8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (10 May - Review)

6. It's A Good Job Mark Briscoe Was Involved In This

Dax Harwood Mark Briscoe
AEW

The set-up to the World Tag Team title match at Double Or Nothing felt rushed and busy, in that the crowd barely registered that Dax had mistakenly drilled Mark Briscoe with a piledriver after Sonjay Dutt had sprayed tequila in his face. No tension was built. The whole thing, in what sadly is typical AEW fashion, was over in a flash.

It's a shame, because the idea was there. Any booker can march out warring wrestlers and get them to talk trash. This was a creative angle, even if the execution was flat, but as a segment of television, it was elevated by Mark Briscoe's ultra-charming secret cleverest man in the room act. He was very funny here. His wonderful, incredulous vocabulary was on charming display: "It's become abundantly apparent to me that you fellas have a hard time controlling your emotions when you're in the same vicinity!"

The special guest referee trope is awful. The idea that a non-specialist is needed at the most pivotal moment is idiotic; one of the most contrived attempts at drama the wrestling industry has ever mustered up.

If one individual can pull it off, it is Mark Briscoe.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!