8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (29 March - Review)

When AEW was accused of telling flat stories, Tony Khan took that personally...

by Michael Sidgwick
Adam Cole Streamers
AEW

All Elite Wrestling is threading fascinating mysteries, the answers to which are elusive. A single segment of television conjures multiple match graphics, all of which are awesome, the order of which is hard - but fun - to determine. AEW last week promoted one of the best and the most spectacular match in the history of TV wrestling.

Kenny Omega is back at the epicentre of All Elite Wrestling.

These things are connected.

Back in September, before the events of Brawl Out were still raw and unresolved, fans were faced with an AEW with no 'E' - and it was weird. Even though they were hardly at the forefront of storylines, their unexplained absence brought into focus that the promotion simply isn't the same without Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks in it. AEW felt off. The values remained in place - expressive, full-pelt wrestling that embraced range - but the cloud would not lift. The Elite, ever divisive, can't wrestle forever. The 'E' will disappear for good at some point.

If there's ever an argument to be made that they should be tied to the promotion in some way for a long time - as agents or in creative, or both - Omega articulated it over the last couple of weeks. AEW feels whole and distinctively itself when he is crucial to its narrative elegance and unrivalled sense of energy.

tl;dr: AEW feels like it is back after what was a basic and uninspiring build to Revolution outside of the main event.

Did that feeling abide last night...?

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!