Wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer, speaking on the “Busted Open After Dark” podcast episode dedicated to reviewing AEW’s Beach Break edition of Dynamite, offered considerable praise for the show’s opening contest and the return of Skye Blue. Dreamer highlighted the in-ring talent and character work displayed, calling specific performances “frigging off the charts.”
The opening match, featuring Will Ospreay, “Hangman” Adam Page, Josh Alexander, and Konosuke Takeshita, with Don Callis on commentary, received high marks from Dreamer. “The opening match was frigging off the charts,” he stated emphatically. “Of course, it’s what you’re going to get when you have a Will Ospreay, Hangman Adam Page, Josh Alexander and Takeshita… Awesome, awesome, 30 minutes of exactly what it’s supposed to be professional wrestling.” Dreamer noted the built-in “professional animosity” between Ospreay and Page due to their upcoming Owen Hart Cup match.
Dreamer then shared positive thoughts on individual performers. Regarding Hangman Page, he said, “This version, I really do think the crazy version that we got with Hangman Page really, really did fit him… I’ve been a big fan ever since he burst upon the scene. Enjoyed him in Ring of Honor, enjoyed him in New Japan, and always have enjoyed him in AEW. Feel he’s very, very underappreciated wrestler, and he’s shown a lot of different sides of himself.” His praise for Will Ospreay was equally strong: “Will Ospreay? What can I say about Will Ospreay that hasn’t been said already? He’s he just does things at a different level. I really do enjoy his work… his in ring does, he’s amazing.” For Takeshita, Dreamer acknowledged him as “another person off the charts… an amazing in ring worker,” though he suggested a need for more character development beyond his association with Don Callis.
Discussing Josh Alexander’s transition to AEW, Dreamer recognized his talent: “Josh has been thrown into the fire or thrown into the deep end really, really early on here in AEW… I mean, hell, Josh Alexander carried a company, and he could do that in AEW, but he has to continue to… you need those opportunities. And he shined with all of these opportunities.” Dreamer concluded his thoughts on the opener by stating, “It was a great matchup. Like I said, 20 plus minutes of amazing action. I thought the Chicago crowd really, really enjoyed it. It was a great way to kick off your beach break. And I liked it. I liked it a lot.”
Later in the podcast, Dreamer turned his attention to the return of Skye Blue, expressing his enthusiasm. “I thought the match was really, really good. Love seeing Skye Blue back. She looks great. She’s in great shape,” he commented. “I like the change in her look coming back from an injury, an injury so bad as hers. It’s scary. She went top rope, she went to the floor. She looked like she tested her injury out. Obviously, she’s been training in the ring, getting her in ring back, and I’m happy that she is back.”
Dreamer emphasized the value of Sky Blue sharing her recovery story, particularly for character development. “I saw through social media, doing the press rounds, telling her story, which I thought is again key, because coming back from an injury like that, which could be somewhat career ending, she’s been gone a long time, but something like that does help you get behind a character,” he explained. He also sees strong babyface potential in her: “I know before she left, I believe she was kind of more heelish, but I do think there’s a lot of quality baby face in sky blue. And if you have the opportunity now to push somebody who’s back, and when you go away and you come back from injury, you’re fresh again and you’re not stale, and you could do a whole lot of cooler stuff with her, enjoyed the match tremendously.”
While Dreamer did offer a critique on a specific forearm spot he’s seen across wrestling, he quickly pivoted to commend women wrestlers for their safety and execution in another area. “I will commend the women again. Especially Toni Storm. Toni Storm sacrificed her body for every single woman during every single dive she hit… she was there for every single woman on all her dives,” he said. He continued this positive thread: “For some reason, guys aren’t catching guys anymore, but the women across the board are catching other women all the time… the women are doing the right thing.”
Dreamer’s overall assessment of these specific AEW Beach Break segments was positive, highlighting the in-ring action, the resilience of performers like Sky Blue, and the professionalism shown by many in the women’s division. He noted, “Lately I’ve been getting quality, quality storylines and wrestling within AEW… That first match was off the charts. Really, really enjoyed it.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
