4 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (December 13 - Results & Review)

by Michael Hamflett

1. Jon Moxley Vs Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland Jon Moxley
AEW

The main event of this Dynamite and clearly one set for a 2024 pay-per-view, Jon Moxley Vs Swerve Strickland was the best advert for the Continental Classic yet, proof that Tony Khan can find a crunch time fixture in a tournament that he booked on the back of a packet of tabs, and hard evidence that Swerve is The Guy for the company going forward.

Measure-for-measure rooted in the experience of Moxley and the incredible confidence of Strickland, the two located the "big fight feel" before they'd even touched. They maintained it over the following absorbing 15 or so minutes, crafting arguably the best match of the tournament and inarguably the most significant.

The booking was sublime and bold. Moxley had to cheat to win, a strategy he hid in plain sight in his promo last week where he promised to do whatever it took and didn't have the courage to guarantee a win. With his handfuls of tights and a rolled Swerve shoulder that the commentators immediately highlighted, the story was that the unbeatable John Cena of AEW had in fact cheated to win. There's no nobility in that, which will certainly come in handy should be be the one to steal Eddie Kingston's belts at the end of all of this.

If there was anybody left that doubted Strickland as a made man, they were silenced here. A shrewd shark of a pro wrestler and the company's most reliable top star gave him everything but the three-count. That comes when they fight again one day. By then, it'll be for much more than a Triple Crown.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 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 in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. 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 sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett