5 Ups & 8 Downs From AEW Dark (Aug 25)

3. Best Friends vs. Demetri Jackson & Storm Thomas

Best Friends
AEW

Solid action, as Best Friends defeated newcomers Storm Thomas and Demetri Jackson to open the show, though the layout made little sense.

Best Friends are gearing up for a Tag Team Title contendership gauntlet match on Dynamite. Giving them a win ahead of that was a smart move, but they are second only to FTR in the rankings and will enter the gauntlet in a privileged position as a result of this. Also, they competed for the belts a few weeks ago. They're one of the top teams in the company, and yet they swung momentum back and forth with a couple of jobbers, who enjoyed an even share of the offense.

That shouldn't be the case. There should be tiers. AEW's rankings system exists to create these, so it's frustrating when the framework is ignored.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.