Thoughts/Grades:
Pre-show:
SCU vs Private Party vs Best Friends.
Really liked the first half of the match. Thought it got Private Party over as faces and had some good work. Second half devolved into a spotfest. I'm not really a Best Friends fan, so wasn't really a fan of them going over. Post-match angle did nothing for me. C+
Librarian whatever the f*** match.
The librarian gimmick is legitimately awful. I would be very happy if it is not a thing very soon. Match was alright, but really dragged down by how bad that opening promo was. D+
Michael Nakazawa vs Eric Jebaily.
I'm not really a comedy match guy, and this was not a good comedy match. I would like erase this one from my memory. Some people justify this by saying that it's a parody of Shane McMahon, but let's not fight bad with awful. F
Main Card:
Cima vs Christopher Daniels.
Decent match from two guys that are very good. Not amazing or anything, but everything looked crisp and it was a fun opener. B-
Womens three way match.
A little up and down for me, but I liked it. Started a little sloppy, but by the end they both got Nyla Rose over as a monster heel and the Japanese women as legit wrestlers. Wasn't sure how the Joshi aesthetic would get over with the crowd, but they were into the it by the end. I think I would have preferred Nyla Rose to go over here, but at the end of the day it was a fun match. B
Cody vs Darby Allin.
I've always criticized Cody for not really being a great wrestler, but I am starting to appreciate the way that he leans into his storytelling and psychology in a promotion where there doesn't really seem to be a ton of it. Darby goes all out on the gimmick and I do worry about it eventually becoming cringe, but holy shit he bumped like an absolute animal. Wasn't a classic or anything, but did get Darby over in a major way. Not against the post-match angle, but the unprotected chairshot was very dumb. B+
Mens four way match.
MJF is a world class heel. Book him correctly and he has the ability to be a legend in this industry. Obviously there was a lot of talent in the ring so it would be hard to have a bad match. Storytelling was mostly about MJF vs Adam Page, the Luchasauras/Jungle Boy team is pretty entertaining. Felt like Jimmy Havoc was a bit out of his depth here, and not surprised he ate the pin. Felt a lot like the type of match that's going to be a weekly TV main event very soon. B
Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid vs The Elite.
The Young Bucks are not for me. I'm not one of these people that outright hates them or anything, and a lot of their skits and stuff are pretty funny. They're just not my type of wrestling. No Grade.
Joey Janela vs John Moxley.
No real build or anything, did feel a lot like violence for the sake of violence. That said, it was a pretty good hardcore match and certainly staked out where AEW is willing to go with their product. Moxley felt like a huge star, and the post-match beatdown angle was very good. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. B+.
