5 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (May 12)

2. Hard Men Hitting Hard

Yuji Nagata vs. Jon Moxley was a very good opener, but Dynamite's first couple of minutes were pure pro wrestling magic. From the shots of the wrestlers preparing backstage and Nagata coming through the building, to Blue Justice's cathartic ring walk and Moxley coming out to bloody Wild Thing, the prologue was captivating.

The match ruled. Nagata and Moxley kept it simple, slugging the crap out of each other for around 10 minutes while Lance Archer watched on for the bleachers. Nagata was only ever there to lose but got to work signature spots like his stiff chest kicks and white-eyed cross armbreaker, and was clearly in his element in the fighting spirit striking exchanges.

Met with defiance in the form of two raised fingers after his biggest move, an exploder suplex, Yuji eventually fell to the Paradigm Shift after eating knees in the clinch. A post-match show of respect then saw these two warriors bow beside the IWGP United States Championship.

Pro wrestling need not be complicated. On a show that suffered most when it tried too hard to be gimmicky, this opener was wonderfully simple. Two tough old bulls hit each other hard until one of them fell down and couldn't answer the count.