Biased Thoughts: AEW Dynamite #172
2 Hours. +5k Tickets Sold. January 18th 2023
About Jay Briscoe, I knew he was a staple of ROH when I started to watch more stuff outside of AEW and WWE, discovering wrestling is the best and Jay with his brother Mark had a consistency that is not easy to match, 20 years of greatness. The sadness about not only loosing a generational talent but as well to loose a man who had children and a family. Someone that did a mistake and tried to repaired it in every way possible. History will be kind with Jay Briscoe, an all time great, and always remember, TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE!!!
Orange Cassidy vs Jay Lethal for the AEW All Atlantic Championship (***1/4) A really fun match. Danhausen and the Jarrett Dojo mix so well. I really needed this type of match.
Top Flight vs The Young Bucks (NR) I couldn´t watch the full match because the audio for this portion of the show was really bad, I will watch it later but it was a GREAT decision of Top Flight finally beating the Bucks, and will set up the trios match between Top Flight & AR Fox vs The Bucks and Kenny.
Ricky Starks vs Jake Hager (***) A match to advance the story and give Starks another win vs the JAS, this feud has been really fun aside of the really weak promo segment last week.
Bryan Danielson vs Bandido (****1/2) Danielson is having fun, first match was a puro style fight and the second one is a lucha style match, tremendous stuff from two of the best in wrestling. The chants in spanish added charm and as well showed the babyface potential of Bandido. GREAT.
Toni Storm vs Willow Nightingale (***) This match was similar to Starks vs Hager on the sense that it was to advance the storyline forward and now FINALLY the heels and babyface have been decided. Outsiders vs Originals have the potential to be a hot feud and angle for AEW and a way to give the women´s big spots.
Darby Allin vs KUSHIDA for the TNT Championship (****1/4) I´m not a selling psycho but I give extra points when they punished a limb and the structure of a match is 100% focus on the injured body part while not been boring, Darby and KUSHIDA did that and basically left an space open for a rematch at some point. Strong main event.
Rating of the show: 8/10
Extra Notes:
- This was the best version of the Road To AEW show, advanced and added elements to the ongoing storylines, again, really good show.
- The in ring level on this AEW TV shows is top tier.
- I loved the Takeshita segment, him backing Bryan vs MJF shennanigans is very interesting, specially when Callis and Omega are trying to recruit him.
- Hangman with a really good segment with Renee.
- MJF did a very strong promo, much better than the stinker he did last week, keep it going.
