7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (December 20 - Results & Review)

3. Very Good Match Misses Its Ceiling Slightly

Rush Vs. Swerve Strickland was a very good and effective opener.

Both wrestlers had endured storyline injuries throughout the C2 and carried them into this match, which, in addition to it being a straight must-win shoot-out, developed a more palpable sense of urgency and drama as a result. Even when selling - and selling well and with a rare degree of subtlety - Rush is just so awesome at working in beast mode. The story ultimately became one of survival for Swerve - a glimpse, perhaps, into his future as the babyface ace of All Elite Wrestling. Rush was relentless.

Swerve attempted to smash him with a German suplex on the outside, but Rush popped back up and blasted him with a shotgun dropkick. After aggressively targeting Swerve's shoulder, deeper in the match, Rush kicked out of a 450 splash at one. While this was a cool spot in and of itself, it's been done a few too many times in the C2 alone. Everybody is chasing the pop that Kenny Omega generated at Forbidden Door II and a point of diminishing returns is imminent. It might be time for Tony Khan to intervene and relay strict instructions to his team of agents.

Still, on this occasion, it worked to make Rush seem undeniable on the night. The match was very familiar to a lot of Gold League fare structurally, with its chop battles and double downs and apron spots and the like, but it was hot, the crowd was lively, and Swerve continued to wrestle like the Ace elect. His darting for a submission as soon as Rush hit his tranquilo pose was smart, defiant babyface work.

Swerve went over, leaving it up to Jay White to deliver later in the show.

Advertisement
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!