SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
AEW DYNAMITE PRIMER
MARCH 18, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA AT DAILY’S PLACE
AIRS ON TNT, 8:00 PM EST
BY JOSHUA CHAMBERS (@josh_chambers), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Arena
This week’s Dynamite will emanate from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The 5,500 seat arena hosted AEW’s Fight for the Fallen in July 2019, and will likely be home to Dynamite tapings for the duration of the global Covid-19 outbreak.
Road to Dynamite
This week’s episode featured a package hyping Blood & Guts, an update on the ongoing feud between Dr. Britt Baker and Big Swole, and a new edition of The Librarians.
AEW Dark Recap
Colt Cabana defeated Peter Avalon
The Hybrid 2 defeated Brandon Cutler & Michael Nakazawa
Penelope Ford defeated Riho
Christopher Daniels defeated Stu Grayson
AEW Dynamite Matches and Segments
The Exalted One Revealed
The Best Friends vs. The Lucha Bros.
Jurassic Express vs. The Butcher & The Blade
The Elite vs. The Inner Circle – Winner receives an advantage in Blood & Guts
Final Thoughts
This episode was originally scheduled to air from Rochester, NY but was moved to Jacksonville amid Corona virus concerns. It will take place without fans in the stands, and with only essential personnel in the building. RAW and Smackdown both performed under similar conditions this week and were strangely compelling (if not a little bit eerie)! My hopes are high, and I’m confident that the AEW crew will be innovative and entertaining despite the circumstances.
The revelation of the Exalted One’s true identity is the segment I’m most excited for this week. They have done an excellent job of taking the Dark Order, a team that made me sigh and roll my eyes, and building them into a solid mid-card act with a mystery that has been fun to follow and discuss online. The only downside is there won’t be a crowd present to pop for whoever is finally debuting.
As for the rest of the card, I don’t expect anything too surprising. The really interesting thing will be watching these performers adapt to the unusual environment. You’ve got to think that this is one area where the (boring and wrongheaded) insult about spending years “wrestling in front of 20 people in an armory” will be a real advantage for these guys.
RECOMMENDED: 3/17 AEW DARK TV REPORT: Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels, Colt Cabana vs. Peter Avalon, TH2 vs. Cutler & Nakazawa