6 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (17 May - Review)
Ups…
6. Orange Cassidy & Darby Allin Vs Lee Moriarty & Big Bill
Though not dropped in as the hot Dynamite opener on a technicality (Wardlow's words with Christian Cage opened the show proper), this joyous tag bout captured the magic of the old formula and disguised some genuinely impressive booking and matchmaking within the body of a fun knockabout tag.
Who knows what's happening with The Firm after the latest calamity with Matt Hardy, but Bill and Moriarty have the sort of big man/little man chemistry that shouldn't be thrown away in the aftermath. This was a showcase for the heroes, but - much like The Butcher & The Blade's killer offerings - such a thing can only be as good as those on the other side of the ring.
Allin winning with a headlock takeover was cute foreshadowing of a white hot spot to come in the Double Or Nothing main event, whilst this entire match allowed for Orange Cassidy to remain on his 20th title defence until the pay-per-view where he'll work against the same number of opponents in his latest (and 21st) workhorse challenge. Between the beloved characters, surprise package opposition and careful plotting, this was AEW back operating at peak.