5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (30 August - Review)

Downs...

5. Hardly A Hot Opener

Illness and the hurricane currently ripping through Florida did a number on Dynamite last night, apparently, so it seems unfair to go in studs up with both feet.

Still, as a means of building All Out, this missed the mark, and it was also a splash of sobering reality following the incredible heights to which AEW climbed at Wembley Stadium. Jon Moxley defeated Komander in an opener that was mostly just there.

The story told was decent, if you look at it in a self-contained way. It was the classic Dynamite TV match layout: lower-ranked wrestler gives star name a test in a bid to get over, getting plenty of offence in, before the star emerges with the win to reinforce their star power. This wasn't the time to do it. It did nothing for Moxley, really. Everybody beats Komander. Mox doing the back-and-forth act didn't do enough to sell what could well be the main event of All Out. He should have shredded some poor bastard, grabbed a mic and cut the bloodthirsty live promo at which he's a master.

Also: is that AEW TV match formula starting to falter?

The up-and-coming talent rarely seems to get anything out of taking a star to a long match, do they? Why give them so much and then so little after the fact?

This was nothing, ultimately, and the crowd barely cared. It was easy to forget AEW was in Chicago last night, which is hardly a good omen.

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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!