11 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Jan 29)

Ups...

11. A New Challenger Emerges

Nyla Rose vs. Big Swole was fine. **1/2 would be a fair star rating as it was solid enough and accomplished its goal of giving 'The Native Beast' another credible win on her road to title contention, though nothing about it stood out as special.

Rose was coming off a feud-settling victory over Shanna on Dark. She looked better here than in that botchy tables match, showing her usual hoss potential in fits and starts. Swole, meanwhile, is fun to watch, and the chants she drew from the crowd show she's getting over as well. She was there to lose, though. A Spear followed by the Beast Bomb ended her night.

A functional bridge to something bigger for Rose, this served its purpose. It'll be interesting to see if she goes straight into a Women's World Championship match to Riho or falls to a Hikaru Shida or Kris Statlander as the wrestlers jostle for position on the rankings.

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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.