6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (7 June - Review)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. TBS Title Match Is Fine

Anna Jay Kris Statlander
AEW

Kris Statlander Vs. Anna Jay AS was fine. Respectable. There is very little else to say about it.

The story of the match was deeply basic: Anna's stablemate Daddy Magic distracted Statlander throughout, handing Jay the advantage, before Stat's intelligence, power and superiority won the day. It was boilerplate U.S. television wrestling. Without being tremendously exciting in and of itself, though, it was a promising glimpse into the long-term reign. Jay is very good, given her level of experience, but sometimes gets lost. This didn't happen here; this was a lean, focused match that while not heated coasted on the enthusiasm fans hold for Statlander. Statlander looked sharp, much of her power-based arsenal popped the crowd, and she marshalled a less experienced wrestler into an effective TV match. Nobody should do cartwheels over "solid" TV wrestling. The standard is too high.

If nothing else, this proved that, when given something of real substance, Statlander can be reasonably expected to deliver big.

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!