10 Ups & 7 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 11)

1. 50/50

There's lots of ground to cover with The Young Bucks vs. Proud and Powerful. We'll get to the good stuff later, but for now, let's focus on the questionable: the booking.

Matt and Nick Jackson going over Ortiz and Santana puts them at 1-1 in basic tag matches. This undermines the rub Proud and Powerful got from defeating the Bucks in that awesome Full Gear match and further diminishes their current momentum, leaving them struggling. On top of this, even if the Jacksons had to go over here, it would have meant so much more had Private Party not already ended Ortiz and Santana's undefeated streak - another puzzling outcome in AEW's tag division.

The Bucks vs. SoCal Uncensored is going to be great, but imagine how much heat there'd be for a Proud and Powerful title challenge had they defeated Private Party and followed up with a second win over Matt and Nick here?

50/50 isn't always bad, of course, but it feels harmful here. Wrestlers are trading back-and-forth wins all over the place at the moment. The Bucks and PNP are but the latest examples, and continuing down this route will only harm AEW's ability to build and maintain stars.

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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.