4 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (12 Jan)

4. Raw?! Is That You?

Adam Cole Britt Baker
AEW

Dynamite opened on a lazy WWE Raw segment featuring some of the company's biggest stars.

The Young Bucks interrupted Adam Cole and reDRagon's opening party, continuing the two tag teams' tug-of-war for the former NXT Champion's services. Best Friends came out when summoned and a brawl broke out. When Kris Statlander faced off with Cole, Britt Baker hit the ring, saved her partner, and the heels finished on top, with Baker and Cole locking lips to seal it.

Lacking in effort, energy, and electricity, this segment needed a particularly strong promo or at least a handful of zinger lines to transcend the tired, tedious format. It didn't get that. The wrestlers felt like they were going through the motions on the microphone and anyone could have seen the conclusion coming.

This felt very much like the product of a show stuck in a creative rut. That AEW don't open every show with a WWE-style promo train is to their credit and had they done it well here, they'd get a pass. Instead, this felt mailed in.

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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.