10 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Oct 28)

4. Code Orange

Cody's second TNT Title defence against Orange Cassidy didn't trouble the upper echelon of his great TV match record, nor was it as big a hoot as AEW's first lumberjack match, though it still hit the right notes and utilised the stipulation well.

Cassidy was low on shtick here. He leaned on his taunt spots on only a handful of occasions, opting instead to play it straight against a TNT Champion desperate to beat him after having his pride dented by their time-limit draw. Cody was aggressive and arrogant throughout, particularly when he flexed with push-ups in front of Arn Anderson after hitting the coach's own Gourdbuster. That's his character, though: he's great at this, he knows he's great at this, and he isn't afraid of flexing, which will likely be his downfall against Darby Allin next week.

The bout's most memorable spot was Cody's superplex onto the pile of lumberjacks, who'd been scrapping on the outside. Said scrapping eventually led into the finish, as the third parties swarmed the ring, with John Silver's pump kick to Cassidy allowing the unwitting Cody to hit the Cross Rhodes and take the W. Gunn Club standing tall after the wild, untamed post-match brawl sets up next week's six-man.

A fun, well-worked bout, with the comparative lack of shtick likely making it an easier pill for Cassidy critics to swallow.