10 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jun 24)

4. Taz Says "Hello"

Taz Brian Cage
AEW

Consider every entry from this point onwards great or above.

Brian Cage and Taz stepped forth in Jon Moxley's absence, and thank god they did. This stuff was awesome. First was another crushing squash match in which Cage destroyed poor Jon Cruz, bicep curling the smaller man, dropping him with suplexes, and powerbombing him over the top rope. A Drill Claw ended Cruz's night in monstrous style.

Taz then grabbed the microphone for another of his excellent promos. "Where are you, Moxley?" he asked, fuming that the tough guy was sitting on his ass at home "with some bullsh*t excuse," while he and Cage were in the building. He put 'The Machine' over huge, telling Mox that this was his fate as he pointed to the big man, and that with his title reign in grave danger, perhaps it's best that he wasn't there.

This is a killer pairing, with Taz coming off more threatening than he has since the night he knocked Kurt Angle's block off in Madison Square Garden. He has proven himself a huge benefit to both Cage and AEW and ensured that the storyline kept powering forward despite the World Champion's absence.

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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.