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

6. Little Heat, No Problem

Roderick Strong Vs. Kyle O'Reilly was the "for the sickos" portion of Dynasty.

A wince-inducing unvarnished scrap, it wasn't helped by the fact that the key angle unfolded on, of all shows, Battle of the Belts. The Roddy turn might as well have happened on Honor Club.

Fan investment was low, the atmosphere flat. This would have been infinitely better had a degree of the build transpired on Dynamite. On this evidence, much as it performs well in the slot, Collision isn't sufficient in and of itself as a storyline driver. This would have died had Kyle and Roddy not kicked lumps off one another and dragged half of the building into caring - and would have soared to sleeper hit heights had more fans cared about Kyle's quest for revenge. As it happens, this was one of the most well-worked examples of "solid" you'll ever see.

Fierce, gorgeous technique forced the crowd to care towards the finish. Strong destroyed Kyle with multiple vile backbreakers; one launched into the top turnbuckle was pleasingly gross in particular. In several excellent moments, exploring the idea that the relationship between the two men is borderline symbiotic, Strong and Roddy countered one another's moves the very second one was attempted. They have deep knowledge of even a glimpse of the set-up. The oscillating momentum was very well done; those who liked it loved the dynamic, unpredictable action.

The finish was weird. Wardlow arrived at ringside and didn't interfere, but the commentary team insisted that his presence was enough to distract O'Reilly, who lost suddenly when he took End of Heartache.

If you still care about the Undisputed Kingdom, Adam Cole can walk now. That was genuinely nice to see and was meant to be important but, again, few people cared.