5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (25 May)

3. FTR & Roppongi Vice Do What They Do Best

Rocky Romero Cash Wheeler
AEW

While the post-match angle wasn't optimal, FTR and Roppongi Vice worked what was fast becoming an excellent tag team match prior to the finish.

Rife with the kind of crisp, snappy offense we should expect from this combination of skilled tag team specialists, this was a lot of fun. Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta haven't missed a beat as a tandem. Their various combinations and interjections were as seamless as FTR's, which should be treated as a huge combination, given the level of esteem Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are held in. Never once did these four feel like they were running routines. Their clash was organically dramatic and impactful, particularly with the late Strong Zero near-fall only broken by Wheeler shoving Romero into the fall attempt.

That AEW scarcely uses disqualifications keeps them effective, too. Indulging in them so infrequently means that those involved are genuinely protected from taking a defeat. Rather than inspiring eye-rolls, their sparse use works as a break from Tony Khan's typically strict clean finish policy.

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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.