7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (11 May)

Downs...

2. Up Middle Finger

CM Punk vs. John Silver, which looked like the surest thing on the card, was sadly lacking.

While Silver had the expected level of support in his hometown and the buzzing atmosphere carried it to a degree, the underdog never felt like he got going here. Yes, the Dark Order man was there to lose, but his flurries were too short to land and nowhere near as frenzied as usual. It was to the extent that Silver's role could have been effectively played by anybody else on the roster, so poorly utilised was the idea of a sentimental Long Island favourite stepping up to a man who has already tapped into his villainous side in this city.

Punk finishing Silver off with Hangman Page's Buckshot Lariat compelled the AEW World Champion to get up from the announce booth and hit the ring. When Punk clapped back at last week's promo, telling Hangman he'd shake his hand at Double Or Nothing (whether conscious or not), Page stuck a defiant middle finger in his face, still trying to convince himself that he's capable of beating this man.

Bigger, more significant angles will come for the World Title feud - but it's time to get going now. This should have been the week.