thelesterlee
AEW Dynasty 2024 may be the company’s best PPV of all time. It’s insane I can say that after every single one of AEW’s PPVs. Nothing but real hoopers up and down the roster.
They crowned the first-ever black world champion as Swerve Strickland finally makes history. Willow Nightengale and Mercedes Mone set up a feud that may result in some of the best in-ring work Mercedes has ever done. Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson casually have the match of the year.
Here are my 4 biggest takeaways from AEW Dynasty 2024:
1. Are we sure we need trios titles?
In theory, a trios championship makes sense. AEW has the best wrestlers in the world capable of creating dynamic performances from a match type WWE used at the end of Monday Night Raw to get a bunch of stars in a match that would almost always end with fuckshit.
But these trios championships haven’t done anything but dilute the tag team division.
I don’t know if The Acclaimed fell off because they left the tag division and started wrestling with a 60-year-old man, but I do believe they could tell better stories if they were feuding with actual tag teams that are like, on their level (if you know what I mean) instead of getting in stories with Malakai Black and Jay White. Like, The Acclaimed vs. Private Party or Shane Taylor Promotions would be more their speed. Maybe their little pre-match freestyles would come off better if the stakes were lower.
2. Willow vs. Mercedes
Deadseriousness is a Willow Nightingale stan site. She’s the reason I continue watching AEW after they aired security footage from the lamest backstage fight in the history of history. Which is why I have convinced myself she’s getting a real run with the TBS belt.
To the untrained eye, Willow looks like a bridge champion because she’s a bigger name with built-in story history with Mercedes Mone but I feel like it’s a misdirection. Mercedes was attacked backstage on Dynamite and we still don’t know who did it. Whoever it was, has the real beef with Mone and will be showing up to prevent her from beating Willow so my girl can have a real run as champion (Before Kris Statlander takes it).
While we’re talking about it, here are my theories of who attacked Mercedes backstage:
1. Kris Statlander: Willow is not turning heel any time soon. But Stokely and Kris Statlander are. Soon. Perhaps all this does is set up Kris vs. Mercedes for the TBS belt but I really think AEW is more self aware than that and they’ll make Mercedes do a bunch of side missions before giving her the actual women’s title.
2. [insert name of random Joshi]: AZM appeared recently. Forbidden Door is this summer. I could see this being a long story to get Mercedes in the ring with a Japanese woman I do not have any relationship with but I’m sure the match will be fine.
3. Britt Baker: Britt Baker has to return at some point, right? Every time Mone says “C. E. O.” it sounds like she’s taunting the “D.M.D.”
4. Adam Cole as The Devil: I meant it went sooooooooooo well last time. Why not run it back?
All I know is every woman I named will have a singles match against Skye Blue on Dynamite in the next few weeks.
3. Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson has said he’s wrapping up his wrestling career because he promised his lame-ass kid blah blah. You want him to ride off into the sunset on his terms and then you watch him and Will Ospreay put on one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time and you selfishly never want Danielson to hang them up.
And if you ever feel like you want Danielson to wrestle forever, go ahead and watch anything Chris Jericho has done in 2024. I don’t hate Jericho as much as the internet does. Like, look at this spot from his victory over Hook:
Chris Jericho comiéndose 16 minutos de un PPV en 2024 y ganando a Hook (que ha estado siempre protegido por AEW) tiene que estar penado por ley.
Mal combate, mala decisión, mala dinámica y mal ganador. pic.twitter.com/ktzuVtI6sj
— Alejandro Gómez (@SrAlexGomez) April 22, 2024
I still think Jericho can create moments.
But man, he was in the GOAT convo at one point and now I’m witnessing an old man not willing to take a step back because he’s convinced himself he’s vital for the company. I do not want to see elderly Bryan Danielson struggling against fucking Hook while fans chant “Retire” at him.
4. The future is bright
I’ve been watching Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe be the best wrestlers on the planet for two decades and counting. Their Ring of Honor tapes kept me fed while Triple H was accusing Kane of both vehicular manslaughter and necrophilia.
At AEW Dynasty 2024, Danielson and Joe passed some version of a torch to Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland. A Generation of kids are about to embark on an emotional journey ending with them believing Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland (and MJF) are the greatest ever.
Also, quick shout-out to Jungle Boy. I know I joked about the CM Punk security footage but I also said AEW is self-aware. All of this heat was intentional and I believe Jungle Boy will 1000% take advantage of this opportunity to end up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the other performers I mentioned.
Oh, and we are dangerously close to seeing 25-year-old Mariah May take over the women’s division. The future is luminescent.
AEW Dynasty 2024 just turned everything in this company up to another level.
Random Stray Thoughts:
- Toni Storm is the 3-time AEW women’s champion. Her first reign was a lame-duck interim run following a Thunder Rosa injury. Her second reign was a lame-duck interim run following a Jamie Hayter injury. The third time, she was rewarded for her character work as “Timeless” Toni Storm but this time, she has elevated a cursed title that has been stuck in crisis as previous stars build it up only to literally injure their backs carrying the division. Toni Storm has made this a prestigious prize and just put on a SHOW with Thunder Rosa. Toni is officially stamped as the best women’s champion in the company’s history narrowly passing Saraya and her illustrious reign.
- It’s crazy how great a PPV can be by simply not ending the night with Matt Hardy showing up and doing a gimmick that fucking sucks.
Thank you so much for the love last night, Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/lRg4vV34jq
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) April 21, 2024
[waking up from an experimental surgery that allows me to continue living life after having my brain removed] DELETE DELETE DELETE.
What are your thoughts on AEW Dynasty 2024? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if who you think attacked Mercedes Mone backstage.
