All Elite Wrestling
Credit: All Elite Wrestling
Coming off a red-hot Full Gear pay-per-view, this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite had a lot to live up to. It needed to follow up on Samoa Joe reclaiming the AEW World Championship from Adam Page, Hook’s heel turn, and the return of Swerve Strickland. It also had to address the title changes in both the AEW World Tag Team Championship and the AEW TNT Championship divisions.
Dynamite marked the return of the annual Continental Classic as well, although the tournament arrived with plenty of confusion about what the competitors are actually fighting for. The first night featured several key matchups, but the stakes were not as clear as they should have been.
Here is everything that went down on an intriguing episode of Dynamite:
Why Did AEW Already Split The Unified Championship?
Tony Khan said last week that AEW carries so many titles because they create stakes. That explanation ignores how effective non-title feuds can be and how easily wrestling can build stakes without another belt. No. 1 contender matches, personal rivalries, and fractured stables all give fans plenty to invest in.
So adding the AEW National Championship already felt unnecessary. AEW and Ring of Honor have more than enough titles in circulation. But things went from excessive to outright messy on Dynamite with what appears to be the quiet end of the AEW Unified Championship and the sudden return of both the International and Continental titles, which had been unified in the first place.
The Continental Classic has become a bright spot late in the year, and the winner now receives the Continental Championship. That part is fine. The problem is that AEW merged this title with the International Championship at All In when Kazuchika Okada beat Kenny Omega to create the Unified Championship.
On Wednesday, AEW had Okada surrender the Continental Championship to be awarded through the tournament, while he wore the International Championship to the ring. The end result is that Okada is no longer the Continental or Unified Champion. He is just the International Champion, and the Unified Championship quietly disappears.
It is a needlessly convoluted mess. Why is the tournament not for the Unified Championship? What was the point of Okada vs. Omega at All In and all the preceding buildup? AEW either needs to retcon this quickly or accept that the company undercut months of storytelling for no clear reason. Instead of enhancing the Continental Classic, the confusion overshadows an otherwise strong night of wrestling and a tournament that fans genuinely look forward to each year.
Continental Classic Matches Deliver
Okada vs. Kyle Fletcher was a terrific way to open Dynamite. The match continued the story that Fletcher has Okada’s number and that the Rainmaker still cannot beat him. It is early in the tournament, so the result may not matter in the final standings, especially if the real destination is Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita. Even so, it was a statement win and a strong choice to start the show.
Jon Moxley beating Mascara Dorada felt like the safer option, but an upset would have made more sense. Moxley has been dropping matches and losing credibility within the Death Riders, and a loss here would have pushed that story forward. Instead, the group’s possible breakup gets pushed down the road until after the Continental Classic. AEW now has to hope the angle still has heat when they finally decide to pull the trigger.
On the flip side, AEW made a bold move by giving Kevin Knight a win over Darby Allin, who continues to sell his mounting injuries from the Pac feud and their Full Gear match. It is early in the tournament, but this was a major moment for Knight, one of the company’s most promising young stars. He probably will not win the Continental Classic, yet this run will raise his profile in a meaningful way.
Hook Takes Another Small But Productive Step
Full Gear finally gave Hook his defining moment when he turned on Adam Page to help Samoa Joe reclaim the AEW World Championship. It was the first time he felt truly essential rather than just along for the ride, which had often been the case during his runs with Team Taz, the Opps, Eddie Kingston, and even as a solo act. His potential has been obvious for years, and now AEW seems ready to cash in by giving him real screentime and, importantly, the microphone. On Dynamite, he delivered a short but effective promo while Page and Swerve Strickland confronted the Opps in the ring.
It is also worth noting that Hook is now sharing segments with the AEW World Champion and two of the company’s biggest stars in Page and Strickland. That is the top program and the main event picture, and putting him there signals real trust. AEW is giving him the chance to sink or swim.
So far, he is swimming. It is still early, and the direction of the story is not fully clear, but Hook finally has a genuine opportunity to establish himself and elevate his role beyond the novelty factor. He has the chance to become a fixture in the upper midcard and possibly more.