8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynasty (Results & Review)

Will Ospreay Vs. Bryan Danielson - an easy ***** - highlights yet another seminal All Elite PPV.

by Michael Sidgwick
Dynasty Kazuchika Okada
AEW

Dynasty looked great on paper, but it was difficult to engage with the build on an emotional level. The event didn't feel enormous.

After a superb start to 2024, suddenly, AEW reverted to 2023 mode.

Samoa Joe Vs. Swerve Strickland wasn't a particularly gripping story. Joe deemed Swerve unworthy of being a champion. Swerve - rather too often - responded that it was his destiny. They half-tried, with a blood angle and some pull-aparts, to create a sense of hatred - but the lack of true contrast between the characters could not summon the big fight feel. Swerve is over, and to a strong extent, but he still doesn't feel undeniable. Swerve and Joe are two bad dudes; the fans just happen to like them both. AEW didn't establish a true need within the audience for one to prevail over the other.

After a promising start, Bryan Danielson Vs. Will Ospreay wasn't built all that well, either. The idea of Ospreay threatening to damage Bryan's brain in a kill-or-be-killed war was gripping, but beyond that, they each wrestled some good matches to prove that the PPV match would be good. Isn't that what the establishing premise and match graphic was for? Where was the sense that this momentous occasion simply couldn't come soon enough?

This should have felt as big as Danielson Vs. Omega. Sadly, it didn't - until the opening bell.

A dearth of ideas undermined the build, but it shouldn't go unmentioned that the expectations and standards might be unreasonably high. The Young Bucks Vs. FTR suffered from this. Sometimes, nothing less than seminal is demanded. Is that fair?

And was Dynasty as good as AEW, with those bleak attendances, needed it to be...?

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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!