5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (8 Feb - Review)
Downs…
4. The One True King Of...What, Exactly?
AEW
Samoa Joe and Wardlow didn’t need revisiting, but it’s happening anyway with or without obvious or clear motivation.
In contrast to the largely electrifying Darby Allin TNT Title reign (and Joe’s place in that) the feud between the Joe and ‘The War Dog’ never generated the sort of pulsating moments that performed the necessary duties of a) elevating the newcomer, b) obscuring the limitations of the veteran or - and this is most important - c) being particularly entertaining.
Joe callously toasted taking everything from Wardlow already to - dignity, title, man-bun etc. There’s reason for MJF’s former ally to want a piece of the champion but actively the opposite the other way. The wrong guy said the wrong stuff in what’s increasingly feeling like the wrong feud, especially if this is the plan for Revolution.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
