6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (July 5 - Review)

1. A Cracking TV Main Event

Kenny Omega Vs. Wheeler YUTA was a fabulous TV main event that recognised the genre in which it was worked.

It didn't go too long, had no designs on being epic, and recognised that Omega is above YUTA's level. It wasn't too ambitious, but it extracted drama from the dynamic in multiple, excellent ways.

Nobody is better at the worked botch than Kenny Omega. He is so good at it, in fact, that it was easy to forget YUTA's pre-match promo in the moment. YUTA flashed his teeth and, like the weasel his character is, relished the chance to work his "broken" opponent. Very early in the match, Omega attempted his You Can't Escape fireman's carry into a moonsault. He was off balance and landed on his ass and not his feet, or so it seemed. He sold his neck throughout, and YUTA targeted it from that moment forward, but the way in which Omega crumpled and seemed hugely upset with himself made it feel like a real botch in the moment. There is nobody better at telling sports-oriented stories, and continuity, than Kenny Omega.

This was how the drama was created and parity was established. It wasn't an exciting back-and-forth for the sake of it, purely because that is de rigueur in modern wrestling. With convincing, breathless timing, Omega kicked out of the seatbelt pin because YUTA, whose inexperience is a key element of his character, did not hook the leg. It was a typically heart-pounding 2.9 on the part of Omega. This dynamic, of wounded wrestling God versus precocious but raw technician, created drama without taking the piss or undermining Omega's star aura. This was an outstanding bit of business that delivered the trademark Omega palpitations by the finish.

Could have done without the Dark Order turning up for the usual Elite Vs. Blackpool Combat Club post-match brawl, though. That feud already feels under-baked as a personal issue without diluting it to accommodate yet more internal strife within the Elite.