7 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (June 12 - Results & Review)

4. New Trio Is Already Living Up To Potential

HOOK Samoa Joe
AEW

HOOK and Samoa Joe went over the Varsity Athletes in a quick but very fun squash match.

This was proper AEW, in that it was a simple establishing match for a new act that was overflowing with thought and detail. Not one second or opportunity was wasted. HOOK's new mentor looked very pleased as he learned the 'Nope' spot. Ari Daivari, to his immense credit, took a face-first splat of a bump to get the bit over. After a quick suplex spree by HOOK, Joe, still standing by the tag rope, grabbed Tony Nese and choked him out with the Coquina. HOOK applied RedRum to Daivari in stereo to score the win. This was such a cool finish, in that HOOK's finish was presented, visually, on the level of Joe's.

In a great, cruel sight gag, Katsuyori Shibata choked out Smart Mark Sterling for no reason at all. Sterling's selling was piss-funny. Motionless, he basically acted as if he had just expired.

It already feels like everybody involved is having a wicked time with this new act.

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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!