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

Ups...

6. The AEW Creative Freedom Spirit, Embodied

Keith Lee Orange Cassidy
AEW

Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy Vs. Swerve In Out Glory was super-heated and very fun, but that description overlooks just how much thought and creativity went into it.

The structure of the match could not have flattered Keith Lee more. This was yet more evidence that Tony Khan has inherited Paul Heyman's crown as the man who can best accentuate the positives and hide the negatives of his talent.

For ages, Lee could not be budged from his feet. Lee's role amplified the drama and crowd heat. He looked unbeatable throughout, and much doubt was cast over the result when, in an awesome spot, he carried Orange Cassdiy up the ring steps with Darby Allin crushed underneath. Cassidy couldn't even budge Lee with his most convoluted Stundog Millionaire trap yet. This all informed the magic of Darby finally flooring Lee with the code red and the brilliance of Cassidy's tornado DDT to the outside. In a match where it felt like Lee wouldn't bump at all, wildly tumbling out of the ring like it was 2017 again got it over all the more.

Funny, exhilarating, strategic, dramatic, unpredictable; this was several different great matches rolled into one, a dramatic party, and a match that could only exist in AEW and its breathless embrace of creative freedom.

A weird and wonderful match that advanced the Swerve Strickland feud in a very bizarre way, but restored faith in the payoff being great, at least.

Tony Khan booking a Can-They-Co-Exist? tournament and making it good is the epitome of a weird flex, but he did it nonetheless.

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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!