7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 7 - Review)

Downs...

2. A Weird And Unnecessary Twist

William Regal
AEW

It was revealed that William Regal had conducted in an interview with Tony Schiavone ahead of MJF's betrayal last week that was only to be screened in the event of said betrayal actually taking place.

This was strange.

It turns out that Regal half-knew the turn was coming, and was equally uninterested in aligning with MJF as MJF was aligning with him. The finish to Full Gear was reframed as one last lesson imparted to the Blackpool Combat Club: keep your eyes in the back of your head. A carny wrestling villain is always plotting some scheme or other.

It was already debatable whether it was a good idea to position an outgoing talent in such a featured role when a lot of bother and discourse and confused fan reaction could have been saved if, for example, MJF bloodied and injured Regal offscreen in the build to the pay-per-view. Ultimately, the decision put MJF over as the most cunning and despicable heel in the company. He out-Regal'd Regal.

Except he didn't. Regal had him worked out. It's just as well MJF had such a great night; otherwise, this might have damaged his credibility badly. It's one thing to actually use a departing talent in a role of such high importance.

This was far too magnanimous for its own good.

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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!