3 Interesting observations from AEW Dynamite (January 1, 2020)
The first AEW Dynamite episode of 2020 focused on all the right things, as the company builds toward a pretty stacked month in terms of programming.
Jon Moxley and Cody Rhodes carried on the momentum for their respective feuds, and apart from that, AEW also teased some potential dissension between 'Hangman' Adam Page and other key members of The Elite.
Although some of the show's weaknesses are still pretty apparent at this point, you have to give credit to the showrunners for responding to criticism, at least to some extent so far.
Here are a few interesting observations from this year's first episode of AEW Dynamite (January 1st, 2020).
#3: The episode mainly focused on storylines that have been working for AEW so far
Those who have been following AEW Dynamite since its inception are aware of the fact that there is a major divide between the show's top and mid-card storylines.
The Elite vs. The Inner Circle was a major running theme throughout last night's episode, and by leaning back to basics, the show worked in terms of both wrestling and entertainment. Of course, this also meant that factions such as The Nightmare Collective and Dark Order wouldn't have a lot of stake in the episode, and that worked in AEW's favor last night since both of these factions have received mixed criticism for their respective storylines and general portrayal so far.
This goes to show that AEW's diverse programming does work against them during certain shows. The depth and stark contrast between storylines means that every angle has something important going on, and since Dynamite is a 2-hour show, you can't cram everything within that timeframe every week.
That is why AEW made a smart decision by mostly focusing on storylines that have been working in their favor so far. Hopefully that trend continues next week and beyond.