Thoughts on Wednesday Night Dynamite (4/15/26) - The Best of AEW

We all felt the tension. We read or listened to the #HotTakes from our favorite (and hated) commentators, all offering various opinions of what Tony Khan should do with his promotion's World Championship. We tossed around scenarios and debated how effective they would be if properly executed. Quite honestly, something is intoxicating about watching a professional wrestling program with the expectation that a beloved babyface will finally win the big one. 

We all have memories of Mick Foley's first WWF Championship win on Monday Night RAW in 1999, or Lex Luger submitting Hollywood Hogan with his signature Torture Rack to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship just two years earlier. Would this edition of Dynamite end in the same vein? 

And from my point of view: yes, it did, though not without its faults. I faced an interesting duality when watching the 4/15 edition of Dynamite: I thought I was watching a strong American-style pro wrestling episode, yet a few of my fellow Sicko brethren were disappointed with its execution and presentation. "It's WWE lite!" was a consistent (but still a minority) outcry on my Twitter timeline

It had me thinking: what should American pro wrestling actually be presented on television? How do we make it more "sports presentation" than the type of content we've been getting since 1997? Does it even need to change? I'm going to review this episode and offer my thoughts on the overall landscape of the industry:

Cold Open - MJF Arrives at the Arena, and main event setup 

The cold-open shot of a megastar arriving at the arena has been a staple of American-style pro wrestling television for quite a while, and I think the more critical of the Sickos are looking for something new to hook and reel them in. It's the type of segment you'd regularly see during the Monday Night War, which somehow occurred nearly 3 decades ago (what the fuck!). It's a tired way of starting your broadcast. I get it.

But...

I thought this was an effective segment that accomplished far more than you might have expected, especially compared to similar cold opens from other promotions. This wasn't a shot of MJF climbing out of some ridiculously expensive whip, saying a few words, and hitting his signature catchphrase before disappearing to the back. 

Renee Paquette did an excellent job of immediately creating a sense of urgency, while MJF made sure to establish a few things: 1. He left the arena immediately after defeating Kenny Omega, and did not know Darby Allin had defeated Andrade; 2. Bragged about kicking out of the One Winged Angel, which is certainly a matter of perspective; 3. Made sure to tell Don Callis that he was owed a favor for Andrade's failure, setting up a potential match or long-term feud between the two; 4. Made sure to establish his victories over Allin with the side headlock. 

Allin hits the ring, but an outraged MJF refuses to compete in a match he was unprepared for. Here's the thing: it's extremely difficult to believe that chronically online MJF was unaware of his title defense against Allin, even if he took steps to make it more believable (such as actually staying off Twitter for the 3 days following Dynasty). 

I think one of my gripes with American-style pro wrestling television is that you, the audience, are being asked to suspend your disbelief in an inconsistent manner. You're supposed to believe MJF didn't know about the title defense (suspending your disbelief), but you're also supposed to buy whenever MJF (or anyone else) starts to "blur the line" between realism and creativity.

But, I also think some of the audience missed a broader aspect of MJF's character: he's a liar and a cheat. Of course, he's going to use any excuse in order to retain his title. "How can I defend my title when I didn't even know I had a match!" fits MJF's bullshit persona. I don't think we're supposed to believe an obvious bullshit excuse, even if this little weasel made the effort to cover his tracks. 

All of this leads to another typical trope: the main event being announced during the opening segment. It doesn't take a genius to understand why bookers lean on this particular segment; in fact, I'd argue there's merit to it. It's all about execution. It's like the aforementioned cold-open comparison: WWE allows endless, robotic, and uncharismatic banter among its stars before finally setting up the evening's main event.

But this was very clearly different. Allin spoke with emotion, tears flowing down his face. I will always have a special connection to Darby as a performer. I saw him wrestle many times at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY, when he was with Evolve, and he was taking the same type of bumps then as he is now.

I wish this story had been told sooner rather than later, because some of the Darby juice has been squeezed. The push for Allin winning the title did not feel nearly as organic as it did months ago, but I thought Allin did a great job of building anticipation and explaining what the title means to him.

Wrestling should be about emotion. The thought of winning and losing should bring you to tears, because it's everything you've ever worked for. The AEW World Championship should be a goal for every single member of the roster. 

Really strong performances from all involved. Also, I loved Bryan Danielson being the one to confirm the main event. Effective opening seg. It TOLD STORIES - both now and for the future - and it achieved its ultimate goal in getting me more excited for the main event. 

Foreshadowing: Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay

This was the second straight "talking" segment, as Ospreay and Omega had a passionate discussion about their failures following their bouts at Dynasty. The story is simple: both are phenomenal pro wrestlers with similar career trajectories, but one is significantly younger than the other. Omega is audibly questioning whether he has anything else to offer, at least at a main event level. He has a dangerous illness, a beaten and battered body, and Father Time always wins. Always. 

But therein lies the duality: Opsreay reminding Omega of who he is, what he's accomplished, and what he can still accomplish. Ospreay confessed that Omega is his hero, which seemingly pulls Omega out of the deep end. 

This was more than the past and present getting together to mull over the trajectories of their careers. It felt like foreshadowing the main event of All In at Wembley Stadium later this summer. It felt like one of those men would walk into All In as champion, the other leaving with the strap. I could see a world where Ospreay inadvertently woke the sleeping dragon that is Omega, and comes to regret it. Ospreay could've taken his chances against MJF, Darby Allin, or anyone else. Now, though? He not only has to face the best version of Omega, but he also caused the best version of Omega to emerge from his slumber. 

I joked about this on Twitter, but I think having back-to-back segments in which two of your top stars shed tears was an unfortunate happenstance, rather than deliberate performances by all involved. I don't think they planned for Allin to cry in the previous segment, haha. 

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dezmond Xavier

I was admittedly hesitant about the prospects of Ciampa joining AEW. On the one hand, I've always found him to be an entertaining performer and someone I enjoyed watching apply his craft in the squared circle; that said, Ciampa is 40 years old and was featured across NXT/WWE television for quite a long time. I think it's fair to question whether that TV time should go to a veteran of the Fed rather than to newer, fresher names. I certainly have.

But I have to say: Ciampa has fit in very well, at least thus far. He had a solid match against Xavier, but the post-match promo is what had viewers buzzing, as "The Psycho Killer" sets his sights on the AEW World Title. I'm all for a Ciampa vs. Darby main event for a special edition of Dynamite, but not as much if it headlines a pay-per-view.

As for Xavier: I would like to see more direction from the Rascalz; then again, they may simply be a mid-card trio who compete in fun matches and not much else. I'd be cool with that. 

VIDEO PACKAGE

Someone page Bryan Alvarez, because it's VIDEO PACKAGE time. It was fine, and another indicator that Allin was going to win. 

FTR in-ring promo

Hey, it's a promo-heavy episode of Dynamite. I don't think an in-ring promo was necessary, and I'd argue a backstage promo could've been more effective, but this wasn't bad. They came out with a stated purpose, mocked Copeland, Cage, and the fans, and left. The purpose was to signal a rematch, or perhaps a multi-team match that would involve the Bucks. It feels like a TLC-style match is inevitable. Fine segment, wrong setting.  

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Knight

Super fun contest. Man, it feels exciting watching Knight perform. We're witnessing the potential emergence of AEW's next main-event-level star, someone who can get over with every demographic, especially kids. He looks cool, wrestles cool, and now he's the TNT Champion, defeating established roster members. Oh, and he's yet another name keeping their eyes on the World title scene.

I think what excited me most about Knight, though, is Khan's willingness to push him. We've witnessed WWE (under both McMahon and Big Nose) flat-out ignore the audience's desires, but Khan hasn't. He sees what we see in Knight, and that's exciting. 

Chris Jericho speaks

The crowd popped for Jericho, which undoubtedly disappointed some of you. I audibly chuckled at Ricochet re-naming the Lionsault to the Ricosault. It was another talking segment, but it extended the feud between Jericho and the Demand. He's down 3 men to 1, so I'd imagine a pair of dudes coming to his defense. Is it Big Bill and Bryan Keith, a duo from one of his former factions, or an entirely new pair of partners? Personally, I'd like to see Bill and Keith return, but in a far different capacity. Big Bill should be on TV every single week, giving chokeslams and power bombs galore. Keith is a great wrestler. Let's make it happen.

Will Ospreay vs. Hechicero

Two of the best wrestlers in AEW going head-to-head, and it was fucking awesome. I saw complaints regarding the post-match beatdown from Mark Davis, and I'm not sure I understood them. Ospreay is an athlete who clearly pushed himself too fast and too hard and is paying the price. It happens all the time in "real" sports, and I'm unsure why they'd face any blowback here. 

Thekla and Windsor trade barbs

How fucking awesome was this segment? Thekla is a bona fide star, man. I don't know who to credit with this tweet, but someone compared Thekla's confidence to Becky Lynch's, and yeah, that feels about right. She knows she's fucking awesome, and it feels like she's taking advantage of her opportunities. Windsor, however, pleasantly surprised me on the microphone. It's the type of verbal performance that should make Khan more comfortable with the prospect of putting the title around her waist in the future. Thekla recently re-upped with AEW and will hopefully be a staple of the promotion for years to come. She's the one I'd build the entire division around; actually, she's a little dangerous because her presence overshadows that of her stablemates Julia Hart and Sky Blue. She is very clearly the woman. 

Willow Nightingale vs. Kamile for the TBS Championship

I have to rewatch this match because my daughter was having a tough time falling asleep. It accomplished its goal (Kamile getting the better of Willow despite taking the loss). Kamile is fine, I guess. 

Statlander and Shida -- what's the deal?

Joe Lanza offered this take on his Dynamite review, and it's one I agree with: Shida feels a bit like a relic, no? I often talk about the AEW Women's division passing Britt Baker by, but I think that sentiment applies to Shida as well. I can see the direction, but it feels like two former World Champions are directionless. Statlander will get back in the mix of things, but Shida...I don't know. It would be like D'Lo Brown showing up on a mid-2000s episode of RAW or something (and I don't mean any disrespect to Downtown D'Lo Brown!). It just doesn't fit. 

IT'S STINGGGGGGGG

Oh, Darby is REALLY winning this thing. How fucking awesome was his closing exchange with Allin? "It's not showtime. It's YOUR time." Like, fuck yeah. We're seeing a physical manifestation of a retired veteran fully surrendering the spotlight to his younger protege. The Darby/Sting pairing is one of the greatest in wrestling history, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Darby Allin vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship

SHOCK FINISH! Darby wins with the side headlock takeover after catching MJF completely off guard. He was unprepared and paid the ultimate price. 

There are so many takes on this finish, and the immediate direction of the main event scene. I do think Dynamite needed this signature moment, and I think the shock finish made sense for the story being told. MJF was not ready, perhaps underestimated Allin, and lost. It's the ultimate comeuppance for the company's biggest heel. It's their version of Lex Luger defeating Hollywood Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, or Mankind winning the WWF Championship on RAW. 

Well, they tried to make this their version. It didn't quite land with me, at least when compared to those two moments permanently seared into my mind. I think it's simply a case of AEW capitalizing on the moment far too late. 

Still, it was a great moment for the company, for Darby, and even for MJF. He was pretty fucking awesome during his title reign, and now he's off to Hollywood for another role. The World Title scene is fucking buzzing even after MJF's temporary departure. 

Allin is the champ with Ospreay, Omega, Andrade, Ciampa, Knight, Speedball Mike Bailey, and others coming for him. We're all guessing what the main event of All In 2026 will be, and that's awesome. There's undeniable excitement surroudning this company, and I think Khan deserves all the credit in the world for looking at himself in the mirror and committing to trusting his instincts. It's what any good booker should do. 

I don't think this was a "WWE lite" episode. I think it was an excellent Americanized style of pro wrestling weekly television, the type of episode that existed during WCW's glory days. It's what Khan literally grew up on. 

Still, I'd like to see AEW shake things up. Why not try something new with FTR, rather than a fine but tired in-ring promo? I think that's the biggest gripe the hardened Sickos have. The promotions with strong television are not all that different from one another. AEW has avoided the General Manager trope (though Christopher Daniels says hello), but I'd like to see them try a new structure for their television programming. 

If they don't? I can't say I blame them, because this was the type of episode that should leave you excited for the future. 

It feels like the vibes are actually back this time around. The conversation heading into WrestleMania 42 feels grim (no, I'm not suggesting they're going under). There's an opportunity for AEW to really cement itself as not just a challenge brand to WWE, but the preferred performance to WWE. They feel more in-your-face, at least compared to 2023-2025. 

I think we're in for an unbelievable summer. I've heard whispers about something interesting possibly occurring in the fall, too, but that's a story for a different day. AEW is on fire, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.