5 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (May 15 - Results & Review)
3. A Mixed Night For Swerve Strickland Peaks High
Swerve Strickland Vs. Brian Cage threatened to be a soulless and overfamiliar movez match. Cage is one of the most heavily featured midcard acts on Dynamite and is very fun in an entirely one-dimensional way. He exists to lose and invariably loses the exact same match.
This however was really strong.
A hybrid of exciting spots and vicious hard-hitting tone, the tenor of the match was elevated by the loud reaction to the home state hero. In a particularly great sequence early, Cage caught a Strickand dive by seamlessly dropping him with a suplex to the floor. It could have looked contrived. It didn't.
Swerve targeted Cage's arm throughout, but not in a boring, methodical way. He blasted it with a Helluva kick before winning with the House Call. Swerve also matched Cage's still-impressive power game by dropping him with a delayed brainbuster. He registered the imminent impact superbly, convincing the crowd that he needed their vocal support to summon the strength.
The post-match angle was less impressive.
Swerve has taken more beatings in just over a month than Jon Moxley did throughout his entire reign, or at least it feels that way. The Patriarchy battered Swerve when Nick Wayne sneak-attacked him. Christian Cage smashed him over the head with a Strickand family portrait.
It feels like Tony Khan is overcompensating for the fact that Christian, despite being wonderful in the role, is simply the first predictable loser in Swerve's World title reign. The result is that Swerve looks weak and easily outwitted.
This self-conscious overcorrection feels less like a compelling story and more like an insulting and damaging formula to heat Christian up.