8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (10 May - Review)
4. AEW Is Doing Something Very Special Here
Orange Cassidy Vs. Daniel Garcia was a very, very good pro wrestling match with a finish that tied beautifully into AEW's novel way of telling stories.
Garcia made the choice to take shortcuts as a sports entertainer, even when his hero, Bryan Danielson, offered him a route out of the JAS. He's too young and distracted to grasp his destiny yet which, brilliantly, he conveys through his hilarious dancing. This is doubly clever because the dancing is entertaining. He's turning babyface organically before his scripted babyface turn, while staying true to his bratty, arrogant heel character in the meantime, and the fans get it. It's nice being trusted.
They are telling Garcia that he is a wrestler, playing their part in what is such a great, only-in-wrestling development. Garcia's arc is a years-long story that relies on the magic of audience participation. This is what wrestling can be - an inimitable blend of episodic storytelling and interactive performance art - and it's going to be amazing when he turns. Garcia's match with Cassidy was sublime in an understated way.
The breathless closeness of the finishing sequence, in which Garcia and Cassidy traded scorching duelling pins, underscored the theme beautifully. Garcia isn't just a wrestler. He could be a champion. He could be the very best. That's how capable he is at the pure technical side of it. But, as Malakai Black alluded to later in the night, he's in a cult.
He can't be the best version of himself until he realises that.