6 Ups & 6 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 16)

5. Good Match, Weird Outcome

While The Good, The Bad, and The Hungiee's (s/o Excalibur) match with Matt Hardy and Private Party didn't hit the intense upper gear these competitors are always capable of, it was a fun opening clash that shone an adequate spotlight on two developing storylines.

The first is The Dark Order's continued attempts at recruiting Page. John Silver and Alex Reynolds came out with bandanas and cowboy hats, like the 'Yeehaw Man' himself, with the former as overexuberant as ever, leaping on Page's back to celebrate an early triumph. That they eventually lost will surely raise the air of the lurking Brodie Lee, wherever he is.

The second story is Hardy's increasing villainy, as the veteran stole Private Party's pin by tagging him in after they had done the dirty work with Gin and Juice. Whether or not the Hardy Party relationship continues, Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy now have another reason to be upset with their mentor.

A questionable outcome, perhaps, as it felt like the Dark Order/Page plot was minimised for Hardy's. Still, it's not like Page took the fall here.