7 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Nov 11)

2. The Bastard Is Back

PAC AEW
AEW

Rather than killing each other with big bombs from the bell this time, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M focused on a different kind of story last night.

This was mostly about establishing Fenix as the sympathetic side of this character dynamic. Penta was responsible for most of the escalations, having torn his brother's mask almost completely in half (Rey returned the favour later on), and generally bringing more heat to the firefight. His bout-ending duo of head-drops put the exclamation point on this.

Meanwhile, Eddie Kingston kept reiterating on commentary, over and over, that Penta is his best friend, undermining Fenix in the process. When Penta won, Kingston further this by literally booting Rey's corpse out of the ring and telling said best friend that he didn't need his brother's dead weight anymore.

The long-awaited PAC return could have used some more electricity, as the army of officials defused the situation before it could really heat up. A fist to Kingston's face would have gone a long way. Still, it's great to have the 'Bastard' back - and the sheer volume of character dynamics in play here makes this a must-watch program.

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Channel Manager
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.