Friday’s edition of AEW Rampage peaked with the formal introduction of an idea that could have been too dark for its own good had the key players not pitched their performances so spectacularly. Days later on Dynamite and it became clear why.Triple J’s manipulation of Mark Briscoe is the sort of inspired wrestling silliness that works because of dramatic irony. Using and abusing Jay Lethal’s bond with Briscoe, the group have glommed on to him in a tactical attempt to monetise his talent and potential vulnerability. We as fans know deep down that Briscoe will outsmart these clowns, but the former ROH Tag Team Champion being centre to a tug of love as a result has cast doubt upon that and potentially set up a tremendous Double Or Nothing tag team affair in the process.
When FTR were alerted to Briscoe being attacked by The Varsity Athletes backstage, they raced to the medical office only to find Jarrett et al already there. Briscoe forced a truce between the warring sides, but - and take a seat if you need to - they can’t really co-exist.
Fun for now with rich emotions and high stakes lurking dangerously in the background, this was truly inspired.
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
