11 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Sep 9)

2. Mercy Killing

This is an oft-repeated point in this column, but goddamnit. Dustin Rhodes is perfect as the doomed babyface favourite marching against unassailable odds and into a fight he can't even hope to win.

That the outcome is never in doubt yet Rhodes never fails to pull the viewer in is an incredible triumph. It's pro-wrestling 101. While Dustin's body might not work the way it used to at 51 years old, his mind is sharper than ever, and here, against Brodie Lee, he was a magnificent victim. His bumping and selling were great throughout and his comebacks, while largely fleeting, came in all the right places.

A greater triumph still was the layout. This wasn't a textbook underdog match in which the overmatched babyface puts up an over-the-top fight against the malevolent villain, pushing him to the brink over and over. Rhodes got his nearfalls in, sure, but there was a clear skill gap between the two. In the end, it was a simple matter of Brodie hitting his finisher and winning. Exactly what it needed to be.

Fuelled by an appropriate level of fire following his brother's decimation, Dustin matched Brodie's recent excellence. He's a gem of a performer we must cherish while he's still able to go out and work matches like this.