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

2. Johnny Joker

Samoa Joe Johnny Elite
AEW

John Hennigan (he of interchangeable surnames, competing here as Johnny Elite) would have been a pleasant surprise for WWE viewers let down by the super-athlete's surprising release from the world's biggest promotion last year. His was a name on few peoples' lips while talk of Cesaro and Johnny Gargano swirled - and the mega-pop justified his positioning as the Joker.

It's unfortunate, then, that the Samoa Joe match was so clunky. Suffering from a lack of chemistry and cohesion, it got off on the wrong foot as Johnny clocked Joe with a forearm while the ROH Television Champion was going for a lock-up. Whether worked or not, it gave the impression of communication issues - and the match never truly recovered.

Elite got some of his more spectacular spots off but whiffed a flipping Death Valley Driver and almost missed a 450 splash, necessitating an extra hop after hitting the deck. Minutes later, he was pinned after a successful Muscle Buster, wrapping a match that felt borderline uncooperative at points.

Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, and Sonjay Dutt destroying Joe's arm with a lead pipe was good stuff post-match. Given the nature of Kyle O'Reilly's win over Rey Fenix later in the show, their second round match now has a clear story.

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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.