5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (8 Mar - Review)
2. Blackpool Combat Club Vs The Dark Order
AEW
More of an extended angle than a match - and good job too, because the former was infinitely more interesting than the latter - The Blackpool Combat Club’s cruel dissection of The Dark Order formalised a heel turn that had brewing within the group for weeks.
The focus here was logically on Jon Moxley’s willingness to get down in the muck with partners Claudio Castignoli and Wheeler Yuta. While those two had developed a cynical streak in recent weeks, Mox’s actions felt a lot more like those of a man acting out as a way to combine the rage and embarrassment felt by his Revolution tap-out.This was doubly effective after Hangman Page had categorically confirmed that he was “done” with the former three-time AEW Champion after their most recent war. He clearly meant it too, but Moxley taking out his lingering frustrations on Page’s Dark Order pals brought the ‘Anxious Millennial Cowboy’ right back into the fold.
About as far away from a traditional this-feud-must-continue device as imaginable, this was intriguingly reframed one of the year’s hottest rivalries, perhaps leaving the door open for deciding fifth match, and some scary new directions for a heel BCC.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
