5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dark (Oct 8)

2. 205 Live Syndrome

AEW Dark
AEW

CIMA vs. Darby Allin was the only Dark bout taped before Dynamite. The other three were held after the show, and the difference in crowd reactions was huge.

The audience were alive, energised, and fully engaged for Allin and CIMA, creating a great atmosphere for a bout that wasn't even advertised prior to the show, but the other matches? Not so much. Those poor fans had been worn out by Dynamite's big moments. They'd expended most of their energy and now, after watching the A-show, they were being asked to receive the B-show with the same level of enthusiasm.

Contrast the difference between the noise SCU and Jurassic Express generated at All Out and their muted responses on Dark. It's night and day.

This is something AEW can learn from. Perhaps it'd be wise to tape all of the bouts before Dynamite to prevent crowd burnout, because everything apart from Allin vs. CIMA was suffering from a bad case of 205 Live Syndrome. Let's fix that.

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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.