9 years ago back in June, WWE had an outbreak of Covid-19 whilst still recording shows at
the Performance Center with a reported 30+ positive cases.
This led to WWE finally putting stricter precautions in place like actually testing for the disease
specifically and getting people to wear masks.
It seems to have worked, especially since moving production to the AmWay Center’s
Thunderdome set up - which has even convinced top stars who chose not to work during the
pandemic like Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn to return.
But according to AJ Styles’ most recent Twitch stream, WWE’s new precautions haven’t
stopped new cases completely: “I tested positive a couple of weeks ago,
almost a month, I think, ago.
I feel for people who have to deal with this.
I gotta say, I didn't have many problems with it.
I had a headache, but never had a fever.
Maybe a couple of boogers, that's about it.”
Ah yes, the famous CoVid-19 symptoms - loss of taste and smell, a dry, persistent cough,
and “a couple of boogers.”
Going by AJ’s recent SmackDown appearances, this could’ve occured after the July 31st
episode where he wrestled Gran Metalik - which was actually taped the week previously on
July 21st.
His next appearance was three weeks later on the August 14th SmackDown, where he and
Joseph Parks set up Jeff Hardy as the next Intercontinental title challenger.
It was reported back in the June Performance Center CoVid outbreak that in-ring talent
were banned from discussing their coronavirus diagnoses publicly, as WWE wanted to manage
the PR.
That’s why it was only producers and backstage interviewers like Kayla Braxton and Adam Pearce
who confirmed they had tested positive on social media - while wrestlers who suddenly
disappeared from TV stayed quiet.
It’s unknown whether AJ admitting he tested positive will get him any backstage heat.
He was actually reacting on his Twitch stream to the news about another positive case - The
Rock.
Dwayne Johnson revealed that he, his wife, and two daughters were all currently fighting
the virus, though they “are on the other side, we are no longer contagious, and we
are, thank god, we are healthy.”
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash also revealed he and his family had tested positive for
Covid, and that his wife “still hasn’t got smell or tastes back”, while his “son
was asymptomatic”.
Unsurprisingly, in the last two weeks NXT and AEW haven’t gone head-to-head in the
Wednesday Night Wars, NXT viewership was up dramatically.
It’s almost like they’re only scheduled against each other as a cynical counter-programming
move.
Given NXT’s success running unopposed last Wednesday because of Dynamite being moved
to accommodate the NBA, and the show doing an even better rating for this week’s Super
Tuesday episode, WrestleVotes is reporting WWE might make the move permanently.
“Over the past month or so, discussions have transpired regarding NXT moving off Wednesday
nights.
No decision imminent, however, talks are ongoing.
The numbers over the next 2 weeks might have some impact on this decision.”
This week’s NXT was up by 25,000 viewers at 849,000, with a .26 rating in the 18-49,
marking the second highest viewership of 2020 after the August 19 episode.
The Wednesday Night Wars might be over before they’re a year old next month.
Of course, whatever gets more people watching great in-ring wrestling is the best move for
the industry, and a way to reduce the toxic tribalism amongst wrestling fans.
Now listen to me review the much better AEW Dynamite in about 5 minutes.
The All Out go-home show opened with fans still in the stands, Excalibur back on commentary
and a blood feud match over someone’s mum.
Best Friends attacked Santana and Ortiz to open the show - which immediately backfired
when the heels did heel stuff better, taking Chuckie T out in a pile of chairs.
Trent fought as hard as he could, but there was no hot tag to make, meaning he’d be
frequently cut off, including one hellacious bump off the ring apron onto the steel steps.
The eventual Chuckie T hot tag wasn’t enough though, as Trent was pinned soon after.
Unfortunately the steam was somewhat taken out of an otherwise very good match, as Santana
didn’t get Ortiz’s hand on the ropes in time for a post-piledriver near fall, meaning
the finish came off botched.
Private Party and SCU took on the Young Bucks and Jurassic Express next with some really
smart, drama-building stakes - the winning foursome would have a tag match against each
other at All Out.
It didn’t just give the match meaning, it also allowed for some intra-feuds to spin
out of the 8 man tag dynamic.
Kaz was pushing Private Party to work harder so he could get on the pay-per-view card,
while the Young Bucks just decided to be dicks to Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, still annoyed
about Hangman Page screwing them in the gauntlet last week.
Matt Jackson even went over to a planted fan holding a sign saying ‘Hangman Page Drink
My Beer’ and poured it over his head.
Wasting beer is a heel move.
The Bucks expertly carried this attitude through the match, sometimes working seamlessly with
Jurassic Express, and, at others, accidentally superkicking Jungle Boy in the face.
And when they won, setting up an awesome match for All Out, they just stormed off rather
than shaking Express’ hands.
Wrestling promotions have been saying there’s no more babyfaces or heels for years now,
and that they just book people as shades of grey.
I’ve never really bought into the argument until now.
AEW’s Elite storyline is so complex, so driven by character instead of plot points,
they’ve made it work with style.
This was carried on in Kenny Omega’s in-ring interview with Tony Schivone a few segments
later, wearing a shirt for the sadly passed Hana Kimura to raise money for her mother.
Crucially, he was out there alone.
So FTR and Tully Blanchard came down to pick on him, offering Omega a chocolate milk rather
than a beer this time.
Kenny said it’s three on one if you count Tully - who somehow looked the most intimidating
of everyone on the apron - but, mark his words, he’ll get a few shots in.
This finally brought out the centrepiece for the whole story: an increasingly self-destructive
yet still incredibly empathetic Hangman.
FTR immediately turned on him, saying they didn’t get inside his head like the Elite
are saying.
All of this is Page’s fault.
He’s insecure.
They might’ve well as said Hangman screwed Hangman.
FTR threw the titles on the floor and walked off, so Page picked them up to hand Kenny’s
to him… but Omega wasn’t there, just shaking his head outside the ring all of a sudden.
It was a terrific shot, and implies AEW is blocking out where the camera shots are placed
ahead of time for these in-ring segments, as opposed to it being purely reactive.
The camera work throughout was executed perfectly, being as much a part of the storytelling as
the wrestlers themselves.
Orange Cassidy was invited by his evolved form Jake Hager to be ringside for Chris Jericho’s
match against Joey Janela, which was Le Champion’s latest way to get inside Cassidy’s head.
Jericho dominated against Janela, awesomely catching a Joey springboard into a Codebreaker
to win, and then smearing Janela’s busted open forehead across his Cassidy shirt.
This brought out Sonny Kiss to save Janela, because babyfaces help their babyface mates,
and Cassidy celebrated with a little bit of the bubbly.
But unlike how faces tend to help other faces in AEW, rather refreshingly, heels won’t
necessarily help other heels.
It instead depends on what’s at stake, and to whose faction you belong.
This is the brilliant central sell of All Out’s Casino Battle Royal, which saw Team
Taz, Jake and Lance Archer, Eddie Kingston’s Death Pentagon, some of the Inner Circle,
and Tully and Shawn Spears all cut fiery promos against each other.
All heels, all vying to win the AEW title shot.
They all brawled through an adbreak, and it never really had a finish - but I did appreciate
them not letting one person stand tall, keeping the possible winners more open.
In the best women’s match on Dynamite in months - sadly not a high bar - Thunder Rosa
beat former NXT trainer Serena Deeb.
Straight Edge Society CM Punk to AEW confirmed.
They wrestled well and got a decent amount of time, but for a go-home angle to sell the
AEW women’s title match, I thought it was incredibly lacking - with no cliffhanger angle
with Shida, and very little character investment.
Sticking to their habit of cramming all the women’s stuff into one quarter hour, Big
Swole then cut a really fun promo to Tony Schiavone, who was then distracted by a pizza
delivery - that is genuinely the most relatable distraction spot ever - to get jumped by Britt
Baker and put in the lockjaw.
It’s great to see Baker back in action.
It was announced they’ll have a ‘Tooth and Nail’ match at All Out.
What are the rules?
I don’t know, they didn’t announce them.
And after a night long storyline of MJF’s lawyer Mark Sterling trying to get out of
his match with Jon Moxley, Wardlow forced him into the ring so MJF would get his title
match.
It was a comedy angle more than anything, with Mox beating Sterling despite giving him
multiple free shots, beating him with his trainer - who throws a shoe? - and winning
with the Paradigm Shift, that’ll be banned on Saturday.
But the real angle was in the post-match.
With 5 minutes of the show left, Wardlow and MJF brutally attacked Moxley, busting him
open with the diamond ring, with MJF smearing Mox’s blood over his face and posing with
the belt - adding a great layer of violence ahead of All Out.
That was this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite!
What did you think of the show?
Let me know in the comments down below, because I’ll be replying to people FROM OUTTA NOWHERE.
This was a solidly enjoyable episode, with more excellent storytelling from the Elite.
But by AEW’s own very high go-home show standards, I felt it lacked a truly killer
cliffhanger angle to All Out.
This week’s Dynamite is 3 out of 5.
Is WWE dropping Retribution?
Find out what’s going on by clicking the WrestleTalk News video on the right!
And what NXT Championship plans have been scrapped?
Click on the NXT review podcast with Laurie and Adam to find out!
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I’ve been Mr Davis, jam that jam.