5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (4 May)

1. Blackhart

Varsity Blonds
AEW

There are problems aplenty with the House of Black's ongoing "corruption" of Julia Hart, with the timescale the biggest of them.

Close to six months have passed since Malakai Black first spat mist in Hart's face, blackening her eye and starting this process, but the storyline has frequently gone weeks without being mentioned. At one point, it appeared to have been forgotten about altogether before being fired back up. Nothing, fans are being asked to invest in something they have long since lost interest in, hence why last night's angle with the Varsity Blonds got next to no reaction early on.

A ropy Brian Pillman Jr. promo (if he was so pissed off, why did he wait half a year to let Malakai know?) conjured the House from the back. When the Blonds tried to shelter Julia in the corner, Black and co. attempted to coerce her into cracking Griff Garrison with a chair, ripping her eyepatch away when she refused to do so.

The crowd were baying for Hart to turn on her babyface partners and align with heels, too. All of this, paired with the obvious logic leap of a mouthful of mist "corrupting" another wrestler in what is supposed to be a reality-based promotion, cemented this flop.

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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.