5 Ups & 8 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Jan 8)

7. Brandi's Burials

Brandi Rhodes Tony Schiavone Jim Ross Excalibur
AEW

AEW's decision to bring wrestlers into the announce booth on Dark has worked well for the B-show, though Brandi Rhodes' stint on Dynamite commentary was wholly destructive last night.

Brandi was in full-on burial mode. She trashed Riho, Kris Statlander, and even the match's very existence, saying that she wasn't even interested in it, and that the most interesting thing was finding out why she was out there. She even shovelled Excalibur and his mask for no good reason... and, just, why?!

This was a distracting, disruptive performance for both the viewers and Brandi's fellow announcers. It felt like the rest of the team were struggling to work around her derailments. Regardless of that, wholesale burials that detract from the action without supplementing it should never happen, particularly in a division that's still growing.

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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.