AEW Called Out Over Bare-Bones Build to Dynamite 300 Compared to WWE and UFC

AEW’s Dynamite 300 is set for this week, but not everyone’s buying into the hype. Longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer isn’t holding back when it comes to how the company is handling its milestone episode—and compared to WWE and UFC, he thinks AEW’s effort falls short.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer called out AEW for failing to make Dynamite 300 feel like a must-see event.

“For Dynamite 300… when WWE has a milestone like that, or UFC… my God, those were promoted like crazy,” Meltzer said.

While AEW has announced big matches like Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi and Mercedes Moné defending the TBS Title, Meltzer doesn’t think that alone makes the show feel special.

“You know, for those Raw specials, they bring all these guys back. They do giant, giant numbers. UFC 200, UFC 300, those were huge, massive shows. And AEW, yeah, they’ve announced it’s Dynamite 300, but they haven’t announced anything special.”

One of Meltzer’s biggest criticisms? The complete absence of AEW legends or surprise appearances that typically boost the buzz around milestone episodes.

“No legends, no surprises. I don’t know what they’re going to do that’s special on the show.”

Meltzer also speculated that Kenny Omega or Adam Copeland could return to give the show a needed jolt, but admitted AEW hasn’t built toward anything of that sort yet.

“When they did that concerto angle with Adam Copeland, I thought, okay, he’s coming back for All In, probably on Dynamite 300 to set it up… but they haven’t built that either. So I don’t know what they’re doing. It’s just… for a milestone show, it feels very flat.”

AEW Dynamite 300 airs Wednesday, but with no legends, no surprises confirmed, and minimal build, Meltzer’s not alone in wondering if Tony Khan’s missing a huge opportunity.