Some thoughts on the ppv
Pre-Show: I only came in for the last six or seven minutes of the tag match. Thought that it was pretty bad. Stream of spots, a fair bit of sloppiness and not much effort to look like a competitive match. Not nearly as bad as the embarrassing All In pre-show however, so at least there was improvement.
SoCal Uncensored vs Jurassic Express: SoCal Uncensored is solid and a good team to have around for the tag division. I have nothing against Austin outside of his Big Brother work and I can accept Jungle Boy despite how ridiculous he looks. Marko Stunt however is beyond the point that I can accept - he looks ridiculous and every sequence involving him looked ridiculous. Parts of the match were fine but I would have much preferred a regular two on two tag match.
Omega vs Pac: I was surprised that this went on second. I don't like the booking decision as I do think that Omega needs to be built for the majority of the audience, but booking decisions before TV starts probably don't matter a whole lot. Definitely a good match overall, Omega still has a way to go to get back to his best but he was fine. Pac looked good.
Cracker Barrel: It was alright for what it was. I imagine that how anyone feels about this match comes down to how they feel about this style of wrestling. Some spots worked well, some didn't, as is the nature of these matches. I think that Havok is just a body and overall pretty useless, but we'll see if the other guys end up being worthwhile.
Dark Order vs Best Friends: It was fine, the Dark Order looks like part of Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom and that amuses me. I think that they did a good job with match build coming off a spotfest.
Riho vs Shida: Another solid match, though I'd rather a different result. Riho looks less ridiculous due to Stunt being on the card, so maybe that is a plus for him being on the show.
Rhodes vs Spears: Pretty good, Cody knows how to book himself (outside of his embarrassing entrances at these events) and his matches to highlight his strengths for the most part. I've got no use for Spears other than as a stiff for people to beat, but they did their best to make it interesting. I was amused to see Tully get a paycheque.
Lucha Brothers vs Young Bucks: I strongly dislike the Young Bucks in general, but this was a pretty good match. I hate the Young Bucks on offence, but they did a very good job here when it was time to take a beating. Less sloppy than the spotty matches that preceded it. Lucha Brothers are a really strong tag team and AEW seems to be fulfilling its promise to have a strong tag division.
Jericho vs Page: Kind of a weak match, but it did what it had to. Jericho looked like shit, but his work was adequate. I don't think Page is more than a mid card talent (in a good promotion) at this point, so I am pleased with the decision to go with Jericho. Let Page eventually become a great wrestler instead of strapping a title on him and hoping that it elevates him above where he should be.
I thought that the production was alright. WWE still does better but there's been solid improvement. Commentary was good this time. Camera work is still a work in progress. They sort of missed some spots and the crowd shots are bad. In a way I do enjoy the crowd shots though, like how in WCW you had regular shots of hillbillies and rednecks, in AEW you get regular shots of neckbeards and nerds. Overall it was a good event, with some quite good matches and, most important in my eyes, no matches that were bad enough to make you change the channel. The roster still needs to improve but there are good pieces there.