10 Most Desperate Ways AEW Got You To Watch

8. Dustin Rhodes Puts His Career On The Line

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The "QT Marshall gym tapings" were a miracle.

Operating with a skeleton crew of less than a third of the roster, with no fans, and just one champion - Kenny Omega, who couldn't defend the World Tag Team title because partner Hangman Page was locked down - Khan built this period of AEW Dynamite around the new TNT Title. The tournament was a booking masterstroke. Finalists Cody and Lance Archer took different routes; Cody faced some of his toughest challenges all over again, where Archer, deepening the stakes of their Double Or Nothing match, made his opponent's flesh and blood bleed out on the canvas in a disturbing scene. The stark quality of the atmosphere put it over all the more.

The desperation crept in at one less-than-believable point; ahead of his first round match with Kip Sabian, Dustin told his brother that if he couldn’t make it past the first round, he wasn't close to winning a title - and if he couldn't win a title, there was no point in wrestling any longer.

The retirement stipulation was made to put over the prestige of the title in the storyline, but in reality, it was an eye-rolling ratings grab that nobody took seriously. Also, it was a bit of a sideways burial of Kip, was it not?

"If I can't beat that prelim guy, what am I even doing here?!"

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!