This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite had the tagline “Maximum Carnage,” a moniker that was probably too generic to add any importance to the show, but the broadcast was somewhat of a microcosm of the promotion itself. Emanating from the Andrew Brady Music Center in the world champion’s hometown of Cincinnati, this edition of the show looked small time in scope, as you could see the back row of the building in more or less every camera shot. Don’t get me wrong, All Elite Wrestling definitely had to get away from the larger venues because they simply weren’t selling enough tickets, which became problematic on many different levels. Of course, the empty seats are never good optics, as it’s tough to sell the viewing audience on the next pay-per-view when clearly the brand wasn’t popular enough for fans to want to see it live. The visual presentation was also affected, as there were several weeks on television in the past that the lights in the arena were kept low to essentially hide some of the empty sections in the building so it doesn’t create an optimistic aesthetic. Aside from that, when a performer cuts a promo and you can hear someone ordering pizza at the concession stand because the minimal amount of fans that were there didn’t react, it almost reinforces the notion that AEW isn’t an in demand product.
So, yes the company had to move to a smaller space to produce television, and while it can’t be done within a week because of the amount of time that buildings have to be booked ahead of the actual show, the argument could still be made that management waited too long to make the change in venues, as the extended time frame running in empty buildings almost makes the switch to smaller venues more of a stark contrast. I’m also not sure if the series of decisions made for the arenas will help or hurt the overall narrative of the organization. For example, five years ago All Elite Wrestling shows sold out in minutes, you had to be waiting in the queue online with the special presale password and then hope the website didn’t freeze because of the amount of people on the site trying to buy tickets to be able to ensure yourself a decent seat for the event. After that, there was a sharp decline in attendance and then a move to considerably smaller buildings so it’s almost as if it sends the message they happen to be at the Andrew Brady Music Center because they can’t sell the same amount of tickets that they did previously. No disrespect intended to Andrew Brady.
The reason that this show was such a reflection of the company is that the talent that you saw on-screen is stellar. Sure, there was a learning curve in terms of picking talent in the formative stages of the promotion, Marko Stunt, God bless him, just wasn’t talented enough to truly work on national television, and that’s not meant as a knock, good for him for taking a chance to live his dream, but at this point, there are dozens are extremely talented and qualified performers on the roster. The problem is, and this episode demonstrated this, how they are showcased is key to maximizing their skills and effectiveness to the promotion.
After more than a year away from the ring, Kenny Omega made his return to competition in AEW against Brian Cage. Given the seriousness of the life-threatening diverticulitis that put him out of action entirely in 2024 and the extended absence that he had prior to address several injuries, I wrote previously that maybe it would be wiser for the former AEW champion to consider retirement in favor of a backstage role. Despite the critics, Omega already had a legendary career, and positively or negatively, depending on your perspective, influenced an entire generation so it was questionable if it was worth it for him to potentially risk his health again. Taking nothing away from his talent, I wondered how much he had left in the tank after such a high risk style took such a notable toll on his body. Thankfully, I was wrong, as Kenny Omega stole the show with Gabe Kidd at the Tokyo Dome earlier this month with a physical 30-minute bout that proved he can still deliver those trademark memorable bouts. At 41, it’s clear that he’s at the latter stage of his career, but if he can stay healthy, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to expect at least another 4 or 5 years of quality matches from him.
He defeated Cage, which was the right decision, but the post-match mayhem was a little puzzling. Still in a confrontation with the Don Callis family, the rest of the stable ran out to attack Omega, with Will Ospreay making the save. The question I have is, and this isn’t meant as a criticism, what exactly is the destination for any of the wrestlers involved? Kyle Fletcher has done very well as a heel in his series of matches with Ospreay, with it implied that there will be at least one more bout between the two for the rubber match. Lance Archer is a tremendous big man, but his role is reduced to being a part of the goon squad with Cage. Hey, if the check clears, maybe it’s worth it to make the type of cash that Tony Khan offers. Konosuke Takeshita is arguably the best performer in the business right now and is finally getting spotlighted in a position of prominence that he should’ve had at least a year ago. But are there any plans to sort any of this out in a fashion that will be used to draw money? Ospreay/Fletcher is a given because the rubber match was already mentioned, but was this segment designed to push an eventual Takeshita/Omega showdown? Was this to establish a tag team between Ospreay and Omega? Does Fletcher get lost in the shuffle after he finally made some progress beyond just a sidekick? I’m not discounting any of the potential match-ups or the possibility of a team team, but rather to point out that this segment was so slapstick with the extended brawl that it wouldn’t surprise me if Tony Khan doesn’t have a plan for this yet.
The amount of talent in this segment alone provides quite a line-up for a promotion. Omega, Ospreay, Takeshita, Fletcher, Callis, and Archer are all at different points in their careers and serve different roles, but the talent that they bring to the table isn’t in doubt. However, this segment didn’t clearly demonstrate what the purpose was or what it was supposed to push going forward for anyone involved.
A disjointed presentation isn’t anything new, and neither is the fact that Tony Khan, even if it’s completely unintentional, gets hot and cold on performers on an unpredictable level. The examples would be too numerous to name, but how many times have we seen guys go from a featured spot on the card to the witness protection program without any explanation? Where’s Ricky Starks? Has anyone seen Wardlow recently?
Unfortunately, Powerhouse Hobbs has been in that category more often than not. Yes, he spent half of 2024 on the shelf because of a knee injury, but before that he was one of the names that was either in the mix on television and pay-per-view or he was more or less invisible across the All Elite landscape. After he returned in November of last year, he had a very good match with Takeshita at the Worlds End pay-per-view, and he won a gauntlet match last week to get a title shot this week. During the main event, he had a solid match against Jon Moxley and there was a lot of interference to protect the baby face in some ways, but the problem becomes, what’s next for Hobbs? His journey to the championship concluded in literally two weeks. If I had to guess, he was selected to win the gauntlet not because Tony had plans for him, but rather that Moxley needed an opponent for a title match in his hometown. At 33, Hobbs is in the prime of his career, and at least on the surface, checks all of the boxes you’d think a company looks for in a talent that they can push as a marketable star. If management thinks Hobbs has a major upside, why did he have to lose in an AEW world title match? The roster is notoriously bloated, Tony could’ve picked anyone to put in the ring with Moxley because the point of the segment wasn’t the match, but the post-match angle with FTR.
The Moxley stable Pillmanized Hobbs’ ankle, which would theoretically write him out of television so is he going to be forgotten about for a few months ago? Ironically, FTR was also in the same category as Hobbs at different points in their All Elite tenure when it appeared that Tony was hot or cold of them as a featured tag team. It goes without saying that Dax and Cash are one of the best tag teams in the business, and I’m usually not a conspiracy theorist, but it was certainly convenient that they were often kept off television when The Young Bucks were used in a main role on the shows, and now that The Bucks haven’t been on the program for a few months, FTR is back in the fold. That being said, it looks like Adam Copeland and FTR will be the ones to challenge Moxley’s group. As talented as FTR have always been regardless of if it was in WWE or AEW, because they’ve been under the radar for so long, do they really have the star power to be involved in the main event feud? I don’t want to be too pessimistic, but the harsh reality is, does anyone want to see the 51-year-old Cope challenge Moxley for the championship? The former Edge is a legend, but again, given the amount of young talent, is another former WWE star really the answer for the next AEW champion?
The mishap for this angle is that the premise was misguided, as it was set up with the cryptic promos from Moxley with the notion that there was more to the story to unfold. Some speculation online even pondered if Shane McMahon might be the reveal because photos of his meeting with Tony surfaced online around the same time. Unfortunately, those promos were basically just Moxley quoting movie lines that he happened to stumble upon that week. As of right now, it seems like there’s no reveal or more to the story, this is just Moxley’s heel group steamrolling the company for a while to presumably set up a match between factions. As I’ve written before, it’s not his fault because he carried the company on his back when the organization needed it, but Moxley has been overexposed in AEW. The verbose promos without any direction or without a clear point to this storyline are just a tedious viewing experience.
Finally, and this ties into the original point about the size of the venue, the MJF/Jeff Jarrett promo was also too verbose to be productive. It was surprising since the silver-tongued Jarrett has made a career out of putting a positive spin on things, but his promo just dragged on during this show. Don’t get me wrong, I’m legitimately looking forward to Double J Tennessee two-stepping his way to the AEW world championship before he retires, but the lack of a reaction from the crowd during the promo in a small venue was another way that the company looked minor league, especially compared to the original events.
Keep in mind, I haven’t said anything negative about the skills of the talent, it’s perfectly understandable why Tony would select these performers for a national wrestling organization, but the way they have been used is counterproductive more often than not. What’s the point or purpose of what we saw on Dynamite? As usual the disclaimer, yes by all accounts Tony Khan is a great guy and it’s legitimately wonderful that he genuinely cares about his roster, but if being a nice guy was the only thing needed to being a successful promoter, there’s no way that Vince McMahon would’ve been the most powerful promoter in the business for several decades. Unless you’re Dave Meltzer, it’s almost impossible to ignore the decline of All Elite Wrestling. Two and a half years ago, there were roughly a million viewers each week for Dynamite, and now there’s usually about 40% less than that watching on any given week. They are running smaller venues because of a decrease in the demand for tickets, how is any of this not an indication that the current booking philosophy isn’t useful?
It’s frustrating to see so much talent basically plateaued, especially because the industry needs options, both for talent and the fans. I don’t know the answer to improve the product, but that’s not the problem. The issue is that Tony Khan doesn’t know the solution, either.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
