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

3. A GREAT Night For Daniel Garcia

Daniel Garcia
AEW

Daniel Garcia was interviewed in the ring by Tony Schiavone. Even before he was interrupted by Christian Cage, he was tremendous.

Without it ever feeling like a cynical showcase reel, Garcia exhibited every great babyface value. He was humble upon learning that he is set to face Christian for the TNT title at Revolution, and thanked the fans for sticking by him during the lowest ebb of his career.

Then, Christian Cage appeared flanked by the Patriarchy. He said out loud an address - internet sleuths have already traced it to a cemetery - and informed the crowd with his trademark sinister relish that Garcia's father died at an early age. An apoplectic Garcia delivered a superb line in response, promising to put Cage in the ground right next to him at the pay-per-view.

Garcia was incredible here: there's something wrong with you if you don't want AEW to strap him up at Revolution. He has a similar quality to Bret Hart. His charisma and credibility and realness is as low-key. There's a naivety to his personality, that he has folded into his work through deliberate unforced errors, that adds to his human appeal and makes you desperate to see him succeed. His performance here never threatened to reach maudlin territory, though, because the fire he displayed was stirring as hell.

In another nice detail, the reveal that Garcia's father is no longer with us adds real heft to Daddy Magic's mentorship of him.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!