6 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Late Night Dynamite (Sep 22)

3. Matt Sydal Gets Gloved

Matt Sydal Shawn Spears
AEW

It was refreshing to see Shawn Spears outside of Dark, where he squashes an endless stream of jobbers through methods that rarely change, letting himself get frustrated by their spirit before putting them away and loading up the black glove.

The glove came into play for the finish here. Chris Jericho put the gimmick over as Spears was coming out, establishing Chekhov's Gun, but Shawn chose to load it before the bell, not after. Slugging Sydal in the face and hitting his C4 finisher was enough to end the high-flyer's night. Scorpio Sky saved Sydal from further punishment afterwards, running Spears and Tully Blanchard off to set up another potential singles clash.

A very good match, this. Spears is always going to work in a certain grindy fashion, but that doesn't mean he can't be compelling. Here, his gameplan was constantly foiled by Sydal, whose technicality opened doors for his elite athleticism to step through, leading to him controlling longer portions than the heel may have expected. This informed Spears' decision to load the glove and cheat to win.

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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.