7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dark (Jan 5)

Ups...

7. The Acclaimed Get Past Lee Johnson & Shawn Dean

Anthony Bowens Max Caster
AEW

The extended runtime for The Acclaimed vs. Lee Johnson and Shawn Dean (which went almost nine minutes) was justified by Max Caster and Anthony Bowens' relative inexperience on the AEW roster, Johnson's elevated status amongst the Dark enhancement crew, and Dean's chops as one of the better weekly jobbers on the show.

This was a rock-solid tag on the back of the biggest match of The Acclaimed's career, as The Young Bucks beat them on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago. Bowens and Caster got their sh*t in ahead of tonight's eight-man tag. For their efforts, Dean and Johnson were granted several windows back into the action, playing their losing roles well.

It'd be nice to see Dean move into a role similar to Johnson, who recently became part of the Nightmare Family.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.