12 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Bash At The Beach (Jan 15)

In which Jon Moxley inexplicably becomes a pirate.

Last's week's Dynamite may have been the worst of the show's three-month run by a wide margin, but AEW still cruised to ratings success with an impressive 947,000 viewers tuning in.

That this misfiring show drew such a solid number was a product of strong promotion and momentum. Not only was the episode well advertised and marketed, but it came on the back of a lauded New Year's Day show and retained much of that excellent night's audience. It'll therefore be interesting to see how last night's Bash at the Beach special does; this was a vastly superior show, but how many of those 947,000 will have been driven away by the previous week's shortcomings?

Regardless, Bash at the Beach was loads of fun. Boasting a different lock, a stacked lineup of matches (PAC vs. Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Moxley, and more) as well as Cody finally responding to MJF's ridiculous demands, Dynamite promised a lot and generally delivered - though it wasn't without a few major problems.

A roster buoyed by yesterday's good news (largely) delivered when it mattered. Let's run through its successes, failures, and everything in between...

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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.