5 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite Grand Slam 2023 (Results & Review)

Ups...

5. Roderick Strong Remains A Total Joy

Everything to do with Roderick Strong was sensational.

First, following the events of last week's Dynamite, the Kingdom tended to him by his bedside in a hospital. A panicked Adam Cole entered the scene. Roddy, wailing, asked here he was. Roddy wasn't in some metaphysical realm twixt between earth and the afterlife. He just had his eyes shut. This man's attempts at drawing sympathy are a stitch. What an inspired role and casting of it this whole arc is.

The moment in which Strong tried to get Cole's attention by rising from the electronic bed was awesome too. He looked, with a wonderful note of physical comedy, like the old, annoying friend whose presence you almost resent. He is the friend with an inconvenient problem, and with his lurch upwards, you could almost feel Cole's inner dread. The comedy in this saga is just note-perfect.

Later in the night, viewers saw the moment in which Cole, joining MJF as he recorded his pre-tape promotional promo, was called to the hospital - and heard Cole say to Roddy "You're not dying" on the phone. This was another exceptional gag. Being invited to imagine what that sounded like was better than even a Roddy Strong line reading.

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Contributor
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!