10 Wrestlers Who F*cked Up On Their First Day

6. Matt Sydal Shoots For The Stars, And, Well...

Matt sydal
AEW

It would be generous to state that All Out 2020 was a cursed event.

It would also be harsh to call it a poor event. The singles and tag team World Title matches were both excellent. But when you remember why AEW held an event outdoors in the humidity of Florida in August - i.e. they couldn't book anywhere else as a result of the pandemic it remains a risk to run amid - it becomes somewhat harder to blame some fateful phenomena.

During the Casino Battle Royale, that humidity proved a problem for the debuting Matt Sydal. Entering the match as the Joker, with no small hint of irony, he sought to make an immediate grandstanding impression by delivering his trademark, gorgeous shooting star press to Will Hobbs. Undone by the perspiration that had coated the top turnbuckle, he slipped, coming perilously close to landing on his head.

But AEW isn't a spiteful company; he was mocked after the fact, but in a manner that was gentle and inspired; the botch was blamed in storylines on Michael Nakazawa who, irritated at being left out of the match, oiled up the ropes. They had a match on Dark to wrap a bow around it.

Subsequent to his dire debut, Sydal has settled into the expected senior hand role very well; his low-key banger with Brian Cage provided a glimpse into how the muscle monster might have beaten Darby Allin, and he made FTR look even more fantastic than they are two weeks back.

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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!