5 things AEW subtly told us on Dynamite this week: Samoa Joe brings back iconic finisher; ex-WWE star drops hint at heel turn; Sting's singles match teased?
Welcome to this week's column on things AEW subtly told us during the latest installment of Dynamite.
On the back of a stupendous two-night WrestleMania weekend, Tony Khan fired back at WWE by producing an exhilarating two hours of non-stop action and drama on Wednesday night.
From Samoa Joe's triumphant in-ring debut to The Young Bucks vs. FTR II, the company fired on all cylinders and kept the Boston audience in bated breath throughout the night.
We'll now dive into subtle things that wrestling enthusiasts may have overlooked during the show.
#5 Samoa Joe is authorized to use Muscle Buster in AEW
M U S C L E B U S T E R @SamoaJoe #AEWDynamite #AEW https://t.co/TawaausbiW
Samoa Joe's Muscle Buster has been a prominent part of his illustrious career and has even helped him capture various world championships.
Unfortunately, WWE banned the devastating move primarily after Tyson Kidd suffered a career-ending neck injury, courtesy of Joe's finisher.
However, it doesn't seem like the Muscle Buster will be outlawed under AEW's unrestricted environment. On Dynamite this week, the 43-year-old star used the Muscle Buster on Max Caster to clinch a squash victory in his in-ring debut match.
The audience jumped out of their seats when Joe implemented his finishing maneuver after a long time. Now that the former WWE Superstar has qualified for the Owen Hart tournament, it will be interesting to see which other men will fall prey to the Muscle Buster.
#4 Christian Cage teasing a potential heel turn?
On Wednesday night, Christian Cage suffered a crushing loss at the hands of Adam Cole.
The latter sneaked out a cheap victory by poking Cage's eye out, which allowed The Panama City Playboy to land The Boom to pick up the win. The loss marked Christian Cage's second singles defeat after coming up short against Kenny Omega at All Out last year.
Later backstage, Captain Charisma was furious over losing to the former NXT Champion. He even walked out on Jurassic Express before the latter laid out a challenge for reDRagon next week.
While Cage turning heel could be a long shot, his change in demeanor could be a subtle hint regarding a potential change in persona down the road.
Should he cost Jurassic Express their tag team titles next week, fans could see a mentor-protege rivalry between Christian Cage and Jungle Boy.
#3 Sting vs. Andrade El Idolo could be on the cards
The rivalry between AFO and The Hardys w/ Sting and Darby Allin continues to evolve every week.
In the most recent episode of AEW Dynamite, Matt and Jeff defeated The Butcher and Blade in a grueling Tables match.
In the post-match, Andrade came out with The Private Party, The Bunny and Jose the Assistant in hopes of getting their hands on The Hardys. However, Sting prevented that from ensuing as he took out The Private Party with his signature baseball bat.
The Icon even intended to lay his hands on Andrade, but the latter used The Bunny to retreat. The two former WWE Superstars shared a death-staredown, which clearly sold off the post-match segment.
It's worth noting that Darby Allin was missing during the entire tussle for reasons still unknown. Keeping that in mind, Sting sticking his nose in Andrade's business might lead to a match between the two men down the road.
#2 FTR steadily clawing their way back to the top of the mountain
In the main event of Dynamite this week, FTR successfully retained their AAA and ROH tag team titles against The Young Bucks. The two teams delivered on the hype as they left no stone unturned in tearing the house down.
In a nutshell, it was an instant classic and served the storyline's purpose. Wheeler and Harwood avenged their Full Gear 2020 loss to The Jackson Brothers.
FTR was massively over on Wednesday night, with people rallying behind in their quest to claim the top spot in the tag team division. Considering how dominantly they have been booked in recent weeks, the company could put them in contention for the AEW Tag Team Titles down the road.
#1 Adam Cole could end Hangman Page's fairytale run on AEW Rampage next week
Adam Cole has gained some serious momentum since suffering his first official singles loss at the hands of Hangman Page at Revolution 2022.
The company has rebuilt Adam Cole by booking him to go over against Jay Lethal and Christian Cage.
In the latest episode of Dynamite, The Cowboy granted Cole another shot at his AEW World Championship. However, it won't be just another ordinary singles match, as the two men will collide in a Texas Death Match.
The bout will take place live on AEW Rampage next week. Given the stipulation imposed on the match, the company might be planning to book a title change.
It is unlikely that AEW will drop the ball on Cole again after booking him as a force to be reckoned with in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how their long-running storyline unfolds next week.
Did you enjoy AEW Dynamite this week? Sound off in the comments section below.