7 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 18)

2. An Alien Refuses To Join A Cult In The Sports League

That heading is very reductive, but the Nightmare Collective isn't remotely well-drawn enough as an act to warrant deeper critique, and, while Kris Statlander is a talent of incredible potential, her gimmick is that of a space alien or a human being under the impression that she is a space alien.

There is a parallel to be drawn with Luchasaurus, but the Jurassic Express is distinct and exempt from the same criticism because there is a wholesome, offbeat charm to that act that just works on an idiosyncratic and near-universal level. With Statlander, that connection with the crowd is effectively limited to "Well, the gimmick is weird, but she's great and elevates the division, so whatever."

After defeating Britt Baker and becoming the number one contender, Brandi Rhodes interrupted Statlander's interview with Tony Schiavone and cut a pretty awful promo reeking of amateur dramatics.

The aesthetic is campy, in the bad definition, it's derivative within its own company, and it can't lead anywhere meaningful because Awesome Kong, sadly, doesn't look capable of it.

It is, in short, a complete non-starter of an act, and it's the centrepiece of a division that was, past tense, improving.