10 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite (25 Jan - Review)

3. Armed For War

Renee Paquette Bryan Danielson
AEW

The one thing the hugely enjoyable MJF/Bryan Danielson programme was lacking before this edition of Dynamite was the convincing reason the Challenger actually wanted to dethrone the Champion.

This is typically the straightforward bit. For all wrestling's silliness, the easiest thing to suspend disbelief over is a wrestler's thirst to hold aloft a gaudy leather-bound piece of tin. Even in an era where belts are less protected than ever, they're the still point in a world that doesn't turn so much as it pirouettes and whirls so much that it's a wonder it didn't leave its axis decades ago.

In every other aspect a perfect first pay-per-view challenger for MJF, Danielson's journey felt slightly forced due to how happy he appears to be without the top prize. His top prize is this right now - the constant wrestling, the variation of styles, the actual art of what goes on between the ropes. He admitted as much in his 2018 return, but dusted off that drive and repurposed in a post-beatdown promo on the Champion (and poor Doc Samson) that slotted in the missing piece of the puzzle.

Bryan refuses to let politics, injuries or a charlatan Maxwell Jacob Friedman take what he loves away. And he'll take what Max loves to ensure it, with or without his arms. And who are we to doubt him?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett