Tonight, the stars of All Elite Wrestling invade the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, for a special Halloween edition of AEW Dynamite, appropriately titled Fright Night. We’ve got two championships on the line, a classic tag team rivalry continuing, and the looming threat of Blood and Guts hanging over the entire evening. Sounds like a perfectly reasonable way to spend a Wednesday night, assuming nobody gets thrown through a flaming table before bedtime.
And before anybody asks, yes, I’m covering AEW tonight as we do every week. I enjoy professional wrestling, ladies and gentlemen, and that includes wrestling that doesn’t take place under the World Wrestling Federation banner (or that doesn’t feature Chantel Monroe, for that matter). Apparently, this is a controversial position in certain corners of the Internet. Personally, I find it much easier to enjoy both promotions than to spend my evenings arguing with strangers over television ratings.
Now, let’s climb into the rafters and see what Tony Khan has cooked up for Halloween.
TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Josh Alexander
Darby Allin has another difficult challenge awaiting him tonight when he puts the TNT Championship on the line against Josh Alexander of the Don Callis Family. Alexander has been picking up victories, building momentum, and making it clear that he wants to bring another championship into the Family. Darby, meanwhile, has spent much of his championship reign proving that physical punishment is apparently something he considers a recreational activity.
I appreciate Josh Alexander. He’s a tremendous technical wrestler who brings a believable physical presence to everything he does. He doesn’t need to perform a dozen elaborate maneuvers to convince you he’s dangerous. He looks like somebody who could legitimately twist you into a pretzel, and his wrestling backs that up.
Darby Allin is almost his complete opposite. Alexander is methodical and powerful, while Darby seems determined to launch himself at every solid object within a hundred-foot radius. Somehow, the combination works. Their contrasting styles should make for an entertaining championship match, especially if Alexander manages to slow things down and force Darby to wrestle his kind of contest.
There’s also the matter of next week’s Blood and Guts match. Darby is scheduled to participate in that enormous confrontation against the Don Callis Family, which means Alexander has an opportunity to do more than capture a championship. He could leave one of his future opponents in worse condition heading into that match.
Stinger’s View: This could be the best singles match of the evening. I’m leaning toward Darby retaining, although Alexander certainly has the ability to win the championship. My only request is that we get a proper finish. I know, I know. After last night’s NXT championship match, you’d think I’d have learned not to ask for such unreasonable things. Besides, Blood and Guts await, and there’s factions involved… so chances of a clean finish? Zero percent.
TBS Championship: Persephone (c) vs. Queen Aminata
The women’s division gets its own championship spotlight tonight when Persephone defends the TBS Championship against Queen Aminata, who earned this opportunity by defeating former champion Maya World.
Aminata has been chasing championship success for quite some time, and tonight presents an opportunity to finally get the job done. She was involved in the four-way championship contest at WrestleDream, but a singles match is a different proposition entirely. No additional challengers to worry about, no other competitors to interrupt a pinfall, and theoretically fewer excuses if things don’t go according to plan.
Persephone, however, has proven difficult to dethrone. She’s already defended the championship successfully against several challengers, and her association with Britt Baker has added another complication for anybody hoping to take that title away from her.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some involvement from Baker tonight. I wouldn’t particularly appreciate it, mind you, but it wouldn’t surprise me. And before anybody brings up my comments about Chantel Monroe last night, that’s an entirely different situation. We’ve already investigated that matter, and I consider it closed. Mostly.
Stinger’s View: Queen Aminata has a legitimate opportunity to win her first AEW championship, and I’d like to see her get a fair chance to do it. Persephone is certainly capable of retaining, but I’m interested in seeing whether Aminata can finally turn her momentum into championship gold. And if Britt Baker decides to get involved, I’ll be here to complain about it. That’s what I’m paid for. Well, theoretically.
Best-of-Five Series, Match Three: FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Now THIS is what I’m talking about!
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Two outstanding tag teams, a best-of-five series tied at one victory apiece, and an opportunity for somebody to take control of the rivalry.
The Motor City Machine Guns won the opening match at WrestleDream, but FTR answered on Collision to even the series. Unfortunately, FTR didn’t exactly accomplish that victory through honorable means. With assistance from Stokely Hathaway and a little creative use of the ropes, Cash Wheeler managed to steal the deciding pinfall.
Apparently, grabbing the ropes is becoming the preferred method of victory in professional wrestling this week. I wonder where I’ve heard that before.
But unlike certain other situations that shall remain nameless, FTR are supposed to be one of the finest tag teams in professional wrestling. And they are! That’s precisely why I don’t believe they need to resort to cheap tricks to defeat another great team.
Then again, they’re heels. They’re supposed to cheat. They’re supposed to make you angry. And judging by the fact that I’m sitting here complaining about their tactics, I’d say they’re doing a pretty good job.
The thing I enjoy about this series is that both teams have an opportunity to tell a story across several matches. The first encounter establishes the rivalry, the second allows adjustments, and now the third becomes a pivotal contest. Whoever wins tonight moves ahead two victories to one and needs only one more win to take the series.
Stinger’s View: This is my most anticipated match of the evening. FTR and the Motor City Machine Guns understand the art of tag team wrestling, and I expect another excellent contest. I’m picking the Machine Guns to regain the advantage, although FTR are perfectly capable of ruining that prediction with another handful of tights, a convenient distraction, or whatever Stokely has planned this week. Someone’s gonna win; of this we can be certain!
Blood and Guts Is Coming
Next Wednesday, November 4, AEW presents Blood and Guts, and the Don Callis Family has become one of the central forces driving the men’s confrontation. Darby Allin and Adam Copeland are among those preparing to enter the double-ring steel cage, and tonight’s TNT Championship match could have significant consequences for that rivalry.
Blood and Guts is one of those concepts that appeals to the old-school wrestling fan in me. Two rings, one enormous cage, bitter enemies, and the promise of absolute mayhem. It worked in WCW. It works in WWE despite being forced into Survivor Series for some stupid reason. It isn’t exactly something I’d recommend for a pleasant family outing, but professional wrestling has never been concerned with encouraging reasonable conflict resolution.
What I want tonight is meaningful development. Give me a confrontation that raises the stakes. Give me a reason to believe these people genuinely despise each other. And for goodness’ sake, don’t spend the entire evening having everybody interrupt everybody else’s interviews. Sometimes a good wrestling feud benefits from allowing the participants to speak without being attacked halfway through their second sentence.
Of course, this is AEW. Somebody is probably getting attacked before the first commercial break. And you better believe your DVR schedule be damned; we’re going 30 minutes over and ending with a brawl that involves half the roster or maybe more. That’s just what we do on Wednesday’s.
Stinger’s Final View
Tonight’s Fright Night Dynamite has a promising foundation. Darby Allin and Josh Alexander should deliver a hard-hitting championship encounter, Persephone and Queen Aminata have an opportunity to strengthen the women’s championship picture, and FTR against the Motor City Machine Guns has all the ingredients for another terrific tag team match.
I’m particularly interested in that tag team series. Wrestling doesn’t always need an elaborate mystery, an unexpected betrayal, or six people interfering in the finish. Sometimes two great teams competing to determine which one is better can be more than enough.
And with Blood and Guts only a week away, AEW has an opportunity to make tonight feel like an important stop on the road to something much bigger.
I’ll be watching from the rafters, of course. Not the couch. I don’t know why people keep spreading that ridiculous rumor.
As for my final prediction? FTR and the Motor City Machine Guns steal the show, Darby survives another championship defense, and somebody in the Don Callis Family does something that makes me question whether referees in modern wrestling have functioning eyesight.
Oh, and if Chantel Monroe happens to show up on AEW television tonight, somebody should probably check whether Tony Khan has been reading my NXT reports. That’s called a joke, Mr. AEW Public Defender. I know Chantel isn’t going to be there. But she should be. If there’s wrestling happening, Chantel Monroe should be on screen.
Until the final bell, remember: It may be shit sometimes, but Wrestling Matters.
— Stinger, reporting from the rafters of Titanquisitor Hall.
