7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (12 Oct)

3. Cowboy Shoot

Jon Moxley Hangman Page
AEW

Speaking of clearer skies ahead, a scintillating verbal showdown between Jon Moxley and Hangman Page may have been the standout moment from a show despite the awesome babyface triumph that sent fans home delirious.

Moxley was untouchable as usual, toasting the Toronto debut as a way to segue into bottling AEW's entire history into something he's had the tightest grip on since jump. Page was the perfect opponent to tee up with this specific rhetoric. His highs and lows have been baked into those of the organisation, as he explained without veering too much into exposition.

Moxley had dropped "anxious" into his opening salvo as a not-that-subtle knock at a man he'd otherwise shown respect to, but it was the last trait Page was willing to reveal as he steered into the hard sales pitch that cleverly doubled as a searing motivational speech for himself. Comparisons to one year ago were excuses to really soak in the gravity of all that's changed over the last 12 months, and MJF's lingering presence made him the ghost at this particular feast instead of The Elite and CM Punk.

This was the best, most believable and most relevant Page has felt in months, dating back to before he even lost the title. Beating Moxley was an impossible sell up until now, but with six days left before the battle, the two men located and nailed the crucial 1% doubt that will drive the emotional core of a major main event.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett