Okada to take Eddie's only meaningful belt. White and Darby have a great MOTN, with a fantastic angle after setting up the unification match of the trios at hopefully Dynasty. Bleh there was Jericho and Hook, whatever. The ladies though were cooking. Love seeing Riho. Promo from Ospreay was so energetic and exciting, and good to see Deonna isn't just being kicked aside after her loss."
[10.0] "Hell of a Dynamite, no doubt the best of 2024 so far. Mercedes began the show and ended it too, which I think was appropriate given the billing. Wardlow & Joe had a great title match. Good action elsewhere. I like the direction they're going in for Dynasty. They keep adding PPVs, which I'm not crazy about, but they're doing a good job of making those shows feel worthwhile. Joe/Swerve, Danielson/Ospreay, Kingston/Okada, BCG/Acclaimed, Storm/Purrazzo II and the tag title tournament. There's a lot of exciting stuff in AEW at the moment."
[10.0] "What a show. Mercedes came off like the biggest star in the world. The opening promo was just incredible and set the women's division up with something it has never had. Wardlow vs Samoa Joe was the best match the two of them have ever had but ithe right guy went over. Swerve is still the bigger program and it feels like the clear direction for Dynasty. The trios match was a blast and got me super hyped for Eddie and Okada. Okada seems made for TV. Ospreay promo felt like main event level. The main event was very good and was an excellent showcase for Willow to line her up for Mercedes Moné. Overall a great landmark show that felt like a culture shift for the company."
[9.0] "Well that was an unforgettable show right here ! The opening was absolutely the right thing to do, like that Rampage with CM Punk. Mercedes Moné look like a real star and makes her futur exciting, especially considering we all got the info before the show that Tony Khan is doing business with Stardom, Forbidden Door this year will be epic! The AEW Championship match was good, Wardlow was quite impressive but Samoa Joe got the clean victory, Swerve has to be the next champion at Dynasty, he's way too hot right now. The trio was cool, great to see PAC in action, it was mostly to build up Okada vs Eddie Kingston, and holly sh*t it's for next week! The Elite entrance with the coin drop is awesome. Will Ospreay is really good at tv promo, I just wish he was better dressed lol. Bruv look like a wanker. Jay White vs Darby Allin was great, Darby was obviously still banged up from Revolution and he sells Switchblade's offense perfectly, but the mad man is still doing some crazy bumps, can't help himself, the finish was great as Darby gave it all to beat the 10 count out but Jay White instantly put him in the blade runner for the win! I loved the after match too, finally they're free from the Acclaimed, I hope the Gunn Club will have the AEW trios championships. Then we get to the stain of the show : Jericho, as often. Gates of Agony and Hook screams green, Jericho is sucking the fun and quality of everything he touches, this tag match was just bad, poor Hook... The main event was good, Riho is the most consistent woman of this roster, which is crazy when we think about it, Saraya, Toni Storm, Ruby Soho, Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa have all disappointed at one time (or several time) but not this tiny girl! Only problem is that it didn't felt like a main event on the card, mostly because they did not take the time to rebuild Willow Nightingale, who has history with Mercedes Moné, which would have made the end of the show more big, but it was still good anyway. Good job AEW, can't wait to see what's next!"
[9.0] "This show felt like a mini PPV. Monč presentation was on point. She opened the show and state her mission and why she is here. Talked about her past and future. I loved it and it felt unique. I really don't like the type of talking sh*t debut. She was supper positive and happy and ready to go. Joe vs Wardlow was a fun good match. The New Elite vs Penta/PAC/Eddie was good and I'm happy to see PAC again. Okada is the Goat. White vs Darby a good match with the story of Darby suffering so he can't do most of his moves. The break up of BBSG finally happened and hopefully BCG unified the trios belts. Jericho/hook vs GOA I skipped the match. I just can't with Jericho. He need to go off screen for a while. I don't think any fan in 2024 care about him. Every time he's on my screen I just skipp which is unfair to the wrestlers hr's facing or teaming with. Willow vs Riho was so good and finally the women's are back to main event shows and both deserve it. A very good episode if we take Jericho out of it will be perfect show."
[6.0] "For such a hyped show, for me it was just okay. Nothing really stood out to me or grabbed my attention much. Even the debut of Mone wasnt anything cool. She looked fantastic ans the presentation was great, but her promo was very. basic? There wasnt much explanation or rhyme or reason why she is there and what she is going to do. I found myself having the show on as background noise and glancing back and forth. I will say that Chris Jericho just needs to go. His matches just get worse and worse. Nobody cares for him. He just leeches off younger and more talented wrestlers. AEW has outgrown him especially with the plethora of talent they now have. Whilst it is cool that the women main evented the show, it wasnt anything special. And there have been better womens matches of that quality - but it was a lot better than any of the Womens Champions matches her whole run, so thats something. The final stretch of the match was pretty good but otherwise very forgettable and alright as were a lot of the matches. Im just glad wardlow didnt main event and stink the joint up."
[8.0] "I can't really care about Mercedes. But it was a good idea to start & end the show with her. Luckily the whole show was not built around her as the first three matches overdelivered. Jay White finally got back to being a heel and stepped away from all that super stable bullshit (quicker than I thought, cool). Riho vs Nightingale was a bit weak main event but still servicable. Hook & Jericho match served as a stepping stone for Hook vs Jericho, why I must ask. Edit: I am adding more context to Mercedes situation to justify it. After all the whole show was pretty much named after her. Anyway, part of it has to do how she oversells herself and part of it has absolutely to do with AEW's lackluster women's division. If it was any good I could hype the debut more despite not being over Mone but I think she may struggle for a while before she finds her footing. It will be about the creative team and the producers mostly. I don't think this is another Saraya or Purazzo (or whomever they signed in between) debut, it went big in one night and it really should not end there. I still have my suspections though. They need to build her up real good and not mess this time. Arguably she is the biggest signing for their women's roster so far and possibly the biggest name that could draw ratings. Another stuff that came to my mind later (might be a bit trivial) Dasha obviously was reading through cues and she announced Nana would be accompanying Gates of Agony which he clearly didn't. Now that Swerve is a babyface and Nana is tied to him what happens to rest of Embassy? So far zero cues. Cage and Agony went back to their business and apparently they do not care about Swerve/Nana stuff either (except they were interrupting his matches quite a lot when they were all heels)"
[9.0] "This was an incredibly fun, and notable show. It's not one of those shows where you had a big MOTYC type match or anything. It's not a show where it had a match that you REALLY have to go out of your way to see. But practically everything on it was a fun watch, and a lot of notable angles happened. The debut of Mercedes Mone, The setup to Kazuchika Okada vs. Eddie Kingston for the Continental Title next week, and the full breakup of the BANG BANG SCISSOR GANG. The show was paced incredibly well also. Sometimes you watch these shows and they fall into the trap where things start to feel like a drag, but this was one of those shows that felt like it was FLYING by. An easy watch for anyone."
[9.0] "A wonderful show that will be mostly remembered for the tremendous debut of Mercedes Mone. She immediately got over a new chant, which I will be doing when I see her at Wembley later this year, and cut a very earnest passionate promo about her journey while looking like one of the biggest stars in the world. She was so over and I cannot wait to see my favourite female wrestler of all time thrive in AEW. The matches were mostly good, with the AEW title match, the main event, and the trios tag being particularly excellent. I didn't like the post-match of Darby vs Jay White, nor did I like Jericho's laborious performance in the tag match, but it felt like what Dynamite is supposed to feel like, and made me feel extreme excitement for next week's episode. A huge success."
[10.0] "WOW! What an episode! was big business in every single sense of the word! AEW made it a point to make mercedes look like the biggest star in the world and they have absolutely succeded! everything about her is world class! the new theme, the new look, her aura, i can not speak highly enough about how she came across this episode! There are also other things to love about this episdoe. Swerve while being babyface, didnt suddenly turn into a punk. Ospreay is getting huge reactions. And the women killed it in a dope main! 10/10!"
[8.0] "Very very good show this week. Mercedes coming in breathes new life into the women's division. I'm very excited for her run and I think she will justify any amount TK is paying her. The only nitpick I have about her debut is her theme. Her NJPW/Stardom theme was superior in my opinion as her theme right now closely resembles Gunther's. Joe vs. Wardlow was a solid opener. Wardlow looked pretty good in this one and Joe, as always, comes off like a complete superstar. Bucks and Okada vs. PAC, Penta, and Eddie Kingston was a super fun trios match. Very much in the spirit of PWG matches. Heel Okada is absolutely tremendous. They hit a home run with that one. Jay White vs. Darby Allin was also very good. Allin is a fucking mad man with the bumps he takes. How the fuck is he gonna be able to climb Everest? The less said about HOOK/Jericho vs. Gates of Agony the better. I need Jericho off of my TV now. Riho/Willow was a great main event. They are both such tremendous workers. Looks like they are gonna do Willow/Mercedes II soon, perhaps at Dynasty. As rough as 2023 was for AEW, 2024 has been phenomenal thus far. Keep up this momentum."
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