7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Anniversary Edition (Oct 14)

2. Passive-Aggressive Predators

MJF AEW
AEW

MJF's career-changing announcement was pretty much what you thought it would be - wanting to join the Inner Circle, with much bells and whistles - and the quality level wasn't a surprise either. This was tremendous.

'The Salt of the Earth' welcomed Chris Jericho for this groundbreaking occasion, putting 'Le Champion' over as somebody he looks up to dearly. He drenched Sammy Guevara by finally supplying him with a new jacket, only for it to be about seven sizes to make, leaving 'The Spanish God' upset and continuing the prodigy vs. prodigy subplot of this whole deal. All of this was appetiser material, though. The entree was MJF deliberately blundering his way through the admission that he wanted to join the Inner Circle, struggling to swallow his pride, and while Ortiz objected to the idea immediately, Jericho entertained it. Next week, they'll meet for a steak dinner to hash this business out.

Passive aggression and guarded intentions continue to define this storyline. Both men come off conceited and insincere in every "nice" move they make, though the outcome feels far from obvious at the moment. MJF taking control of and sabotaging the stable from within is as possible as Jericho turning the whole group babyface to feud with Max. It is a well-played, intriguing piece of storytelling that's easy to take at face value, and each new segment is as compelling as the last.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.