14 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Oct 29)
10. RIP Ricky Morton
Subverting expectations in ways that don't feel like WWE-esque bait-and-switches is something AEW have excelled at so far. They did it again last night, turning the advertised Rock 'n' Roll Express appearance into a brutal beatdown. Rather than having Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson present the new Tag Team Championships to the SCU/Lucha Brothers victors as expected, AEW used them to generate heat for a surging act, which is a lot more interesting.
The slick, polished, and professional Chris Van Vliet (a man born to play this TV role) introduced Morton and Gibson on the ramp. The fired-up veterans were barely able to get their line about beating Ole and Arn Anderson in that very building out before Pride 'n' Powerful jumped them from behind. Jeers poured from every corner as Santana whipped the Rock 'n' Rolls with a sock stuffed with pool balls, and with Gibson downed on the ramp, the former LAX took Morton to the side of the stage, lifted him up, and threw him through the bloody thing.
That man is 63 years old!
The Young Bucks ran Ortiz and Santana off, but the damage was already done in a great, heated segment that gave Pride 'n' Powerful extra juice and kept the theme of the Inner Circle causing chaos throughout the evening running.