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

10. Sammy Wins, Dustin Vs. Hager Is Advanced

His Jimmy Hart "Brain Stew" cover seemingly a theme of the past, Dustin Rhodes came out to new music for his match with Sammy Guevara, entering through the crowd to take the young Inner Circle prospect by surprise. What ensued was a perfectly solid TV bout that served more as a functional bridge to Dustin vs. Jake Hager than anything else, with 'The Big Hurt's' low-blow interference allowing Sammy G to pick up the victory.

Furthering that ongoing program provided the bout's first success. The second was giving Guevara an overdue Dynamite victory to pad his less-than-impressive win/loss record, setting him off into 2020 with a fresh 1-0 on his nameplate.

Did this go a little long? Sure, it certainly didn't need to go 10 minutes, but the action was clean and Rhodes got plenty of his sh*t in before putting Guevara over. It worked.

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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.