Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

AEW Dynamite's 'Winter Is Coming' Sparks Controversy in Pro Wrestling Scene


Fri 17 Dec 2021 | 02:59 AM
Rana Atef

Early this morning, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) aired its special episode from its Dynamite's shows held under the theme of "Winter Is Coming." Although the show was not a Per-Pay-View show, it attracted a great fanbase worldwide and trended on social media for several hours. However, thousands of fans on social media were involved in harsh arguments.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471194598097793026

Overall, the show was very good, and it had several interesting spots. In addition, this episode came in a critical time as AEW's fans are still waiting for more new debuts for several stars such as former NXT star Kyle O'Reilly.

Another trended name was the Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy whose WWE release set the whole pro wrestling scene on fire.

Hardy is one of the most anticipated names to be named as "All Elite," especially following the dozens of hints teasing Hardy's debut. Last night he did the sign of Hardy Boyz guns in the honor of his brother.

Three of AEW shows are scheduled to take place in North Carolina, the home state of the Hardy Boyz.

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1471362161935106049

In the same context, more names are expected to appear such as the Ring of Honor (ROH) Tag Team Champions The Briscoes, ROH's recent group "Control Your Narrative" that features former WWE superstar Braun Strowman, former WWE superstar Killer Kross, and ROH superstar ECIII. Also, Bray Wyyat is still one of the highly anticipated names to make its AEW debut.

Moving to the match card of Winter Is Coming, it carried only four matches, only one of them was a title match, while the others were single matches, but one of them was a tournament finale.

https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1471189183901409280

AEW World Championship: Hangman Page (c) vs. Bryan Danielson

This match was the core of all controversial arguments on social media as some of Pro wrestling fans believe that this match should be named as the best match in the year, while others think that half of the match was boring, and its result was disappointing.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471285205801574406

In fact, the idea of a 60-minute time limit match is somehow a traditional technique, and it was recently adopted by more recent promotions such as WCW, and WWE for several runs, before it returned as a title contest tradition by the AEW.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471286027042136065

So, the half of the match was not that interesting as it was full of hit-run-like and catching techniques which were somehow questioned by the fans. It also seemed that the episode could lose a good tranche of viewers during the match which led AEW's Chairman Tony Khan to encourage the fans to continue watching the match.

https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1471291697971617794

Suddenly, it turned to be one of the best 30-minute-pro-wrestling-contests in the year. Hangman and Danielson changed the tempo of the match to be a faster, more technical, and more head-to-head challenge.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471297430536785925

One of the unforgettable spots in the match was the tombstone made by Hangman as it considered as a tribute to Pro Wrestling legend The Undertaker as the show was hosted in Texas, the home state of the deadman.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471296219355955205

Unfortunately, 60 minutes passed before any of the opponents pin the other so a new draw was announced. This match managed to set a new AEW record as it was named the longest match in the promotion's history.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471301119305465862

The process of rating this match is so hard, as its first 30 minutes were poor, while, the other 30 minutes represented the real enjoyment of pro wrestling passion and well-organized performance, but the rate should be given for the whole 60-minute contest.

Rate: 3.5/5

Wardlow (w/ Shawn Spears) vs. Matt Sydal

It was the shortest match in the night, it maybe lasted for two or three minutes, and actually, the idea of the match was irrelevant to the theme.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471302915570778112

Rate: 00/00

Hikaru Shida defeated Serena Deeb

Watching the feud between Shida and Deeb going was a good thing, but, audience excitement towards the match could be decreased after the commentary added that this contest is a "wrapper" match.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471305367011438597?s=20

Overall, the match was very good, and the harmony between Shida and Deeb is impressive in the ring, however, the finale of the match revealed the winner as Deeb exposed the cover over the turnbuckle within the sight of the referee teased her defeat.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471306630109319172

Rate: 4/5

AEW Diamond Ring: MJF vs Dante Martin

This was the main event of the night. Currently, MJF is trending on the top AEW faces list, especially after his latest blowing confrontations against CM Punk, especially in yesterday's promo when he described Punk as the "new Ryback."

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471310686915547143

He drew the attraction of thousands of Pro Wrestling fans with his performance, and speeches to the public. On the other hand, Dante is currently one of the best rising icons in the promotion, so pushing him up to face one of the top stars in the AEW. In addition, Martin's movement in the ring, and his performance were impressive for such a young athlete.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471312640429412353

The match was a good one, but the majority of the match's time focused on Martin which teased a possible win to him, however, several wrestling experts thought that the AEW wouldn't cost MJF any losses currently. So, the victory was for MJF with the help of Ricky Starcks who pulled MJF's leg to the ropes to refute the pin by Martin, shortly, MJF used his headlock to make Martin surrender.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471313499146133506

Rate: 4/5

More Segments, Possible New Debuts

One of the unforgettable segments in the night was the appearance of CM Punk with a t-shirt for supporting women in texas against the imposing of anti-abortion laws in the state which was praised by the audience.

https://twitter.com/DirtSheetRadio/status/1471321531787718658

Punk saved Sting, and Darby Allin from the attacks by FTR who supported MJF, so, a match between both trios was announced for the upcoming AEW Dynamite.

https://twitter.com/DarbyAllin/status/1471510875961843745

Another nice segment was the segment of the Super Kliq guys. The group mentioned that they will introduce a Christmas gift for the fans next week, and Cole was carrying a Christmas-themed box.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471543144453914632

Ironically, O'Reilly responded to the segment on social media, asking them what is inside the box.

https://twitter.com/KORcombat/status/1471313136481415175

Finally, Malakai Black also teased the appearance of a new addition to "The House of Black." It was confirmed by press reports that his partner Brody King signed with the AEW.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471304754890432519?s=20

To sum up, "Winter Is Coming" was an interesting show, the best match was Hangman vs Danielson, while the worst one is Wardlow vs Sydal.

The energy of the audience with their calls and chanting, and their energetic presence in the arena enriched the power of the show and made the night a successful night. It was attended by 6002, beating the previous record of 5688.

https://twitter.com/Wrestleatten/status/1471500033677615112

AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming Rate by SEE News: 7/10.

Surely, the upcoming weeks of the AEW shows will be more exciting due to the expected new debuts that would be announced as "All Elite."