Huntsville, Alabama, hosted Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" ... and it was weird.

Not the city, despite taking a brutal shot from AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May, who requested the "H" be replaced with a "C." It was more about the show itself, which had one serious extension of a recurring problem with the company's centerpiece, The Death Riders.

I'm really proud of this heading, guys. Let's talk about...

Assisted living

What's happening with 57-year-old Jeff Jarrett in AEW right now is downright maddening. The man wants his world title shot, and that's OK and understandable. There are ways to have fun with that and play with it wisely. Unfortunately, that is not what's happening.

As soon as Jarrett's match with Claudio Castagnoli began — with his potential shot at AEW champion Jon Moxley on the line — he got off far too much offense. Then Jarrett continued to remain in a competitive match with the AEW's reigning trios champion, who apparently NEEDED HELP TO WIN. WHAT??

This very well may have been the most pathetic booking I've seen in AEW history. I've said it throughout the Death Riders' saga, but they shouldn't need any cheap tactics or aid in any of their victories — especially considering the mentality they have. But Castagnoli waving for Wheeler Yuta mid-match against someone who's almost a senior citizen? Nah, this had me audibly groaning in disbelief.

No matter how bewildered Castagnoli could possibly be by a competitive Jarrett, he should never, EVER have even considered needing help.

The Sharpshooter to Sharpshooter counter from Jarrett was kind of cool, but this match was beyond pathetic, and Moxley — WHO SHOULD NOT CARE — hit a Paradigm Shift on Jarrett during a referee distraction to help Castagnoli win. What should've been a squash match to extend Jarrett's story down a different path was instead a colossal waste of time and an absurd booking decision.

To top it off, MJF came out after the loss so that he could punch the old man with his diamond ring. This helps and serves no one — other than maybe Jarrett so he can get TV time.

Something incredible

From the bottom of the barrel to the tippy-top, let's talk about May and Toni Storm's absolute brilliance from "Collision" this past Saturday.

In case you missed it, watch the entire segment from the show because it was absolute brilliance. "Timeless Toni" went nowhere, and her amnesia act was entirely that — an act. The swerve could have been drawn out a tad longer, but it landed so epically because of what it was. This is the wrestling cinema we desire and starkly contrasts with AEW's Jarrett garbage.

How can these stories exist within the same company?

May spoke on "Dynamite" on the ramp with Renee Paquette, lashing out at mentions of Storm and what happened.

"She's not real!" May exclaimed before collecting herself, the champ perfectly bothered but also arrogantly confident.

Both women are such great titleholders that I'm unsure which direction this feud will actually go, though seeing how much further May dives into her chaotic energy after a title loss probably has the most meat on it (and gives us an easy path to an eventual trilogy). But I really have no idea — and that's perfect. I'm happy to sit back and enjoy the ride with this one. May and Storm's story is the best thing going on in AEW right now — aside from Will Ospreay matches and Harley Cameron, of course.

Banger after banger

I really wish Brian Cage had played a more significant role in AEW from the start. He should've been a bigger player than he's been. Sure, he had some world title shots, but the guy could've been special.

I mean, he hit an F5 off the top rope, man. Brock Lesnar could never.

Anyway, Cage's match with Will Ospreay was just phenomenal. Ospreay jumped into a suplex outside the ring early and was carried all the way toward the announce table by Cage. The camerawork here was exceptional — I've never seen a spot like this before. Considering how long Ospreay had to escape, it's admittedly silly, but Cage is incredible and can do anything (including taking a Styles Clash for the loss).

Lance Archer attacked Ospreay after the match before Kenny Omega came to make the save. Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita appeared to make the counter save, but then they beat up Ospreay and Omega for an awkwardly long time. This honestly felt like a mistake because their music played three times. I'm not kidding. It got comical.

Nonetheless, Cage and Ospreay are an awesome combination. More matches between them won't garner a complaint from me.

Main event Moné

I was very pleased to see some love for the TBS Championship match on "Dynamite," and more so, the spotlight on Japan's Yuka Sakazaki.

The first Moneymaker counter from Sakazaki was awesome, but the ending of this match felt a little weird and maybe even botched after the Magical Girl Splash roll-up. Referee Aubrey Edwards seemed to have made a miscount. Thankfully, it led to a pretty lovely follow-up sequence and a Moneymaker win for Mercedes Moné.

The in-ring chemistry was sensational and worthy of tonight's closer, though I don't know what the idea is here with Moné. The belt-collector gimmick is always fun, but there's no substance to it right now and she doesn't have a rival. There's Kris Statlander, but we've seen her keep falling short. Jamie Hayter feels like the obvious choice to push toward the TBS belt since the world title picture is occupied.

👍 EXPLOSIVE 👍

1. AEW is teasing something between MJF and Hangman Adam Page. We'll take that all day, every day over MJF in a Jarrett program.

2. Ricochet vs. AR Fox was a good match, and more than anything, it kept Fox looking strong in back-to-back defeats.

Ricochet kind of looked like an Assassin's Creed villain on his way to the ring, which is a nice contrast to Ospreay's hero. Before he left the arena, Swerve Strickland went on the attack, serving a small appetizer for next week's match.

3. The New York Minute is always fun, and it seems to be building toward Big Bill leaving The Learning Tree as Chris Jericho keeps talking down to him.

👎 DUDSVILLE 👎

1. As I said earlier, it's a loss anytime Cameron isn't on TV. However, Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie aren't happy with everyone's favorite wrathful Aussie. They made it a point to put a target on her bogan backside. Talk about some rude Sheilas...

👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑

A Yuta loss is always welcome!

Jay White got to put it on his floppy-haired rival in a very solid match. That's the thing about this iteration of Yuta — he's just a brainwashed bozo. In reality, he's an excellent wrestler who can go. Remember how he was built up early into his AEW career? The dude had some serious star potential.

This match relied heavily on each man exploiting the other's legs, and ultimately, White hit a pair of Bladerunners on the Death Rider. As they always do, though, nothing with the Death Riders can end without them attacking someone. Rinse and repeat.

Rated FTR made the save when White needed it, leading to FTR vs. Moxley and Yuta in a "Midsouth Street Fight" on Saturday. That should be one hell of a match. I'm just ready to end the Death Riders as soon as possible.

👑 The bad was very bad on this "Dynamite," so our crown scale is out of whack. This one gets a 4.5/10 score. 👑