CM Punk vs. MJF

This past week on Dynamite in Chicago, CM Punk was defeated in his hometown when he lost a lengthy match to MJF for a show that actually saw a dip in the ratings from last week, which may or may not be an indication of the booking of a 40-minute match as the conclusion to the show. It was Punk's first defeat in AEW, but in truth, he's more or less bullet proof since he's the biggest star in the company. So far, we've seen him occasionally wrestle some of the mid-card guys, which is fine, but this was the first indication of some major business to be done as far as a heated angle. 

More on the main event later, but it was also very interesting to see the direction this episode took and prehaps the reality check that it gave AEW management.

Brian Kendrick's scheduled appearance was cancelled after some horrendous comments he made years ago resurfaced. Kendrick apologized for the ridiculous things he said, but for someone that was a marginal player in the industry in recent years, it's doubtful that signing him would be worth the possible negative PR. Wheeler Yuta, member of the Best Friends stable, took his place for a match with Jon Moxley, who looks to be in great shape since his return. It's really great to see Moxley healthy and in top form. That being said, Wheeler Yuta is a lower-card wrestler that is a part of comedy faction, and despite his talent in the ring, at this point in his return, Moxley should've squashed him. That's not a knock against Yuta, but rather to point out, he hasn't been presented as a guy that would be on the same level as Moxley and hasn't had much recent exposure on television anyway. In my opinion, it would've been more useful for Moxley to continue his momentum since the return with a quick victory.

As I've said before, All Elite Wrestling isn't perfect and it doesn't have to be either. As much as there are some natural comparisons to WCW because All Elite is the first legitimate competition for WWE in two decades, and the association with the Turner networks, if you watch some of those episodes from Nitro even in its heyday those shows weren't perfect either. Disco Inferno vs. Jerry Flynn didn't exactly set ratings records. That being said, there are valid criticisms toward the company and based on the response from the Chicago crowd, prehaps Tony Khan should listen to some of the feedback.

The post-match promo from Bryan Danielson where he criticized some of the goofy segments of past shows actually got a positive reaction even though he's a heel, and it might be something that Khan should take into consideration. It's not meant as a personal jab against the competitors, but the harsh reality is that some wrestlers just aren't on the level to be on national television. Don't get me wrong, it's great that some of those people had a chance to sign a full-time contract and get a chance to work for one of the major companies in the United States, but are the fans going to refuse to buy tickets if Kip Sabin isn't on the AEW roster? Part of building a national promotion is knowing what works and what doesn't and if someone didn't get over then it's better to trim the roster. Keep in mind, AEW is a national promotion so someone that had success with a niche gimmick in front of 200 fans at an indy show isn't automatically going to get over on a national level. Danielson got a reaction from the audience because he was right, and for a company with "All Elite" in the title, there has to be some quality control with the product.

Speaking of quality control, nepotism in wrestling is nothing new, even Greg Gagne got a push, but the Dan Lambert/Brandi segment was absolutely cringe worthy and a reason to change the channel. I guess the point  was that the angle was going to attempt to use reverse psychology on the audience so that if AEW acknowledged some of the criticism in the storyline then the fans would give the angle more of a chance, but it fell completely flat. If anything, Dan Lambert cutting the promo didn't give the fans a reason to give Brandi more of a chance, it just validated many of the criticisms. The name-dropping of other promotions or names throughout this feud hasn't been "edgy" it just sounds like a desperate attempt to get the fans not to reject it. The Jedi mind trick to try to get support for Brandi with the thought that Lambert has more heat then her won't work because again, when the heel has a point, prehaps, it's a valid criticism. Brandi trying to insult the crowd throughout the promo isn't going to do her any favors either because a heel/heel program will usually get the crowd to go to the concession stand instead of picking a side. That being said, any attempt for this segment to portray Brandi better fizzled out when she tried to square off against Page Van Zant. Are the fans supposed to believe that Brandi would actually want to fight a former UFC fighter? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Brandi is a wonderful lady and the charity work that the company does is great, but would she really be on television if she wasn't in the Rhodes family? Furthermore and more importantly, is there honestly a demand to see her on television? The only thing that was accomplished here is that it gives more credibility to the speculation that Cody Rhodes would prefer to be a reality TV star than a pro wrestler, even if that isn't an accurate summary of the situation.

Finally, Tony Khan announced a surprise free agent signing for Dynamite next week, but announcing it ahead of time eliminates the "surprise" aspect of it. Granted, it was announced publicly to get the ratings boost from it, but at the same time, isn't a moment more impactful when it's actually a surprise? More specifically, if "surprises" are the only way to draw better numbers than the structure of the show should be re-evaluated. The Cody/Sammy ladder match was hot-shot booking on a one-week build to try to generate a number, and this surprise debut is another form of that, but consistent quality shows are what ultimately build steady numbers. Hopefully, Khan avoids that booking pitfall because TNA spent its peak and millions of dollars with the assumption that "one more big signing" was the key. I won't speculate on who the signing might be, simply because there are so many free agents on the market after the most recent WWE releases that the majority of the discussion would be moot. That being said, it's usually not a wise strategy to hype free agent signings because it usually creates unrealistic expectations and then there could be somewhat of a letdown. The previously mentioned Punk/MJF match might've gone too long, but the much more important point is that it put over MJF as a star, which might not draw bigger numbers right now, but will be a step toward drawing better numbers in the future. This episode of Dynamite underscored a very important point for All Elite Wrestling, you can have a great roster, but it's also key to have the pieces in the right place to build the company.