11 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jan 1)

2. Protect The Referees

Darby Allin Aubrey Edwards
AEW

It's a shame that little was done to ease the justified concerns regarding AEW's referees and their authority last night, as a number of officials were made to look unauthoritative throughout the night.

Aubrey Edwards willingly let Darby Allin remove the turnbuckle during his match with Cody, offering only a slight scowl in response. The Jon Moxley vs. Trent referee just stood by and let one of Trent's seconds, Orange Cassidy, enter the ring to distract Jon Moxley. Nothing was done to curb the looming threat of Jake Hager as Dustin Rhodes wrestled Sammy Guevara despite the referee's post-bell acknowledgement that AEW's 'Big Hurt' interfered for the finish. Hager was admonished after the match, not during it.

The men and women in black and white lack credibility as a result of months of incidents like those described above. It's a shame, as AEW have collected some of the game's most talented individuals, but they need to be presented in a better light going forward.

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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.