3 Big Takeaways from AEW Dynamite (December 8, 2021)
AEW Dynamite started off hot and pretty much worked to maintain that temperature throughout the whole show.
This week's episode took place on Long Island, and the New York crowd certainly had a big say in how the show came off. They were not shy at all, making plenty of noise and adding to the atmosphere of the evening.
There were definitely some lulls in the course of the two-hour broadcast, but for the most part, AEW Dynamite flew by.
One of the pleasures of watching this show is that it tends to fly by, with action and information coming in a fast and furious manner.
Having said that, let's take a look at three things that stuck out about this week's episode.
#3 AEW Dynamite still features several wrestlers who should be on Rampage or Dark
.@riho_gtmv bringing the fight to @jmehytr #AEWDynamite https://t.co/gZymOLytUB
This is a company with way too many stars now to continue this trend. If this is supposed to be the flagship show, then they need to treat it as such.
We are still getting way too much exposure for names like QT Marshall, Brandon Cutler and others that really kill the show's momentum. This week can be forgiven a little, because AEW needed people for the Dynamite Diamond Ring battle royal.
However, they still managed to find time for a bout between Riho and Jamie Hayter that will really amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Meanwhile, there were no sightings of Darby Allin, Brian Cage or Lance Archer. With Chris Jericho away, the only representation The Inner Circle had was a promo by Sammy Guevara and a brief backstage cameo by Santana.
There is no point in signing high level stars if you don't plan on giving them your prime time spots. Dynamite is the only prime time place the promotion is parked in right now, so it's time to trim some fat.
#2 Seeing CM Punk booed and MJF cheered was pretty surreal
Did... did @The_MJF just drop the coolest trailer ever?
We need to reconcile with this #AEWDynamite https://t.co/hQGzZquwv6
This doesn't happen anywhere else in the world... But this is New York, baby.
Not only did Maxwell Jacob Friedman receive a hero's welcome when he returned to his old stomping grounds, he also received some special treatment from the AEW production team.
The company came up with a perfectly piercing package to highlight his 'local legend' status.
Of course, everything will go back to normal in the weeks to come, and every other city in the world will try to boo MJF out of the building. However, it was interesting to see an AEW audience support him, and it gives us shades of what things might look like if or when he turns babyface down the road.
As for Punk, he was booed throughout his promo on AEW Dynamite by the fans in attendance. The Straight Edge Superstar played his role perfectly and trolled the crowd perfectly.
This was one of the highlights of tonight's show.
#1 Bryan Danielson vs Hangman Page is a highly anticipated match, and this week proved once again why
Winter is coming in seven days, but @theAdamPage wasn't down for waiting! #AEWDynamite
We find out who will be the @AEW Champion in just 168 hours, but don't miss #AEWRampage and the debut of @730hook Friday at 10/9c on @tntdrama https://t.co/hrNkCaLLy7
Danielson continued his practice of destroying members of The Dark Order by conquering John Silver. The American Dragon dropped his opponent on his head before locking in and putting Silver to sleep.
A post-match beatdown was imminent until AEW World Champion Adam Page made the save.
There's not much more to say on this one, other than the build-up to this showdown has been awesome, and it's really helped to cement Danielson's heel persona.
It's anyone's guess who's going to come out on top next week with the gold on the line, but many believe Page will hand Danielson his first loss in AEW.
Obviously, this week's episode was mostly the set-up for the special Winter is Coming show on December 15. But it still did well as a stand-alone show, adding to some storylines and creating a couple of minor ones going forward.
It will be interesting to see not only what happens next week, but for the remainder of this month as AEW Dynamite prepares for its move to TBS beginning in 2022.
What did you think of this week's episode of AEW Dynamite? Are you looking forward to Winter is Coming? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.