AEW Dynamite 1st TBS episode - January 5, 2022

[gonzalez]

On rewatch I loved the constant Buckshot Lariat teases. Really hammering the point home that is the silver bullet. 

I think we are getting a long Page reign. Him kicking out of the knee, and winning with one shot of his finisher cemented that.

[Loss]

I think at this point MJF is going to be the one to dethrone him, but it's going to be a while, because the Punk-MJF feud is being paced properly and probably still has a long way to go. The logical place for it to end would be MJF handing Punk his first AEW loss, then going on to win the AEW title, at which point they will have created two new top-tier stars. As for Danielson, Dave had some interesting thoughts in the WON:

Danielson has been incredible in this run and even though short-term you could argue he should have won, the booking is very different from WWE where they aren’t doing short-term and trying to build Page to be the long-term guy because of all the really top guys in the company, Page and MJF are the youngest ones. That said, Danielson is just too good to be used like in WWE where his role (a lot of which was his choosing) was to put over and constantly make new guys (who they would then drop the ball on after Danielson put them over with the exception of Reigns). I’d immediately get Danielson in the TNT title picture and have him eventually win it because he as a winning champion, fighting faces and heels in great matches can make that title into almost the equal of the world title and that’s always been the goal, not for it to be a midcard title (which is inherently just a card filler) but a main event title with long marquee matches.

[C.S.]

6 hours ago, MoS said:

I recommend all Americans (and Canadians?) to watch the international Fite feed of the match

Is this free to watch or do you need some kind of subscription?

[Timbo Slice]

I think Danielson as TNT champion has legs, but I also think he has so much non-championship needed drawing power right now, although there is the argument that the belt is a bit aimless right now. He would bring prestige to it. I do feel like he wants to take this year to travel and really put himself out there on the marquee wherever he can, which is why I always bring up New Japan, and feel like him taking on Okada this summer and being a major part of the G1 is almost a given, and if that’s what he wants to do? I don’t know how you make him part of the title picture right now. 

[Loss]

I am way too entertained by this whole social media storyline of The Acclaimed being mad they weren't judges on Dynamite, having dressed for the occasion and all.

[MoS]

2 hours ago, C.S. said:

Is this free to watch or do you need some kind of subscription?

You need a subscription and a VPN if you wish to watch it legally, unfortunately 

[MoS]

16 minutes ago, Loss said:

I am way too entertained by this whole social media storyline of The Acclaimed being mad they weren't judges on Dynamite, having dressed for the occasion and all.

I've realized that one of the biggest appeals of watching AEW for me is the feeling that everyone involved is having fun and a good time.

I think it's fairly obvious that MJF will be the one to dethrone Hangman, the question is when. They already have a pre-existing rivalry, MJF beat him for the first Dynamite diamond ring

[SirEdger]

4 hours ago, Loss said:

I think at this point MJF is going to be the one to dethrone him, but it's going to be a while, because the Punk-MJF feud is being paced properly and probably still has a long way to go. The logical place for it to end would be MJF handing Punk his first AEW loss, then going on to win the AEW title, at which point they will have created two new top-tier stars. As for Danielson, Dave had some interesting thoughts in the WON:

 

 

Basically, Dave wants Danielson to do with the TNT title what RVD did for the ECW World TV title. To the point that the TV title was main eventing PPVs, not the ECW World title.

[C.S.]

6 hours ago, MoS said:

I think it's fairly obvious that MJF will be the one to dethrone Hangman, the question is when. They already have a pre-existing rivalry, MJF beat him for the first Dynamite diamond ring

I like MJF, but I kinda hope this isn't what happens. 

Feels way too soon and way too forced.

I'd ideally like MJF to continue building up a reputation and increasing his resume of solid matches for a couple more years.

I'm not sure who should dethrone Hangman, but I don't think it should happen for a while.

[MoS]

I know there's no way it happens anytime soon, but I really want Eddie Kingston to be elevated to the main event scene and have a world title run 

[Jmare007]

Where does the Wardlow turn and subsequent angle fit in MJF's title win? Everything is set up for Wardlow to turn on him and Spears very soon -MJF might try to DQ Punk by hitting Wardlow, leading to him  snapping once and for all- could Wardlow be his first title defense in a scenario were MJF beats Punk and goes on to challenge Page and takes the title from him?

If Punk wins at Revolution is becomes the n°1 contender, then MJF's shot would probably come much later in the year. And I'm not sure they'll keep Hangman with the belt for that long.

[Rah]

I'd love for Danielson to take the TNT title (or a new title) in a similar vein to the FCW 15 championship (15 minute time limit matches). A shorter time limit allows for non-losses for guys who shouldn't be going down. If anything, they might even get a small rub in that they hung with Danielson for the 15 minutes. It gives Danielson a streak, without needing to steamroll through the roster, and eventually putting someone over huge.

I really enjoyed what they did with Richie Steamboat in that FCW title. First match was competitive, second match almost won, then they go to a longer time limit match where the champion finally loses.

[Johnny Sorrow]

4 hours ago, MoS said:

I know there's no way it happens anytime soon, but I really want Eddie Kingston to be elevated to the main event scene and have a world title run 

Kingston is the best character AEW has, but .... that ain't happening anytime soon or ever. I buy every AEW PPV and the only REAL disappointment has been Eddie always losing. Wins and losses don't matter overall but Christ. Eddie has to get a PPV win that means something soon, or else it's not gonna matter when they get around to it.

[ragemaster]

Eddie Kingston needs to get into better shape for the top of the card, he doesn't have Kevin Owens or Foleys stamina for a 20 min main event. Also as awesome as he is on the mic, his wrestling skills needs sharping up, some of that is he gets sloppy when tired.

[Timbo Slice]

Now I know you’re trolling. 

[MoS]

13 hours ago, Jmare007 said:

Where does the Wardlow turn and subsequent angle fit in MJF's title win? Everything is set up for Wardlow to turn on him and Spears very soon -MJF might try to DQ Punk by hitting Wardlow, leading to him  snapping once and for all- could Wardlow be his first title defense in a scenario were MJF beats Punk and goes on to challenge Page and takes the title from him?

If Punk wins at Revolution is becomes the n°1 contender, then MJF's shot would probably come much later in the year. And I'm not sure they'll keep Hangman with the belt for that long.

If they want Hangman to have a long reign, they probably have Wardlow turn on MJF in the Punk match. If I were booking, Punk becomes number one contender after Wardlow turns on MJF, becomes another big star of the past to put over Hangman, meanwhile MJF puts over Wardlow - who can also then be a one-off TV challenger for the world title - and perhaps one more young fresh face before you build him back to challenge for the world title. That means that when MJF wins the title, he automatically has a couple of ready challengers to make sure his reign is off to a good start. 

[Loss]

I think the MJF-Wardlow feud is likely out of the way before MJF becomes champion but then again, my AEW predictions are almost always wrong.

[rovert]

14 hours ago, Rah said:

I'd love for Danielson to take the TNT title (or a new title) in a similar vein to the FCW 15 championship (15 minute time limit matches). A shorter time limit allows for non-losses for guys who shouldn't be going down. If anything, they might even get a small rub in that they hung with Danielson for the 15 minutes. It gives Danielson a streak, without needing to steamroll through the roster, and eventually putting someone over huge.

I really enjoyed what they did with Richie Steamboat in that FCW title. First match was competitive, second match almost won, then they go to a longer time limit match where the champion finally loses.

*Respect knuckles a fellow FCW Jack Brisco 15 Championship fan.*

I was hoping the TBS title would carry the format. An on-screen time clock and/or announcer time calls over the arena sound system could add drama or wake up the crowd. The time limit is a useful storytelling device also in terms of creating rematches or building heel heat via cheating. 

[sek69]

That would be nice, but it seems like the goal was for it to be the successor to the US title as it was positioned in JCP where it was the #1 contender title/belt for main eventers not currently in the world title picture 

[strobogo]

Bryan doing a Regal in 1993-1994 TV Title run would be wonderful 

[Jmare007]

6 hours ago, MoS said:

If they want Hangman to have a long reign, they probably have Wardlow turn on MJF in the Punk match. If I were booking, Punk becomes number one contender after Wardlow turns on MJF, becomes another big star of the past to put over Hangman, meanwhile MJF puts over Wardlow - who can also then be a one-off TV challenger for the world title - and perhaps one more young fresh face before you build him back to challenge for the world title. That means that when MJF wins the title, he automatically has a couple of ready challengers to make sure his reign is off to a good start. 

 

5 hours ago, Loss said:

I think the MJF-Wardlow feud is likely out of the way before MJF becomes champion but then again, my AEW predictions are almost always wrong.

I understand the scenario, I'm just not sure Page will keep that belt THAT long. In this scenario, MJF ain't challenging before All Out (he has to rack up wins the whole spring-summer). I might be completely wrong here, but I see the big booking effort in putting Page so strong so fast is to get the belt off quicker than past champions.

[NintendoLogic]

I think it's clearly the opposite. Going into Wednesday's match, Danielson had been positioned as an unbeatable wrestler with a million different ways to finish a match. Hangman kicked out of or escaped all of them before winning with a single buckshot lariat. You don't give someone that kind of Superman push unless you have him penciled in for a lengthy reign. At the very least, he's being positioned at least a level above the Pillars. If MJF does beat him for the title, I doubt it'll be more than a quickie transitional reign.

[C.S.]

IMO, Hangman vs. MJF will happen soon, and that's where Wardlow's turn will take place, finally getting fed-up enough and costing MJF the match.

I agree with @NintendoLogic that all this talk of a short Hangman reign is (probably) utter nonsense.

[gonzalez]

I do think if Punk Vs. Hangman happens at Double or Nothing, the odds change a bit in favor of Punk winning. But I do think it’s a possibility they put Hangman over even stronger. 

Like I’ve said, if it’s intentional, I think they’ve done a really good job in making you think Hangman’s a underdog champion who feels like his moment in the sun will be short. They need to continue on that path. Don’t do a WWE, or Gabe where they gave their long chasing champs(Bryan & Homicide) short ass reigns.

[KawadaSmile]

I see someone like Miro beating Page for the title, to be honest. Even then, it will take three to four months at minimum for that title to change hands. I just don't see MJF doing that, given he still has some weeks worth of feuding with Punk and there is still that Wardlow face turn (it's coming at any moment now, guys!)

I don't even think Hangman is that much of an underdog anymore - they went out of their way to make sure he kicked out and survived every single finisher Danielson built over the course of months, and it took ONE Buckshot to retain the title. They put him over much like the Fed did with Roman Reigns at Fastlane 2015, but they seem more committed to it.