12 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Nov 6)

A perfect episodic wrestling TV show.

by Michael Sidgwick
Promo Cody
Fite TV

AEW didn’t have a ratings war to win last night. They had a pay-per-view to promote.

And they had done so very effectively over the five weeks prior. Chris Jericho Vs. Cody is a big match. Jericho is the most entertaining heel in the game right now, and Cody has managed something even more impressive, in that he has excelled at a role once thought unrecoverable: the universally-liked, old school babyface. The tension engineered felt authentic—which is the effect of using cheap heat as a sub-thread, and not on-the-nose fakery—and manifested in a series of tremendous, evenly-structured angles.

Jon Moxley’s promo last week was so fire—a level of violence “not seen in decades,” is what he promised—that it created a tone of deep unease. Knowing what we know about those two performers, the prospect of their Lights Out match is terrifying. As it should be: it’s the blow-off to a blood feud.

PAC Vs. Hangman Page was more functional and less exciting in contrast, though the importance of win/loss records is a neat mechanism with which to build the importance of the midcard attractions. The same is true of the Young Bucks Vs. Proud-N-Powerful, though the sight of pulverised, decrepit wrestling royalty is one of wrestling’s bizarre, shameful joys.

What did AEW to drive the point home?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!