The “Wednesday Night Wars” returned this week with both AEW Dynamite and NXT returning to their normal Wednesday night time slots. AEW has done an incredible job at putting on compelling action in and out of the ring, with this week being no different. With a parking lot brawl highlighting the night’s show, AEW put together a solid card on the road to Full Gear.
“Hangman” Adam Page v. Frankie Kazarian
With Kenny Omega on commentary, the drama would surely be high in this one. Omega and Page will inevitably meet up in the future in what will hopefully be a barnburner of a match for the story they have told. However, before he meets Omega, Page had to go through Frankie Kazarian in my favorite match of the night. If you would have told me these two would have had the best match of the night, along with going over 10 minutes, I would have called you a liar. I’ve always been a fan of Kazarian, but being in a tag team can certainly limit what you can showcase. And boy, did Kazarian show out here. Both men looked great throughout this match, countering each other’s moves for some entertaining action. Page won with the Buckshot Lariat, but I really do think that Kazarian was the real star in the match. Hopefully we get to see more of him in singles action because he has the talent to be a future TNT Champion.
Thunder Rosa v. Ivelisse (NWA Women’s Championship Match)
The partnership between AEW and NWA has been showcased in recent weeks, coming to a head with Thunder Rosa defending her NWA Women’s Championship on this episode of Dynamite. I’ve really enjoyed seeing Rosa in AEW, giving her a chance to show her talents to a wider audience. This match was no different with both Rosa and Ivelisse coming to play, keeping the physicality up until the end. Rosa ended up winning the match with the Tombstone Piledriver before Diamante came to the ring to attack the champion, allowing Hikaru Shida to come in and make the save. Credit to Ivelisse for putting on a good match with the champion. She has a chance to grow and be a force in a women’s division that is certainly lacking compared to AEW’s other divisions. Overall, this was a great match that will hopefully continue to build on the AEW and NWA relationship.
Best Friends v. Proud and Powerful (Parking Lot Brawl) The first parking lot brawl in AEW history took place featuring a heated rivalry between Best Friends and Proud and Powerful. I’ve talked a lot about how brutal AEW has been recently, with some of the matches in the past few months featuring some spots that are tough to rewatch. This match was certainly no different with bodies flying through windshields and taking backdrops on the hoods of the surrounding cars. This rivalry has been going on for a while with Santana and Ortiz destroying Trent’s mother’s van, leading to this entertaining match. We see Orange Cassidy get involved to save Trent, helping Best Friends get the win before Trent’s mom shows up in her new van, giving the camera a middle finger as the show went off the air for good measure. This was just pure fun, something AEW has done a great job of delivering on each and every week. A great way to end the show, and a great end to one of the best AEW shows in recent memory.