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

2. Screwball Scramble

Nothing on last night's show will spark more debate than the opener, which showcased everything tag team traditionalists hate about AEW's duos scene in 16 blurry minutes.

In that regard, it was the most lucha libre thing AEW has booked in weeks, with fluid, fast-moving action, little sense of order, and pops prioritised over psychology - though there were still a couple of neat story points. Fortunately, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you hate the chaotic house style, that's fair, but this columnist got a huge kick out of the pure sugar rush.

The bout played out as if all eight participants had scoffed a massive bag of candy prior to hitting the ring, with high spots and double-team moves aplenty. Santana and Ortiz stepped in to spoil the fun at various points, drawing heat in the process, and the crowd lapped everything up. They were into it from Trent and Nick Jackson's opening exchanges all the way to Hangman Page and Kenny Omega's V-Trigger/Buckshot combo finisher, showing that the wrestlers did their jobs.

Most of the intrigue comes from the Page/Omega pairing, once again, with Page stealing the pinfall from his partner, and The Young Bucks not best pleased either, having done the heavy lifting only for Hangman and Kenny to sneak in for the victory. More seeds of dissent within The Elite, but how much longer can Omega keep playing peacemaker?

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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.