7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash (21 Dec - Review)
6. HOOK vs. Exodus Prime (After Which Big Bill Put A Man In The Bin)
HOOK's squash of Exodus Prime was about what you'd expect.
Prime, who sadly isn't an Autobot, was restricted to wild swings and failed strikes. HOOK put him in the corner early, threw him around the ring, and blasted him with a full-blooded lariat. Redrum then came after the crossface shots, ending Exodus' night in quickfire fashion.
The bout was setting the table for a backstage angle. On the big screen, The Firm's Big Bill and Lee Moriarty, led by Stokely Hathaway, were putting the boots to Jungle Boy. This follows the fresh babyface alliance's coming together last week - and closed on Big Bill literally chokeslamming Jack Perry into a bin (followed by Moriarty, growing into his role as a television character, tossing a bag of trash atop him).
A supplemental Down for the sudden, jarring change of pace, with 'Wild Thing' hitting before it felt like the segment was done. Effective work nonetheless. HOOK and Jungle Boy works as a new dynamic, while The Firm is starting to feel relevant again.