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

3. Another Week...

Brandi Rhodes Kris Statlander Dr. Luther
AEW

... another cold introduction.

First it was The Dark Order, then it was The Butcher and the Blade, and last night it was Dr. Luther. Announcer Excalibur put the man over as a "Japanese deathmatch wrestling legend" as he crawled out from under the ring during Kris Statlander vs. Riho. That he may be, but this means little to the audience, who responded with a level of indifference suggesting few had a clue who the guy was.

AEW must stop doing this. The "hey, here's an act you don't know... please react to them!" approach failed The Dark Order on their debut, did the same when The Butcher and the Blade attacked Cody, and we're now seeing it with Dr. Luther. It's no good.

It doesn't help that Luther looked like someone who'd appear on a low-level indie show, not national television. Regardless, the writing is the biggest issue here. These debuts are colder than the shady side of an iceberg.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. 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.