11 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite (May 31 - Review)
7. Big Bill Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Trent Bareta
San Diego was in the mood for pro g*ddamn wrestling, and this three-way offered absolutely loads of it even if the awesome Big Bill's shine portion was gobbled up by a picture-in-picture commercial break.
After several middling months trapped in the lamest chapters of his longstanding story with Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland built on an awesome showing in Sunday's Blackjack Battle Royal with a gripping victory here, using his particularly unique style to get around Big Bill's power game and Trent Berretta's veteran experience and skill.
Underpinned by the Double Or Nothing booking - the three all came close to taking Orange Cassidy's title before the Champion retained and made minor headlines in their own rights as a result - this had echoes of a time before rankings were needlessly binned, informed the rising heat by the finish, and set Swerve up for a singles match fans pined for after the weekend's electric exchange. Emblematic of the night at large, the match was a provisional Up before it hit the ring and delivered on its immense promise. The power might actually be back.