5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (8 Feb - Review)

1. (Hot)ShotGunn

The Gunns
AEW

Oh boy.

One of those decisions that'll either divide opinion or - and this could be the worry - not divide it at all, The Gunns' Tag Team Title victory was not so unpredictable that top podcasts weren't calling it before the show, but actually seeing it happen left a lot to be desired and bigger questions about the booking of the division at large.

The Gunns won cheaply and it already feels as though the reign exists to be ended by an Acclaimed rematch or returning heroes FTR more than anything else, but that "this is so sh*t you'll never see it coming" meta booking move is a mistake WWE made so often that they ended up with Jinder Mahal being so useless as Champion that Brock Lesnar laughed off the idea of even facing him.

That comparison might scan as harsh, but it's a slippery slope, and not one AEW necessarily even needed to entertain with their titles. Another troubling question - would the company have gambled with the prestige of their doubles belts if Trios ones didn't exist too? The straps held by The Elite suddenly feel like the ones that matter, but they're being contested for in matches that don't. The tag straps can't be serious with The Gunns, while the three-man ones won't be as long as the matches only exist for adrenalised quick hits.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 over 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 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana 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