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

2. The Blind Eliminator Tournament, Much Like AEW Itself, Is Uneven

Matt Hardy AEW
AEW

A quick word on those brackets: even for a conceit as fundamentally silly as the Blind Eliminator, which basically enables and excuses very fake-feeling contrivance, Tony Khan might have taken the piss. It all exists to drive the MJF Vs. Adam Cole programme and advance some midcard fare underneath. That's fine.

But pairing together another set of rivals, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, was a bit much (super match aside). Worse is that two semi-established tag teams were "drawn", in Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy and Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia. This isn't just too convenient; it's uninspired. Isn't the point of the tournament to indulge bullsh*t?

Nobody is taking it seriously as a serious box office attraction. Why not go dafter? Might as well go all in. Have Nick Jackson and Brody King together. Screw it, why not.

Khan actually threatened to do something supremely dumb and fun, by pairing Daddy Magic with the Butcher, but didn't air their pre-match promo. That wasn't just a missed opportunity. That was a scandal. Why put these specific acts together if not to exploit their majestic '80s Survivor Series promo dynamic? And doesn't Matt Hardy have enough to do? Was entering the tournament in his contract or Ethan Page's contract or whichever contract he's under this week?

Big Bill and Brian Cage. That's more like it.

The issue is that there's less like it.

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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!