7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (January 10 - Results & Review)

1. Vibe Dampened

Sammy Guevara
AEW

Sammy Guevara Vs. Ricky Starks was something of a disappointment.

Viewers were told of their shared history on the Texas independent scene by the commentary team, but weren't exactly shown it in the ring. This was awkward in certain places, and as good as he is, that isn't an uncommon occurrence in Ricky Starks matches. In a weird moment, Starks broke up a sequence on the apron by randomly walking back into and immediately out of the ring. If the idea was to convey that he'd been knocked so silly he didn't know where he was - and Guevara's chop was hard enough, in fairness - it didn't land. It wasn't registered with a slapstick physicality and nobody takes Guevara seriously as somebody who can mess somebody up even if, again, the chop was actually brutal.

Elsewhere, this veered between decent enough back and forth and cliché. There wasn't much heat to it; it was as if Daily's had already reckoned with the Vince McMahon booking, reconciling the idea that Guevara had to win to make any sense of the upcoming World Tag Team title match at Battle of the Belts. Guevara did win, and the finish wasn't great either. Guevara pinned Starks in a flash. The idea was that either man could have put away the other; it just happened to be Guevara's day. In execution, it felt anticlimactic, from out of nowhere.

In a risible post-match angle, after a handshake that revealed itself to be a ruse, Big Bill beat Guevara down. His facials were fantastic. He enjoys being a villain so, so much. He's class. The fun stopped when Chris Jericho made the save and, to prevent any boos, 'Judas' was played through the ensuing brawl.

This was cowardly and pathetic, consistent with Jericho working Battle of the Belts under the presumed, cynical idea that nobody cares about that event and that the jeers won't sound so loud at the arse-end of a long TV taping.

AEW is trying to keep Jericho around and hide him at the same time, and it reeks as much as this 2019 WWE tag team booking.

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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!