6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (November 1 - Results & Review)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. A Very, Very, Very Good Opener

Claudio Castagnoli
AEW

Orange Cassidy did more to make Claudio Castagnoli look like a monster in 10 minutes than Vince McMahon managed in 10 years.

For much of a gripping opening match, Claudio essentially played the role of a powerful freak capable of throwing Orange Cassidy around and up by his ears at his mercy. It was not unlike watching a child who was probably too old for that sort of thing practise wrestling moves on a stuffed animal.

Claudio reversed a tornado DDT attempt seamlessly into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster early to set the tone. While it was impossible to watch this version of Claudio Castagnoli and not immediately fan-cast him into the role of top heel - he was a mutant in this goddamn match - this could have benefited from a touch more back-and-forth. Orange Cassidy was uncharacteristically shaky on the comeback, which didn't help, but he mounted it so late in the match that the finish scanned as something of an anticlimax.

The finish itself was incredible - Orange popped back down onto Claudio's shoulders, thwarting the uppercut attempt with a shock hurricanrana - but they have an even better match in them. The chemistry was wonderful, the match very good, the crowd was into it but their minds were still intact. Run it back again.

There is much left to achieve.

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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!