The Ups & Downs format doesn't allow for a caveat-filled "that was a bit rubbish but nice" section for more nuanced appraisals of broadly fine wrestling television, but perhaps some further investigation into the AEW normalisation of The Young Bucks over the last year or so is what drags this all into the Downs.
Matt and Nick clearly and understandably still idolise Matt and Jeff, and this match outstripped their Double Or Nothing 2022 effort by orders of magnitude. But if the graphic felt more for the wrestlers than the audience, the outcome served even less of a purpose.
Existing to give The Bucks a television win in only their third tag team match of 2023, this wasn't the advert required to lead into the FTR showdown about to come. Dream match manifestation is a lovely perk of AEW's existence for the likes of The Jacksons, but The Elite's withering saga stuff has cooled this last year more than any point in their legendary career. All In will surely be the reminder of who they really are, but it'd be nice if the doses weren't so small.
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
