6 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (28 February - Results & Review)
Downs...
X. Another Off-Night For Jericho
Every Chris Jericho match in 2024 has a sort of teetering quality to it. It's never perfect. The struggle is all too real.
The 2024 Jericho match always feels like it's bound to collapse under the weight of its over-ambition. Lionheart Chris Jericho Vs. Atlantis Jr. was choppy in that now trademark Jericho way. Jericho first took a few monkey flips as Atlantis initially struggled to win the crowd over with some desperate appeals. It didn't help that Jericho, to be blunt, landed like a sack of sh*t. The monkey flip only works if the recipient gets blown the f*ck away across the breadth of the ring. He landed instead with an anticlimactic thud after clearing very little distance. Groan-inducing, deflating stuff.
Also, on the outside, he struggled badly to get up for a powerbomb. He was always meant to reverse it when he could get into position and send Atlantis Jr. into the ring steps, but that initial sandbag made that brief moment before the counter absolutely terrifying. The mishaps happen every single time he steps in the ring now. You can't wear what you wore in the '90s and become that person all over again. The first half of the match made that agonisingly clear.
In fairness to Jericho, the second half of the match was much tighter, better and more dramatic than the first. The counters were far more crisp, and Jericho's top-rope hurricanrana looked spectacular. Fans were initially bemused by Atlantis Jr.'s approach - he does a lot of vintage lucha and wears almost old-timey gear in reference to his lineage - but his awesome strength and crowd control ability got him over in the end.
After nailing Atlantis Jr. with a top-rope bulldog from his old CMLL catalogue - a neat touch - Jericho won after a neat Liontamer reversal when Atlantis threw in the towel on his son's behalf.
Jericho celebrated after the match before it was announced that...