5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Homecoming (4 Aug)

3. Miro Flattens Johnson

Miro's presentation continues to be one of the best things about the AEW product at the moment. Brutish, domineering, and imposing, The Redeemer is a million miles removed from the character he played early in his AEW run, and continued his recent hot streak with a mauling of Lee Johnson last night.

Johnson struggled against a seemingly unbreakable tide. His fightback had little impact on Miro early on, with the TNT Champion shrugging off blow after blow, overpowering the smaller man at every turn. At one point, Miro started laughing when Johnson dared counter out of an attempted Game Over. It's hard not to feel scared by that, though the babyface was valiant, finally working Miro to a convincing near-fall after his most prolonged period of offence culminated in a Frog Splash.

Death followed. Seconds later, Johnson's back was stretched in angles it was never meant to feel as the second attempted Game Over put an end to his struggle.

AEW could have had Miro squash Johnson here and it would have been fine. Instead, Lee's die-hard spirit shone through, with his near-fall ensuring that he, too, got something out of a bout that existed to make the champion look like the man.