6 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Feb 24)

1. Fenix & Archer Bring Fireworks & Explosions

You probably knew what Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix was going to be at the time it was announced, and it was exactly that.

It was awesome.

The match promised a twist on the typical powerhouse vs speedster format, as although Archer dwarves Fenix, he's as agile anyone his size ever could be while Rey is capable of laying in stiffer strikes that one might initially expect from someone of his slight frame. Monster vs. flier was still the core story, but the light-footed Lance is no big, lumbering stiff, and Fenix is no generic flippydoo.

Fenix, the most energising wrestler of 2021, continued his recent hot streak with bursts of offense, including that ridiculous flip-dive he has perfected, where he somehow lands on the barricade then hops to this feet. The man isn't real. Archer, meanwhile, hit his own flipping rope walk and got brutish in a match of counters and explosions, dropping bomb after bomb and absorbing a few of Fenix's own (most notably an absurd late-match Spanish Fly).

Lance's superior power won out over Fenix, with the Blackout finishing Rey off. A post-match fistbump told us that even though they brawled backstage early on, these two still respect each other.

Fireworks, bombs, and one of the best AEW matches of 2021 so far.