6 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (February 21 - Results & Review)

Ups...

6. Solid Match Is Solid

Orange Cassidy Vs. Mike Benett was fine. The only thing actively wrong with it was the sequencing of the plot; despite the audience being told earlier that he was just barely cleared, it was difficult to take seriously the idea that Cassidy was in any real physical danger following the unhinged Texas Death match last week. There was no believable escalation here. Cassidy won.

Bennett might have expressed disbelief, NXT-style, that the second piledriver didn't put Cassidy away, but it shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise: this was as rote as AEW's booking gets.

A babyface won a match against the stablemate of his main rival. The babyface despite being positioned in a much stronger spot was taken somewhere close to his limit by the opponent. The match structure and storyline subplot is deeply familiar AEW fare at this point, and while it's often hard to believe that AEW Dynamite is almost five years old, when watching a match with a feel like this, it becomes rather a lot easier. Perhaps this explains the polite reaction throughout.

You've seen the match before, in some form or other, despite Cassidy and Bennett's talents. Near-fall on the second piledriver. A move on the apron. Questionable officiating to allow the low-blow spot. Etc.

It was accomplished technically, as you'd expect, and they got the crowd into it somewhat, but if you're reading this review to gauge that which can be skipped, this is very much that.

The post-match was dire. Oklahoma's own Jake Hager, who became Orange Cassidy's hundredth inexplicable friend in the process, made the save from an Undisputed Kingdom beat-down. Literally seconds later, Tony Khan made Hager Vs. Roderick Strong official for Rampage. A graphic even flashed up on the screen. How did that get made in less time than it takes to hiccup?

That was as shoddy as it gets, and frankly, hometown or no, Hager's sudden reappearance and face turn was dumb.