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

3. A Blasé Setup

The Acclaimed vs. Bear Country would have felt more at home on Dark or Elevation than Dynamite, as Max Caster and Anthony Bowens worked their way to victory over Bears Bronson and Boulder with minimal heat or engagement in a bout thrown randomly onto the card prior to Dynamite hitting the airwaves.

Caster served up a rap on Novak Djokovic and erectile dysfunction before Bear Country clobbered him and Bowens. A couple of fun double-team spots from the Bears aside, there was little to sink your teeth into up to the finish, which was never in doubt either. Caster's Mic Drop finished things off after Bowens had gotten involved during a referee distraction.

Name-dropped in the rap, Sting and Darby Allin came out to batter The Acclaimed after the bell. That's why the match existed: to set this up. Which is fine, theoretically, but professional wrestling is no fun when you can see how the sausage is being made. Such developments need to feel organic. They need to feel real. When it doesn't, all you are witnessing is a mechanical process.