AEW Dynamite Review - October 30, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

"Hangman" Adam Page def. Sammy Guevara

These are two of AEW's fastest rising stars (along with MJF, of course) and will be ones to watch in the coming months/years. They had terrific chemistry as expected and produced a fun bout to kick off the evening. They weren't given a ton of time, but they didn't need to be. This was important in giving Page an important singles victory and getting him back on track ahead of his rematch with Pac at Full Gear. The post-match promo was a nice touch as well seeing as how we don't hear from him nearly enough on Dynamite.

Hikaru Shida def. Shanna

I believe Shida has made a handful of appearances for AEW so far, but I'm slightly surprised she made her Dynamite debut ahead of the rest of the women's division (including Awesome Kong, Penelope Ford, Allie and Sadie Gibbs). Despite that, she had a fantastic performance and won over the audience by the end. This was way more competitive than I thought it would be and Shanna got to showcase her skills as well.

Santana and Ortiz Attacked The Rock 'n' Roll Express

I was beginning to wonder where Chris Van Vilet had been, as he hadn't been featured on Dynamite since the debut of the show weeks ago. He introduced The Rock 'n' Roll Express here, who were promptly attacked by Santana and Ortiz. They really went all out in brutalizing the WWE Hall of Famers and generated great heat for it. The Young Bucks ultimately made the save to further that feud.

Best Friends and Orange Cassidy def. QT Marshall, John Silver and Alex Reynolds

The Rick and Morty stuff won't appeal to everyone, but as a fan of the show myself, I found it hilarious. Best Friends and Cassidy looked so ridiculous that it was amazing. The match wasn't anything special, but this was exactly what it needed to be and I was glad it didn't overstay its welcome. I might be in the minority here, but I never cease to laugh my ass off whenever Best Friends hug Cassidy and the camera quickly zooms out. I don't know why, but I get a big kick out of that.

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Cody Signed the Contract for Their Full Gear Match

If AEW really want to differentiate themselves from WWE, switching up the stagnant contract signing formula isn't enough. Rather, they should do away it all together. This one was well done, but it's hard to excited about them normally because of they've been done to death over the years. I appreciated that this took a different turn with Geuvara and Jake Hager shown attacking Dustin Rhodes (with Hager using the same low blow that got him disqualified in his latest MMA fight) in the parking lot while the signing was going on. The mic work from Jericho and Cody was good and I'm looking forward to their match at Full Gear.

The Elite def. Kip Sabian and TheHybrid2

Omega talks a lot about his love for Halloween, so I would have been supremely disappointed if he didn't dress up on this episode. Sure enough, he did, even if I didn't understand where the costume was from. The Bucks dressed up as well, I believe as Street Fighter characters. The outcome was never in doubt, but it was high spots galore and the crowd ate up everything they did. There wasn't much in the way of selling or storytelling, but at least every minute felt like it mattered. Plus, Santana and Ortiz ambushing the Bucks at ringside afterward was a cool touch.

Jon Moxley Attacked Peter avalon

I believe this marked Avalon's Dynamite debut. Thank the lord it didn't last long because the librarian gimmick is terrible. He was laid out by Moxley, who cut a promo about how frustrated he is about his match with Omega at Full Gear being made unsanctioned (because a win wouldn't count toward his record). We haven't heard a ton from him on the mic since his return earlier this month, so this was needed and I thought he knocked it out of the park. It's so refreshing hear him speak without a script. He did a tremendous job of building anticipation for his upcoming outing with Omega.

SoCal Uncensored def. The Lucha Brothers to Become the Inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions

It was originally announced that The Rock 'n' Roll Express would be presenting the winners of this with those beautiful-looking tag titles, but I guess that was scrapped once they were attacked earlier in the evening. This should have had a bigger fight feel, but because of time constraints, the entrances weren't televised and the post-match celebration was cut short. It was an enjoyable main event that never reached that next gear. The roll-up finish was also underwhelming. I'm a fan of SCU, but I strongly feel that Lucha Brothers should have been the inaugural champions. I was shocked when they lost, and based off that crowd reaction, I wasn't the only one.

Overall Show

My biggest nitpick of AEW so far continues to be the lack of character development. We know who the more notable names are, but everyone else (and specifically the women) hasn't been fully fleshed out yet. Of course, that can be improved upon over time, but in the meantime, they're delivering excellent shows filled with above-average wrestling and successful build for Full Gear next Saturday. I can't say there was much wrong with this show on the whole whatsoever, as I liked the Halloween-themed stuff and the first-ever AEW World Tag Team Champions being crowned made it newsworthy.