13 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Feb 12)

1. This Formulaic Angle

Again, these Downs are minor. Such a small angle finishing as the episode's biggest negative speaks volumes of its all-round quality.

The angle designed to build to next week's Tag Team Championship number one contender's battle royal was lazy and formulaic. It featured a bunch of AEW's biggest tandems hitting the ring to simulate the bout by lobbing each other out two-by-two until one was left standing. In this case, it was The Young Bucks, who dived on the mass of humanity on the outside to close the segment.

We've seen this kind of thing time and time again in mainstream American promotions, to the point that it's no longer effective. It wasn't bad; just boring. Perhaps a cluster of quick backstage promos from a handful of participating teams would've been a better shout, particularly for duos like The Butcher and The Blade, whose manager The Bunny rarely exercises her vocal cords.

Jim Ross calling the Jackson brothers "the Bucks of Youth" was a hoot, though. Guess we know where this 'Exalted One' storyline is going...