10 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jun 17)

Ups...

10. It's The Small Things

Reba Britt Baker
AEW

AEW aims to create the atmosphere of a filmed event, not a performed show, to enable suspension of disbelief.

The prescribed, fully accounted for match card is the foundation to this sense of immersion. Nothing suddenly happens that asks unanswerable questions of the process. The viewer is going to ask them; it's the remit of the writer/showrunner/booker to anticipate these questions and hold an answer that does not shatter the illusion and make the audience feel stupid.

When Reba found Britt Baker in a dumpster after Big Swole's joyride, Baker immediately acknowledged the invisible camera expressly forbidden by AEW to achieve the above. The explanation was thin, but reassuring, and somehow so inspired as to be immaculately in character: Reba, fearful of a b*llocking, went to outrageous lengths to literally show Baker, splattered in litter, in a flattering light.

It's an hermetic presentation, AEW Dynamite, one that earns its ardent hardcore support by utilising virtually every second of the broadcast to reciprocate it.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!