10 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Apr 1)

by Andy H Murray

1. RELEASE THE HOUNDS!

chris jericho vanguard 1
AEW

Wrestling's most meme-able wrestler was at it again last night, with Chris Jericho delivering a deliciously wacky Vanguard 1 segment from the lush locale of Le Palais du le Champion.

Jericho welcomed the audience to his "palatial estate," where he was kicking back with a little bit of the bubbly in the hot tub. Cue: the obligatory promo on The Elite, peppered with wit, before Matt Hardy's drone swept down. "Vanguard 1, I knew you'd come!", said Jericho before launching into another Inner Circle sales pitch, going as far as pulling out a baby's t-shirt and hooking it to Vanguard 1.

Off flew the drone. Raging, Jericho threw his bubbly bottle at it before turning to his house, screaming "RELEASE THE HOUNDS!" and summoning forth six cute domesticated pooches. The shot of the bewildered chihuahua on the porch was the cherry on top.

"I'm gonna get yoooouuuuuu!" Jericho bellowed as he and his dogs chased Vanguard 1 down his private pier (!). Old Man Yells at Drone, indeed.

Big, stupid fun. That's what this segment was. Jericho is the king of capturing the viral zeitgeist even when he isn't positioned right at the top of the card. This segment was boy-popper after boy-popper after boy-popper, culminating with the ridiculous hound reveal, teed-up by dumb sh*t like him walking out of the jacuzzi wearing full jeans and his pronunciation of the word "baby." He's the best.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.