5 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (January 24 - Results & Review)

2. Another Wardlow Reboot

Watching Adam Cole grimace as he made his entrance wearing a medical boot, again, was yet another reminder of how much AEW panicked and absolutely sh*t itself after Grand Slam. Everybody knows Cole is a nice fellow.

You aren't meant to feel inordinate sympathy for your resident heel mastermind!

He led the Undisputed Kingdom to ringside ahead of Wardlow's match with Trent Baretta, which was only decent - not ideal, since it was reiterated on commentary that Wardlow intends to challenge for the World title at some point (perhaps even imminently). The long protracted heat spot wasn't compelling, and the creeping sense that the match wasn't a squash was suboptimal, given that Wardlow is expected to work lengthy matches in the main event picture. The action did improve near the finish, but only when the outside activity allowed for smoke and mirrors; Trent scored an improbably dramatic near-fall after lamping Wardlow with a chair. Wardlow did dust off that awesome-looking plunging Go To Sleep, and flexed his unreal core strength by carrying Trent around on his shoulders before landing the powerbomb.

But there was something about watching the second Wardlow reboot against an LED backdrop inspired by a WWE that is absolutely trouncing them that, again, just felt bleak. AEW can vow to make mistakes no longer, but they cannot hide from those they've already made.

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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!