5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (18 May)

by Andy H Murray

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Hangman Page Show Out

Konosuke Takeshita
AEW

A banger of a match between two of the most explosive wrestlers on the AEW roster at the moment, Konosuke Takeshita vs. 'Hangman' Adam Page was comfortably the biggest highlight on this deeply inconsistent episode of Dynamite.

Although he has now gone 0-2 on television, AEW is doing right by DDT's top guy by letting him showcase the breadth of his abilities. Takeshita's work looks great. A snappy, impactful wrestler without a sloppy bone in his body, the former KO-D Openweight Champion looks and sounds like he is decimating his opponents, be he diving over the top to the outside or landing his running knee. That he boasts considerable size gives his moves extra heft, too, and his bursts of action are on par with Page, who has made this a trademark of his style.

Rife with fighting spirit, drama, well-timed moments of delayed onset selling, and neat story details like Takeshita being unable to bridge his German suplex due to neck damage, this fantastic bout concluded with Page nailing the Go To Sleep after his own Buckshot Lariat.

Takeshita continues to come across extremely well in American wrestling. He fills the screen as well as he does in Japan, which bodes well for this year-long excursion.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.