In stark contrast to the opener living down to extremely low expectations, Rob Van Dam's punt to try and save the FTW Title from Jack Perry's oily grasp was an unmitigated success.
In good shape and keen to show it off, RVD's north-of-50 frame betrayed the birth certificate multiple times. Watching him rotate from apron to floor with the barricade spinkick was as heady a pleasure as hearing "Walk" last week, the rolling thunder looked as good as ever even if the split-leg moonsault sputtered, and seeing the Five Star Frog Splash after thinking it would only be teased rather than delivered was superb for sustaining the heat.
Perfectly pitched as annoyingly difficult hurdle for heel Perry to hop over, Van Dam was only undone by Bryce Remsberg being knocked out by a flying chair in a wicked ref bump. By the time replacement referee Aubrey Edwards arrived, Perry - decked out in Jerry Lynn's most famous attire no less - was able to steal a victory both men had fans believing might not come. A quiet triumph on exactly the right stage, a this strange two week exercise has put the former Jungle Boy in his best spot yet since the Forbidden Door turn.
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
