10 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (18 Aug)

2. Sammy Guevara's Feel-Good Night

Shawn Spears Sammy Guevara
AEW

What a night for Sammy Guevara, who proposed to his girlfriend Pam in the ring before Dynamite (she said yes!) then wrestled Shawn Spears in a popping grudge match, ending his beef with The Chairman via GTH.

A nod to Spears, here. Though rarely spotlighted in AEW, this was the kind of performance that shows why his peers love working with him. The Canadian was tremendous in his heel role, whether he was making lewd comments to Pam or sticking his middle finger up at Sammy. His cutoffs were well-executed and timed perfectly, his offense was as smooth as ever, and he got plenty of heat on the hometown boy. He's a professional - and this was his best AEW performance to date.

Guevara brought the necessary bursts of adrenaline in a match that started off much like his Revolution 2020 sprint with Darby Allin, as chaos unfolded outside the ring. His chances were bolstered the moment Tully Blanchard got sent to the back for attempting a second spike piledriver. With the threat of interference eliminated, he was allowed to serve Shawn his comeuppance in the form of a C4 through a propped-up barricade and other spots.

An earned, deserved victory for Guevara in a white-hot building to finally put this rival in the rearview. How could this be anything but an Up?

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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.