11 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Aug 5)

Downs...

2. Tonal Shifts

Big Swole
AEW

Big Swole vs. Reba was a well-performed, well-conceived angle in a bubble, but blighted by issues outwith the performers' control.

It saw Baker name her personal assistant (let's call her that) as Swole's opponent ahead of All Out. Of course, Swole took care of Reba in just a few minutes, finishing her off with Dirty Dancing, though there was a jarring tonal difference between what the announcers were putting over and the bout as it played out. Schiavone, Taz, and JR pointed out, rightly, that Reba has over a hundred matches under her belt and isn't some overmatched rookie, but Reba wrestled exactly like an overmatched rookie, showing trepidation when she attacked and wonderment when she was able to craft openings. This undermined everything.

On top of this, AEW can't get away with showing just five minutes of women's wrestling content on Dynamite the same day they launched their female fan community, Heels. Their commitment to this scene appears to vary depending on the weather. The messages aren't so much mixed, but all over the place, feeding into larger conversations on women's wrestling in AEW as a whole.

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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.