15 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Oct 23)

Cody and Jericho light the fuse in this Show of the Year contender.

Cody Window
AEW

Last night's AEW Dynamite was stellar. Absolutely stellar.

You'll struggle to find two better hours of wrestling television all year, despite the potentially game-changing Finn Balor heel turn over on USA Network. While Dynamite didn't quite have anything as impactful as that, this was genuinely a pay-per-view calibre show from a company that has hit nothing but home runs since debuting on TNT, with a match-heavy layout breaking only for Cody to throw a fist through Chris Jericho's window.

AEW gave themselves a lot to do last night. With two tag team tournament matches, Britt Baker's homecoming, The Young Bucks vs. Best Friends and two blockbuster one-on-ones, this show could have been a jumbled, rushed disaster. It wasn't. It was a triumph of immaculate production, pacing, and pops, and with the Pittsburgh crowd on fire all night long, the argument that this is a dead wrestling city can finally be laid to rest.

The NBA's return could well make this an ugly, ugly night for Dynamite (and NXT) when the ratings come in tomorrow. A shame, as all the promotion can do is bring their best work to the table. That's exactly what Cody, Kenny Omega, and co. did last night...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.