Fight for The Fallen
Let’s begin with the main event – Jon Moxley defeated Brian Cage, which was a smart decision given that Cage has only been around for about two months (he debuted at Double or Nothing). He is still a little too new to become AEW World Champion, however he definitely will be sooner rather than later. One thing I will say is that quarantining for a couple of months and not being featured at all on Dynamite hurt Moxley’s character to a degree because of the lack of exposure to the audience. However, there was nothing Moxley could do about that – it’s not his fault that his wife came down with the virus. It’s totally understandable because he was just doing what he had to do.
This virus has at least partially made people realize just how fragile life is and that there are some elements that people simply cannot control (Kobe Bryant’s death earlier this year made people come to the same realization, and the virus is kind of reinforcing that message). Take advantage of time with the people you love – because you never really know what direction it’ll take.
This could be the Beginning of a Shift in Character for Cody
I half wonder if this will be the very beginning of a shift in character (heel turn) for Cody. The reason I say that is because he employed a much more aggressive in-ring style against Sonny Kiss (especially with that unique piledriver in which Cody dropped Sonny right on his head). This could prove to be the very beginning of a gradual shift in the demeanor of Cody’s character. It just might be the avenue he needs from the AEW fan base to turn heel.
Orange Cassidy could be an Absolute Superstar in the Making
It’s a brilliant idea for Tony Khan and the rest of the team at AEW to orchestrate a full-length program between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy (which started July 15 with The DemoGod and the rest of The Inner Circle being doused in OJ). Orange has benefited in a massive way from being associated with Jericho over the last couple of months in particular and looked like an absolute star in the making in their match last week (despite losing). Sometimes in a match the wrestler who suffers the defeat benefits the most, and that may have very well been the case with Orange on July 8. This is a prime example of the primary goal of AEW – Create New Stars.