AEW Dynamite 12/18/2024: 3 Things We Loved And Hated

Another "AEW Dynamite" has come and gone. With just one more episode before Worlds End, the Continental Classic is heating up, while MJF took some unseemly shots at Adam Cole, and the Deathriders continued their war on AEW.

As always, it's time to break down the good and the bad of Wednesday's show. There will not be much talk of "what" happened, as that is what the results page is for. This will instead be the highs and lows according to the Wrestling Inc. Staff who keep up with "Dynamite" week in and week out. The show even divided some of the staff, who found themselves loving and hating one segment in particular.

Without further ado, here's the best and the worst of the December 18 edition of "AEW Dynamite."

Christian Cage and HOOK are currently entangled in a very personal feud after The Patriarchy was found to be responsible for the devastating attack on HOOK's father, Taz. HOOK escalated his revenge plot onto Cage with a run-by attack on the December 11 episode of "AEW Dynamite," and this week, Cage and HOOK looked towards tag team combat as both of them brought in some backup in the form of Nick Wayne and Katsuyori Shibata respectively.

Now, the match was just fine. Wayne's kissy faces towards the crowd at the beginning of the match gave me a severe case of the ick, so I will frequently refer to him as "Icky Nicky" for the remainder of this piece. However, for as much as Icky Nicky sent chills down my spine with his overall cocky demeanor as Cage's beloved son, I am glad that he was the one to get the win tonight and not Cage.

Icky Nicky and Shibata's segments during the match really stood out to me. Wayne performed well alongside a veteran like Shibata, and he fed off of the older man's experience in order to take his own wrestling to the next level. Shibata and Wayne had a decent lock-up that wasn't all that painful to watch, considering Wayne's inexperience. If Wayne can continue to get veterans to learn from in such an involved way, I can see him making a really positive impact on the AEW's men's midcard in a few years, which is always exciting to hear. There must be some similar degree of faith in Wayne's growing abilities within AEW booking, as Icky Nicky stole the victory with a pinfall on Shibata. That's a big deal for someone as young as he is! I'm glad he got that opportunity — even if this was just a pit stop on the endurance race that is HOOK and Cage's feud, it must have felt incredibly validating to be the one to score the victory.

HOOK's performance was fine, but I really enjoyed how he didn't take the pinfall in this match. It sucks that Shibata had to eat a pin, but with this feud as contentious as it is ("contentious" being how fragile it seems, considering that fans don't particularly seem to enjoy HOOK's work), I think it was a wise decision to not have HOOK get pinned. When you pin HOOK — even if it wasn't by Cage — it screeches the feud to a halt, because how are we supposed to think him credible? The finish here was exactly what both boys needed: have Wayne get the pin to build his credibility, and protect HOOK from a pin that would've stopped his feud in its tracks.

Even if it didn't produce Match of the Night, this match was still useful for Wayne and HOOK. I think both HOOK and Icky Nicky walked out of this match just a bit better than they were when they walked in, and that progress — however small — is very exciting.

Written by Angeline Phu

Wrestling has a history of pitting some of the most talented people as otherworldly characters of the lowest forms of comedy, occasionally as a means of hazing or punishing someone for an indiscretion behind the scenes.

Surely that's got to be the case as it pertains to Ricochet after tonight's showing. Why else in the world would you sign someone coming from an objectively larger promotion, one of the most exciting and reputable acrobatic wrestlers in the world, and one who's inspired many of the young stars of AEW, in a position where he begging for friendship with The Hurt Syndicate? I mean, sure, it would be awesome for Ricochet to join the group, and plenty of fans have expressed that as the case. It would likely elevate Ricochet and advance his character to be involved with the group, especially since Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin have been treated as killers in recent weeks. But what does nobody any favors is what actually went down; Ricochet making it clear he wanted to be a part of the group only for them to turn around and push him around, actually calling him out for kissing up to them before leaving him in the ring, smiling like he had no clue what had just happened.

It got worse later on for him too, appearing in a backstage segment once again completely deluded to the fact he had been clowned only to be clowned once more by Swerve Strickland – who continually used Ricochet's real name for added violation – just to leave tonight as the night "The One and Only" officially became a joke. Why not just let Ricochet do what he does best and wrestle without degrading his character? What does this do to further anyone involved? Ricochet came in as a major signing and in four months has been relegated to the third wheel in larger feuds between those higher on the card. It doesn't exactly bode well for the company that promised an alternative to that style of creative.

Written by Max Everett

Ricochet should've known what was coming to him as soon as he stepped out to the ring in that graph paper-inspired suit.

Okay, full disclaimer, I understand that this looks like a Ricochet burial. Like, there was no reason to have not one, but two embarrassing segments in front of a seemingly packed Washington D.C. arena, especially when he is tied with Will Ospreay and Claudio Castagnoli for the lead in the Continental Classic's Gold League. However...I can acknowledge that the Ricochet segments were really funny. The in-ring segment between Ricochet and The Hurt Syndicate was really funny. The backstage segment between Ricochet and Swerve Strickland was really funny. Tony Khan is not roasting chestnuts on an open fire and instead is choosing to flame Ricochet socially, and it's funny.

The night of clownery started when Ricochet met Tony Schiavone in the ring for a short interview. Ricochet, eager to speak about his upcoming match against long-time rival Will Ospreay in Continental Classic action, was interrupted by the arrival of Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin. Ricochet attempted to be buddy-buddy with The Hurt Syndicate, and MVP gently entertained his antics before MVP asked to see Ricochet's Hurt Syndicate business card. Lashley seized Ricochet out of nowhere, and MVP proceeded to tear the business card up before Ricochet's very eyes, thus formally severing any chance of Ricochet joining the Hurt Syndicate. Things did not go any better for Ricochet over the course of the night. Yet another interview, Ricochet was interrupted by the arrival of Strickland and Prince Nana. Strickland pointed out that Ricochet was a follower, to which Ricochet only replied with some exaggerated "ha!"s into the microphone before walking away.

"That's why he's still bald," Strickland commented. Prince Nana cackled, and I did too.

Ricochet was not only bodied by one group of people, but two separate people (who otherwise don't have much to do with each other), and it was hilarious. I think it's a bit of harmless fun — Ricochet seems into his blossoming Drake-adjacent character, if the loud "HA!"s, clumsy use of Black slang, and his polite departure after getting literally choked out by Lashley are anything to go off of. Despite his social misgivings, he is still tied with Ospreay and Castagnoli in the Continental Classic's Gold League, so it's not like Ricochet is getting legitimately buried by losing matches. He's just getting kicked around a bit like a dweeb, and as long as he remains at a respectable win/loss ratio, there is nothing wrong in building some entertaining segments off of how nerdy Ricochet can be. Ricochet looks more endearing here than usual — if you're not a bully like me, his social burial might make you want to root for him more.

I'm not concerned with this being a Ricochet burial, since the man himself looks to be on board. Is it concerning that I find such unbridled joy in Ricochet getting kicked around the locker room? Yes. Free entertainment, though, is free entertainment.

Written by Angeline Phu

MJF is at his best when he is an obnoxious, insensitive, scum of a human being. He gets under the skin of the people in the arena, he says things that border on tasteless and is someone who you would happily slap across the face just on the sheer fact that he looks the way he does. However, as much as this segment aimed to touch that nerve, something didn't click.

That something that didn't click was very easy to identify. It was the fact that we are, in the year of our lord 2024, re-treading ground from a year prior that was so well received, that it almost turned every last AEW die-hard off of the product.

Seriously though, what is this MJF/Adam Cole feud? 2023 at least had the cheesy Devil gimmick that, while it was awful, kept you guessing to see if the reveal was as awful as your imagination. But what we have in 2024 has no imagination. It's hollow, it's shallow, it's two guys who main evented Wembley Stadium still bickering over stuff that, judging by the tumbleweeds that were bursting to get onto the screen, people just don't care about. MJF going after Adam Cole not being an absolute Roidy Magoo, and using too much spray tan is the lowest of low-hanging fruit, and Cole outsmarting MJF with a video that is so premeditated that from the moment MJF made his eyes water (a nice touch by the way), you could see an eventual beating coming from the sun.

I have criticized many companies for going to the well one time too often, but this feud is like going to the well and having to spit in it just to make sure that the bucket you bring up actually has something in it. Yes, the injury to Cole in September 2023 derailed some plans, but can we not revisit those plans 15 months later? Especially given that the company has evolved and changed so much in that time. Better Than You Bay Bay was fun while it lasted, but to be honest, the sooner that MJF and Adam Cole understand that virtually every story in AEW is better than them (Bay Bay), the better everyone will be for it.

Written by Sam Palmer

I was a bit worried tonight, as I usually am when it comes to the AEW women's division since the TBS Championship match pitting Mercedes Mone against Anna Jay opened the show – and obviously, Mone was coming out of that on top. I thought we'd only see that much from the division tonight, plus the short Mariah May promo (rather than a full-on confrontation) where she ran down Thunder Rosa and the Tijuana Street Fight at Worlds End. I even had the lack of a May vs. Rosa face-to-face confrontation, and the lack of Toni Storm on "Dynamite," written down as a "hated" thought for this article.

Then, finally, AEW gave me a breath of fresh air and Storm (wow, is it difficult to not call her "Timeless") appeared in a short, but effective segment of her own, alongside RJ City. The segment was even given a name, "Toni Storm: Portrait of a Rockstar," so I'm sure we're going to be getting more of these going forward. It's long been rumored that RJ City wrote, or helped write and produce, at least, the "Timeless" Toni Storm gimmick and segments alongside Storm herself, and just thinking about that made me laugh a bit to myself when she introduced herself to him. This little sit-down interview was short and to the point, driving the entire amnesia angle home even more, if you haven't seen Storm's work on "AEW Rampage" and "AEW Collision." RJ City was there to ask all of the questions that we have as fans, like "Can you explain where you've been?" leading into Storm's history with AEW, to which she exclaimed that she's seen every show. As for being a three-time Women's Champion? Storm declared it was a little too soon to be thinking like that.

RJ City then rattled off a list of names who Storm had feuded with in the past, including Saraya, and Mercedes Mone (which doesn't exactly fit in the timeline Storm is portraying, as she was still Sasha Banks back then, but it's fine, I can suspended my disbelief even further, especially with AEW not wanting to bring the Banks character up), finally mentioned Mariah May. Storm gave just enough pause that it made me think that maybe RJ had gotten through to her, but she gasped a bit and simply said, "Best in the business."

I absolutely love where Storm and AEW are going with this character, who seemingly has amnesia after losing her championship in AEW, then going on to lose in different promotions across the globe, only to revert to her old gimmick without realizing it. This isn't being rushed, either, which I'm really liking so far. May is facing off against Rosa at Worlds End, leaving plenty of time for May and Storm to go face-to-face once again in the new year. That gives time for Storm to either remember, or possibly go into her own Mariah May era to make things even more interesting.

Written by Daisy Ruth

With only 10 days to go until AEW's final event of the year, the Holiday Bash edition of "AEW Dynamite" was stacked with matches and segments that got people so excited for the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 28 that people cannot stop talking about it...wait hold on...let me get the right thing here hold on...ahh here we go. Let me start again.

With only 10 days to go until AEW's final event of the year, the Holiday Bash edition of "AEW Dynamite" did almost nothing to convince people that the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 28 is worth buying.

At the time of writing, you of course have the AEW World Championship four-way between Jon Moxley, Hangman Page, Jay White, and Orange Cassidy. MJF vs. Adam Cole for the Dynamite Diamond Ring, Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight for the AEW Women's Championship, Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs for the AEW International Championship, and the final three matches of the 2024 Continental Classic tournament. Now, that is seven matches, all of which have the promise to steal the show, but given what we saw on "Dynamite," you would not think that the card I have just listed is literally happening in 10 days' time.

AEW's pay-per-views are, at this point at least, the main thing that drives people to their events. Sure, they can go to smaller buildings for TV, but they can get 10,000 people into a building easily for a pay-per-view because those shows have the bare minimum of "good" no matter what happens. Worlds End, despite the card, doesn't seem like it's going to reach that level. Private Party and Mercedes Mone are champions and have no real direction, Christian Cage is meant to be in the AEW World Championship picture and is feuding with Hook because Taz has the knees of someone who is Taz's age, and the fact that AEW is building up the Hammerstein Ballroom shows and the January 1 simulcast on MAX so hard, Worlds End kind of feels like an afterthought when it should be the focus.

Given the talent involved, Worlds End will likely pull something out of its rear end that is covered in 24-karat gold and be the best event of the year. However, December continues to be a month where AEW seems to have its focus on celebrating the holidays or celebrating the new year, making a pay-per-view feel inconsequential in the process. I'm not in Tony Khan's ear, and at times I wish I was, but for next year, maybe scrap Worlds End as an event, because for the second year running, the only thing that's ending is the fans' patience for your booking.

Written by Sam Palmer