There are referendums on the state of AEW on an almost-weekly basis now, so here's another one ahead of a flagship that was seemingly stacked and jacked in order to try and offset the constant and repeated critiques - last week's Dynamite felt like a turning point for large swathes of the base.
Promising in some respects, the over-indulgence in comedy for MJF's search for partners felt like another exercise in alienation. Elsewhere, Tony Khan's latest big announcement annoyed a sizeable number of viewers that at this point should just know better and/or accept the reality of what they represent.
Meanwhile, those having their patience tested by that were pushed beyond breaking point by the announcement that Paul Wight would help form a Golden Lovers/Jeri-Show squad to take down the Don Callis family. Kyle Fletcher ran into the former Big Show's fist, but most regulars ran to social media to vent their frustrations at how on earth the show transformed quite that much. And that was before they announced the signing of Ric Flair the next day.
As the bad faith engagement counts might (did) say (with absolute sincerity) - Folks, I think we might be back! Let's light the fuse...
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
