5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts 2023 (Review)

Ups...

5. Accomplished Opener

HOOK Jack Perry
AEW

Two things can be true at once:

1) This new heel act does not suit Perry and has a midcard ceiling

2) His match with HOOK was really well-done, unoriginal carny finish aside.

As a referendum on the Jack Perry turn, it was inconclusive, but it worked well as HOOK's first proper "back-and-forth" match. HOOK was asked to sell here for longer than usual, and did a convincing job. The crowd popped for his impeccably timed roll back into the the ring at 9 spot. Perry plays an aloof heel - his taunting of the crowd was low-key - which isn't going to steal many scenes.

He has picked up a useful and intelligent trick from his old mentor, though: the action was backloaded in that slow-burn thriller Christian Cage vintage way. The layout meant that the last few minutes felt more urgent and dramatic, with everybody in the arena intently locked in, when Perry did the smash and grab belt shot. A good TV match with an elegant pacing to it, it wasn't quite a great bit of business.

There must have been a better way to beat HOOK for the first time: instead, the referee was as thick as hell twice, and HOOK went down to a belt shot, which, in AEW canon, isn't a transgression (a lot of heels do it) nor a death blow (a lot of babyfaces kick out of it).

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!