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

1. Does Everyone Love The Acclaimed?

Because AEW mostly uses a rotating cast, it's all the more pronounced when Tony Khan does use an act either every week or more often than not. It feels like the Gates of Agony and Brain Cage are set to smash the company appearance record at this point. Their fun if one-dimensional act has been overexposed, as has the Acclaimed signature match, which is incredibly basic structurally.

They draw on what is essentially the timeless formula, the heat and the comeback and the rest, but there's never any flair, thought or drama to it. Their matches just exist. This felt nothing like a title fight. They won after Jay White, a wrestler AEW has zero clue what to do with, thwarted interference. All of this is not great, at all, nor is it effective. The Acclaimed sell merch. The Trios titles are now a vehicle with which to help them accomplish that.

People wanted Trios titles in the first place because they fell and fell hard for the dizzying, pulsating action that you couldn't begin to predict where was going next. That's a lot easier and much less exciting now.

Billy Gunn for the hot tag after first being cut off, is it?

Also, on literally the first show after the rankings were announced, a team failed upwards, challenging for a title a week removed from losing a lesser achievement.

Not a great, reassuring look.

Advertisement
 
Posted On: 
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!