Backstage Update On Nick Wayne's AEW Dynamite Debut

"AEW Dynamite" hosted the televised debut of young upstart Nick Wayne, and on "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer said that the recent high school graduate made an impression on the AEW audience. "He got over really big with the crowd," Meltzer declared. "Definitely, the ring-siders were chanting for him." Meltzer also added there was a lot of focus on Wayne's mother, who was in the audience, to the point that Meltzer expected some kind of angle involving her.

"[Wayne] did some cool stuff," Meltzer continued. "I don't think they had a great match ... It was a good match but the crowd was very into it." Meltzer says that he doesn't think debuting Wayne with a loss was the right move, but that Wayne "got over really big," so it ultimately worked out for the 18-year old. Wayne was defeated by Mogul Embassy's Swerve Strickland, putting up a valiant fight, and even getting a nearfall on Strickland following a springboard Cutter.

"They did push him really hard," Meltzer noted, bringing up the vignettes that aired last week and this week, providing some backstory on the young star, "it's not like they just threw him out there cold." The vignettes were reportedly the brainchild of Wayne's friend and former AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin. Allin seconded Wayne during his match on Wednesday. Wayne is the son of wrestler and trainer Buddy Wayne, who passed away in 2017 at age 50. Wayne signed his contract last year at the age of 17.