4 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (July 26 - Review)

2. Very Good Match Falls Short Of Greatness

Darby Allin AR Fox
AEW

Darby Allin Vs. Swerve Strickland was a very good match that couldn't touch their wild, dramatic encounter back in April.

That was wrestled with a frenzied urgency and somehow conspired to peak after a demented avalanche poison 'rana to the outside. It felt like a fight to the death and a spectacular wrestling match at the same time. This was sprinkled with moments of well-timed insanity, but could not match the energy of that ripper.

Swerve countered a Darby lopé with a leaping knee, and what a f*cking connection. It looked tremendous. Deeper into a match that felt like it was going to a screwy finish, which didn't help, Swerve drilled Darby with an avalanche death valley driver from the middle turnbuckle onto the apron. To be boring, this probably isn't the most sensible means of making the apron bump effective all over again, but it worked. And looked awesome.

A hooded figure entered the ring when Prince Nana distracted the referee. Tony Schiavone feigned ignorance, which was annoying. It was obviously AR Fox, since A) the hooded figure was wearing the same gear Fox wore in the opener and B) it was very clearly AR Fox.

Committed, exciting action, questionable booking. This is the second pin that the #1 contender to the TNT title has eaten in five days, and while he was cheated on both occasions, this is something AEW simply did not do at its peak.

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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!