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

3. A Superb Twist

Sammy Guevara Chris Jericho
AEW

As mentioned, Chris Jericho Vs. Sammy Guevara was a sloppy match mostly bereft of heat.

The finish and post-match was excellent, though. Guevara had worn trunks inspired by the same colour palette Jericho had worn against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIX. This was a neat bit of foreshadowing that Excalibur deftly obscured. He said that Guevara wore the attire in tribute because he saw Jericho like Jericho saw Michaels.

At the finish, Jericho countered Guevara's shooting star press with a codebreaker. This, mercifully - at the last - was perfect. They couldn’t have executed the most important part of the match better had they attempted it another 100 times. Jericho proved that he's still better than Sammy, but Sammy could not reconcile the loss. Mirroring WrestleMania XIX, in a stunning bit of continuity, Sammy kicked Jericho in the balls. This was all kinds of brilliant.

The angle might have made you feel old, but it also reminded you that your lifetime of watching wrestling has mattered. This was hidden in plain sight by Guevara's insistence that Le Sex Gods pursued the Tag Titles after they got this match "out of their system". AEW has a habit of telegraphing plot developments, and this twist worked in subverting that beautifully.

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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!