The good, bad, and ugly from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite
Heydorn’s AEW Dynamite Receipt 1/22/25
The good, bad, and ugly from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite
-A hot segment to start the show this week with Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay finally aligning to take on The Don Callis Family. Sure, Omega went from I’m NEVER teaming with you to, ok “I’m in” pretty quick, but it worked because the brawl between both sides was so intense. That brawl was big enough where you could understand how Omega was shocked to his senses. The big spots were cool and the visual of Ospreay and Omega on that huge lighting equipment was even cooler. Very memorable stuff.
Hearing pin drops is not good at a wrestling show
-Yikes. The Hurt Syndicate are the new tag team champions in AEW, but the crowd wasn’t exactly into the match or the win for Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. Part of this was because of the fact that the match outcome was a foregone conclusion based on how little AEW has done with Private Party, but c’mon. AEW has to build these matches better and more effectively, so they don’t have flat crowning moments.
Upgrade to paid
-Jeff Jarrett cut a really good babyface promo this week. He wasn’t a jerk like last week and just talked about winning the AEW World Championship in a likable way. The only problem with this? Jeff FREAKING Jarrett is cutting the best world title chase promos in the company and it’s 2025.
-Swerve Strickland vs. AR Fox meant nothing and lasted way too long. Fox is an ROH jobber guy at this point, so why is a top star like Swerve taking so long to beat him? Right! Because you have to have a good match. Well, not always and this was the time not to.
Is MJF ok?
-I’m not sure MJF liked his material this week. He seemed off his game from an intensity perspective and pretty passive with his promo delivery. That said, with Hangman Page walking out and confronting MJF, it looks like that is up next for MJF after Jarrett. Is Page a babyface all of a sudden? Once again, his character has gotten so muddy that nobody knows how to react to him.
-The interaction between Adam Page and Christopher Daniels was very good. Now, I’m not sure what storyline it’s looking to serve, but it was entertaining to watch. The question is — like I said above — how is what Daniels said supposed to make the crowd feel about Page. Nobody knows and that’s a problem.
Harley Cameron
-I don’t know. I’m not where everyone else seems to be regarding Harley Cameron. She’s quirky and funny, but not overly so. Mercedes Mone wasn’t much better this week, but I just don’t see it with Cameron yet.
-Julia Hart vs Jaime Hayter was a good match. The post-match angle and speech by Hayter to Hart was odd. Looks like Hart might be going babyface.
Go all in
-Eh, Cope vs. PAC was fine, but I wouldn’t say it was that much better than Hart vs. Hayter. Once again, the show went off the air with Jon Moxley and The Death Riders decimating people. This time, the Rock and Roll Express and then Cope himself. Look, it gets heat. Yes, it’s kinda boring and we see it too often, but Moxley destroying babyfaces as champion is the story in AEW right now. I’m glad to see them go all-in on something. In the end and once they have a babyface in mind that is ready to beat Mox, all of this will be worth it.
