In a week where there is a lot of action going on and most fans are focused on WrestleMania 39, the March 29th episode of Dynamite took place in front of a hot crowd at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri! There were plenty of angles done right on this episode, as long-term stories continued to develop.
MJF Elevated Jungle Boy to Main Event Status
…..for now. After Jungle Boy defeated Matt Hardy in the opening match, the champ made his way out to the ring. Once again, MJF showed why he is a generational talent. He boosted Jungle Boy’s credibility BIG TIME by saying Perry was someone he actually respected and considered his equal in the ring. Though Jack Perry isn’t nearly on MJF’s promo skills level, he still showed more passion and intensity than ever before.
MJF’s path is abundantly clear for the next few months, and that is to knock down the other 3 Pillars, while at the same time, creating some new ‘main-event’ level stars. AEW’s roster has been bloated in the middle recently, with a lack of top talent available to be feature players. Can MJF be the one to elevate these three?
Jungle Boy will be the first to fall. Darby Allin will be a hot favorite to dethrone the champ but will come up short. The only question is how Sammy Guevara will be positioned; heel v heel is usually not a good dynamic. Do we see Sammy leave the JAS in due time to focus on his singles run?
Blackpool Combat Club Creates Chaos Throughout the Show
If there was any question as to where the BCC stood before Dynamite, that was made incredibly clear throughout the night.
First, they absolutely squashed crowd favorites Dalton Castle & The Boys in a six-man match. Then, they came out to beat down a victorious but injured Kenny Omega after his match. The return of Bryan Danielson was a nice face tease, but he was the one to pick at the carcass of the IWGP United States Heavyweight champion.
This is a great direction for all men in this faction. Bryan could not continue on as a face after losing to MJF at AEW Revolution. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli looks to be having fun as a rule-breaker. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta gets a whole new set of face opponents. And Jon Moxley can cheat even more in his matches; this transition is not far from his usual character. A long-term feud between the Blackpool Combat Clun and The Elite makes for an exciting summer for AEW fans.
The Slow Turn of Don Callis
It’s hard to picture Kenny Omega without his manager and Winnipeg cohort, but that’s what is being teased. For a few weeks, the seeds have been planted, and it’s hard to imagine this breakup not happening.
A Callis / Blackpool Combat Club marriage seems odd, so who would the former Cyrus the Virus align himself with? Does Tony Khan dare flip Hangman Adam Page heel for the ultimate screwjob on The Elite? Or perhaps we see Callis choose to align himself with some newer, younger stars to help give them a push.
This has been a solid stretch of shows recently, and it’s obvious that Tony Khan is focusing on long-term storytelling. It feels like the CM Punk fallout from All Out has finally run its course. The major players are back from injury (Omega, Adam Cole, FTR etc.), and the Women’s Division continues to grow with quality additions. It’s a great time to be an AEW fan!
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