The Dynamite Experience

Hello, all that are reading this. I was asked to review my experience going to last nights Dynamite in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That is why Josef picked up the review for the show last night. For an in depth review of the show click here.

I am going to start with the parking situation. From my experiences, The BOK is typical parking and street issues. Lots of one way streets preventing the easy fix for a missed turn and too few reasonably priced parking options. I wasn't able to get to my usual parking garage because of the route I took getting to the BOK. However, I still got to park relatively close. I noticed some of the BOK security staff were walking from at least two-three blocks away.

I got parked and to the venue about an hour early. Doors opened at 17:30 and I arrived at 14:30. So, I walked around the building and looked at their trucks. The crowd was not as big as I was expecting. I didn't even notice that many people I could recognize. The only person I could name was a local fan who is favored among the independent promotions in Northeast Oklahoma and Northeast Arkansas. She goes by the moniker Granny Hulkster. Eventually as the crowd grew, some of my usual cohorts arrived and we chatted.

Once thru security which was a breeze for me I noticed something very peculiar, a table set up to write Sting a letter. Well of course I did that as I have been a fan of Sting my entire life. The lady working the table said they are only doing this at a few cities. I am guessing they choose Tulsa as it was the home of Mid-South Wrestling and Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). Two promotions that Sting wrestled in during his formative years. The letters will be given to him either after Revolution or at Revolution she was not clear.

I hit the merch line. I actually went there before the Sting Letter because big person sizes sell out fast. It was your standard merch stand. The big difference between December and February merch stands was the emphasis on Sting. Last time, I was able to get a cardboard Jay White. This time I had the option of a Sting cut out. I opted for a Sting Retirement Tour shirt, some Blackpool Combat Stickers, and a bag to carry it in. AEW does not have bags for when you buy merchandise, at least they didn't in OKC.

On the way to my seat I purchased some adult beverages. That is about as annoying as the parking situation. I think it is a local law that the bartender has to open your drinks for you. I bought two. I can only really drink one at a time. Then worse when I got to the floor part of the arena I had to pour them into a clear solo cup. I will buy draft stuff from now on there. My seat was F2 Row E Seat 1. So if you watched and seen a fat bearded dude on the guardrail where the refs and those who didn't get an entrance were coming and going it was me. I was at the base of the ramp. I heard that AEW capped the ticket sells at 3,300 which allowed for some extra space. I was able to fully stand between by chair and the guardrail. At WWE shows in the past there has been no space between the two objects.

The two "bonus" matches were good. Cutler and Colt Cabana against John SIlvers and Alex Reynolds was entertaining. Colt was slapping his opponent's asses a lot during the match. Fans were into that. This tag team match got the crowd going with silliness. The Dark Order won. Evil Uno stayed out there for his match against Serpintico. During this match it was painfully obvious that there were microphones under the ring amplifying the bumps and steps of the wrestlers. We have Gary Hart and the WCCW to thank for that practice. Sorry, had a mini rant; Evil Uno won his match. A clean sweep for the Dark Order that night.

Justine Roberts would come out next to hype the crowd. He read their signs and introduced ring crew. He was less interactive than I have seen him in the past. That isn't a problem for me though. I love Justin Roberts as a ring announcer. Also coming out to hype the crowd was Tony Khan. Having seen Tony Khan on the microphone way back in 2019 and seeing him today he has gotten more comfortable with it. A lot less stammering. Tony Khan would pop back up a few more time that night. Mainly just thanking the crowd, telling us were were awesome, and evoking the memory of Mid-South and UWF. The only thing of note he really said was Sting was not there that night. A huge disappointment.

I am skipping over any details of the matches. The only spoiler form Rampage will be the picture above. That Blue Bull walking to the ring with Hager there is named Hornsby. He is the mascot for the Tulsa Drillers. I am not sure how it came over the tv but the crowd was energetic most of the night. Something that surprised me as before the matches got underway it was pretty dead. So dead, I could hear the event security telling a fan that he was not allowed to have a sign based on the person his sign was made to highlight. I was not able to catch the subject matter of the sign. I can confirm AEW is preventing signs in the crowd based on the person and no longer just if it violates fan code of conduct. This aggravates me. Fans should be able to display any sign they make as long as it isn't derogatory or too crude. For any American reading this, no their confiscation of a sign is not a violation of the First Amendment. The Bill of RIghts and other such amenities were created to protect us from the federal government not businesses.

After the Rampage main event, they sent the crowd home happy with a feel good moment. Some kid probably no older than 4 years of age was dressed up at Orange Cassidy and had a sign stating he was Orange Cassidy Jr. Well, Orange Cassidy brought him into the ring and Orange Cassidy, Hook, Daddy Magic, Jake Hager, Hornsby, and Tony Khan all gave the kid a Best Friends Got to Give the Fans What They Want Hug. Tony Khan was also given a number 20 Drillers jersey. Hager, Hornsby, and Orange Cassidy took pictures with the crowd after they said good night in the ring.

Enough of the crowd had dispersed by the time I got to my car that escaping the Downtown Tulsa area wasn't hard. Less traffic exiting the parking lot than the usual parking garage I use. I was even lucky enough that the one way street I was on took me right to I-244 which was the highway I needed to get back home.

Let's spin back around like Claudio is giving us the Big Swing. How was the overall experience? It was good. Comparing it to the WWE event I attended in the same venue back in October it was a far better experience. Like I touched on earlier the seating wasn't as tightly packed. It did help that the guy next to me bought an extra ticket just for having some extra space. I think even without that unused seat I would have had enough space to sit comfortably on the guardrail. The little bit of crowd interactions that Justin Roberts gives during commercial breaks keeps people engaged. AEW only went for the cheap pop at the end of the night unlike other promotions.

If you were in the crowd live that night and have a differing opinion let me know. If you have had different experiences at other AEW shows let us hear about them. As always thank you for your support of Real Rasslin.