There was no shortage of exciting spots in the impromptu main event between Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy, but should this really be the main takeaway from these two at this point?
This had the air of an early-AEW classic. You know the sort because both these men featured in them. The halcyon 2019/2020 days where relatively unknown talents were suddenly tearing it up on television and highlighting the amazing depth and potential for evolution.
To be four years forward and still working with that air rather than feeling like completed projects is problematic, particularly when both are being positioned for a title shot.
Or are they?
Guevara defeated Perry by count-out thanks to help from an MJF shamelessly trying to gimmick the Pillars Tournament in order to get the contest he wants, even though we can all see that neither heel is to be trusted. This hampered the idea here too - with no honour among thieves and no satisfying finish either, will the whole thing be scrapped to re-set up the four-way that looked likely all along?
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
