10 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash (Jan 13)

Part two of All Elite Wrestling's New Year's Smash was an improvement on the opening chapter, as it should have been.

While the show unquestionably lacked a big, popping angle like last week's apparent Bullet Club reformation, last night's match quality was significantly higher. PAC and Eddie Kingston's grudge match and the Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage action fight for the former's TNT Championship delivered to the anticipated levels, Serena Deeb once again worked her magic with a younger and less experienced wrestler, and everything else at least met expectations. Sure, we got Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix last week, but this show was more consistent across the board.

The Bullet Club storyline took a major turn here, as the twisted, complicated relationship between Omega, Don Callis, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and The Young Bucks swerved ahead of the advertised Elite six-man tag. Chaos erupted afterwards, with its chief agent, Jon Moxley, still frothing at the mouth for a shot at the man who stole his World Title.

Also on the card was FTR vs. Jurassic Express (with Marko Stunt, not Jungle Boy) to wrap their ongoing beef, as well as a Miro vs. Chuck Taylor bout stipulating that if Chuckie T. lost, he'd have to play Miro's young boy for a month.

Let's light the fuse...