8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (10 Nov)

Omega inks his contract in Hangman Page's blood, Danielson beats Romero, Okada teases continue.

Kenny Omega Don Callis blood
AEW

It's rare for All Elite Wrestling to stack a pay-per-view go-home show.

For better or worse, the company's philosophy isn't to throw big name after big name onto an all-star lineup with the hope of crafting one of the year's most noteworthy shows. The cost of this, Tony Khan has argued, is too great. AEW's president doesn't like to give things away on the eve of a pay-per-view.

This was the case last night as well. The card looked good on paper, but not out-of-this-world good. Bryan Danielson was the only top-level men's singles wrestler on the marquee but going against Rocky Romero, who he should beat handily. Elsewhere, it was story and potential quality over star power, with bigger draws like Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, and Chris Jericho locked into segments.

It turned out to be one of the best episodes of Dynamite since Danielson, CM Punk, Adam Cole, et al arrived.

A strong evening of plot developments and last-minute pay-per-view hype generation, it did plenty to make Full Gear 2021 feel like a bigger show without sacrificing anything in the process. It's an example of Khan's go-home show philosophy paying off, really, as while you might not glance at the lineup and presume excellence, the pieces fit together extremely well - and the overall picture likely earned a few extra PPV buys too.

Let's light the fuse...

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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.