Welcome to After 48 on GrapPro where we discuss an All Elite Wrestling pay per view two days after it aired. That way the hot takes cool down and we can think about it with a clear perspective. At least that’s the idea.
Dynasty was a good show. It wasn’t a great All Elite Wrestling pay per view by any means but I feel it was still worth the price. Dynasty has been an awkward pay per view for AEW for two straight years now, coming between Revolution and Double or Nothing. It’s tighter to Revolution than DON so DON will still get a healthy six Sunday’s before the show airs. Revolution to Dynasty was half that.
That less time meant every episode of Dynamite and Collision mattered in building up the show. AEW President Tony Khan essentially gave up trying to fill it up with 10 feuds and opted instead to start the Owen Hart Tournament at Dynasty and put three matches from it onto the main show.
The best built programs were the AEW Women’s World Championship, the TNT Championship, and arguably the Trios Championship. The Men’s World Championship did begin at Revolution and should have had plenty of time but half of March was taken up by Cope getting another shot at the AEW Men’s World Championship against Jon Moxley. That meant Swerve had maybe a week and a half to really build up his feud with Mox and honestly it felt like AEW cared more about continuing the story between Swerve and Hangman more than Swerve and Moxley.
Thankfully AEW relying on their pro wrestling depth is a recipe for success since the wrestling absolutely delivered in the Owen matches. Mercedes/Julia was better than expected, Ospreay/Knight was pretty good, and Fletcher/Briscoe was pretty close to being the match of the night.
There was a large backlash to the main event, as once again the Death Riders angle will continue for at least two more pay per view cycles. There was no pivot. Of course, no pivot was promised. I predicted there would be no pivot, as much as I would have welcomed one. People really wanted the angle to end at this pay per view, despite the challenger poorly built up. Swerve Strickland is such a compelling top babyface that the crowd thought that would be enough. It wasn’t.
We’re now at the point where people think it’s an effective statement to say Tony Khan should be raped or murdered over pro wrestling booking decisions which, well, I guess that’s the current climate. Makes it difficult to be critical about the silly wrestling product you watch when people take their criticism’s to such ridiculous degrees. The last thing you want to be is lumped in with them, but you also don’t want to be soft on criticism just due to the dumbest of the fandom.
Then again, I referenced the Iron Sheik/Hogan/Verne Gagne leg break story from the 1980s about WWEID wrestlers facing AEW wrestlers on the indies and one of the WWEID wrestlers got shown it not knowing the context and deactivated Twitter and I got death threats for days until the WWEID wrestler reactivated. Not just on Twitter. I also got it on Facebook and Instagram. I’m sure those same people thought I was doing what people are doing to Tony. Sigh.
It’s a silly world we live in.
Hey, pro wrestling! Remember that? Let’s get into the show.
Favourite Wrestling Match
Megan Bayne versus Toni Storm
Wow, Toni has been my favourite match for a third straight time, also doing it for Revolution After 48 and Grand Slam: Australia After 48. It used to just be Hangman Adam Page that would occupy my favourite match over and over. Move over Cowboy.
I honestly believe if they ended the show with the Women’s World Championship instead of the Men’s World Championship that the internet reaction to the pay per view wouldn’t have been as volatile. With the show going beyond midnight and into the next day, I don’t think everyone would have been as angry if the show ended with Toni Storm retaining her championship in her Rocky gear.
The program was well built with Megan Bayne essentially overpowering and crushing Toni Storm at every opportunity. As the challenger she turned Toni Storm into an underdog. Timeless Toni embraced the underdog role, dressing like Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia and working the match from the bottom. Bayne still hit much of her offence and looked fantastic in her first major pay per view match for All Elite Wrestling, but it’s a good thing Toni spent time perfecting the small package when she played herself as a rookie. It won her the AEW Women’s World Championship and now it has got her through her second defence.
I do not stutter or hesitate when I say that Timeless Toni Storm is both my favourite babyface in pro wrestling today as well as my favourite pro wrestler. I think AEW needs to do more than just symbolic gestures like Toni closing out weekly shows. The smarter of us know that the eighth quarter is not as important to AEW ratings as the first. She deserves a main event on a pay per view. I doubt they will build anyone up for Moxley that we actually believe he’ll lose to. Heck, don’t even have the Men’s World Championship on the line. Put Toni Storm in the main event.
I’m not sure who faces her next with many of the best potential contenders currently working the Owen Hart Tournament. There’s no point going back to the Mariah May well with her missing. I have heard Mina Shirakawa is returning to AEW soon and will be full-time. I would not be against seeing her get the shot at Double or Nothing. I would also be fine with Bayne getting another crack.
Best Wrestling Match
Speedball Mike Bailey versus Ricochet versus Kenny Omega
Kenny once again takes the best wrestling match. Big reason I loved this match? Kenny wasn’t selling his stomach for half of it. I’m glad they are putting that to bed, even temporarily. I thought I was going to have to sigh and roll my eyes at Kenny Omega matches like I used to for Shawn Michaels matches in the 2000s.
All three men were spectacular here, and honestly I give the edge to Ricochet. Ricochet has been a fantastic heel in AEW, arguably the very best in the company. He’s a heel I hate but want to see, unlike the Death Riders. Being a great wrestler doesn’t take away my dislike of him. It makes me want to see him get his face kicked in even more.
Speedball had a very good debut for AEW as well. I think he’s got his kicks over with the AEW audience and showed he can handle the level of the likes of Ricochet and Kenny Omega. I would love to see him in singles matches still with both men. Would also love to see him face someone like Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Championship.
Kenny Omega in a lot of ways has been basically the counter to Jon Moxley as International Champion, something I highlighted in AEW’s Two Worlds. Nobody has a doubt that the two are being kept separate and Kenny given the International because if you put him in the Death Riders story and he doesn’t win? It would actually lead to the things fans threaten. Not the violence, but the no longer watching the product. Kenny Omega keeps a lot of goodwill in the company for those sick of the Death Riders storyline.
If you decided to shut the show off after this match? Your night probably ended fine.
More Thoughts After 48
Jon Moxley: This run would be a lot easier to deal with if the matches were good. That opening against Swerve where they tried to do terrible amateur grappling took any excitement of the match and grinded it to a halt. Once that was over the match got better until the finish. I don’t think Moxley is running people out of the product in droves but he’s certainly keeping people from loving the AEW product. He’s going to continue this to the very end he planned. What does he do after that? Hopefully Eddie Kingston returns to wake him up. Oh, and the owl on the new Death Rider merchandise? Do you really want to be the OVO of AEW? I forgot. Mox doesn’t have a cell phone.
Swerve Strickland: Swerve Strickland doesn’t have the Owen Hart Tournament to try to get a rematch. Then again, Cope just asked for a shot again and got it so he can always just try that. Post show we saw a video of Swerve Strickland shaking hands with MVP. That could be something to go forward in AEW or that’s just the two both agreeing for Booker T to go fuck himself. We will have to see. He’s facing PAC tonight, so he isn’t done with the Death Riders.
Hangman Adam Page: With Jay White out it looks like Hangman Adam Page took his role as the guy who runs in on the Death Riders only to get his ass kicked after. Far be it for AEW to allow the babyface cowboy to kick the Death Riders ass even just once like a cool 80s babyface or a Stone Cold 90s babyface. Nah. Of course, the intrigue is that he had an opportunity to take Mox or Swerve out and never got a chance to choose. With Swerve admitting he deserved to have his house burned down, and the return of the Young Bucks, many wonder if the program for Y’All In Texas will be the Bucks against the Bloody Lovers of Swerve and Hangman. Not what people want most from these guys, but I won’t lie. I never considered that match and now I absolutely want it. Is it too early to have Hangman and Swerve align? Maybe. I still want it.
MJF: MJF has quietly gone back to his old ways after Hangman Page challenged him to step up. MJF tried to prove he was better than Hangman and he lost clean. He’s now back to trying to find someone else to fight his battles, trying to recruit the Hurt Syndicate, or rather “join” them to help him become AEW Men’s World Champion again. This is no different to what he was trying to do with Jeff Jarrett. Whenever MJF hooks up with a senior citizen it’s usually because he’s doing what he can to not try. Trying means failure, and he failed against Adam Page. He can’t beat an Adam Page so he has to go with a new route. I can understand this program without liking it. It took attention away from the World Tag Team Titles and it once again put MJF in his own little world outside of title contention. I’d much rather watch MJF wrestle. If this story ends in MJF bringing old friends from the past to feud with Hurt Syndicate I might give up on him for the rest of the year.
Adam Cole: This was a mistake. Adam Cole and Undisputed Kingdom were doing great work in the Trios Division. Collision was doing great with their matches. They were a well built team, one of the few in that wretched division. Instead of having them try to make another run or find heels to feud with, we now got KOR and Roddy in limbo while Adam Cole plays TNT Champion? Wrong move. This match should have ended with Garcia retaining as his defining defence as TNT Champ before losing to a heel. Instead we got Adam Cole in a role I really don’t care for him to see him be in. It isn’t the time to push him as a singles guy yet. Easily my biggest disappointment on decisions made at Dynasty.
Daniel Garcia: Garcia loses the TNT Championship without that one defining PPV win. Since re-signing in AEW I don’t know if he’s really been elevated. I also don’t think he hasn’t had a performance to really stand out to say he should be. Daniel Garcia is a midcard worker and that’s really where he should be. I wish him and Bandido could have traded places. Garcia should be ROH Men’s World Champion and be the face of the ROH promotion. Bandido should be TNT Champion, especially over Adam Cole.
The Hurt Syndicate: Are they heels? Babyface? With FTR and Young Bucks back as heels, they better figure their spot out. The act is running thin.
The Young Bucks: A lot of people are confused as to what they have to do with the Death Riders. AEW on BlueSky posted a video of them that focused on them beating up the babyfaces of the company that have at times gone against the Death Riders. The Bucks left after the Death Riders destroyed Brandon Cutler. I have no interest in them playing EVP/Match Maker, but I’m definitely interested to see if they are back to work. The AEW Tag Division desperately needs them.
FTR: FTR predictably turned on Cope after the loss to the Death Riders and I couldn’t be happier. FTR is entertaining again! Cash Wheeler was an absolute riot putting on the neckbrace and faking dead with Dax defibulating him back to life. I’m not checking if I spelled that correctly. I’m all for FTR back as heels, and I’m all for FTR back as heels with Bucks heels as well. That means we don’t need to see them feud while they also work their best alignments! I am very happy about this.
Cope: Time for Christian Cage to save him from his next FTR beating and do the tag team retirement run we all know they are planned to do. Hey, Christian Cage and Adam Copeland is actually a team that the Hurt Syndicate would be fine losing to!
Mercedes Moné: She made Julia Hart look fantastic in their match. Mercedes doesn’t get enough credit as one of the best wrestlers in the company at elevating her opponent to a higher level of wrestling. The only one who has missed the mark against her is Britt Baker. Wherever she is now.
Kyle Fletcher: Kyle going to the final against Will Ospreay would be a really lame final for the Owen Hart Tournament so I hope whoever he faces in the semi final beats him. I also hope, if he isn’t facing Daniel Garcia for the TNT Championship, he goes up against Adam Cole and beats him at Double or Nothing. It’s time to put gold on the Protostar.
Mark Briscoe: Briscoe was great at Dynasty and I’m so glad he got the pay per view shine. AEW is in such a wealth of riches to have a guy like him to slot literally anywhere. I know space is limited at the top but if you wanted to build a guy up on short notice to face Jon Moxley in a match that Jon Moxley will actually be motivated to work like a real pro wrestler in? It’s against Mark.
Will Ospreay: There’s a lot of people who think Will Ospreay is winning the Owen Hart Foundation to take Darby Allin’s spot in the main event of Y’All In Texas. If there’s anyone Tony Khan goes with? It’s probably Will. If anyone is the apple of his eye to go all in with? To truly pivot to for a Men’s World Championship run? It’s Ospreay. Now isn’t the time to ask if he would actually be a draw for them. If you want this angle to end so badly, you better be happy with anyone they pick. That is, if Ospreay can even get the W in the final.
Kevin Knight: Good pay per view debut for Kevin Knight. A really excellent wrestler. I’m not sure what they do next with him, but I do hope he gets a program instead of just a loose collection of matches until forgotten.
Darby Allin: Wrestling Observer reported that Darby Allin would start his climb up Mt. Everest on April 15. If that’s true, it’s hard to see him be ready for Y’All In Texas. It’s also possible he already climbed up and we’re all being misled and he’s Hangman Adam Page’s Wild Card. Very unlikely (why not book him against a heel?) but that would be a real fun way to bring him back and get him to Y’All In Texas with some fire and some wins under his belt. Even if he ends up missing the Y’All In Texas date due to his mountain climb, I still see him returning to face Jon Moxley. Depends on if that’s for the Men’s World Championship or not. I really hope people stop blaming him for this. That’s such a dumb reaction. Blame the booking for not having you more excited about the Men’s World Championship.
Road to Double or Nothing 2025
Double or Nothing is Sunday, May 25 in the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Seven Dynamite’s including tonight to build to Double or Nothing should mean more personal stories and champion defences that mean something.
In Revolution After 48 I talked about how Swerve Strickland should become the guy Jon Moxley once was, the guy AEW relied upon if things got bad or unknown. I said that because I felt he was a guarantee for a good main event. Unfortunately, Jon Moxley is now a guarantee for a bad main event.
With Strickland getting his shot and not winning, AEW now has an opening for what will happen at Double or Nothing. I’ve heard of suggestions of doing Anarchy in the Arena or Stadium Stampede at the show where four babyfaces go up against the Death Riders that way. That would also ensure the final for the Owen Hart Tournament gets full attention and the winner can still focus on Jon Moxley instead of thinking it could be won by someone else.
That’s the problem. There should be a dozen guys chomping at the bit to get at Mox but due to the Owen Hart Tournament and the way this run has gone, nobody really believes now that AEW is going to pivot. Swerve was the best opportunity. Even if Hangman Adam Page loses in the first round and turns his attention to Moxley, nobody is really going to buy it. They won’t buy Samoa Joe or anyone else. There’s now a fear that even the winner of the Owen Hart Tournament isn’t winning at Y’All In Texas. The company will wait for Darby Allin to return.
I don’t know, but AEW has a lot of goodwill to fans to make up for this. Honestly? They would be good to just keep Moxley and the Death Riders out of the main event. Like I said earlier, get Toni Storm in that main event slot and end the pay per view on a positive note with the best babyface in the company. That’s how you send the fans home happy. Open the show with the Death Riders hijinx and their usual post-match “This is supposed to make you forget the heels won” surprise that Tony Khan books predictably and let people watch the rest of a great show to forget about it.
It would be great if AEW puts some real time into repairing the divisions on other belts like the World Tag Team Championship and Trios so those belts mean something. I also hope this Adam Cole TNT Championship run doesn’t go too long. That’s a real mistake.
Everyone is in a tug o war with statistics and emotions about whether AEW is hot or cold and I don’t really let it dominate my thoughts on the product. I just see the same product with potential to be great often missing the mark to only be very good and I enjoy the very good but do wish they’d learn from their mistakes to once again be great. The reality is that I still don’t see any pivot happening. I think AEW is going to the very end with this Death Rider storyline and once they crown who they want to crown, they will run with whatever they planned after that. I don’t know who gets left behind and who gets elevated, but I do know that the more you wallow in what you don’t get? You lose sight of what you do get.
I mean, we got a pay per view where FTR was actually entertaining. Count your blessings.
