10 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash (Jan 13)

9. Don't Trust Matt

Matt Hardy Private Party
AEW

Last week saw Private Party ink a managerial contract with Matt Hardy that they thought granted their mentor 30% of their salaries. On Being The Elite, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen found out that number was 50%, not 30%, and they brought this to television last night, with Quen challenging Hardy.

'Big Money Matt' flipped out, particularly when Marq called him a "money-grabbing carny."

"I'm the only guy in AEW who cares about you!", Matt said. "When I say 'jump', you say 'how high?'".

Twisting Hardy towards a more villainous persona works for a character whose AEW run has felt snakebitten from the start. This also gives Private Party some beefy character work to sink into, having suffered from a general lack of exposition since entering AEW. It's nothing mind-blowing, but good, solid stuff.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.